However, Nvidia has another trump card up its sleeve in the form of the excellent frequency potential of the GF114. Even in its normal form, the GeForce GTX 560 Ti core operates at 823 MHz, and the compute domain frequency is as much as 1645 MHz. There is no reason to assume that this is where the frequency potential of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti ends. This statement is agreed not only by our readers, who are eager to see the results of testing these cards in overclocked mode, but also by the industry, which has already introduced to the market a number of GeForce GTX 560 Ti models with factory overclocking, sometimes reaching very impressive values.
In Nvidia's classification, the GeForce GTX 560 Ti belongs to the "hunter" class, but we tend to compare this solution with a massive medium tank, which better reflects the situation on the fronts of the war for consumer 3D, but, one way or another, it was decided to meet the wishes of the readers and organize summary testing of several GeForce GTX 560 Ti models in overclocking mode. For this purpose, a “hunting squad” or, in our terminology, a “tank platoon” was formed, which included the following solutions from various manufacturers:
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti SC
MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC
Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic
Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti
Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP!
The task facing us is simple: to find out which of the members of this squad has the greatest overclocking potential and the best combination of consumer qualities. Our goal is not to identify a single winner; instead, we will try to find out what advantages and disadvantages each member of the squad has. First, let's get to know each of them better.
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Superclocked: design and technical specifications
At the forefront of the “hunting party” is the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Superclocked, which for brevity we will call GeForce GTX 560 Ti SC. The card comes in a fairly compact box:EVGA traditionally does not waste time on artistic experiments. As a result, the packaging of its products looks strict and even somewhat elitist. The product described is no exception. Yellow means it belongs to a series of solutions based on GF114, and the fact that this is an overclocked model is indicated by a special “SC” sticker. As usual, on the back of the box there is a small window through which you can see part of the video adapter board with serial number.
Inside there is a tray made of recycled cardboard, closed with a lid made of the same material. This, of course, is worse than polyurethane foam, but still better than nothing, especially since the card is additionally secured with a block of foam rubber. It is accompanied by the following set of accessories:
DVI → D-Sub adapter
Mini-HDMI → HDMI adapter
User guide
CD with drivers and utilities
Leaflet with power connection rules
EVGA Brand Sticker
EVGA Brand Poster
The poster looks quite gloomy and depicts the skull of the next “Terminator”. It's clearly aimed at a teenage audience of gamers fascinated by this sort of thing, and if hung on the outside of a room's door, it would be a good way to demoralize old-fashioned parents. :)
In general, the equipment is quite adequate for the price class to which the GeForce GTX 560 Ti belongs. Everything necessary for full operation of the video adapter is in the box, and free games Manufacturers nowadays pamper customers rarely enough to consider their absence a serious drawback.
Traditionally, EVGA does not waste time on such “little things” as development own designs printed circuit boards for graphic cards. You can look at the lack of sufficient R&D capacity from this point of view, however, no matter how you look at it, the result is the same - the GeForce GTX 560 Ti SC is a copy of the Nvidia reference card:
The only visible difference, in fact, is the branded sticker on the cooling system casing. We did not disassemble the map to its core, because this design was studied and described in detail in the first review dedicated to the GeForce GTX 560 Ti.
The card is quite long, and the power connectors are located on the end side of the board, so when installed in cases with a short base, certain problems may arise. The GPU power supply system is four-phase, it is quite enough to power the GF114 even in overclocking mode.
NCP5388 and RT8101 microcircuits are used as controllers.
The vast majority of GeForce GTX 560 Ti are equipped with memory manufactured by Samsung Semiconductor, designed for a frequency of 1250 (5000) MHz, but operating at a significantly lower frequency. The reference value for the GeForce GTX 560 Ti is 1002 (4008) MHz, but in this case we are dealing with a factory overclock to 1053 (4212) MHz.
The graphics core contains 384 universal ALUs, 64 texture processors and 32 raster operations units. Its frequency is increased from the reference 823/1645 MHz to 900/1800 MHz, but in energy-saving modes it can drop to 405/810 MHz when decoding HD video and to 51/101 MHz when working in normal applications that do not require GPU resources.
The standard set of switching connectors for the GeForce GTX 560 Ti includes a pair of DVI-I ports, a mini-HDMI port and an MIO connector, which is used to organize an SLI tandem. Simultaneous support for more than two displays is available, but requires two cards in SLI mode.
Unlike older models, the GeForce GTX 560 Ti cooling system does not use a vapor chamber, which has proven its effectiveness in the GeForce GTX 580/570.
Instead, Nvidia's reference cooler is a combination of three radiators. The central round radiator is reminiscent of the radiators of Intel box coolers and has bifurcated fins. Its copper base is connected by heat pipes to additional arcuate fin sections. The aluminum base serves as a heat sink for memory chips and power elements of the power subsystem. On practice this system shows good results, but we'll see how well it copes with cooling the overclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti.
MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC: design and specifications
The card is delivered to the market in almost the same box as described in one of the previous ones MSI reviews R6870 Hawk. The design is made in soft purple tones:
Fortunately, the box no longer contains any hints of one of the most unsuccessful aircraft in aviation history. The drawing depicts the video adapter itself, quite persistently bringing the Twin Frozr II inscription to the foreground. However, loud statements about the use of “military components” and increasing cooling efficiency by 20 degrees could not be avoided here either. The front cover is a flap that is secured with Velcro. Below it there is a transparent window through which you can see the video adapter itself. A successful solution that also increases the advertising space of the box. ;)
The inside of the box is a tray made of foam material, in one of the compartments of which the card rests, and the rest contain related contents:
DVI → D-Sub adapter
Mini-HDMI → HDMI adapter
2 adapters 2x4-pin. PATA → 1x6-pin PCIe
Quick Installation Guide
Quick User Guide
3DMark 11 Advanced Edition Coupon
CD with drivers and utilities
This will be quite enough for the vast majority of potential buyers, and those who like to compare overclocking results will additionally receive free version popular test 3DMark 11.
Externally, the N560GTX-Ti is very similar to the R6870 Hawk, but the fans here are clearly different, with more familiar saber-shaped blades:
Of course, with such a clear focus on the enthusiast category, the MSI engineering team that created the N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II simply could not stoop to using Nvidia's reference design, as evidenced by the removal of the cooling system:
There is a certain similarity, but it is only general. Despite the relatively modest appetites of the GF114, the graphics core power subsystem received two additional phases, thus becoming six-phase. Like other MSI products in its class, it uses only high-quality components, especially SFC ferrite core inductors, which do not emit high-frequency squeaking under heavy load.
