A video card costing about 100 thousand rubles attracts the attention of all buyers in the computer market, but not every user can afford to buy the flagship of the NVIDIA line based on the GeForce GTX TITAN Z graphics core. In this article, the reader will get acquainted with the famous chip closer, see an overview of the characteristics and potential in working with 3D-graphics. A review of the technical characteristics of the new product will be made as an example on the product of the famous Taiwanese manufacturer - Asus.
Product positioning in the global market
Initially, the manufacturer of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z graphics card positioned itself on the market as a powerful professional video accelerator for performing complex tasks of processing video at high resolutions, as well as for working with graphic applications for processing three-dimensional images. There were no talks about any games; there is no place for entertainment in the professional segment.
However, it seemed to Russian distributors that the domestic gaming market was simply obliged to get acquainted with a masterpiece from NVIDIA. So in the store windows appeared video cards based on the GTX TITAN Z chip, the cost of which was explained quite prosaically: the best quality can not be cheap. Abundant advertising in the media did its job - there were many buyers who decided to purchase the “king of video cards”.
Chip specifications
In the production of the video adapter, an architecture built on the basis of two physically separate cores GK110 is used, respectively, all the parameters will certainly remind the owner of the GeForce GTX TITAN Z the characteristics of the previous generation GTX TITAN 6 Gb video accelerator:
- the frequency of each graphic core is 705 MHz (in Boost mode 876 MHz);
- the number of universal conveyors 5760 pieces, texture units 480 units, and rasterization units 96 units;
- modern GDDR5 memory has a capacity of 12 GB (2x6), operates at a frequency of 7000 MHz and uses a 768-bit bus (384x2);
- the graphics core is built according to the technological process of 28 nanometers and has 14,200 million transistors (7100x2);
- the maximum power consumption of the video adapter in Boost mode is 390 watts (195x2).
Comparing the basic characteristics of a single-core device with its dual-core follower, many potential buyers are wondering if it makes sense to buy a GTX TITAN Z, because the cost of the flagship should be twice as much, and not 5-6 times.
Features for working with three-dimensional graphics
The great functionality of NVIDIA proprietary technologies ensures that the GeForce GTX TITAN Z video accelerator appeals to all fans of resource-intensive dynamic games. As practice shows, most of the technologies used for professional processing of 3D-graphics are also implemented in gaming solutions.
- FXAA and TXAA smoothing mode. Smooth line drawing and smoothing textures with frequent frame changes, as well as post-processing of high-definition images, have recently been claimed in gaming applications. However, many users do not know that by default this functionality is disabled in the video adapter, and it must be activated using the NVIDIA control panel.
- CUDA software environment. Recently, the graphics chip has been helping to extend the performance of a dynamic application. With a graphics card based on the GTX TITAN Z core, you don’t have to worry that the CPU power for the game is not enough. Thanks to CUDA technology, the system will independently produce a balance of capacities.
- Engine PhysX. Simulation of physical movements in 3D applications has found application in dynamic games. Along with support for DirectX 12, the owner will receive the most realistic picture in the game.
NVIDIA Manufacturer Concern
A video adapter based on the GeForce GTX TITAN Z chip, which is reviewed in this article, has a number of power system requirements in its specification. And, as many owners note in their reviews, the claimed specification is not unfounded. We are talking about the power of the power supply and its technical characteristics.
First of all, the user must rely on the fact that the power system will have a reserve of 400 watts for the video card to work. Accordingly, if we take into account that the system will use the most powerful processor, a large amount of memory and several hard drives, the power supply must have a power of at least 850 watts (or 700 watts according to the GOLD standard). It is worth considering that for the video card to work properly, the power supply must have two 8-pin dedicated lines of 12 volts with a rated current of 42 amperes. Failure to comply with the manufacturer’s specifications may result in the failure of an expensive video adapter (power failure will invalidate the device).
Meet the flagship
An ordinary user will not be able to purchase a reference device in the factory version of NVIDIA (even the distributor of the company is not able to provide the original video adapter). Therefore, acquaintance will occur with a sales leader in the domestic market. Video card Asus GeForce GTX TITAN Z, according to sellers and owners of this product, ranks first in sales among similar products of competitors.
