SuperClocked and super powerful. EVGA and NVIDIA join hands to create the pre-overclocked ‘Signature’ SC GTX680. How does it compare with the competition?
Product on Review: GTX 680 SC Signature
Manufacturer and Sponsor: EVGA
Street Price £454.99
EVGA are one of the first manufacturers enthusiasts call upon when looking to buy a premium PC component. Their Classified range is renown for being the weapon of choice for the very best overclockers worldwide. Thus EVGA and overclocking go hand in hand so it came as no surprise when we were heard they had unleashed a pre-overclocked GTX680.
Hailing from the Signature line, the EVGA SuperClocked GTX680 is a reference design with a slightly different cooler and as the name suggests, arrives pre-overclocked to 1084MHz(1150MHz) on the core and an effective 6208MHz memory clockspeed. Other key features are a 6+8 power design along with a 5 phase PWM design which should ensure a fair amount of overclocking headroom – something we will be examining later in the review.
The GTX680 is an expensive piece of kit and because this example carries the EVGA moniker, it also carries a price premium so we will be looking at if your money is best spent investing in this model or elsewhere.
Here’s what EVGA had to say about their graphics card:
Get to the next level with the EVGA GeForce GTX 680. This card delivers truly game-changing performance that taps into the powerful new GeForce architecture to redefine smooth, seamless, lifelike gaming. It offers brand new, never before seen features that will redefine the way you think about performance graphics cards. Expect more from your graphics card that just state-of-the-art features and technology; get faster, smoother and a richer gaming experience with the EVGA GeForce GTX 680.
Specification
Firstly, comparing the GTX680 with its forbear, the GTX580 we see that there are some significant changes. Immediately identifiable are the amount of stream processors which have tripled. from 512 to 1536. The ROPs have however dropped 25% but to compensate the core and memory clockspeeds have been massively increased, with the GTX680 being the clocked slightly above the 1GHz mark and the EVGA version clocked higher still at 1085MHz.
The battle everyone wants to see though is the GTX680 vs. HD7970 and comparing the two cards against one another is a good place to start. On paper at least, the GTX680 appears to have the slight upper hand. Sacrificing a gigabyte of GDDR5 and running with the 256-bit interface, the GTX680 cannot hope to compete in total bandwidth available losing out to both the HD7970 and HD7950 by a fair margin despite having a much higher memory overclock. The tables are however turned when we study the texture fillrate where the GTX680 comes out on top.
One area where NVIDIA are shouting from the rooftops is the power consumption area. with a max power draw of 195W compared to 250W of the HD7970, the GTX680 should save a few more yards of the Brazillian rainforests (and of course cut your electricity bill) than the HD7970.
Price wise there is little to choose between them. The GTX680 is a little more expensive yet only because of the recent price drops of the HD7900 series. At launch, the HD7970 was significantly more expensive.
Overall, looking at the specifications you would be forgiven for thinking that Kepler is not the GPU everyone was hoping for. Sure it has faster clockspeeds but how does that transpire to performance when the core hardware (stream processor count, memory size) is not as impressive as AMD’s?
While the GTX680 did trade blows with the HD7970 in our comparison review, I concluded that ultimately, the GTX680 was the faster card. We have also reviewed factory overclocked HD7970’s which have stolen the performance crown back from NVIDIA but today’s sample could well see the crown being restored to its rightful owner, the GTX680.
With EVGA upping the clockspeeds of both the GPU and memory it should go without saying that we have one tasty piece of equipment on our hands.
Kepler Architecture
It was two years ago that we saw the introduction of NVIDIA’s Fermi, NVIDIA’s previous architectural change. The GF100 featured 512 stream processors in a 16×32 format built by TSMC in a 40nm process. Sporting OpenGL 4.0 and DirectX 11, enthusiasts climbed over each other to get the latest and greatest GPU from NVIDIA. While the performance was there, power efficiency was very poor with the cards consuming lots of power and running very hot.Enter the 5 series 8 months later and many would say the GTX580 was the card the GTX480 should have been. It was more powerful thanks to the fully unlocked memory controller (6x64bit), ran cooler and thus became a firm favourite among the high end GPU market.
