GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER and 2070 SUPER review

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Introduction

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 and 2070 Super (Founders edition)
Welcome to Super Tuesday! 

The teaser obviously was not a cruel joke, NVIDIA today launches the first two cards in their new Super series. We review the GeForce RTX 2060 Super and 2070 Super and check out if they are actually that, super that is, of course with an aim to bring you a super review. Mind you, they will be announcing a GeForce RTX 2080 Super as well, but that one will actually launch later this month.

It has been a strange year for NVIDIA as the GeForce RTX 2060, 2070 2080 and 2080 Ti became available. People had been very interested and were warmed up for DLSS (Tensor) and the ability to play Battlefield V in that hybrid Raytraced way. NVIDIA initiated massive internet virals to gain media coverage. But then it all kinda exploded in their face as end-users looked the other way when they learned about the very steep price level. There is no audience more critical than a PC Gamer, and when they have to pay a large sum of money for visual differences that are often hard to spot and cost a lot of FPS, you bet that can (and did) backfire. None the less, NVIDIA chose a direction that in my opinion was the right course to follow, and something they cannot back away from. So what to do in the meantime to satisfy the budget conscious PC gamer? Well, with the help of the RT and Tensor-less GTX 1650, 1660 and 1660 Ti NVIDIA got the noses of many gamers pointed in the right direction again. However, graphics cards anno 2019 have become seriously expensive, that fact alone and all by itself is increasingly endangering the GPU related industry, as why pay 500 to 1000 bucks for just a graphics card when you can buy a complete console for less? That is the core and rudimental essence of the root problem that NVIDIA and AMD are fighting right now. 

None the less, a few weeks ago, NVIDIA started teasing a new Super series, which we still like to refer to as a supercharged product. With AMD's NAVI based Radeon RX 5700 series coming out of the closet soon, NVIDIA figured that it was important enough to release a new series smack down in the middle of vacation time, the summer. Today sees the release of two out of three cards; that's right, there will also be a GeForce RTX 2080 Super, but not a 2080 Ti Super. During E3 2019 in LA a select group of the media was already briefed on this new product series. In fact, I can back that claim with a photo I took:


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  From left to right, the GeForce RTX Super 2070, 2080 and 2060

However, here's the thing - the complete series was supposed to launch around the 16th of July, but a few days ago an email dropped in that always stuffed mailbox. Hey Hilbert, I've sent you the 2060 and 2070 Super, and it's launching on the 2nd. Why do you wonder that is? Well, which two cards would interfere with the Radeon RX 5700 and 5700 XT? Exactly, there's your answer. Anyhow, that's an all hands on deck situation in the middle of the summer vacation, we now have to deal with RTX Super card reviews as well as multiple AMD reviews. Back to the Super series; really, as explained a while ago in the news already, the RTX Super series is a rehash or refresh (if you'd like to call it that) of the existing lineup. Aside from a logo change and a bit of a mirror sitting in the middle of the card, there are subtle differences to be found in an increased shader count as well as the usage of GDDR6 graphics memory. For this review, we'll look at two cards. The two new "Super GeForce" cards are a "Turing Refresh" with higher GPU clocks, 256 more shader processors and faster GDDR6 memory. 

GeForce RTX 2060 Super

The 2060 Super model RTX cards, of course, are based on Turing architecture. In fact, both the 2060 and 2070 are making use of TU106, each with four more shader clusters activated. NVIDIA has 30 RT (Raytracing) cores, as well as 240 Tensor (AI) cores on the new GPUs, and these are active. This review covers the reference (founders) card, also referred to as the founders edition. It has been fitted with 8GB of GDDR6 memory (14 Gbps), yes, 8GB! To be specific, this graphics card is based on a TU106-410 GPU and has 2176 activated shader processors for the Super version. That number was 1920 on the normal GeForce RTX 2060. It has a 1650 MHz reference boost clock for the founder version. Mind you, the old version had 6 GB of graphics memory, the Super version gets 8GB of the now familiar GDDR6 memory. That has another advantage, as that means a wider 256-bit wide bus and a few more ROPs as well. So, a quick recap. 2GB more and thus wider GDDR6, 256 more shader processors running a faster clock frequency. As such, the RTX 2060 Super is going to make a good step upwards of in-game performance. This product (founders edition) will be priced at 399 USD.

GeForce RTX 2070 Super

Next, the GeForce RTX 2070 Super, of course, is based on a Turing TU104 chip, yes NVIDIA ran out of shaders and moved a stronger GPU in here. For the 'normal' RTX 2070 NVIDIA had 36 RT (Raytracing) cores, as well as 288 Tensor (AI) cores active. Today's announced new Super model offers a notch more. This graphics card has 2560 activated shader processors for the Super version (that value was 2304 on the RTX 2070). It has a 1770 MHz boost clock for the founders version. This card has also been fitted with 14 Gbps GDDR6 memory, 8GB of it. You will have noticed that both cards make use of the same GPU, they are just configured differently. The TU104 silicon in use offers over 13 Billion transistors. NVIDIA is making use of the very same cooler, however with a Super logo on top of it. Both founders cards offer one HDMI port and multiple DisplayPort outputs, a DVI connector is included for the 2060 model only. You will also see the Virtual Link (USB) connector on the 2070 and 2080 Super. This product (founders edition) will be priced at 499 USD.

GeForce RTX 2080 Super

Not being reviewed today as it launches likely on the 23rd of July 2019, the GeForce RTX 2080 Super has 3072 activated shader processors for the Super version. With 64 ROP units and 192 texture units, it will not be a slouch. It has an 1815 MHz boost clock for the founders version. This card has also been fitted with even faster 15.5 Gbps GDDR6 memory, 8GB of it. This card will get a 250 Watt TDP. This product (founders edition) will be priced at 699 USD.

Anyway, say hello to products tested today, the GeForce RTX 2060 and 2070 Super, after which we'll dive into the review on the coming pages. 


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