The main nerve center of the power subsystem in this case is the uP6213 controller manufactured by uPI Semiconductor. The memory stabilizer uses the uPI uP6101 chip, which is widespread and well known to everyone who has ever modified the power supply systems of graphics cards. Interestingly, the board design provides for V-Check control points, but the corresponding connectors on the board are not soldered. A pair of six-pin connectors are used to connect external power PCI Express 1.0; There are no differences in this part from the Nvidia reference design.
The memory bank with a total capacity of 1 GB consists of eight GDDR5 K4G10325FE-HC04 chips manufactured by Samsung Semiconductor. These chips with a capacity of 1 Gbit (32Mx32) are designed for a frequency of 1250 (5000) MHz, but in this case their operating frequency is 1050 (4200) MHz, which is slightly higher than the official Nvidia specification, but, nevertheless, leaves good room for overclocking, at least in theory.
Unfortunately, the GPU marking is done in a slightly different way than before. Seems to apply laser engraving, the side effect of which in this case is the inability to clearly see the numbers and letters in the photograph. Only the inscription with information about the kernel model and its revision number, applied in the old way, is clearly visible. However, we do know that this GF114 was manufactured in week 51 of 2010. Its characteristics are standard: 384 universal computing cores, 64 texture processors and 32 raster operations units. Clock frequencies have been slightly increased - from 823/1645 MHz to 880/1760 MHz. There is no particular point in testing the GeForce GTX 560 Ti in this mode, so we will try to overclock the N560GTX-Ti as much as possible. The same, however, applies to other test participants.
The main feature of the N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II mounting plate is the slot in the shape of the company logo. But the set of connectors is completely ordinary: a pair of DVI-I ports and a compact mini-HDMI connector, which requires the use of an adapter. Support for more than two displays is only possible in SLI mode; the latter is implemented through a single MIO connector. This is the standard configuration for Nvidia's mid-range solutions.
The Twin Frozr II's cooling system is somewhat simpler than its older sister, the Twin Frozr III, which cools the R6870 Hawk, but it's still a pretty impressive design with four heatpipes, a massive radiator, and a pair of 80mm fans.
We have virtually no doubt about the effectiveness of this system: it is well designed and well-manufactured, however, when installing the N560GTX-Ti into the system, you should make sure that any of the expansion cards does not block the free access of air to one of the fans, which can significantly reduce the quality cooling.
Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic: design and technical specifications
The next number in our program is Palit with its GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic. The card is packaged in a relatively small box, the design of which is already familiar to our readers from our review of the Palit GeForce GTX 460 Sonic Platinum. In this case, the color scheme is calmer:
In general, the packaging design looks quite attractive, but its information content leaves much to be desired, which, however, is typical for the vast majority of modern PC hardware manufacturers. Thank you for correctly indicating the type and amount of video memory.
The insides are an ordinary box made of brown corrugated cardboard, so there can be no talk of any additional protective properties of the packaging. The video adapter comes with the following set of additional accessories:
Adapter 2x4-pin. PATA → 1x6-pin PCIe
Quick Installation Guide
CD with drivers and utilities
This is the most modest configuration in today’s review, however, even such asceticism is difficult to find fault with: currently everything is quite modern systems have at least one six-pin power cable, and modern monitors are most often connected using the DVI-D interface. Of course, stinginess is reprehensible, but in this case the buyer can be sure that he will not overpay for accessories he does not need.
This product is significantly shorter than the previous participant in the “hunting race”, and will easily fit into almost any case, you just need to make sure that the air access to the fans is not blocked.
Without dismantling the cooling system, it is difficult to say anything about the design of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic, so we did not fail to perform this operation:
Palit Microsystems, which is, among other things, the owner of the Gainward trademark, is one of those companies that can afford to develop a fairly complex PCB design from scratch. Indeed, the design of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic is unique and has nothing in common with Nvidia's reference design. The GPU power subsystem, at first glance, is five-phase, but in fact, the “fifth phase” is a memory power stabilizer.
Thus, the main four-phase power regulator is controlled by the four-channel NCP5395 controller manufactured by ON Semiconductor, and memory power management is entrusted to the modest RT8108 chip manufactured by Richtek Technology. Like other participants in today's comparative review, power is supplied via two six-pin PCIe 1.0 power connectors.
Like other GeForce GTX 560 Ti models, it uses GDDR5 memory manufactured by Samsung Semiconductor. K4G10325FE-HC04 chips with a capacity of 1 Gbit form a bank of local video memory with a capacity of 1 GB with 256-bit access. The memory itself in 3D mode operates at a frequency of 1050 (4200) MHz, which provides a peak throughput of the entire subsystem at 134.4 GB/sec.
Reading the markings of the GPU installed on board the GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic after cleaning its cover from thermal paste residues turned out to be even more difficult than in the case of the MSI card. However, the date of manufacture is not decisive, and the revision number is clearly visible anyway. In addition, we have at our disposal all the capabilities of GPU-Z, which reports factory overclocking of the core to 900/1800 MHz - a nice, round figure that promises a fairly significant performance increase compared to the Nvidia reference model. Of course, the core configuration has not changed and, as with any GeForce GTX 560 Ti, includes 384 ALUs, 64 TMUs and 32 RBEs.
One of the significant features of the Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic is the non-standard configuration of switching connectors. You can even find an outdated 15-pin D-Sub on the mounting bracket, which explains the absence of a corresponding DVI-I adapter in the kit. A nice addition is the full-size HDMI port, which does not require the use of an unreliable adapter. But it is worth remembering that you cannot take advantage of all this wealth at the same time, since Nvidia solutions in a single configuration do not support more than two displays. To activate the panoramic mode, you will have to purchase another GeForce GTX 560 Ti and connect it to the existing one in SLI mode.
The cooling system is not as monumental as the Twin Frozr II developed by MSI, however, the two-section heatsink with three heat pipes looks quite promising:
A pair of Power Logic PLA08015S12H fans with an impeller diameter of 80 mm is responsible for its airflow. This should be more than enough to cool even a highly overclocked GF114 along with all its hardware, including power stabilizers. Only the quality of the interface between the heat pipes and the heat exchanger can let us down, but we will find out how well the Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic cooling system is made below, in the section devoted to the temperature regime of our five “hunters”.
Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti/GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP!: design and technical specifications
The rearguard of our “hunting squad” is a pair of Zotac cards, which can be called brothers, but by no means twins. Both models are supplied in compact boxes of the same dimensions, but with slightly different designs:
If the packaging of a regular model is decorated with a typical Zotac image of a creature made of “liquid metal” with glowing eyes, then the box of the model with the AMP! is entirely dedicated to the game Assasin's Creed: Brotherhood, despite the fact that this game is included in the package of both cards.