For a little over a year the GTX580 enjoyed sitting atop of the GPU pile (save for dual GPU variants) and it wasn’t until the AMD HD7970 emerged in December 2011 that the GTX580 lost its performance crown. NVIDIA however had not been resting on their laurels…
GTX680 GPU
The successor to Fermi is codenamed Kepler. Listening to feedback of Fermi from gamers around the world, NVIDIA sought to create a graphics card that was not only the best money could buy in terms of performance but crucially it had to run cool and quiet to make for a power efficient model. Kepler addresses these issues in two ways; GPU Boost which we will discuss further in our overclocking section of the review and a redesigned streaming multiprocessor.
Kepler Core
The GTX680 is equipped with a GK104 core which NVIDIA claim is their highest and most power efficient GPU to date. Fabricated on the 28nm process, every component was designed with power efficiency in mind to ensure the GPU gave the best performance-per-watt possible.
While the 28nm manufacturing process holds the bulk of the power saving features, the way the new architecture works is also key to furthering Kepler’s power reduction. SMX, an evolution of the SM from Fermi is NVIDIA’s new streaming multiprocessor:
The SMX now runs at the graphics clock speed rather than 2x that speed as before but because the GK104 has 1536 CUDA cores (8xSMX), over Fermi’s (GF110) 512 CUDA cores (16xSM), Kepler allows the GTX680 to operate at twice the performance per watt measurement compared to the GTX580.
The clock throughput of FMA2, SFU and texture operations have all been significantly increased and while some operations still retain the same speed as the GTX580, the GTX680’s much higher core clockspeed ensures a substantial increase for all GPU operations.
To feed the new SMX, each unit has four warp schedulers, each capable of firing off two instructions per warp, every clock. With a redesigned scheduling function, the GTX680 is a lot less complex and much more streamlined allowing the compiler to determine which instructions will be issued and can provide this information direct to the hardware block rather than going around the houses using Multi-port decode and a register scoreboard along with the dependency check before the information gets issued. This method is both quicker and more importantly, more power efficient.
Perhaps the biggest change to the processor core is the omission of the old shader clock. The shader clock was getting tired as it was part of the old Tesla architecture which was implemented as an area optimisation. Because of the way Kepler executes instructions at a much more streamlined manner and at a higher clock rate, fewer copies of the execution unit need be made.
Another improvement over Fermi with the introduction of SMX is the redesigned Polymorph engine (2.0). The Polymorph engine takes care of the tessellation workload of the GTX680. The design of the new Polymorph engine is to ensure that the tessellation we see on screen has little (as possible) impact on the rendering performance. What you may find bizarre though is that NVIDIA have cut the Polymorph engine count in half to 8 from Fermi’s 16 yet claim it is almost twice as quick. This is thanks to the improved core an memory clockpeed.
Overall then, it seems NVIDIA have outdone themselves. Higher clockspeeds on both core and memory, 3x the amount of stream processors yet streamlined by eliminating the shader clock to cut the amount of power consumption without compromising overall performance.
The story doesn’t end there though as there are a whole host of features the GTX680 has to offer…
Features
EVGA GTX680 SC Signature
EVGA Precision X
Designed from the ground up to support new GPU technology, EVGA Precision X redefines what overclocking software should be.
EVGA OC Scanner X
Featuring a brand new look and layout, this popular application has been adapted to show all of the latest GeForce vitals.
24/7 Technical Support
EVGA is here for you day or night to help answer any questions!
EVGA Precision X
Designed from the ground up to support new GPU technology, EVGA Precision X redefines what overclocking software should be.
EVGA OC Scanner X
Featuring a brand new look and layout, this popular application has been adapted to show all of the latest GeForce vitals.
24/7 Technical Support
EVGA is here for you day or night to help answer any questions!
Generic GTX680 Features
Kepler GPU Architecture
NVIDIA’s Kepler GPU architecture has been designed from the ground up not just for maximum performance in the latest DirectX 11 games, but optimal performance per watt. The new SMX streaming multiprocessor is twice as efficient as the prior generation and the new geometry engine draws triangles twice as fast. The result is world class performance and the highest image quality in an elegant and power efficient graphics card.
