TheOverclocker Issue 28 | Page 31

All results were obtained at 4625MHz on an un-optimized Windows7 64-bit. These are our results, yours may vary so only use these as a guideline for a similarly configured system. Graphics Card 3DMark Fire Strike 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme 3DMark11 3DMark Vantage Catzilla: 1080p HWBOT Heaven Extreme MSI GTX 780Ti Gaming OC 12311 6202 17334 56570 16098 3814,136 1302MHz GPU/ 8GHz Memory Graphics: 13901 Graphics: 6421 Graphics: 17890 GPU Score: 57644 Hardware: 16202 MSI GTX 780Ti Gaming 11147 5561 16124 52705 15156 Graphics: 12324 Graphics: 5716 Graphics: 16310 GPU: 53547 Hardware: 15196 AMD Radeon R9 290X OC 11051 5578 16188 51576 12595 1125MHz GPU /6GHz Memory Graphics: 12435 Graphics: 5788 Graphics: 16587 GPU Score: 52189 Hardware: 12147 AMD Radeon R9 290X 3533,168 3502,696 9867 4935 14837 48990 10700 Graphics: 10959 Graphics: 5079 Graphics: 14803 GPU Score: 48432 Hardware: 10723 part your maximum GPU clock frequency is going to be around 1,300MHz and that is exactly what we found with this card. No matter the GPU voltage, we were limited to around 1301MHz. As for the memory, for the second time in a row we have an MSI card (barring the lightning) that has exceptional memory overclocking. This card uses the same Hynix 7GHz GDDR5 chips found on other 780 Ti cards, but for some reason we were able to see the other side of 2GHz with the memory. In fact the highest frequency we recorded was 2,085MHz which was good enough for a 3DMark Extreme test run. Since bandwidth isn’t the limiting factor though for the 780Ti especially with the GPU clock speed left at the default 980MHz, we didn’t notice a dramatic improvement in scores or in in-game fps results. This would be different however when gaming on a 4K screen where bandwidth would weigh in heavily on the performance. To reach the right combination of GPU frequency and memory frequency, as you may have suspected we had to decrease both. In the end it turns out 2GHz was the most stable and artifact free frequency we could run. As for the GPU we were relegated to 1267MHz (real frequency) which is not bad at all, all things considered. With the current pricing and especially against the R9 290X, the 780Ti has never been more appealing. It is not only much faster than the R9 290X, it runs cooler, consumes less power and when overclocked further distances itself from the competition. Sure it’s useless for coin mining, but these are gaming cards and for their intention they offer the best performance you can currently get from a single GPU solution. We would have loved to see some kind of game featured with this card, on the website MSI stipulates or suggests that you my receive a free copy of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag with this graphics card, but that is only in very specific areas or with select retailers. Our card did not ship with any game. We do feel the game should be mandatory across all regions especially since this is the “GAMING” card, 3105,931 but even without it, this is a solid offering from MSI. For just $10 above the reference card’s selling price this is a worthwhile investment and one you should add to your list of potential 780Ti cards to buy.  [ The Overclocker ] Summary The MSI GTX 780 Ti is much like MSI’s other gaming cards. It’s essentially a cost effective non reference card. You get a better cooler, a factory overclock and better electronic components. Not much