The boxes themselves are nothing special: inside you can only find a cardboard insert that conventionally divides the storage area for the graphics card and the accompanying set of additional accessories. For both Zotac models, this set is almost the same and includes the following items:
On this point, Zotac solutions claim the highest score. Models without AMP index included! The name does not include a mini-HDMI → HDMI adapter, but since it uses a full-size HDMI connector, it doesn’t need one. The game itself, Assasin's Creed: Brotherhood, is not physically included, but a coupon with a serial number allows you to download it completely free of charge, although this will be more difficult for those with a slow Internet connection.
Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti and GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! indeed they are not twins, although in general they are similar to each other thanks to the cooling system casings with a characteristic yellow mesh:
Model with index AMP! in the name is significantly longer and uses a less exotic fan, and the layout of their printed circuit boards is significantly different. The regular Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti has drivers power transistors The power stabilizer is located on the back of the board, and the power connectors are on top, while the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! The GPU power controller is located on the back side of the board, and the power connectors, on the contrary, have moved to the end side of the board. The latter means that the length of the power connectors on the power supply cables must be added to the length of the board, and this can cause installation problems in the case of a case with a shortened base.
We dismantled the cooling systems from both Zotac cards, revealing to the naked eye all the ins and outs of the two brothers:
Oddly enough, but it is the model without the AMP index! is equipped with a more powerful graphics core power subsystem with six phases, while the GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! we see the classic four phases. Moreover, the latter uses the reference board design developed by Nvidia, which was described in detail in the first review of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti. If Zotac believes Nvidia's reference design is better suited for overclocking, then it's unclear why they would go to the trouble of developing a unique design with a powerful power subsystem and use it to produce a GeForce GTX 560 Ti with regular specifications.
In the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti, the CHL8318 controller manufactured by CHiL Semiconductor, capable of servicing up to 8 phases, is responsible for managing GPU power. The memory power supply is entrusted to the uP6161 chip. Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! uses a combination of NCP5388 and uP6101 controllers. Interestingly, Nvidia's reference design replaces the latter with the Richtek RT8101.
Both solutions have 8 Samsung K4G10325FE-HC04 memory chips installed, forming 1 GB local video memory banks with a 256-bit access bus. The only difference is in the clock frequencies: while the regular Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti model requires compliance with official Nvidia specifications, and, therefore, a memory frequency of 1002 (4008) MHz, then the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! The memory is overclocked by the manufacturer to 1100 (4400) MHz. This is the most serious factory memory overclock among the participants in today's testing, raising the bandwidth of the video memory subsystem to 140.8 GB/sec.
The GPU markings are visible much better than on MSI or Palit cards. In both cases, these GF114 chips were released in week 51 of last year.
The configuration of the graphics cores, of course, is also the same: 384 threaded and 64 texture processors, as well as 32 raster operations units in each. Only the clock frequencies in 3D mode differ: standard 823/1645 MHz for the GeForce GTX 560 Ti and 950/1900 MHz for the GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! As in the case of memory, this is the most serious factory overclocking among the GeForce GTX 560 Ti models presented in this review.
The configuration of the switching connectors is significantly different. The lower-end Zotac model offers greater flexibility in this regard, being equipped with the increasingly popular DisplayPort connector in addition to the classic pair of DVI-I ports and a full-size HDMI port. And here is the model with the AMP index! equipped with a standard set for the reference GeForce GTX 560 Ti: two DVI-I connectors and one mini-HDMI. In both cases, you can use two connectors at the same time, and both cards, of course, fully support Nvidia SLI technology.
As for cooling systems, the older model with the AMP! differs from the Nvidia reference card only in the casing, under which hides the previously described “Intel box cooler” combination with two arc-shaped radiators connected into a single whole using three heat pipes.
The younger model Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti uses a similar design, but the additional sections of the radiator are smaller, there are only two heat pipes, and the fan blades have a unique shape, which we have never seen before. According to preliminary estimates, Nvidia's reference cooling system will be somewhat more powerful, but only due to a larger heat dissipation area. However, now we will check this assumption in practice.
Thermal conditions, noise and overclocking
Two of the five GeForce GTX 560 Ti models participating in the summary testing are equipped with reference cooling systems, while the other three are equipped with their own designs from MSI, Palit and Zotac. We made an attempt to find out which design is more effective in practice. At room temperature around 24 degrees Celsius, the following data were obtained for 2D and 3D modes:
As you can see, the reference cooling system on board the EVGA card does not lack the stars from the sky and demonstrates cooling efficiency approximately at the level of the Nvidia reference card, at least under load in 3D applications. Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP results! In general, they can be called close to failure, although allowances should be made for the rather serious factory overclocking of this model. The Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic doesn't shine too well, despite the presence of two 80mm fans. It is probably being let down by a radiator with a not too large heat dissipation area. But the regular Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti model and, especially, the MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC show very impressive results. In the first case, you should take into account the official clock speeds, but in the case of the MSI solution there is simply nothing to complain about and it definitely receives the highest award in the “cooling system efficiency” category. With Twin Frozr II on board, you don’t have to worry about overheating and without much doubt you can embark on rather risky experiments with overclocking.
Now let's see what noise level we can expect from the members of our little “hunting party”. With a background noise level in the room of 38 dBA, they demonstrate the following acoustic characteristics:
The best result in 3D mode was demonstrated by the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti SC. Although the noise level is a couple of decibels higher than a similar Nvidia card with reference frequencies, we should not forget about factory overclocking. In second place in terms of acoustic comfort is the Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic, which does not irritate the ears with the rustling of two fans. Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti cards with MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC behave in approximately the same way. The latter is a little louder than the others, but this can only be seen from the sound level meter readings. The MSI product has no aural problems with noise levels. And here is the fan speed control system of the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! is configured very aggressively and quickly makes itself felt in 3D mode. This is due to the most serious factory overclocking among all test participants, as well as the increased supply voltage of the graphics core to 1.142 Volts. The fans of the described cards behave as follows:
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti SC: 1350-2190 rpm.
MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC: 1800-3090 rpm.
Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic: 1080-2180 rpm.
Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti: 2190-2880 rpm.
Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP!: 2270-4000 rpm.
It's no wonder the trailing member of the "squad" is so noisy in 3D mode. So, if you are looking for a fast but silent GeForce GTX 560 Ti model, we recommend turning your attention to EVGA or Palit products, but in terms of overall consumer qualities, the MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC is still the leader.
Finally, our “hunting party” approached the place of the most serious test. Overclocking Who showed weakness and who showed strength? Let's look at the results.
