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Specifications

Product Name: Palit GeForce GTX 770 2GB OC
Product Number: NE5X770S1042-1045F N
GPU: GeForce GTX 770
GPU Clockspeed: 1137 MHz (boost) / 1085 MHz (Base)
Memory: 2048 MB GDDR5 (256 Bits)
Memory Clockspeed: 3505 MHz (DDR 7010MHz)
Bandwidth: 224.3 GB/s
CUDA Cores: 1536
Bus: PCI Express 3.0 x 16
Cooling: 3 Slot custom fan cooler (8cm, 9cm, 8cm)
Connectivity: Dual DVI, DisplayPort 1.2
Product Size: 280mm x 112mm
Power Connector: 1 6-pin connector, 1 8-pin connector

*Specifications from the Palit website http://www.palit.biz/palit/vgapro.php?id=2210

Unboxing, always the best part!

Features:

· Kepler architecture
· NVIDIA G-SYNC
· NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround
· 6-Phase PWM
· NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync
· PCI Express 3.0 support
· NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision ready
· NVIDIA PhysX technology
· ThunderMaster overclocking tool
· Custom cooler with triple fan design and copper base
· GPU Boost 2.0
· Direct X 11 with Shader Model 5.0 support
· NVIDIA SLI Ready

*Features from the Palit website http://www.palit.biz/palit/vgapro.php?id=2210

The 8 and 6 pin connectors

The custom Palit cooler

The custom Palit design looks pretty sweet. Not only that but 3 fans allow for better cooling than the stock 770’s single fan. It also has a copper base, which has a lower thermal conductivity than aluminium. This allows it to absorb heat faster than the cheaper aluminium versions. That being said if you plan to use water-cooling it’s a non-issue, infact the aluminium would probably be better in this case since weight becomes a concern. The case itself looks very X-men’ish to me, probably because of the big X smack in the middle. Also of note and that I didn’t pick up personally is that the middle fan is actually slightly larger than the outer fans. The reasoning for this design is that it draws heat away from the hot spots of the board more effectively. Can’t really argue with that. It is also not too large, coming in at around 2 slots. It’s a fair bit smaller than my current GPU so if size is an issue or you are looking at a SLI setup then this will come in handy.




Overclocking

First off the card comes with a factory overclock of 1085 MHz. While you can push the card further, it simply won’t have the same range as a stock card. However the memory remains untouched at 7012 MHz, so there is still room to tinker. I expect this to come out in the benchmarking with the 770 able to fully compete with the stock GTX 780 chipset which has no overclocking. A common bonus across all the cards I have reviewed so far is the brand specific overclocking software. In Palits case this is the ThunderMaster overclocking tool.


ThunderMaster

I like ThunderMaster, the software looks good and is very straight forward. I rarely have an issue with the brand specific overclocking software and Palit’s is just as good as anything else I have tried. It gives you an active read out of current GPU temp, Fan speed, Core clock and Memory clock. In this sense it works very well with NVIDIA’s GPU Boost 2.0 and by utilizing both you can really get the most out of your card.


Benchmarking

Usually I would benchmark the card on games I currently play, but most of the higher end GTX chipsets are pretty overboard for things like Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2. As such I have tested it against some more graphically demanding games.

Battlefield 4


This is first on the list because I feel this is the game most relative to the card. BF4 is extremely taxing on your GPU, so much so that a high-end card is really necessary for competitive play. In this case finding the cheapest card available that can still perform without any framerate or tearing issues is very important. I ran tests on Ultra settings at 1920x1080 resolution.


The gameplay was smooth, there were no framerate issues or tearing. The GTX 780, Palit GTX 770 and the stock GTX 770 had no noticeable performance differences while playing. The GTX 760 also performed well, however I had 1 or 2 moments of minor stuttering. It’s also worth noting that the Palit OC version performed roughly 9% higher than its stock variant.


Far Cry 3


Far Cry 3 was great fun on my first play through. Unfortunately like many similar games once you get through the main/side missions there really isn’t much to do, apart from playing the game on harder difficulties and utlitising some of the more hardcore mods. However the game looks sweet, I really enjoyed playing in the jungles and beaches. It reminded me a lot of the scenery from the start of Crysis 1. Benchmarking was done at 1920x1080 resolution on Ultra settings.


Again the GTX 770 had no noticeable difference from its GTX 780 counterpart. Both ran the game smoothly with no issues. The GTX 760 was also able to keep up, although much lower in the benchmarking there were no noticeable issues ingame.


Skryim


I tend to only muck around on Skyrim while doing benchmarking, however this is one of those games that really looks exceptional with a decent GPU. I was amazed at the difference in the game when I first upgraded my GPU. The simple view from a top of a mountain was amazing. Water actually looks like water and Dragons, well, look like Dragons. I ran the benchmarking on Ultra settings at 1920x1080 resolution.


In all honesty there was little difference between the cards in the benchmarking gameplay. All handled the game without a flaw. However this also allows a really interesting comparison in cards, each one is almost like a step up over the previous. Again the Palit OC version is roughly 9% higher than the stock counterpart.


Conclusion

In terms of a high-end card that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, the GTX 770 hits the spot nicely. Coming in at $369 at mwave.com, it is far cheaper than the GTX 780 variations. As seen in the benchmarking the Palit GTX 770 OC is only slightly lower than the stock GTX 780. In terms of a bare minimum for competitive BF4 you might be able to get away with a GTX 760 depending on your rig, however I would call the 770 series a safer bet. The combination of the custom Palit cooler and the factory overclock should keep this card well and truly relevant for the next generation of games and still allows room for the avid GPU enthusiast.