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Hi I’m Armi, a Starcraft 2 player for Team Exile 5 and tech enthusiast, and I recently had the pleasure of getting my hands on the Galaxy Hall of Fame NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780.

GalaxyTech wanted to make the most powerful GeForce GTX 780 in existence, and to provide gaming performance to rival or even surpass the mighty thousand dollar Titan. Today we’re going to look at whether they succeeded. First we’ll do a quick summary of the card specs before we delve into what makes a GeForce GTX 780 so special, before looking at the unique touches GalaxyTech made to make such a uniquely attractive and powerful card.

GPU Engine Specs:
CUDA Cores 2304
Base Clock (MHz) 1006
Boost Clock (MHz) 1058
Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec) 160.5

Memory Specs:
Memory Speed 3004 (6008 effective)
Standard Memory Config 3072MB
Memory Interface Width 384-bit GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth (GB/sec) 288.4

Feature Support:
OpenGL 4.3
Bus Support PCI-E 3.0
Certified for Windows 8 Yes
Supported Technologies GPU Boost 2.0, 3D Vision, CUDA, DirectX 11, PhysX, TXAA, Adaptive VSync, FXAA, 3D Vision Surround, SLI-ready
SLI Options 3-WAY

Display Support:
Multi Monitor 4 displays
Maximum Digital Resolution 4096x2160
Maximum VGA Resolution 2048x1536
HDCP Yes
HDMI Yes
Standard Display Connectors Dual Link DVI x2, HDMI x1, DisplayPort 1.2 x1
Audio Input for HDMI Internal

Standard Graphics Card Dimensions:
Length 11.417inches
Height 5.196inches
Width 11.023inches

Power Specs:
Maximum Graphics Card Power (W) 250W
Minimum System Power Requirement (W) 600W
Supplementary Power Connectors Two 8-pin



Why a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780?

Coming in at third on the NVIDIA performance scale, the 780 provides great value for money performance when compared to the GeForce GTX 690 or the Titan. It’s $350 cheaper, and gives you almost equal gaming performance. The card uses the latest NVIDIA GPU architecture, that being Kepler, which delivers greater performance at lower power consumption. As such this card boasts very similar architecture to that of the NVIDIA flagship Titan, and it is distilled down to provide ultimate gaming performance, with the simulation and modelling performance required by universities and enterprise entities scaled back as to provide a much better price point.

To make sure you get the maximum possible out of your card, NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0 monitors the status of your card, and dynamically readjusts advanced controls such as: GPU temperature target, overclock and overvoltage to allow for ultimate performance. This is all driver based so it is 100% automated and hands free, allowing you to focus on experiencing what the card can offer. In addition to this is the GeForce Experience software, a one stop shop to keep your drivers up to date and also to perform game specific optimisations to allow you to spend your time gaming at the highest level.


This card also includes two new anti-aliasing methods, (the process of smoothing jagged edges in games), FXAA and TXAA. The first, Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing, is a minimal performance hit that still produces stunning image quality. Second, Temporal Anti-Aliasing, combines multiple methods to allow for ultimate image fidelity. This keeps you on the forefront of graphics technology giving you an unparalleled experience.

If all this isn’t enough and you need even more power, this card is ready to go for SLI up to three cards. This allows you to link three cards together to provide ungodly performance. This combined with NVIDIA stellar support record allows you to know that not only are you going to have amazing performance now, but you’re going to have amazing performance in the future.

The 780 also supports NVIDIA PhysX Technology, allowing for you to experience the pinnacle in gaming physics, allowing for the greatest realism and immersion possible.

If either screen tearing or stuttering is a common issue for you or something that you fear, the NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync has you covered in both regards. When the frame rate is too high and you get screen tearing, it turns on to keep your experience smooth; at lower frame rates it switches off to make sure you get the smooth gameplay you crave. Again all this is done automatically to allow you to focus on the task at hand.

4 concurrent monitors can be supported by the card, and with NVIDIA surround and the 5760 x 1080 resolution allows for a full immersion into the game, it engages a much greater field of vision meaning you can play simulators like never before. Also the fourth monitor allows you to monitor whatever you need to outside the game, be that keeping up on emails, news or whatever you want.

Stereoscopic 3D is also a feature of the card, and with high-tech wireless glasses and advanced software you can transform hundreds of games into stunning 3D, and with NVIDIA Lightboost 3D you can make sure that your eyes just take in the beautiful 3D.

