Conclusion
Conclusion
A year or so ago we tested the tri-SLI 980 version of the WaterForce, though that was extreme fun - it was a bit gimmicky to be honest. This years Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming WaterForce Edition (aside from the way too long name) graphics card certainly manages to really impress. Tweaking wise it's all more or less the same with the GTX 980 Ti card as there are so many limiters Nvidia puts in place that they basically control the overclocking outcome. However, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming WaterForce Edition manages to be one of the better tweakable cards out there, next to that the factory tweak also was pushed really far. That combined with the low noise levels and nice chilled cooling temperatures it all make this product very interesting.
Opposed to say the Posseidon from ASUS you do not have to purchase extra water-cooling. This is an easy to install AIO kit targeted at a completely different user base. Pricing wise you'll understand that as this card is just 725 USD for the complete kit. The thermals are simply excellent with this in-audible card. We did see a hotspot on the VRM area though that remains to be within perfectly acceptable temperatures. The grand total is that the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming WaterForce edition can get your performance upwards in an extra 20% region on top of the reference cards due to the increase in base and boost clock frequencies. It does so while running at much colder temperatures opposed to what Nvidia is offering with the reference coolers and runs a lot more quietly as well. Armed with 6 GB of graphics memory and combined with the sheer rendering muscle this card has, you'll be future proof for a while. Now make no mistake, value for money wise you are way better off with a card like the GeForce GTX 970 or 980, there is no doubt about that. But this is enthusiast grade graphics hardware, and yeah it kinda rules. Plus you are a little more future proof with Ultra HD and the nice 6 GB graphics memory of course.
Aesthetics
So the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming WaterForce Edition is certainly a looker with that dark PCB and LED lighted cooling design. Overall it is an aesthetically pleasing product. Looks however are personal, that I have to mention. The nice thing is that you can control the LED color and set it to any RGB color of your preference. The one remark I like to make though is that the cover overall feels a bit too much plastic. But design wise, we can't complain. Oh and let me not forget to mention the cooling back-plate, great to see.
Cooling & Noise Levels
The reference design of the GTX 980 Ti is set at an offset threshold of 80 degrees C. Once the GPU gets warmer the card will clock down and lower its voltage. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming WaterForce Edition however throws in a cooler that manages roughly 600W of cooling performance due to the LCS unit. You can expect to hover around the 50 Degrees C marker with the card under full gaming load, and that's with hefty games. Expect sound pressure values in the 38 dBA range at max under load. That's measured 75 cm away from the PC. This means you can hardly hear the card while using it. We have been listening, and have not been able to hear coil noise / whine. only when you place your your ears in close vicinity of the card yoyu'll hear a diminutive tiny little bit of it. In a chassis, that will never register.
Power Consumption
Much like the GM200 Maxwell GPU harbored in Titan X, this GTX 980 Ti is rated as having a 250~260 Watt TDP, our measurements pass that number by a degree as we measured roughly 280Watts. It likely is due to the factory overclock, which requires additional voltage and add to that the LCS pump and fan. We remain comfortable advising a 650 Watt power supply if you do not go crazy overclocking wise. If you go with 2-way SLI, a 950 Watt power supply is recommended. Remember when purchasing a PSU, aim to double up in Wattage as your PSU is most efficient when it is under 50% load. Here again keep in mind we measure peak power consumption, the average power consumption is a good notch lower depending on GPU utilization. Also, if you plan to overclock the CPU/memory and/or GPU with added voltage, please do purchase a power supply with enough reserve. People often underestimate it, but if you tweak all three aforementioned variables, you can easily add 200 Watts to your peak power consumption budget.
Game Performance
We can't be any clearer about it, all ranges from 1080P to Ultra HD are very playable for the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. Up-to WQHD (2560x1440) this card seems to be in a true sweet-spot, however it is really capable of rendering games in that whopper of a resolution Ultra HD as well. You'll be in the 40 FPS domain on average with decent settings and the latest titles mostly, and that's ok. This much game rendering horse-power versus the nice 6 GB graphics memory helps you in Ultra HD, hefty complex anti-aliasing modes, DSR and of course the latest gaming titles. And that makes this the second viable single GPU solution that allows you to game properly in Ultra HD with some very nice eye candy enabled with a single GPU. Drivers wise we can't complain at all, we did not stumble into any issues. And with a single GPU there's no micro-stuttering to fight off. Performance wise, really there's not one game that won't run seriously good at the very best image quality settings. You must do gaming with a nice 30" monitor of course, at 2560x1440/1600 or Ultra HD.
Overclocking
The boost modes can be configured with temperature targets relative to maximum power draw and your GPU Core frequency offsets. Saying that; I realize it sounds complicated but you'll have your things balanced out quite fast as these products are easy to tweak. Our GPU sample could take a 1,296 MHz base clock, add to that the dynamic boost clock and you'll see your games rendering in the 1,500 to 1,550 MHz domain. The memory you'll be able to get close or at 8 GHz effective. This card uses SAMSUNG GDDR5 memory BTW. Don't push memory too far though, and we certainly do not recommend adding voltage to that memory. The overclock potential overall was good.
Concluding
The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming WaterForce Edition is a pleasure to play at, play with and to play games on really. Performance wise it sits at the top end of the spectrum of all other 980 Ti cards, often a tiny little bit higher as the cool temperatures can sometimes boost that Dynamic clock frequency a notch faster. Though you need to mount a 120 mm fan based radiator somewhere in the chassis, the cooler simply does its magic really well, it's a fast card with a proper factory tweak to 1,216 Mhz as well. The most impressive thing however is how quiet the card is, you need to weigh in the overclock and the sheer size of the GPU before you realize that this noise level is quite remarkable. Nothing but props from me for that, very nice. The PCB is 100% custom, the GPU is kept at very cold temperatures, the components on-board remain at decent temperatures, the looks are good, the board design is sturdy and the backside is covered by a back-plate. Really there isn't much left to complain about. At the time of writing this article I do not have a final MSRP though. Anyway, compared to a reference GeForce GTX 980 Ti at 2560x1440 you can expect an increase of up-to say 20~25% performance and overclocked you can again add another 10%. Though a lot of money, you can certainly tell where the investment goes, it is something very unique overall. For gaming at WQHD (2560x1440) anno 2015 it really is a product that sits at the proper end of the spectrum. If you want something fast, tweakable and impressive looking, this card comes recommended at is nicely chilled temperatures. It will not disappoint and as such the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti Xtreme Gaming WaterForce Edition is a Guru3D.com Top pick.
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