NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card Review

Legit Video Card Reviews

GTX760 2GB GDDR5 Reference Card

Over the past month NVIDIA has managed to keep us extremely busy with the launch of the new GeForce GTX 700 series of video cards.  NVIDIA already released the high-end GeForce GTX 780 and GeForce GTX 770 cards and today they continue the refresh of their product stack with the introduction of the GeForce GTX 760.

We have been told that this is the final desktop GeForce GTX graphics card that will be released for a number of months, so let's take a look at the new NVIDIA graphics card lineup.

As you can see the GeForce GTX 680 and GeForce GTX 670 have booth been dropped from the lineup and have been replaced by the GeForce GTX 780 and GeForce GTX 770. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 video card that is coming out today replacing  the GeForce GTX 660 Ti in the lineup. Pricing for the GeForce GTX 760 begins at $249.99 and this will be a hard launch, so you should be able to go out and by partner cards right now. GeForce GTX 760 cards will be offered by ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Palit, PNY and Zotac. NVIDIA board partners will be offering a wide variety of GeForce GTX 760 configurations, including boards with custom cooling, factory overclocks and some with 4GB of memory instead of 2GB (extra ~$49).

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 reference card features six streaming multiprocessors, 1,152 CUDA cores, 96 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. The TDP on the card is 170 Watts and a 500 Watt power supply is recommended.  The memory bandwidth on the GeForce GTX 660 Ti is ~144 GB/s and ~192 GB/s on the GeForce GTX 670/680. The GeForce GTX 760 shares that same memory solution that was found on GeForce GTX 670/680 cards, so it has 192.26 Gb/s of memory bandwidth.  Both 2GB and 4GB versions of the GeForce GTX 760 are in the works, with the 4GB cards costing about $49 more.

At the end of the day you basically have a card running the GK104 with one of the Graphics Processing Clusters (GPCs) disabled (fewer stream processors), but you get the full GDDR5 memory and raster operations setup that is found on the GeForce GTX670/GTX680. Not bad considering yesterday a GeForce GTX 660 Ti would run you $280 and the GeForce GTX 760 comes in $30 less expensive at just $250.

NVIDIA is hoping that the GeForce GTX 760 will get some people with older cards to update as it offers a 300% performance boost over the Geforce GTX 275 that came out in 2009 and is roughly twice as fast as the GeForce GTX 560 from 2011.

 NVIDIA also says that the GeForce GTX 760 will be able to beat the AMD Radeon HD 7950!  Let's take a closer look at the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB reference card and get to testing.

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MSI GeForce GTX 760 Gaming OC 2GB Video Card Review in SLI and 2D Surround

Legit Video Card Reviews

Earlier today we brought you a review of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB reference card. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 uses the GK104 "Kepler" GPU and has 1152 CUDA cores with a base clock speed of 980MHz, while the boost clock speed is 1033MHz. The 2GB of GDDR5 memory runs on a 256-bit bus and is clocked at 6008MHz (effective). Pretty impressive specifications for a desktop graphics card in the $250 price segment.

However, pretty much every NVIDIA board partner will be offering factory overclocked GeForce GTX 760 boards that run at even higher clock speeds along with custom GPU coolers for improved cooling. This is great for consumers as when you purchase a desktop graphics cards you have a a wide variety brands and models to pick from. The number of different cards can be daunting, but you can get exactly what you want. The very first retail board partner GeForce GTX 760 card that we will be looking at is the MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC. We were told to call it the MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC, but if you go by the retail box it would be the GeForce GTX 760 Twin Frozr Gaming OC Edition.

The MSI GeForce GTX 760 Twin Frozr Gaming OC 2GB looks nothing like the NVIDIA Reference card as you can see from the image above.

The MSI GeForce GTX 760 Twin Frozr Gaming OC is clocked at 1020MHz on the core and 1085MHz on the boost clock. This is a 4% overclock on the base clock and a 5% overclock on the boost clock.  The 2GB of GDDR5 memory runs at 1502MHz (6008MHz effective), so the memory has not been overclocked and is running at stock speeds.

MSI was kind enough to send over a pair of their GeForce GTX 760 Twin Frozr Gaming OC cards for us to try out in both single card and 2-way SLI.

The MSI GeForce GTX 760 Gaming features two 100mm (10cm) fans and the Twin Frozr IV GPU cooler that has 5 copper heat pipes. At start up the fans are audible but quickly fade to nearly inaudible.

