GIGABYTE GTX650 Ti OC Review
Introduction
Product on Review: GV-N65TOC-2GI
Manufacturer and Sponsor: GIGABYTE
Street Price: £135
In our second review of the GTX650Ti, we see that the GIGABYTE version features a full length cooler. We have lauded over the Windforce cooler before in all of their NVIDIA range and hold it in high regard as one of the best GPU cooling designs currently available. We have seen the Windforce x2 cooler before on the GTX560 Ti so it is a welcome addition to the GTX650 Ti. We do however wonder if the Windforce cooler is overkill for an entry level GPU. Sure it will be silent and hopefully cool but as you will see, it adds a third to the size of the card which may be enough to deter some prospective buyers.
As an entry level GPU, the GTX650Ti is a card which needs to strike a fine balancing act between price and performance. Too much and people will inevitably spend their money elsewhere. If too many cuts have been made then performance may suffer. In some ways, an entry level card is presents more of a quandary to the manufacturers than a flagship 'cost no objective' graphics card. Add to this the fact that many budget gamers looking to break into the DirectX 11 gaming arena will not have huge enclosures nor massive power supplies and the headache soon turns into a migraine. So the question has to be asked: Have GIGABYTE managed to create a balanced card? Is this the entry level card you should go for?
Let's find out...
Product on Review: GV-N65TOC-2GI
Manufacturer and Sponsor: GIGABYTE
Street Price: £135
In our second review of the GTX650Ti, we see that the GIGABYTE version features a full length cooler. We have lauded over the Windforce cooler before in all of their NVIDIA range and hold it in high regard as one of the best GPU cooling designs currently available. We have seen the Windforce x2 cooler before on the GTX560 Ti so it is a welcome addition to the GTX650 Ti. We do however wonder if the Windforce cooler is overkill for an entry level GPU. Sure it will be silent and hopefully cool but as you will see, it adds a third to the size of the card which may be enough to deter some prospective buyers.
As an entry level GPU, the GTX650Ti is a card which needs to strike a fine balancing act between price and performance. Too much and people will inevitably spend their money elsewhere. If too many cuts have been made then performance may suffer. In some ways, an entry level card is presents more of a quandary to the manufacturers than a flagship 'cost no objective' graphics card. Add to this the fact that many budget gamers looking to break into the DirectX 11 gaming arena will not have huge enclosures nor massive power supplies and the headache soon turns into a migraine. So the question has to be asked: Have GIGABYTE managed to create a balanced card? Is this the entry level card you should go for?
Let's find out...
GIGABYTE introduces WINDFORCE™, the latest cooling technology that differentiates the brand’s graphics cards from the rest. GIGABYTE understands that a fan is crucial to the graphics card, so only the fan with the most efficiency is selected for WINDFORCE.
To qualify for WINDFORCE™, a cooling solution must be equipped with anti-turbulence inclined fans, ultra quiet PWM fan and pure copper heat pipe. Inclined fins help to reduce excessive heat and turbulence. Depending on its orientation, there are 4 types of inclined-fan designs: outward-inclined, 3D-inclined, parallel-inclined, and mirroring-inclined. Each type generates excellent exterior airflow for efficient heat dissipation from the interior GPU core.
To qualify for WINDFORCE™, a cooling solution must be equipped with anti-turbulence inclined fans, ultra quiet PWM fan and pure copper heat pipe. Inclined fins help to reduce excessive heat and turbulence. Depending on its orientation, there are 4 types of inclined-fan designs: outward-inclined, 3D-inclined, parallel-inclined, and mirroring-inclined. Each type generates excellent exterior airflow for efficient heat dissipation from the interior GPU core.