The well-known Taiwanese manufacturer, apparently, is so customary: to deliver their products in an ordinary cardboard box with a minimum configuration. Not only that, in addition to the device itself, drivers and installation instructions, there is nothing else in the package, so the manufacturer has not deigned to stick the Asus logo on the graphics card body. Many owners believe that the well-known manufacturer, without any modifications, simply packed the reference device in a box and introduced the product to the world market.
Features of the Asus GeForce GTX TITAN Z PCB
In fact, placing elements that were previously located on two video cards on one printed circuit board is not as easy as it seems. Here, the manufacturer had to slightly modify and improve the power system and the placement of important elements for the adapter to work:
- all electrolytic capacitors were replaced with more expensive ceramic storage devices (moreover, they are soldered on both sides of the printed circuit board);
- the power system has two blocks of 5 phases (each block is controlled by a separate controller);
- 48 Hynix memory chips are soldered around the graphics cores on both sides of the printed circuit board (with such a cost for the video card, the manufacturer could install more resource-intensive modules).
NVIDIA flagship cooling system
A video card from Asus based on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z chip claims to occupy three full-fledged slots in the case. This volume is due to the increased size of the cooling system. As expected, the manufacturer provided each graphics core with its own aluminum radiator, which are connected by a thin plate (although, according to user reviews, copper tubes would have been much more efficient than previous Asus products).
An aluminum plate is installed between the radiators and the printed circuit board , which has many heat-conducting pads located opposite all the memory chips. By the way, the same plate is also provided for the base of the printed circuit board (both plates are mounted on both sides of the video card and pulled together with special screws). A powerful cooling fan is located between the evaporative chambers of the radiators. It works on the principle of a turbine, driving air around the entire perimeter of the board, from the back of the video card, removing hot air through the mounting grid.
Testing Asus Graphics Accelerator Games
For many potential buyers of the video adapter based on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z chip, a review is not as important as the performance in dynamic games. Moreover, synthetic tests have long been no longer interesting to many players who want to see the flagship's potential in real conditions. As an alternative to the price-performance criterion, this video adapter is quite suitable for the AMD flagship, the Radeon R9 295X2 accelerator.
A rather strange feature is observed in many gaming applications when setting the maximum screen resolution (256x1440 dpi). At high settings in the games Sniper Elite V2, Sleeping Dogs, Crysis 3, Tomb Raider (2013) AMD product manages to maintain a leading position with a margin of 20-30 FPS. But in the Crysis 3 and Metro Last Light applications, the championship in the same 20-30 FPS goes to the flagship NVIDIA. In general, the impressions of testing games at maximum settings are only positive. You just need to see this, since the realism of the picture cannot be described in this article.
Overclocking potential
The idea of overclocking the flagship on a GeForce GTX TITAN Z chip sounds somehow absurd, because by logic you need to make a comparison with something more powerful, otherwise the meaning of the action itself is lost. And yet, if we are talking about the potential and the percentage growth in synthetic tests, then we can safely say that the video card is overclocking. True, at the same time, energy consumption, heat dissipation and fan noise sharply increase. And if you can cope with the consumption of electricity by installing a powerful power supply, then to efficiently remove heat, you need to look for a decent cooling system, since a regular cooler can’t cope with work (when heated to 100 degrees Celsius, the video card driver throws a BSOD error and restarts the computer).
Finally
A review of the characteristics of a remarkable device based on the GeForce GTX TITAN Z clearly leads to the idea that it is the most powerful video card in the world that can cope with any existing load in both gaming and graphics applications. However, this is where its merits end. The very high cost, even in the secondary market, scares away many potential buyers from the video adapter. Logically, two video cards in SLI mode on the GTX 690 graphics core are capable of showing almost identical overclocking performance, but buying on the secondary market will cost the user 10-15 times cheaper. There is only one conclusion - this video adapter is still recommended to be used for the intended purpose of the manufacturer NVIDIA - in working with three-dimensional graphics and video files at high resolutions, and not to spend a fortune on satisfying the needs of dynamic toys.