EVGAMSI
PalitZotac
Yes, the solid equipment of the MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC gave it a significant head start. This “hunter” turned out to be the only one who was able to cross the 1 GHz barrier in the main domain frequency with a core supply voltage of 1.075 Volts. The frequency of the computing domain was 2.1 GHz - a figure previously unheard of in the world of graphics cards. We secretly hoped to reach the nominal memory frequency, but, alas, in vain. The best result was 1210 (4840) MHz, which, however, is quite good. Nvidia solutions are traditionally not very friendly with high-speed GDDR5, even in the case of a 256-bit bus with a simpler layout than the 384/320-bit buses of the GeForce GTX 580/570.
The second place is deservedly taken by the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti SC with a good 975/1950 MHz core frequency obtained at a voltage of 1,050 Volts. The memory, however, was even less satisfying, reaching only 1200 (4800) MHz. The bronze award in the field of overclocking went to the Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic with 950/1900 MHz core frequency and 1100 (4400) MHz memory frequency. This result was achieved with a GPU supply voltage of 1.050 Volts.
Finally, the underdogs. The performance of the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti does not look very impressive, as it failed to reach at least 950/1900 MHz at the GPU frequency at the same supply voltage as the two aforementioned competitors. However, at the same time, this “hunter” demonstrated the best result in overclocking the memory, which worked steadily at a frequency of 1225 (4900) MHz, that is, it fell just short of the coveted 5 GHz equivalent frequency of GDDR5. But its older brother, Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP!, refused to overclock at all, losing stability with every attempt. Perhaps we just came across an unsuccessful copy, since its core is already operating at an increased supply voltage, and the highest of all testing participants - as much as 1.142 Volts! True, the GPU frequency is already 950 (1900) MHz, but, for example, the Palit card managed to achieve this only with the help of additional overclocking. Keeping in mind the noise of the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! in 3D mode, we naturally put it in last place in the “heating-noisiness-overclocking” category.
Finally, the time has come to find out what each of the “hunters” is capable of in real conditions with the same acceleration result that he was able to achieve in the previous test.
Test platform configuration and testing methodology
Testing of five overclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti models in real gaming applications was carried out on a universal test platform with the following configuration:
CPU Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition (3.33 GHz, 6.4 GT/s QPI)
Cooler Scythe SCKTN-3000 “Katana 3”
Gigabyte GA-EX58-Extreme motherboard (Intel X58)
Memory Corsair XMS3-12800C9 (3x2 GB, 1333 MHz, 9-9-9-24, 2T)
Hard drive Samsung Spinpoint F3 (1 TB/32 MB, SATA II)
Power supply Ultra X4 850W Modular (Rated power 850 W)
Monitor Dell 3007WFP (30”, maximum resolution 2560x1600@60 Hz)
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
The following versions of ATI Catalyst and Nvidia GeForce drivers were used:
Nvidia GeForce 266.66 WHQL for Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti
Nvidia GeForce 266.58 WHQL for Nvidia GeForce GTX 570
ATI Catalyst 11.4 “Mjölnir I” preview for ATI Radeon HD
The drivers themselves were configured as follows:
ATI Catalyst:
Anti-Aliasing: Use application settings/4x/Standard Filter
Morphological filtering: Off
Tesselation: Use application settings
Texture Filtering Quality: High Quality
Enable Surface Format Optimization: Off
Wait for vertical refresh: Always Off
Anti-Aliasing Mode: Adaptive Multi-sample AA
Nvidia GeForce:
Texture filtering - Quality: High quality
Vertical sync: Force off
Antialiasing - Transparency: Multisampling
CUDA - GPUs: All
Set PhysX configuration: Auto-select
Ambient Occlusion: Off
Other settings: default
The test package included the following games and applications:
3D first-person shooters:
Aliens vs. Predator (1.0.0.0, Benchmark)
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (1.0.5, Fraps)
Call of Duty: Black Ops (1.04, Fraps)
Crysis Warhead (1.1.1.711, Benchmark)
Metro 2033 (Ranger Pack, 1.02, Benchmark)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (1.6.02, Fraps)
3D shooters with third person view:
Just Cause 2 (1.0.0.1, Benchmark/Fraps)
Lost Planet 2 (1.1, Benchmark/Fraps)
RPG:
Dragon Age II (1.01, Fraps)
Mass Effect 2 (1.01, Fraps)
Simulators:
F1 2010 (1.01, Fraps)
Strategy games:
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (1.3, Fraps)
Total War: Shogun 2 (1.1, Fraps)
Semi-synthetic and synthetic tests:
Futuremark 3DMark Vantage (1.1)
Futuremark 3DMark 11 (1.0.1)
Unigine Heaven Benchmark (2.5)
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 Benchmark (1.04, Benchmark/Fraps)
Each of the games included in the test software was configured to provide the highest possible level of detail. Applications that support tessellation have enabled this feature.
The fundamental refusal to manually modify any configuration files means that only the tools available in the game itself to any uninitiated user were used for configuration. Testing was carried out in resolutions of 1600x900, 1920x1080 and 2560x1600. Except where otherwise noted, standard 16x anisotropic filtering was complemented by 4x MSAA anti-aliasing. Activation of anti-aliasing was carried out either by the game itself, or, in their absence, it was forced using the appropriate settings of the ATI Catalyst and Nvidia GeForce drivers.
In addition to the five overclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti models described above, the following graphics cards took part in testing:
Nvidia GeForce GTX 570
Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti
ATI Radeon HD 6950 1GB
ATI Radeon HD 6870
To obtain performance data, we used the testing tools built into the game with the obligatory use of original test videos, as well as, if possible, recording data on minimum performance. IN in some cases To obtain information about the minimum performance, the Fraps 3.3.2 test utility was additionally used. In the absence of the above-mentioned tools, the same utility was used in manual mode with a three-fold test pass, fixing the minimum values and then averaging the final result.
Game tests: Aliens vs. Predator
GF114, overclocked in the main domain frequency to 1 GHz or slightly higher, is quite capable of competing with solutions based on GF110, albeit not in its full configuration. The question is how much such overclocking will negatively affect the service life of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti. The MSI solution has passed a full cycle of tests, but we cannot say with complete certainty how long it will last in this mode. The remaining places were naturally distributed depending on achievements in the field of overclocking. The EVGA card took the honorable “silver”, while the “bronze” was shared between the Palit and Zotac models.
Game tests: Battlefield: Bad Company 2
The maximum overclocking we achieved on the GeForce GTX 560 Ti can increase its performance by about 25%. This is an extremely rare case when overclocking can actually bring such significant benefits. In this case, reaching 1050 MHz in the main domain frequency means being able to leave even the GeForce GTX 570 behind. The achievements of the less fortunate “hunters” are more modest, but still, the solutions of EVGA and Palit/Zotac AMP! can boast of successful competition with the heavier GeForce GTX 570. Even the regular model Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti, which overclocked the worst, looks impressive against the background AMD cards.