NVIDIA GPU Boost
Up until now, GPUs have operated at a fixed clock speed when playing 3D games, even if they have the potential to run faster. GPU Boost intelligently monitors graphics work load and increases the clock speed whenever possible. The result is that the GPU always performs at its peak and you get the highest framerate possible.
NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync
Nothing is more distracting than framerate stuttering and screen tearing. The first tends to occur when framerates are low, the second when framerates are high. Adaptive V-Sync is a smarter way to render frames. At high framerates, V-sync is enabled to eliminate tearing, at low frame rates, it’s disabled to minimize stuttering. It gets rid of distractions so you can get on with gaming.
NVIDIA Surround with Up To Four Monitors
Nothing is as breathtaking as playing your favorite games across three monitors. At 5760 x 1080, the expanded field of view fully engages human peripheral vision and provides for the most immersive experience in racing and flight simulators. Add in a fourth display to keep tabs on chat, email or web while you are gaming.
Two New Anti-aliasing Modes: FXAA and TXAA
Anti-aliasing smoothes out jagged edges but can be demanding on framerates. FXAA is a new antialiasing technology that produces beautiful smooth lines with minimal performance impact. And with Kepler based GPUs, you’ll be able to enable FXAA in hundreds of game titles through the NVIDIA Control Panel.
The second mode, TXAA, is an in-game option that combines MSAA, temporal filtering, and post processing for even higher visual fidelity.
NVIDIA 3D Vision® Ready2
NVIDIA 3D Vision brings a fully immersive, stereoscopic 3D experience to the PC. A combination of high-tech wireless glasses and advanced software, 3D Vision transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D. Get up to 2x monitor and keyboard brightness with NVIDIA 3D LightBoost technology4. In addition, you can enjoy 3D movies and 3D digital photographs from 3DVisionLive.com in eye popping, crystal-clear quality.
NVIDIA SLI Technology
Used by the most demanding gamers worldwide, SLI lets you link up to three GeForce GTX 680s together for astounding performance. And with NVIDIA’s track record for fast and frequent software updates, you’ll not only get the best performance in existing games, but future games too.
NVIDIA PhysX Technology
Full support for NVIDIA PhysX technology, enabling a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic experience with GeForce.
Kepler GPU Architecture
NVIDIA’s Kepler GPU architecture has been designed from the ground up not just for maximum performance in the latest DirectX 11 games, but optimal performance per watt. The new SMX streaming multiprocessor is twice as efficient as the prior generation and the new geometry engine draws triangles twice as fast. The result is world class performance and the highest image quality in an elegant and power efficient graphics card.
NVIDIA GPU Boost
Up until now, GPUs have operated at a fixed clock speed when playing 3D games, even if they have the potential to run faster. GPU Boost intelligently monitors graphics work load and increases the clock speed whenever possible. The result is that the GPU always performs at its peak and you get the highest framerate possible.
NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync
Nothing is more distracting than framerate stuttering and screen tearing. The first tends to occur when framerates are low, the second when framerates are high. Adaptive V-Sync is a smarter way to render frames. At high framerates, V-sync is enabled to eliminate tearing, at low frame rates, it’s disabled to minimize stuttering. It gets rid of distractions so you can get on with gaming.
NVIDIA Surround with Up To Four Monitors
Nothing is as breathtaking as playing your favorite games across three monitors. At 5760 x 1080, the expanded field of view fully engages human peripheral vision and provides for the most immersive experience in racing and flight simulators. Add in a fourth display to keep tabs on chat, email or web while you are gaming.
Two New Anti-aliasing Modes: FXAA and TXAA
Anti-aliasing smoothes out jagged edges but can be demanding on framerates. FXAA is a new antialiasing technology that produces beautiful smooth lines with minimal performance impact. And with Kepler based GPUs, you’ll be able to enable FXAA in hundreds of game titles through the NVIDIA Control Panel.
The second mode, TXAA, is an in-game option that combines MSAA, temporal filtering, and post processing for even higher visual fidelity.
