Kfa2 gtx 1070 katana review in Spanish (nvidia pascal single slot)

KFA2 is one of the best graphics card manufacturers in the world and in each new generation it surprises us with one or two different models seen so far. The KFA2 GTX 1070 Katana is one of the few single slot graphics cards currently on the market. One of a kind with 8GB of GDDR5 memory and a perfect size for very compact cases.

Are you ready? Our review begins now!

We thank KFA2 for trusting the product for their analysis. Here we go!

KFA2 GTX 1070 Katana technical characteristics

Design and unboxing

KFA2 makes a presentation to us in a standard size cardboard box. The exact model we have acquired, a burgundy background and its compatibility with virtual glasses are screen printed on its cover. Send us a message What is your game?

When we look at the rear area we see all the most important technical characteristics and the main differences compared to other models.

Once we open the graphics card we find a classic bundle:

• KFA2 GTX 1070 Katana 8-pin Thief via power supply via two MOLEX connections Brochures Quick guide

The KFA2 GTX 1070 Katana It uses the well-known Pascal GP104-200 chip that gives such good performance in 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The processor core is made from 16nm FinFET lithography and is only 314mm2 in size. It is a chip with 7.2 billion transistors and has 1, 920 CUDA cores along with 120 TMUs and 64 ROPs. The core works with base specifications of 1518 MHz and with Boost up to 1708 MHz (the same as the Mini version).

It comes with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory at a maximum frequency in its 8, 000 MHz overclocked mode and with a 256-bit interface to offer a maximum bandwidth of 266 GB / s. A few more than enough figures for a graphics card that will be able to handle most of the games on the market at 4K resolution and with very remarkable levels of detail.

Its characteristic design is what makes it so special. It features a murky format with a single slot approach, a thickness of just 16mm and its only fan blowing air out. A blast for SFF teams!

KFA2 has chosen to call its cooling system codenamed RazorX. This features an advanced steam chamber, a copper cooling system more than complies in more than unfavorable situations. All this makes it an ideal solution for boxes such as the Ncase M1 or ITX gaming format.

As we have already mentioned, one of the great benefits of this design is that it allows us to use it in boxes with a very small size and the possibility of mounting an SLI system on a microATX board. And it is that its dimensions are made up of 26.7 x 12.4 x 18.74 mm and a very light weight.

KFA2 has chosen not to include a backplate to save even more space, although we think it would have given it a TOP look.

Finishing this section we detail the rear connections that it incorporates are:

• 1 DVI connection 1 Displayport connection 1 HDMI connection

PCB and internal components

To remove the heatsink we must remove a total of six screws located on the PCB and one screw from the slot. As we can see the heatsink has thermaldpads in the memories and the VRM. While holding all the heat from the graphics chip is a copper base.

It has the same PCB as in its Mini version. It shares the 4 + 1 phases of power: one for the memories and four for the core, and as usual incorporates components of high durability and with a high overclocking capacity.

Test bench and performance tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	AMD Ryzen 7 1700.
Base plate:	Asus Crosshair VI Hero.
Memory:	32GB Kingston Fury DDR4 @ 3000 Mhz
Heatsink	Serial.
HDD	Samsung 850 EVO SSD.
Graphic card	KFA2 GTX 1070 Mini.
Power supply	Corsair AX860i

For benchmarks we will use the following titles:

• 3DMark Fire Strike normal.3DMark Fire Strike version 4K.Heaven 4.0.Doom 4.Overwatch.Tomb Raider.Battlefield 4.

All tests have been passed with the filters to the maximum unless we indicate otherwise. In order to have adequate performance, we have carried out three types of tests: the first is the most common at Full HD 1920 x 1080, the second resolution is making the leap to 2K or 1440P (2560 x 1440P) gamers and the most enthusiastic with 4K (3840 x 2160). The operating system we have used has been 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 go. 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:

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

Synthetic benchmarks

As always we have passed the three most important tests in synthetic benchmarks: normal 3DMARK, its 4K version and the Heaven version.

Game Testing

We have decided to make the leap to checking various games manually. The reason? Very simple, we want to give a much more realistic vision and cover tests with current games. Since we make an effort, it is consistent with the level of the website and that of our readers.

Testing in Full HD games

Testing in 2K games

Testing in 4K games

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.

Although it is a small graphics card, it has allowed us to tighten its frequencies a little to 1603 MHz in the core. Although this slight improvement has allowed us to reach 2050 MHz at full power, without a doubt an achievement for something so compact.

For example, in 3DMARK Fire Strike we have gone from obtaining 18113 in Graphics Score to one more than respectable 18523 points.

Temperature and consumption

Consumption lives up to expectations set at 61 W idle and 232 W at full performance. All this playing with an Intel Core i7-7700k processor and liquid cooling. Nothing bad!

Important: The consumption is of the complete equipment.

While the temperatures reached are really good, we have obtained 32ºC and reaches a maximum of 75ºC playing at maximum power. Although if we regulate the profile of the fan, we can lower it drastically.

Final words and conclusion about

The KFA2 GTX 1070 Katana is one of the most interesting alternatives for compact equipment. With incredible power for 1080, 1440 and 2160 pixel configurations make it an all-terrain in a super small format.

We really liked its single slot turbine cooling system. With a quality copper base, quality thermalpad and a custom PCB that offers better performance than reference systems. Without a doubt, the ideal option for lovers of the ITX box.

We recommend reading the best graphics cards on the market.

We thought that overclocking would be a problem, but if we adjusted the fan curve , we managed to go up to 2050 MHz. But of course, we have tested it in our test bench, so in a small box we should leave it out of stock. But in the case of having good refrigeration we will not have any problem.

At the moment we have not seen this graphics card listed in Spain, although we will surely see it in pre-sale in the coming weeks. Since it is a perfect option for small format equipment and will cost approximately 400 euros.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ SINGLE SLOT DESIGN.	- DOES NOT HAVE BACKPLATE.
+ IT HAS GOOD TEMPERATURES DESPITE BEING A TURBINE COOLING SYSTEM.
+ GOOD POWER OF OVERCLOCK.
+ PERSONALIZED PCB WITH 4 + 1 PHASES.
+ IDEAL FOR MAKING SLI ON MATX BASE PLATES.

And after carefully evaluating both the evidence and the product, Professional Review awards you the Platinum Medal and Recommended Product Medal:

KFA2 GTX 1070 Katana

COMPONENT QUALITY - 80%

DISSIPATION - 85%

GAMING EXPERIENCE - 90%

SOUND - 80%

PRICE - 85%

84%