Game Tests: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Once again, we see that overclocking the GeForce GTX 560 Ti can be a very productive activity. A regular model with factory clock speeds looks rather pale against the background of our hunting party, flexing their built-up muscles. True, it should be noted that in this game the gap between the most and least successful models in the field of overclocking is smaller than in previous cases. In general, the “hunting group” leaves no chance in Black Ops for any of the rivals who dare to compete with it.
Game tests: Crysis Warhead
The 2560x1600 resolution is the domain of truly productive solutions, and video memory bandwidth plays an important role here. That is why even the maximum overclocking of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti does not allow it to compete on an equal footing with the GeForce GTX 570 in this mode. True, this is not a problem, since we are talking about one of the most demanding games on our list of test applications. And in Full HD mode, additionally overclocked MSI solution feels no worse than the GeForce GTX 570 or Radeon HD 6950. The rest of the squad, alas, are not so lucky, and only allow you to play in resolutions no higher than 1600x900 or 1280x1024.
Game tests: Metro 2033
Metro 2033 is slightly less demanding than Crysis Warhead, especially with tessellation enabled. It is not surprising that to achieve the level of performance of the GeForce GTX 570 from the GeForce GTX 560 Ti, the graphics core must be overclocked to 1050 MHz at the main domain frequency. But even such an overclock does not solve the problem of frequent drops in instantaneous speed up to 10 frames per second.
Game tests: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
The game is tested with tessellation enabled.
Alas, even the most successful overclocking did not allow the GeForce GTX 560 Ti to demonstrate more or less acceptable performance at a resolution of 2560x1600. And at lower resolutions, working at the limit turned out to be pointless, because, for example, at 1920x1080 even the reference model of this video adapter feels quite comfortable, just like its owner who decided to play this game. Nevertheless, we once again see confirmation that competition between the GF110 and GF114 on equal terms is possible, however, for this the latter will have to seriously work hard.
Game tests: Just Cause 2
This is one of those games where the clock speed of the GPU execution units is sometimes more important than the number of these units. Anyway, MSI card with additional overclocking, although not by much, it is ahead of the GeForce GTX 570. Alas, again, even such overclocking does not open up the possibility of using the 2560x1600 resolution in practice. And in less resource-intensive modes, there is, in general, no particular need to overclock the GeForce GTX 560 Ti: the reference card feels great at resolutions up to 1920x1080.
Game tests: Lost Planet 2
It's difficult to compete with the GeForce GTX 570. More precisely, where the GeForce GTX 560 Ti manages to do this, there is no particular need for such an action, and in Ultra HD modes all attempts end in failure, since even with core clock frequencies in the region of 1/2 GHz, the minimum performance does not increase enough to so that the use of such modes becomes possible in practice. The resulting speed boost could be useful in Full HD mode, but given the performance of Nvidia's reference card, there's not much of a realistic chance of that happening.
Game Tests: Dragon Age II
There are problems with the performance of all GeForce GTX 560 Ti models. Its older brother, the GeForce GTX 570, does not look so disastrous, but it is also significantly inferior to the Radeon HD 6950. The latter turns out to be the only solution presented in this review that allows you to play with an acceptable level of comfort at least in a resolution of 1600x900 without having to sacrifice detail or anti-aliasing.
Game Tests: Mass Effect 2
In this test, full-screen anti-aliasing is boosted using the technique described in the Contemporary Graphics Accelerators in Mass Effect 2 review.
As in other tests, the best result naturally belongs to the MSI product, however, in essence, the game is too liberal in its requirements for such a hard overclock to be justified in any way. Even in Ultra HD mode, the performance of a regular, non-overclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti is more than enough for comfortable gaming. Of course, victory over the GeForce GTX 570 is a solid achievement, but, in this case, completely unjustified.
Game tests: F1 2010
The maximum performance increase for the GeForce GTX 560 Ti as a result of overclocking is 22% at a resolution of 2560x1600. Quite good, especially since in this game and in this mode an additional reserve of average speed may not be superfluous, since the reference card is balancing on the verge of 30 frames per second. At lower resolutions, there is no point in overstressing the GeForce GTX 560 Ti, since even at factory frequencies this solution provides very comfortable conditions that can satisfy even the most demanding player.
Game Tests: StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
The MSI card was the only one that managed to raise the minimum performance bar at a resolution of 2560x1600 above 20 frames per second using additional overclocking. 22 frames per second cannot be called a completely satisfactory indicator, but still, the level of comfort increases significantly in comparison with the reference model GeForce GTX 560 Ti, which demonstrates only 16 frames per second. In addition, in all resolutions, such overclocking allows it to compete with the more expensive GeForce GTX 570 and leave behind the Radeon HD 6950. Quite good, considering that such overclocking did not require the use of any extreme means, such as increasing the GPU supply voltage.
Game tests: Total War: Shogun 2
The features of this game's engine force you to choose between using FSAA and a full set of special effects. We opted for the latter.
Here is the most striking example of the benefits that can come from overclocking the GeForce GTX 560 Ti. If we talk about minimum performance, then regular version This card barely creeps past the 20 fps mark even at 1600x900 resolution. In other words, there is no safety margin as a class. However, even the most modest overclocking result demonstrated by the Zotac card raises this figure to 30 frames per second, which already allows you to play without being distracted by annoying jerks. Moreover, at a resolution of 1920x1080 it will be quite difficult for owners of these cards to manage without overclocking the GeForce GTX 560 Ti. But Ultra HD modes will have to be left to owners of much higher-class solutions.
Semi-synthetic and synthetic tests: Futuremark 3DMark Vantage
To minimize the impact central processor, when testing in 3DMark Vantage, the “Extreme” profile is used, using a resolution of 1920x1200, FSAA 4x and anisotropic filtering. To complete the performance picture, individual test results are captured across the entire resolution range.
It's interesting that the results of EVGA and MSI cards are almost equal. Such an advantage of the latter as in gaming tests is not observed. However, this is only true for the overall standings, but in the results of individual tests the difference is quite clearly visible.
Overall, 3DMark Vantage scores compare well with data obtained in more realistic applications.
Semi-synthetic and synthetic tests: Futuremark 3DMark 11
In the new Futuremark benchmark suite we also use the "Extreme" profile, however, unlike 3DMark Vantage, in 3DMark 11 it uses a resolution of 1920x1080.
It is the GeForce GTX 560 Ti, overclocked to frequencies above 1 GHz, that has the honor of taking the next bar, this time amounting to 1700 points. The more powerful and expensive GeForce GTX 570 lacked only 23 points, but sport is sport. The victory deservedly belongs to the MSI card.