Now with all this, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 was given to many partners so they could add to the amazing performance of this already stunning card, GalaxyTech were one such partner and they have produced something unique and special that stands head and shoulders above the competition. Below I’ll go through the unboxing and installation first before getting into what makes the Galaxy Hall of Fame 780 the only one you should buy.

The Unboxing


The card is simply stunning to look at. The custom cooling solution provided by Galaxy is not only aesthetically gorgeous, but is also phenomenally efficient. Also the card comes on the very rare white PCB, it is something unique to the card which adds to it looks. With the card came the driver disc, additional power cables, a door hanger, a DIY cardboard Hall of Fame mascot, a manual and a quick installation guide.

Installation
The card measures 299mm long by 111.2mm high, so while it is not the biggest card on the market, it is important to check you have sufficient space in your case. You also need a PCI-Express 3 dual width x16 graphics slot, as the cooling on the card does extend beyond a single slot. The card can draw a maximum of 250W and the minimum power supply wattage you can get away with is about the 600W mark. The card requires two 8 pin cables for power, also when the card is powered on, the Hall of Fame writing on the card glows white which adds to the aesthetics of your rig.

Once the card is in, you have 4 display outputs on the card; one HDMI, one DVI-I, one DVI-D and one DisplayPort. Having the card in overrides your onboard graphics, and although Windows will just use a standard VGA adaptor driver initially, with a quick installation of GeForce Experience you can update your driver in a flash.

In addition to updating your drivers, GeForce Experience will search your hard drive and find game installations that NVIDIA has specific optimisations for; this is all done automatically and allows you to get the most out of your card with minimal time and effort allowing you to get to gaming sooner. It also gives you access to Beta driver if you opt in allowing you to stay on the bleeding edge and squeeze every last bit of performance out of your rig.



The Galaxy Touch
Part 1: The Clock
One of the major changes GalaxyTech made to the stock card was a major increase of the GPU clock speed. Your standard GeForce GTX 780 clocks in at an 863MHz Base Clock, with a 900MHz Boost Clock. Galaxy however have made a huge 17% increase to 1006 and 1053 respectively, this translates to a serious performance boost.

Part 2: Hyper Boost
Unique to this card is the Hyper Boost button. This resides on the panel of the card allowing for you to dynamically change the overclocking on your card. When pressed fan speed increases to 100% and internal optimisation kicks in. This results in not only the card running cooler, but the core frequency, already the highest seen on a GeForce GTX 780, is further increased by up to 8%. I will note there is a noticeable noise increase, but if you’re pushing this card to the limit, the performance is well worth the extra noise.

Part 3: Cooling and Air Flow
On the bracket of the card, there is an airflow channel which increases the flow to the card by 15% allowing for greater air movement across the card thereby increasing the efficiency of the cooling.

In addition to this the Hybrid Heat Pipe and Vapour Chamber Cooling is an innovative cooling solution which is highly effective whilst also being near silent. Even at full load you’ll struggle to get the card past 60 degrees, whereas your stock GeForce GTX 780 or Titan will both cap out at 80 degrees where GPU Boost 2.0 curtails them.
The EBR Bearing Fans have four times the life expectancy to what you would expect from cooling fans, and the Metallic Cooler Frame stabilises the air flow and minimises vibration keeping everything both efficient and quiet.

Part 4: Quality Components
The Hall of Fame line of graphics cards are renown for the component quality, GalaxyTech set out to use only the latest and greatest to construct this line of graphics cards. It is equipped with a CHiL CHL8318, which is a top of the line 8 phase digital PWM. This is paired with the IR3550 PowIRstage, this chipset provides 60A current at 90% efficiency, meaning that a huge 480A current can be supplied to the GPU.

A 10 layer PCB is used to get the best signal routing along with high quality POSCAP (Titanium Solid Capacitors with Conductive Polymer) and 10 Coiltronics high frequency, high current power inductors.
The card has been proven to be not only suitable for overclocking, but it actually excels at it. And with GalaxyTech’s Xtreme Tuner Plus, overclocking both your graphics card and your power supply becomes simple. It also provides real time stats on your entire setup all in one application. With the capability for stored profiles and the tweaking available to you, this is an overlocker’s dream application.