NVIDIA 3D Vision® Ready2
NVIDIA 3D Vision brings a fully immersive, stereoscopic 3D experience to the PC. A combination of high-tech wireless glasses and advanced software, 3D Vision transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D. Get up to 2x monitor and keyboard brightness with NVIDIA 3D LightBoost technology4. In addition, you can enjoy 3D movies and 3D digital photographs from 3DVisionLive.com in eye popping, crystal-clear quality.
NVIDIA SLI Technology
Used by the most demanding gamers worldwide, SLI lets you link up to three GeForce GTX 680s together for astounding performance. And with NVIDIA’s track record for fast and frequent software updates, you’ll not only get the best performance in existing games, but future games too.
NVIDIA PhysX Technology
Full support for NVIDIA PhysX technology, enabling a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic experience with GeForce.
Packaging & Accessories
Package Top
The box the GTX680 arrives in is average sized for a graphics card. The front of the package is adorned in a mesh print with the manufacturers title emblazoned across the box. The product name is to the bottom right with the basic features uppermost on the package.
Box Rear
The rear of the package shows the key features of the product in multiple languages. It also has a diagram of the I/O backplate plate.
Card Top
Opening the box we find a compartmentalised rigid foam bracket which holds the GPU, itself protected by an anti static bag. Lifting a separate compartment reveals the accessories included with the GPU.
Accessories
The accessories included with the GTX680 Superclocked Signature are: A large, well presented user guide, driver CD, twin 6pin PCIe cable to 8pin power cable, twin molex to 6 pin power cable, a DVI-VGA adaptor and a metal case badge.
Overview
The card itself is a standard looking device save for the product sticker which has the same mesh design as the product packaging. An aluminium insert breaths a touch of class over the cards cooler signying this is a premium product. The black PCB, stamped up with the EVGA moniker matches the cooler perfectly and makes for a very classy, if somewhat subdued design.
First Look
Card Top
At first glance the card looks discreet and uninspiring thanks to its understated appearence. The belies the power hidden beneath but more on that later. The rounded leading edge of the cooler overhangs the PCB by approximately 5mm equalling a total length of 291mm from backplate to the cards leading edge so it will overhang an ATX motherboard slightly.
Card Bottom
The black PCB of the signature does not come protected by a backplate however EVGA do offer an example with this luxury for a slight increase in price. The exposed solder points are joined by a variety of quality control stickers and serial numbers which detracts from the overall stealth look of the GPU. These are of course removable but not recommended as they would be needed for RMA purposes.
Card Profile
There will be no mistaking which is your preferred manufacturer with the EVGA moniker printed onto an aluminium insert rather than the brash neon green GeForce title found on reference designs. As with the reference design, the EVGA Superclocked Signature is a dual slot design.
I/O Area
The backplate From left to right we see that EVGA have included a Displayport, HDMI port and both DVI-I and DVI-D port. It is clear EVGA feel this card needs as much cooling as possible as the backplate has more cut-outs than the reference design allowing efficient exhausting of heat from the rear of the card.
Power Ports
The EVGA card features the same staggered vertical PCIe Power port placement seen with the reference GTX680. Those astute among you will have noticed a spare solder slot for an additional 6 pin port but thankfully this sample does not require such silly power requirements with just a 550W PSU that has 38A on the 12V rail recommended as a minimum.
SLI
As with all GTX680’s, the EVGA example is capable of a maximum 4-way SLI when matched up with any other GTX680 and compatible motherboard.
Closer Look
Cooler Assembly
At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking that the EVGA card is a reference cooler. There are however a few little differences. The shroud is near identical to the reference design save for the shape, it is more ‘square’ and doesn’t have the angular features of the reference cooler. The fan is identical to reference and funnels air across the stock heatsink with the hot air being expelled out through the I/O backplate.
Heatsink
The heatsink is a basic design which disappoints as I was hoping for a vapor change design but alas it is simply a copper tab soldered to an aluminium fin array. The contact to the core was however very good.
Midplate Bracket
The same reference mid-plate is also found on the EVGA Signature Superclocked card as with other GTX680’s based on the reference design. Small sticky thermal tabs are situated around the plate to ensure efficient heat transfer.
