"Default GPU Clock
with boost: 1430MHZ
GPU MAX Stable OC:
1540MHz | 2100MHz "
design and despite green
as the designated NVIDIA
colour of choice. It just doesn’t
work with this graphics card
and its overall design. Thus
you may want to look at the
more neutral colours such
as white, the blues and even
red. It is easy to configure
these LEDs in a way as to lose
all appeal, but with some
careful configuration one may
achieve a stylized look that
is impossible on any other
vendors GPU out the box. More
over a customized lighting
pattern that can be exclusively
yours.
For all this LED
configuration you’ll once
again be using the Precision
Tool, which has matured quite
well since its debacle several
month ago with a competitor
tool. For the most part it has
as the very least as much
functionality and much more
that is tailored specifically
for EVGA cards. The interface
isn’t straight forward in the
least and saving profiles
for instance is anything but
36 The OverClocker Issue 34 | 2015
logical (Right click instead
of left click). However, once
you get it right you’ll unlikely
revert to any other tool .There
are just layers and layers
of menus which you have to
explore to get the most from
this purchase. In this review
it is not possible to show you
just how well this card looks in
action but you’ll have to take it
as is.
More about the precision
tool. You’ll find that the limits
are pretty much what you’re
familiar with. In our testing the
GPU completed all its tests at
a stable 1543MHz on the core
and an impressive 2053MHz
for the memory. There isn’t
much to be said about the
frequency as that would need
liquid cooling to improve. As
far as overclocking headroom
is concerned it seems limited
at 1543MHz, which translates
to 100MHz above the shipping
clocks. Remember though that
the shipping clocks are quite
high at 1443MHz. This isn’t
the official Turbo frequency
as that is stated as 1418MHz
in the formal literature.
However, upon gaming even
in a warm environment this
1443 MHz clock speed remains
constant offering truly great
performance out the box,
unmatched by any other GTX
980 that I’m aware of. An
odd thing to say really, but
there’s little to no incentive for
overclocking the graphics card
as it already ships at a very
high core speed. For those who
are a little more adventurous
then of course a water block
will allow you better clocks
to some extent. To aid in this,
EVGA included in the package
a different component cooling
plate which turns the GTX 980
into a single slot card. This
negates the need for an often
expensive full coverage water
block. Everything you need
other than the actual water
cooling kit is included here via
this alternative cooling plate.
This means you’ll need only
a block and fans for the PWM
area and you’re on your way.
As appreciative as one is of
this, it would not be enough.