Benchmarking and Eye Candy

Benchmarking Rig
CPU Intel i7 3770k
Motherboard ASUS P8Z77-VPro
RAM 16GB 1333MHz G.Skill
Solid State Drive Kingston 240GB
Hard Drive Western Digital 1TB Green
GPU Galaxy Hall of Fame NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
Monitor Dual Acer 23’ 1080p
CPU Cooler CoolerMaster V8 Air Cooler
Case CoolerMaster HAF 932
PSU ThermalTake EVO Blue 750W

No overclocking was done on the card for the following benchmarks.

Battlefield 3
Until Battlefield 4 comes out, DICE’s Battlefield 3 remains the best graphics in a FPS on PC. The game makes extensive use of Direct X 11 Technologies, and thus makes itself a perfect candidate for a benchmark.
The benchmarking was done in Operation Swordbreaker in the campaign using the games Ultra settings at 1920x1080 resolution.




As you can see the framerate never dropped below 80, and it was the lighting effects which tended to cause dips, but nonetheless it was beautiful and playable from start to finish. The graphics remained smooth at all times, and the lighting effects were spectacular.
The Galaxy card came out 7% ahead of the $350 more expensive Titan, and 16% ahead of the stock GeForce GTX 780.



Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
The most popular RTS in the world, and the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time, Starcraft 2 continues to have a strong esports scene. Although it’s not the most graphically demanding game, as a professional Starcraft 2 player I thought it worthy of benchmarking with this card.
The stats were taken running everything on Ultra settings, as set up by NVIDIA GeForce, at 1920x1080 resolution.




As was to be expected, the Galaxy Hall of Fame NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 thoroughly smashed the game, topping out at over 300fps.
What is truly amazing is that it came in at almost 40% over both the Titan and the stock 780.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The latest in the long line of Elder Scrolls games, Skyrim captured the hearts of many. With the incredible modding scene supporting the game, this card will see you well equipped to load all the mods you want into the game and be sure that you’re still going to have a smooth experience.
These benchmarks were taken at Ultra settings with the HD texture pack using FXAA.




A word to the wise about Skyrim, VSync is normally enabled by default, and I would leave it this way unless you’re benchmarking as there ends up being quite a lot of screen tearing when you turn it off. VSync will cap your FPS to your monitor refresh rate, be that 60Hz or 120Hz.

During the benchmarking I managed to hit over 400FPS in the game, which is insane, also the 205 average is just as impressive. The card manages to sit at over 16% more than the Titan or the stock 780, really showing the impressive power this card gives you.



Star Citizen
The most successful crowd funded game of all time recently released its earliest playable alpha code. And while I’m not going to FPS benchmark an alpha, as optimisation is not something they’ll have worked on yet, I will show you an idea of how amazing this game will look with this card behind it. What I will say if the FPS was at a minimum of 85 as I walked around the hangar.

Below is my RSI Constellation starship. If this game even half delivers on what it’s promising, it could be the next truly great game, and this card is what you’ll be glad you have when you fly into a whole new universe.



Overclocking
Now I didn’t have chance to overclock the card myself, but doing some research on the topic shows a hidden potential of the card.
First of all, normally on Kepler GPUs NVIDIA restricts the voltage to a max of 1.15V, but it is possible to put this card up above that limit.
Secondly, without any additional cooling, the card has been pushed up to 1.3GHz with that voltage increase, and had the capability to push for more, although artifacting became an issue.
Thirdly with Liquid Nitrogen cooling, the limits of this card are truly astonishing. As reported here, with LN2 cooling they managed to reach almost 1.9GHz for the clock and pushed the RAM clock up to 7.4GHz, giving the card the best scores in single card benchmarking ever seen.

Conclusion
Simply put this card gives you amazing performance, at an amazing price tag. Outperforming the Titan is no mean feat, and coming in at about 2/3rds the price, it beggars belief. Galaxy really outdid themselves with this, combining the cooling, faster clock, stunning looks and quality components to make the fastest and greatest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 that exists. This along with the top of the line Kepler architecture and the NVIDIA support makes this the gaming performance card to buy.
From my own personal and professional experience this is the best graphics card I have ever had the pleasure of using, and I look forward to pushing it well into the future as I don’t think there exists games yet that can fully make use of this card.
So if you’re looking to upgrade, you cannot go wrong with this, you’ll be blown away by the ease of use, the looks and the sheer power.