Semi-synthetic and synthetic tests: Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 Preview Benchmark
This test actively uses tessellation to render the earth's surface. The number of polygons in a frame can reach one and a half million.
Two GeForce GTX 560 Ti models with best overclocking successfully catch up with the GeForce GTX 570 at a resolution of 1600x900, but at higher resolutions only the MSI card remains to defend the honor of the GF114. This is typical for many other tests, so there is nothing new obtained in H.A.W.X. 2 Preview Benchmark data does not open.
Semi-synthetic and synthetic tests: Unigine Heaven benchmark
The test uses the “normal” tessellation mode.
If at a resolution of 1600x900 the GF114 has a chance to compete with the GF110, albeit in hard overclocking mode, then starting from 1920x1080 there is a serious lag in minimum performance, and at 2560x1600 the GeForce GTX 560 Ti has no chance, even with an overclock to 1 GHz core frequency . This is quite natural, if only because the GeForce GTX 570 has 15 active tessellation units and 480 ALUs versus 8 and 384 for the GeForce GTX 560 Ti.
Conclusion
So, the five “hunters” safely reached the finish line, having overcome all the challenges. What can be said based on the results of the competition? The fact that the GF114 is capable of a lot was clear from the very beginning, however, a 20-25% increase in average performance from overclocking is not such a common occurrence that one can remain silent about it. Of course, this requires, to put it mildly, not the most relaxing conditions: overclocking the core frequency to 1 GHz, which not every GeForce GTX 560 Ti is capable of, despite the fact that the GF114 itself has good potential in this area.However, if you are lucky, the overall picture can look quite impressive:
Of course, with such an overclocking of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti, the Radeon HD 6950 does not have a single chance, this is clear from the very beginning. But the fact of successful competition with the GeForce GTX 570, which belongs to a heavier weight category, looks much more impressive. It is rare that a medium tank, like the T-34 of the first modifications, has a real chance to confidently hit a heavier, better armored and armed vehicle such as the Tiger II. Of course, the overclock is still a lottery, but, unlike regular lotteries, not all tickets are the same. You can, with a reasonable chance of success, choose a candidate based on a number of facts known about him.
In our case, the clear favorite was the MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC. This “hunter” is well armed and clad in high-quality armor. Successful overcoming the 1 GHz barrier without the use of additional extreme means speaks better than any words. The powerful and efficient, although not the quietest, Twin Frozr II cooling system only contributes to successful overclocking.
The choice of a more conservative enthusiast who is not interested in loud statements about proprietary technologies may well be the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti SC. This model fully uses the Nvidia reference design, but despite this, it shows good results in the field of overclocking, while remaining quiet, although there is no need to talk about high cooling efficiency.
Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic showed mixed results. A good overclocking of the core frequency in our case was complemented by very mediocre results in the field of memory overclocking, and the cooling system, impressive at first glance, demonstrated average efficiency in operation, only slightly ahead of the Nvidia reference cooler. Among the advantages inherent in this product, we can note the low noise level and compactness, which allows you to easily install the card in almost any case.
Much the same can be said about the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti. The card is compact, its cooling system is quiet and quite efficient, and the modest overclocking of the core frequency in our case was compensated by the best result in the field of memory overclocking. There is no reason to expect that other copies of this video adapter will behave as modestly. We believe that the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti is quite capable of more.
But the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP!, in a certain sense, can be called a disappointment in today's review. Yes, by purchasing this GeForce GTX 560 Ti model, you will get overclocking out of the box, which some competitors were able to achieve only with the help of additional user movements. But in addition to this, there is a very aggressive setting of the cooling system, and, as a result, a high noise level in 3D mode, which is due, among other things, to the highest GPU supply voltage among the cards presented in the review. Plus, our copy of the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! refused to accelerate further, although, for example, an EVGA card of a similar design was able to achieve more with a lower supply voltage and much more comfortable acoustic characteristics. This product is suitable only for those who do not want to bother with additional overclocking themselves, and are also not interested in the noise level, for example, when playing with closed headphones.
So, our preferences in choosing a factory-overclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti model are arranged in descending order of cards' attractiveness as follows:
MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti SC
Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti
Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic
Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP!
We hope that this review will help you do the same optimal choice.
Other materials on this topic
Radeon HD6950 1 GB: alternative arithmetic, or 2=1
Review of the GeForce GTX 550 Ti accelerator and MSI N550GTX-Ti Cyclone OS video card
Reference tables for ATI, AMD and NVIDIA video solutions
Every year NVIDIA produces new video cards that differ from previous ones in higher performance and the presence of modern technological capabilities. At the same time, the price of older models is reduced. For those who need gaming video card at an affordable price, the Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 product is suitable. The model is active in all computing units. Compared to the previous version, this model has increased performance and excellent energy efficiency.
Particularly important specifications GTX 560. Performance is evidenced by quantitative parameters, as well as the results of test games and benchmarks. If we talk about the first component, here are the following indicators:
- Core frequency – 810 MHz.
- Number of transistors – 1.95 million.
- Shader processes – 336.
- Power consumption – 150 W.
- Texturing speed – 45.4.
Characteristics Nvidia video cards Geforce GTX 560 include compatibility and dimensions. They indicate the possibility of compatibility with other devices. For regular computers for compatibility motherboard and the unit, you need to know the physical dimensions, and additional power connectors and the connection bus are also important.
If a laptop video card is not soldered to the motherboard, but is connected via a connector, then the connection connector, bus and size are important. As for this option, the bus is 16*PCI-E2.0, thickness is 2 slots, length is 21 cm, height is 11.1 cm.
Memory also has parameters: volume, type, bandwidth and frequency. With the option built into the processor, when there is no internal memory, part of the RAM is used. The largest value is 1 GB, 4000 MHz is the frequency indicator and 128 GB/s is an important throughput parameter.
Connectors are relevant for desktop video cards. Standard video connectors are used. If it is possible to use multiple screens, then HDCP is used, as well as HDMI.
The video card supports certain technological solutions:
- 3D Gaming;
- 3D Vision;
- CUDA;
Due to the increased attention to cryptocurrencies, mining performance also matters. The result is measured by the number of millions of solutions that a video card can generate per second. In this case, the indicator is 80 Mh/s.
Video card review
A short review GTX 560 will allow you to do right choice. This video card model has replaced the . At the same time, the GF 104 graphics core has been optimized. The model is suitable for all kinds of games with optimal settings.
NVIDIA offers the model in three variations:
- Standard overclocking with Ti addition.
- The stripped-down version is 560 SE.
- For use in laptops – GTX 560M.
The shortened variation is cheaper than the full version. To avoid production losses, some shader blocks were blocked.