Voltage Regulation
Here is where the card differs slightly from reference having a 5+2 instead of 4+2 phase design. With this extra muscle, the EVGA card should produce cleaner power and thus hopefully (crosses fingers) give us a decent overclock.
Hynix Memory
The same reference HYNIX memory is included with the EVGA card as with the standard NVIDIA GTX680. With a product code of H5GQ2H24MFA R0C we know that this memory is capable of some fantastic results rated at 1.6v to run at 6Gbps so hopefully there will also be some overclocking here too although consideration should be given to the fact that the EVGA SC Signature already has the memory clocked to 1552MHz (6208Mhz effective) so it is already well over spec!
GTX680 Core
Here we see the GK104 core which is fully exposed to the elements save for a nickel surround protecting it from damage from wobbly heatsinks. Pre-overclocked to 1085MHz it makes the AMD HD7970 1GHz edition cards look slow by comparison. Will this translate to real world performance though? I guess it’s time we found out…
Test Setup
With the latest Intel chipset release we decided to update our ageing X58 setup to the new X79 chipset. Not only that but we will be using the flagship Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition processor clocked to 4.5GHz to ensure we have no CPU bottlenecks. With 16GB of ram on board there should be minimal paging so the benchmarks we run today will hopefully give a true reflection of the graphics card’s performance.
Some of the components for our test bench were kindly donated by CORSAIR who provided the majority of components without whom we would not have been able to bring you this review so a big thanks to them.
Graphics cards on test:
EVGA GTX680 SuperClocked Signature
EVGA GTX680 SuperClocked Signature – manually overclocked (OC)
GIGABYTE GTX680 Windforce
NVIDIA GTX670
HIS HD 7870 IceQ Turbo
MSI HD 7870 Twin Frozr III OC
GIGABYTE HD7850 OC WindForce x2
ZOTAC GTX680 2GB GDDR5
AMD HD7870 2GB GDDR5
Zotac GTX580 AMP2! 3GB GDDR5
XFX R7970 Black Edition 3GB GDDR5
XFX R7770 Black Edition ‘S’ 1GB GDDR5
AMD HD7750 1GB GDDR5
AMD HD7770 1GB GDDR5
HIS HD7970 3GB GDDR5
XFX DD Radeon R7950 3072MB GDDR5
PowerColor PCS+ Radeon HD7950 3072MB GDDR5
AMD Radeon HD7950 3072MB GDDR5
AMD Radeon HD7970 3072MB GDDR5
ZOTAC GTX570 AMP! 1280MB GDDR5
NVIDIA GTX570 1280MB GDDR5
MSI GTX560Ti-448 Twin Frozr III 1280MB GDDR5
MSI GTX560Ti-384 Twin Frozr III 2GB GDDR5
AMD HD6990 4GB GDDR5
NOTE: For this review we will be using the very latest 301.33 drivers.
Motherboard: MSI X79 Big Bang X-Power II
CPU: Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition @ 4.5GHz
RAM – 16GB (4x4GB) Corsair Vengeance (Red) DDR3 @ 1866MHz 9-10-9-27
Power Supply – ANTEC High Current Pro 1200W
Hard Drive – Kingston HyperX 240GB
Cooler – Corsair H100
Benchmarks
We have also updated our range of benchmarks to include the following games which will give the graphics cards a challenge and sort the wheat from the chaff. Each benchmark will be run at both stock and maximum overclock settings and utilise 1920×1080 and 2560×1600 resolutions along with AA at various levels (application dependent):
Battlefield 3
Crysis 2
Crysis Warhead
Metro 2033
Batman: Arkham City
Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
DiRT 3
Futuremark 3DMark 2011
Unigine: Heaven 2.5
Crysis 2
Crysis Warhead
Metro 2033
Batman: Arkham City
Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
DiRT 3
Futuremark 3DMark 2011
Unigine: Heaven 2.5
Let’s see how today’s graphics card performed…
Overclocking (GPU Boost)
Overclocking via NVIDIA’s GPU Boost was covered in our ZOTAC GTX680 review so I won’t go into detail here on the attributes and pitfalls of using this method to overclock a GPU. Suffice to say it is relatively easy to use if somewhat a little awkward when determining the weak link in an overclock.