MSI uses Military Class 4 components on the Gaming series card, so they have Hi-c CAP, new SFC and Solid CAP. The dual 10cm PWM fans have propeller blade technology with dust technology, so they spin backwards for a second when first started to prevent dust from blowing into the heat sink.

MSI went with an 8-pin and 6-pin PCI-e power connectors for their GeForce GTX 760 gaming edition card. MSI suggests a 500 Watt or greater power supply for proper operation.

Here we can see the video output connectors for the GTX760 card. It has a pair of dual-link DVI connectors, the bottom is a DVI-I while the top is DVI-D. Display Port is at the bottom left and HDMI is in the middle. The design looks is identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 reference card, so the video outputs are the same.

Here we have the back side of the card where it should be noted that this card uses a PCB that is 10.0" in length, but the GPU cooler extends past the card making it nearly 10.25" in length. This is about 0.75-inches longer than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 reference card. 

From this angle you can better see that the Twin Frozr 4 GPU cooler extends past the PCB and how it pushes air in all directions. Not much air is exhausted out of the chassis, so it will be interesting to see how the temperatures are during our SLI testin.

MSI is using SK hynix GDDR5 IC's that are marked H5GQ2H24AFR-R0C. These are the same exact ICs that NVIDIA used for the frame buffer on the reference card. According to the SK hynix website these specific IC's are rated to run at 6.0Gbps (0.3ns) at 1.5V.

Let's take a look at the retail box and bundle!

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Mozilla wants to help developers integrate 3D games, video calls, and file sharing into webapps with

Mozilla wants to help developers integrate 3D games, video calls, and file sharing into webapps with Firefox's Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) technology. Learn more about it here.

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Do You Use Social Video Sharing Sites Like Instagram or Vine?

Last week, Instagram introduced short video sharing features for its popular photo service, in direct answer to Twitter's own Vine service. Do you use any of them, though?

Despite YouTube being around for nearly a decade, new forms of sharing video have been popping up all over lately. Most of them are bite-sized and come with very simple editing tools. For example, Vine and Instagram both have the ability to only record as long as you're pressing the red button, which allows for very simple editing. Combined with specialized communities or tight integration with social services, they offer a compelling package.

Is it enough to make you use them, though? Do you prefer a service with a smaller reach if it has a better interface? Do Instagram and Vine have a different purpose than YouTube? Or do you just prefer to turn the camera off entirely anyway?

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This Video Shows You the Difference Between a T-Bone and a Porterhouse

If you've always thought that a T-Bone steak and a Porterhouse steak were the same thing, you'd be mistaken. They're both from the same cut and they both have the characteristic t-shaped bone in the center, but this video from the folks at America's Test Kitchen explains why one costs so much more than the other.

Essentially, the real differentiator between the two is the size of the tenderloin section—or the smaller piece of meat on the short side of the bone (as opposed to the strip, which is the longer section on the other side). Because a T-Bone is allowed to have a smaller tenderloin section than a Porterhouse, that would mean that all Porterhouse steaks are T-Bones, but not all T-Bones are porterhouses. Either way, if you're ever at the butcher counter and see that the Porterhouse is much more pricey than the T-Bone (Also, if the butcher can't explain why, it's time to find a new butcher), now you'll know why, and you can opt to splurge or save accordingly.

What’s the Difference Between a Porterhouse and a T-Bone Steak? | America's Test Kitchen

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Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 WindForce 3X 2GB Video Card Review

Legit Video Card Reviews

NVIDIA's reference design for the GeForce GTX 770 is solidly built, but most video card makers have opted to use their own PCB design and custom GPU coolers on the cards that they bring to market. Gigabyte has come out with a rather impressive NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 2GB/4GB video card that has the company's WindForce 3X GPU Cooler and a custom designed PCB. This card stands out from the crowd due to the WindForce 3X GPU cooler that uses six copper heatpipes (2x 8mm and 4x 6mm) and three 75mm cooling fans to keep this factory overclocked card running smoothly. This beefy GPU cooler marketed as being able to handle thermal designs of up to 450 Watts.

That is complete overkill for the reference GeForce GTX 770 clock speeds, so Gigabyte overclocked this card with the highest frequencies that we have seen to date. A standard reference card comes at 1046MHz base clock with a 1085MHz boost clock, but the Gigabyte GTX 770 WindForce 3X comes clocked at 1137MHz core and 1189MHz boost. a nice 9-10% increase in clock speeds on the 1536 stream processors! The 2GB of GDDR5 memory runs on a 256-bit bus and is clocked at 1753MHz (7012MHz), which means that is has not been overclocked.