The improved graphics card configuration costs 40% more than the stripped-down configuration. But its performance differs little from the GTX 460. Therefore, if you choose a new video card, it is better to immediately purchase a full-fledged version.
Other companies have also released variations of the GTX 560. For example, the model from Manli differs from the original version in having a higher frequency - by 4 megahertz.
Manufacturer Gigabyte increased the frequency of the video processor to 830 MHz, which is even higher than the modification with the Ti prefix.
AMD has also released an analogue - Radeon. The model from NVIDIA wins in comparative characteristics, since it has a much lower risk of overheating and less fan noise.
What kind of power supply does GTX 560 need?
This model requires a power supply of at least 500 watts. The optimal option is 600 watts. In this case, it matters how many hard drives are on the device and whether there is a DVD-Rom.
Most often, the power supply is suitable if there are 2 6-pin connectors for the video card. If suddenly they are not there, then it is better to choose a unit with an indicator of 600-700 W.
It is important that the power supply is of high quality. It is worth considering that the video card consumes 170 W at maximum load.
How to overclock an Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 video card
To increase performance, you can overclock the GTX 560, as a result of which the core frequency can reach 950 MHz, shader processors - 1900. The memory frequency also increases - up to 4800 MHz.
Not everyone knows that overclocking an Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 video card can be done using the Afterburner utility. After the procedure, it becomes much more better performance in serious programs, and also increases fps. Mining on GTX 560 has higher performance.
Here's how to overclock using Afterburner:
- The program is downloaded from the official website, and then installed and launched.
- The necessary memory and kernel parameters are set. You cannot increase the overclocking step by more than 100 MHz.
- Then you need to click Apply and test it in benchmarks, games and various 3D applications.
- If everything is good, then you can further increase the values. If not, then Reset is pressed and lower values are entered.
For the GTX 560, the maximum core frequency when overclocked is 925 MHz.
Game testing results
The performance of the video card is tested in games. In this case, the indicators are measured in FPS. The average is a number between 0 and 100.
Here is an example of the results of the Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 device when used in games:
- GTA 5 with high level settings – 30 fps.
- The Witcher 3 powerful version – 35 fps.
- CS:GO – approximately 200 fps.
This type of video card is used for all kinds of applied manipulations and complex games.
Comparison of manufacturers
In the table you can see prices for GTX 560 from different brand companies.
| Manufacturer | Characteristics | price, rub. |
|---|---|---|
| PCI-E video card Asus GeForce GTX 560 | Total memory: 1 GB. | 6500 |
| Frequency indicator: 4008 MHz. | ||
| Video connector: mini HDMI. | ||
| Resolution value: 2560*1600. | ||
| Minimum frequency value: 810 MHz. | ||
| MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 732Mhz PCI-E 2.0 | Video card frequency value: 3800 MHz. | 7000 |
| Video memory capacity: 1280 MB. | ||
| Bus width: 320 bits. | ||
| GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 560 900Mhz PCI-E 2.0 | GPU frequency parameter: 900 MHz. | 3500 |
| Memory value: 1024 MB. | ||
| Processor: 40 nm. | ||
| Palit GeForce GTX 560 810Mhz PCI-E 2.0 | GPU speed: 810 MHz. | 4500 |
| Shader unit frequency: 620 MHz. | ||
| Bus capacity: 256 MB. | ||
| Video card ZOTAC Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 | Video memory capacity: 1 GB. | 4000 |
| Video memory frequency: 4008 MHz. | ||
| Power supply power: 550 W. | ||
| 150 W is consumed under heavy loads. |
As can be seen from the comparison table, depending on the manufacturer, prices for this video card model start at 3,500 rubles. and reach up to 7,000 rubles.
Driver Update
You can download the driver for the Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 video card on the official website. This will avoid infection by viruses. Main update steps:
- First you need to go to official page NVIDIA.
- At the top there is a "drivers" button that you need to click.
- Then you need to specify the device for which you need software. You must specify the product type, series, operating system and language.
- After this it is selected necessary program. You need to click “download now”.
- After reading the agreement, click the “accept and download” tab.
After this, the download process will begin. After the process is completed, you need to click installation file. It is important to choose the installation type: express or custom. After the process is completed, you need to reboot the computer.
If you believe the statistics collected by the Steam system, then the most popular among users are video cards in the so-called budget and mid-price ranges - costing up to $200. In this segment, of the new video cards with support for the DirectX 11 API, the best growth dynamics are demonstrated by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560, released only in May of this year and already outpacing not only all direct competitors in graphics AMD processors, but also almost twice the sales growth rate of the GeForce GTX 570, which appeared six months earlier, the price and performance of which are known to be higher.The active popularization of the GeForce GTX 560 is facilitated not only by the successful combination of cost and speed, but also by the fact that NVIDIA did not strictly regulate the main characteristics of the GTX 560, setting only the frequency range of the GPU and memory. Moreover, as it turned out, GeForce video cards There is no reference design for the GTX 560, and manufacturers themselves are free to design and implement printed circuit boards, endowing them with various features. As a result, original solutions began to appear en masse, interesting not only in the number of GPU or memory power phases and frequencies, but also in cooling systems, which makes the GTX 560 even more attractive to users.
We will get acquainted with three such video cards in today's article. We'll talk about Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 1 GB Ultra Durable (GV-N56GOC-1GI) And MSI GeForce N560GTX 1 GB Twin Frozr II-OC.
Review of GeForce GTX 560 video cards by EVGA, Gigabyte and MSI
The boxes of all video cards are structurally the same: they have an outer colorful shell, as well as an inner insert made of dense and thick cardboard. Gigabyte has the largest and most colorful box:
At the same time, despite their more modest sizes, the packaging of EVGA and MSI video cards is no less informative and provides potential buyers with all the necessary information about the features of their products, their configuration and system requirements. Let us add that all video cards are packaged securely enough to survive the vicissitudes of transportation.
The configurations of the three GeForce GTX 560 differ insignificantly. Everywhere there are two cables for connecting additional power, one adapter from DVI to VGA, one adapter from mini HDMI output to HDMI, a CD with drivers and utilities, instructions, and advertising booklets:
In addition, the EVGA video card has a sticker with the company logo, and MSI has a coupon for free download and activation of the game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. None of the three products have connecting bridges for combining video cards in SLI mode. EVGA and MSI are released in China, while Gigabyte is released in Taiwan. The warranty period for all video cards is three years.
Externally, the video cards are strikingly different:
The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ultra Durable looks the most striking, distinguished by its large cooling system fans. Despite the apparent difference, the length of the printed circuit boards for EVGA and Gigabyte video cards is the same and is 210 mm, while for MSI it is 223 mm. But, of the first pair, due to the cooling systems extending beyond it, the Gigabyte is 15 mm longer and 18 mm taller, and the total length of the MSI is even longer and is 240 mm. The EVGA product is the most compact and modest of all.