The EVGA Signature Superclocked arrives pre-overclocked to an already impressive 1085/6208MHz which is some 80MHz faster on the core and 50(200)MHz faster memory. Not bad at all! LEt’s see how much there is left in reserve…
Despite days of frustration, we only managed a miserely 44MHz offset on the GPU which translated to an 145MHz overclock (GPU Boost). This was with the voltage set to a maximum 1175mV. Of course this is no shameful result but I expected more due to the extra power phase available. Alas it seems EVGA have eeked most of the performance from the card on your behalf and should you eventually watercool the card, I have some strong suspicions that you may well find overclocks to surpass our efforts.
Temperature, Acoustics and Power Consumption
Power Consumption
To test for power consumption we do not use anything too technical, just a wall meter which measures the total system power draw minus the monitor.
Overclocked, the EVGA GTX680 consumed the most power out of all of the cards on test save for the previous generation GTX580. At stock speeds , the card was pretty much par for the course, consuming a little over 350W on average (total system power) which to put things into perspective is almost identical to a GTX570 so not a bad job at all considering the extra power phase on the EVGA card.
Temperature
To test temperatures we measured idle temperatures after booting windows, letting all applications finish loading and ran a few benchmarks. Once the benchmarks were complete we left the card to reach a cooling plateau where we then took the idle temperatures. For the load tests, we ran Furmark for 20 minutes, taking the absolute maximum temperature attained.
Being near reference by design, the card was one of the hottest on test which was a shame as I truly feel this may have had some effect on our maximum attainable overclock. The card could really benefit from improved cooling and while EVGA have added a few little tweaks here and there, the reference cooling design is poor in comparison to some of the custom cooled examples we have seen.
Acoustics
Acoustics are very subjective unless you have specialised equipment so you will have to take my word that the card is not noisy and even under load rarely raises above a murmur. Manually setting the fan to maximum obviously raised the decibels but during a four hour gaming session, the card didn’t get to this level so it is very unlikely it will become intrusive.
Let’s move on to our suite of benchmarks…
Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 leaps ahead of its time with the power of Frostbite™ 2, the next instalment of DICE’s cutting-edge game engine. This state-of-the-art technology is the foundation on which Battlefield 3 is built, delivering enhanced visual quality, a grand sense of scale, massive destruction, dynamic audio and incredibly lifelike character animations. As bullets whiz by, walls crumble, and explosions throw you to the ground, the battlefield feels more alive and interactive than ever before. In Battlefield 3, players step into the role of the elite U.S. Marines where they will experience heart-pounding missions across diverse locations including Paris, Tehran and New York.
Average and minimum frames per second were measured using Fraps during the parking lot scene on Operation Sword Breaker. High and Ultra presets were loaded at both resolutions.
Crysis 2
Crytek took an internet beating from its loyal fans due to the fact that they pandered to the console masses and dumbed down the graphics to DirectX 9. Fortunately, fans of the PC version of Crysis managed to force Cryteks hand and they have since developed a DX11 patch and have also enhanced the textures with added tesselation. It is for this reason that we have decided to include it in our suite of benchmarks.
To test the cards we used the Crysis 2 benchmark courtesy of Adrenaline with both the 1.9 patch, DX11 update and Hi-res texture pack. Settings were manually placed to Ultra, DX11 and tessellation enabled with the Central Park map being run 3 times per resolution benchmark test.
Crysis Warhead
Following the success of Crysis, the stand alone expansion “Warhead” was hotly anticipated to bring more game play, more weapons, improved visuals whilst maintaining better performance, the latter being what gamers wanted most. After all how many people upgraded their rigs just to play this game… In the game, you play as the upbeat Brit Sergeant “Psycho” Sykes, chasing down a Korean nuclear warhead. Throw in some ice shooting aliens and we’re bound to have a great game. It sure delivered.
Testing was done using Framebuffer’s Crysis Warhead benchmarking tool. The tests were configured to DirectX 10 at Enthusiast levels. Each test on the Ambush map was looped three times from which the average FPS was recorded.
Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City, the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.
