Gigabyte gtx 980 ti xtreme gaming review

Gigabyte, leader in the manufacture of motherboards, graphics cards and laptops launched just a week ago its new Xtreme Gaming series for the GTX980 and GTX 970 series. The powerful Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming Windforce with 6GB of memory has arrived in our laboratory GDDR5.

Among its novelties we find a triple fan heatsink, breakneck speeds and the latest innovations in components. Don't miss our review!

We thank Gigabyte Spain for trusting the product for its analysis:

Technical characteristics Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming Windforce

Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming

The graphics card is protected in an attractive large cardboard box. We have a first-rate presentation where the logo of the " Xtreme Gaming " series predominates on the cover. While in the back we have the most relevant technical characteristics detailed.

Once we open the box we find excellent protection. The graphics card is protected in another polystyrene box that cushions any shock during the trip. The graphics card is sealed in a plastic bag. Inside we find:

• Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming 6GB graphics card. Gigabyte wristband. PCI Express power adapter. Quick guide. Sticker. CD with Driver.

The Gigabyte has a size of 51 x 287 x 134 mm and a significant weight. The combination of black and metallic colors favors you and the aesthetics are superior to its famous Gaming G1.

In the back area we have a backplate that covers the entire PCB. This serves to stiffen and improve the temperatures of all its components and memories.

The Gigabyte XTREME GAMING series cards include a metal backplate and the PCB has a special layer for greater protection against moisture, dust and corrosion, ideal for those users who live in areas with high humidity or where the powder. The most enthusiastic will also take advantage of this feature that will protect their cards from possible accidents resulting from the use of liquid refrigeration. We recommend watching this video.

The Xtreme cooling system features three 90mm fans using 0DB technology. This means that the fans are passive and are stopped up to approximately 55 ºC , when they exceed this temperature they activate in safety mode. The established curve is very good and we see no need to modify it because this heatsink is capable of cooling a card of up to 700W.

To mount the card in our team we will need Install the two 8- pin power connectors, although it has an extra 8-pin connector to increase its stability and perform an extreme overclock. As in the entire Xtreme Gaming series, it incorporates the logo of the front, customizable LED lights in the colors red, blue, yellow, green, white or random (Random)… Without a doubt, one more aesthetic touch in our fantastic tower.

It has the SLI connection bridge to connect with up to 4 graphics cards in SLI.

To finish we detail the rear connections:

• 1 x Dual-link DVI-I. 1 x HDMI. 3 x DisplayPort.

Cooling and custom PCB

We start by opening the Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming. The heatsink features three heatpipes that come into direct contact with the GM200 28nm TSMC graphics chip with 2816 Shaders. It has Samsung K4G41325FC-HC28 memories at a speed of 7000 MHz GDDR5 that make a total of 6GB GDDR5. The core of the processor runs in base frequency at 1000 MHz and with turbo boost up to 1075 MHz, although it has an overclocking profile that raises the frequency up to 1216 MHz and with turbo it shoots up to 1317 MHz.

In addition to cooling the chipset, we have a very effective small heatsink for the power phases. Cooling is excellent as all components are cooled by thermal pads that contact the heatsink directly. Without a doubt, one of the best graphics cards that Gigabyte has designed.

Finally note that each fan can be configured in different colors from the OC Guru II application. We leave you a video where you can find the aesthetics that we can achieve:

Test bench and performance tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	i5-6600k @ 4400 Mhz..
Base plate:	Gigabyte Z170 SOC.
Memory:	16GB Kingston Savage DDR4 @ 3000 Mhz
Heatsink	Corsair H100i GTX
HDD	Samsung 850 EVO SSD.
Graphics Card	- Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming Windforce. - Asus GTX 980 Ti Matrix Platinum. - Gigabyte GTX 950 Xtreme Gaming 2GB stock. - MSI GTX 960 Gaming 2GB stock. - Powercolor R9 390 Pcs + 1010/1500. - Msi R9 390X Gaming. - Asus 970 Mini. 1280/1753 Mhz
Power supply	EVGA SuperNOVA G2 750

For benchmarks we will use the following titles:

• 3DMark - Gpu ScoreF1 2015Hitman AbsolutionLotR - Shadow of MordorThiefTomb RaiderBioshock InfiniteMetro Last Light

All tests will be passed in their maximum configuration unless it is stated differently in the graph. And this time we will do it in two resolutions, the most popular today: 1080P (1920 × 1080) and a slightly higher one: 2K or 1440P (2560x1440P). The operating system used will be the new Windows 10 Pro 64 bit and the latest drivers available from the Nvidia website.

What are we looking for in the tests?

First, the best possible image quality. The most important value for us is the average FPS (Frames per second), the higher the number of FPS, the more fluid the game will be. To differentiate the quality a bit, we leave you a table to assess the quality in FPS, but we will also have the minimum Fps in the tests that were thus possible:

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FRAMES BY SECONDS
Frames for Seconds. (FPS)	Gameplay
Less than 30 FPS	Limited
30 - 40 FPS	Playable
40 - 60 FPS	Good
Greater than 60 FPS	Fairly Good or Excellent

1080P test results

Overclock and first impressions

Note: Remember that overclocking or manipulation carries a risk, we and any manufacturer are not responsible for improper use, use the head and always do so at your own risk.

We have increased the overclocking capacity by +150 which are 1326 Mhz with a boost of 1500 Mhz and memories up to 1760 Mhz. The improvements are between 5 to 7 fps more without touching voltage. So it is advisable to overclock if you want to get the most out of this card.

Temperature and consumption

As always we have evaluated the consumption and temperatures of the Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming. With this table we will have a general reference with other current or previous generation cards.The consumption and temperatures have been verified by reading the maximum peak, passing the Metro Last Light benchmark 3 times, ideal for how demanding it becomes..

The Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming has performed efficiently with a standby power consumption of 100W (Whole Computer Complete) and an average of 345W. In temperatures the performance has also been excellent with 48ºC at rest and 72ºC at maximum power.

Final words and conclusion.

The Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming arrive stomping, as it has become one of the best options on the market. It has an attractive design, excellent cooling and above all excellent performance and even beating records in our tests with its 6GB of GDDR5 memory.

On cooling it has the new Xtreme Cooling heatsink with three 90mm fans and semi-passive dissipation (0dB Technology) capable of withstanding up to 700W of heat. Components like Xtreme Protection and a customizable lighting system make it the perfect companion for your PC.

Regarding performance, we have obtained very good scores, for example in 3DMARK we have reached 19903 points and in games, high FPS rates.

Currently it can be found in online stores for a slightly higher price than other models, but it really is worth those 799 euros that it marks today.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ DESIGN.
+ AESTHETICS.
+ BACKPLATE.
+ 3 POWER SUPPLY CONNECTIONS.
+ EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE.

And after carefully evaluating both the evidence and the product, Professional Review awards him the platinum medal:

Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming

COMPONENT QUALITY

DISSIPATION

GAMING EXPERIENCE

SONORITY

PRICE

9.5 / 10

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