The Gigabyte GTX 770 WindForce 3X 2GB video card is sold under part number GV-N770OC-2GD and retails for $409.99 shipped.  There is also a 4GB version of the same card that has part number GV-N770OC-4GD that sells for $449.99 shipped. It you are gaming on a triple panel setup it is advisable to spend the extra $40 to get twice as much frame buffer as many game titles use more than 2GB at a screen resolution of 5760x1080 and higher.

The Gigabyte GTX 770 WindForce 3X is a dual-slot card that measures 11-inches in length, which is half an inch longer than the reference design. This card has some weight to it and weighs just over two pounds!

The back side of the card is not covered by a back-plate and none of the GDDR5 memory chips are located on the back of the 2GB card that we are looking at today. Notice that the GPU cooler does extend past the PCB, so Gigabyte tried to make it as large as possible.

The Gigabyte GTX770 WindForce 3X video card looks sharp from the front, with a nice nameplate and all, but once installed in a case this is why you see.  It would have been nice if Gigabyte would have installed some branding on the back of the cards metal fan shroud that extends above the card.  It's just a blank piece of metal that is sticking out when installed in a traditional PC case.

The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 OC WindForce 3X 2GB GDDR5 graphics card has a total of four display connectors.  You have dual-link DVI-I, dual-link DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. All of the video outputs are standard size, so no adapters are needed, which is nice.  The only downside to using full size connectors is that the exhaust fan outlet is small, but due to the WindForce 3X GPU Cooler design most of the air is blown back into the chassis.

Here is a closer look at the bottom of the video card to show how the fan shroud is pretty much open all the way around the card. The fans push air down into the two large aluminum heatsinks and then the air pretty much goes out in every direction once it hits the PCB.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 graphics card supports triple-SLI, so Gigabyte supports it as well and the card has a pair of SLI connectors along the top of the PCB for multi-GPU systems. Gigabyte ships the card with blue colors protectors on all the video outputs, PCIe slot and the SLI connectors.

Gigabyte went with 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors on the GeForce GTX770 WindForce 3X video card and recommends at least a 600 Watt power supply with a minimum +12V current rating of 42A. It should be noted that when we plugged in the PCIe power connectors that they made contact with the WindForce 3X GPU cooler, so it is a tight fit to get them on and really tricky to get them off! You just have to be gentle and finesse it!

Now that we have covered the basics of the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 WindForce 3X, let's move along and take a quick look at the retail packaging and accessory bundle for all those folks that like unboxing details.

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Skype has added a new video messaging feature to its suite of apps.

Skype has added a new video messaging feature to its suite of apps. You can now leave video messages free of charge for any of your contacts. Head over to the Skype blog for all the details.

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Repurpose Old Video Game Consoles and Controllers

Now that you can build an all-in-one video game console for $35, or just use your smartphone or desktop, old school consoles like the NES or Sega Genesis end up collecting dust. You don't have to let them waste away. Instead, give their hardware new life this weekend with a few clever DIY projects.

The Nintendo Entertainment System gets more DIY love than pretty much any other system around. Due to its size and shape, it won't take up too much space but provides plenty of room to work with should you hollow out its innards. Additionally, you get a super-simple controller that can turn into all sorts of things. If you want a great system to hack, start with the NES.

Let's take a look at a few awesome things you can do with it:

If you'd rather keept your NES as a gaming system but want a little more power, you can also build a computer inside or just add a Raspberry Pi.

Although people hack the NES primarily, other systems get a little attention, too. If you've a different classic console, check out these projects instead:

As you can see, you have a lot of fun options regardless of what system you've got lying around. You also don't have to start with an existing idea. If you think of something awesome, it isn't hard to hollow out a console case and put what you want inside. If you come up with anything worth sharing, come back and post it in the discussions. Have fun, and happy modding!

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Ars Technica reports that AT&T doesn't want all its users making video calls over cellular data just

Ars Technica reports that AT&T doesn't want all its users making video calls over cellular data just yet. The recently-announced revamp to Google+ Hangouts won't connect on an AT&T Android smartphone unless you're connected to Wi-Fi. You won't find yourself restricted if you subscribe to a tiered or mobile share plan. Those with unlimited plans and LTE-enabled devices can expect full video chat support later this year.

Related Google took the wraps off of a new Google Hangouts app at Google I/O today, one that makes it easy to connect with any of your Google+ circles or… Read…

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