The results below were obtained from the builtin benchmark utility from the game. All the settings were set to
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Skyrim is not a direct successor to the very popular Oblivion. Instead it takes place 200 years after the events of Oblivion. The non-linear playing that made the Elder Scrolls such a popular series does however make a return along with the beautiful scenery the encompasses the world of Skyrim.
Average and minimum frames per second were measured using Fraps during the drop down passage to Riverwood. V-sync was disabled to allow fluctuating (higher the 60) FPS for these runs. It is however recommended that v-sync is left enabled during normal gameplay due to the games dynamics.
DiRT 3
As players race to elevate their global standing, DiRT 3 is back delivering mud, sweat and gears world over: from the intense weather-beaten rally stages of Europe, Africa and the US, to executing performance driving showcases and career challenges where car control is pushed to spectacular limits.
The in-game benchmarking tool was used to test performance. All the display settings were set to the maximum available and DirectX 11 was applied. The average FPS was recorded at the end.
Metro 2033
Based on the novel by the same name, Metro 2033 is a first person shooter with elements of survival horror. As Artyom, you trawl through the mutant infested metro systems of post-apocalyptic Moscow. The game delivers presents a grim ambience that reflects on the overall atmosphere of the underground setting. Metro 2033 uses the setting as a back drop to showcase some of the best visuals of any games out now, making it the ideal benchmark for those looking for the best graphics card.
The bundled benchmarking tool was used on Metro 2033, configuring the settings to High and making use of DirectX 11. The frontline scene was looped 3 times for each configuration. The average FPS was recorded at the end.
Futuremark: 3DMark 11
3DMark 11 is the latest version of the world’s most popular benchmark. Designed to measure your PC’s gaming performance 3DMark 11 makes extensive use of all the new features in DirectX 11 including tessellation, compute shaders and multi-threading. The benchmark was run in both Performance and Extreme presets.
Unigine: Heaven 2.5
Heaven Benchmark is a DirectX 11 GPU benchmark based on advanced Unigine™ engine from Unigine Corp. It reveals the enchanting magic of floating islands with a tiny village hidden in the cloudy skies. Interactive mode provides emerging experience of exploring the intricate world of steampunk.
Conclusion
As we have mentioned many times now, EVGA are incessantly linked to overclockers the world over. While this card did not grant amazing results it is testament to the EVGA techs that they have pushed this card to the overclocking limits using stock voltages. Raise the voltages and it is possible to squeeze a little more horsepower out of the Signature Superclocked GTX680. So while the card is certainly no slouch in pre-overclocked state, it soars to the very top of our performance charts.
It comes as no surprise that the Signature Superclocked GTX680 attains our prestigious Elite award as it is simply the fastest, single core GPU we have tested to date. Had it also arrived with a custom cooler to keep those GPU throttling temps under control then I would have no hesitation of awarding it a Gold too. Such as it is, with a barely tweaked reference cooler, it will have to settle for Silver this time around. If you have your heart set on the EVGA signature Overclocked then you will be pleased to hear EVGA also have a revised version, the imaginatively named EVGA GTX680 Signature Superclocked 2, which has a twin fan cooling design – something this card is screaming out for.
The cooling performance should not deter you though because with EVGA’s renown back-up warranty and RMA service at your disposal, the card offers very good value for money and perhaps most importantly at this price point, peace of mind because at £476 it is little over £45 more than a reference card and for that you get a factory overclock along with better, cleaner power delivery. For a 10% premium, that has got to be worth it!
So if you are after a scorchingly fast graphics card that not only looks the part but also built to the very highest standards, all wrapped up in a package that has a service second to none, then you will struggle to find a better card than the EVGA Signature Superclocked.
Pros:
+ Pre-Overclocked
+ Very Fast
+ Good Packaging
+ Excellent Warranty/Service
Cons:
– Not much left in the tank for Overclocking
– Runs hot in comparison to custom cooled cards
+ Pre-Overclocked
+ Very Fast
+ Good Packaging
+ Excellent Warranty/Service
Cons:
– Not much left in the tank for Overclocking
– Runs hot in comparison to custom cooled cards
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to EVGA for providing today’s review sample.
