Removal of the huge cooler was a cinch with only 7 screws (four spring loaded) holding the heatsink to the PCB.

As you can see, along with the GPU both the memory and VRM areas are actively cooled. Contact with the core was perfect and the paste was well applied so you should have no requirement to remove the heatsink until it is time to clean.


The GPU core is treated to direct CU cooling where 6 heatpipes sprout from this copper base to dissipate heat along the aluminium finned heatsink array. This is perhaps the most efficient method of cooling and the pictures perhaps do not do justice to what is a very good, efficient cooling design.


The PCB design is excellent with the VRM area siuated very close to the powerports which helps to eliminate noise. A wall of inductors and solid state capacitors shield the 2GB of GDDR5 which in turns frames the GK104 core.


The VRM area is crammed full of MOSFETs, inductors and solid state capacitors. 8 power phases are reserved for the GPU core with a further 2+2 arrangement for PWM and memory.


The memory hails from Samsung and carries the product code of K4G203255FD FC28. We know this is some seriously fast memory if past tests are anything to go by.


A rehashed GTX680 core (GK104) it may be but as we have seen with the reference design, the enhanced speed gives it a good advantage over the GTX680. Couple this with a decent factory overclock and the GIGABYTE GTX770 Windforce 3x OC will be a force to be reckoned with.