All video cards have two DVI-I outputs and one mini HDMI, combined with a grille for exhausting air heated by the video card from system unit. MSI Company and here she distinguished herself by depicting her name on this lattice:
The GeForce GTX 560 made by EVGA and Gigabyte has the most ordinary grilles, without such decorations, which slightly reduce the cooling efficiency.
But in terms of support for SLI and additional power, all three manufacturers are the same - video cards have one MIO connector (only 2-way SLI is supported) and two six-pin connectors for connecting additional power:
Let us remind you that the maximum power consumption of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 is stated at 150 W, and the minimum power supply power for the system in which such a video card will be installed should be 450 W. However, Gigabyte recommends a power supply with a power of at least 500 W.
Let's look at the printed circuit boards of video cards:
The main differences lie in their power part. EVGA and Gigabyte products have a power supply circuit of the 4+1 and 3+1 type, where 1 phase goes to the memory chips. In turn, on the MSI video card the power part is also built according to a 3+1 scheme, but each phase of the GPU power supply is doubled, so this scheme can be called “virtually six-phase”. It is complemented by high-quality capacitors and chokes. Gigabyte with its “Ultra Durable” series can also boast of the use of expensive Japanese capacitors and optimized printed circuit board, which allows you to reduce the temperature of the GPU by 5-10%, increase the overclocking potential by 10-30% and be a more economical video card by the same percentage. The EVGA product is all about modesty, no loud statements.
The readable marking of the graphics processors on all three video cards is the same - GF114-325-A1, and the practically unreadable marking differs only in the week of release in 2011. The EVGA video card has a processor released in week 11, the Gigabyte - 12, and the MSI - week 7:
The hardware configuration of the GPUs fully complies with NVIDIA specifications. GeForce GTX 560 has 336 unified shader processors, 56 texture units and 32 raster operation units. Let us recall that the core frequency of the GTX 560 can vary in the range from 810 to 950 MHz, and the frequency of universal processors from 1620 to 1900 MHz. Our three video cards have different frequencies from each other. For EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Superclocked they are 851/1701 MHz, for Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ultra Durable - 830/1660 MHz, and for MSI GeForce N560GTX Twin Frozr II-OC - 870/1740 MHz. That is, the latest video card has the fastest GPU from this trio. However, in a recently tested Palit GeForce GTX 560 Sonic Platinum the processor was even faster (900/1800 MHz).
There are no differences in the amount of memory installed on the video cards - 1 GB GDDR5 in eight FCFBGA chips. But there are differences in the chips themselves. Thus, EVGA and MSI are equipped with Samsung-made chips labeled K4G10325FE-HC04, and the Gigabyte video card is equipped with Hynix H5GQ1H24AFR-T2C chips:
However, the nominal access time and theoretical effective frequency of these memory chips are the same - 0.4 ns and 5000 MHz, respectively. In 3D mode, the memory frequency of video cards is slightly different: for EVGA it is 4104 MHz, for Gigabyte - 4008 MHz and for MSI - 4080 MHz. The chip voltage is 1.5 V, the bus width is 256 bits, the effective frequency in the energy-saving 2D mode is 270 MHz.
Here's what the characteristics of all three video cards look like in the GPU-Z utility format:
In addition to packaging, configurations, printed circuit boards and frequencies, all three GeForce GTX 560 have original cooling systems:
For the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Superclocked, it consists of a copper base, three 6 mm heat pipes coming out of it, and three aluminum radiators, one of which is soldered directly to the base of the cooler, and the other two hang on the ends of the heat pipes. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ultra Durable is equipped with a cooling system with four 6 mm heat pipes with direct contact technology, as well as a heatsink made of aluminum plates pressed onto these pipes. The nickel-plated radiator of the MSI GeForce N560GTX Twin Frozr II-OC cooler consists of a classic copper base, two 6 mm and two 8 mm heat pipes and thin long aluminum plates.
The fans of these cooling systems are also strikingly different:
The EVGA graphics card uses a single 75mm diameter eleven-blade impeller manufactured by AVC. Model DASA0815R2U is based on a hydrodynamic bearing and, controlled by pulse width modulation, rotates at speeds from 1000 to 4000 rpm. Gigabyte uses two nine-blade impellers with a diameter of 96 mm, combined using proprietary WindForce 2X technology, which simply means their location in relation to the printed circuit board and the direction of rotation of the impellers. On the GTX 560 Ultra Durable, they are installed without tilt on one axis and rotate in one direction (counterclockwise). Gigabyte uses Everflow fans model T129215SM on a plain bearing with rotation speeds from 1000 to 1950 rpm. Well, the MSI is equipped with a pair of 75 mm eleven-blade impellers Power Logic PLD08010S12HH, also on a plain bearing. Their rotation speed is automatically controlled (PWM) in the range from 1500 to 4500 rpm.
Now let's check how efficiently and noisily these cooling systems cope with their task. For this purpose, a test from the game Aliens vs. was used. Predator (2010), launched in five cycles with maximum graphics quality settings in a resolution of 1920x1080 with anisotropic filtering at 16x level, but without full-screen anti-aliasing (which will allow the GPUs of video cards to warm up more strongly):
In addition to this mode, the video cards were additionally warmed up using the FurMark stability test version 1.9.1 at a resolution of 1920x1080:
Frequencies, temperatures and speeds were monitored using the utility MSI Afterburner version 2.2.0 Beta 5, as well as the GPU-Z program version 0.5.4. All tests were carried out in a closed system case at room temperature 27.5-28.0 degrees Celsius.
First, let's look at the results of testing the temperature conditions of video cards in the game with automatic adjustment of the rotation speed of the fan(s):
EVGAGigabyteMSI
Next - in the same game mode, but with maximum power fan(s):
EVGAGigabyteMSI
Now let's repeat the load test using FurMark in automatic mode fan operation...
EVGAMSI
...and at their maximum speed:
EVGAMSI
In the FurMark load mode, the results of testing the Gigabyte video card were not accidentally lost. The fact is that this video card behaved strangely, since after three minutes of load the temperature almost stabilized at around 74 degrees Celsius, which is lower than that of the other two test participants, however, immediately after this the video card stopped sending a signal to the monitor and it turned off . Perhaps something was overheating separate element on a printed circuit board, and maybe a specific GPU unit (this happens with direct contact cooling systems). As a result, it was not possible to check how effective the Gigabyte cooling system is under very high loads.
All other results are summarized in one diagram for more convenient analysis:
The efficiency of the cooling systems of the three GeForce GTX 560 tested in today's article turned out to be quite predictable. EVGA's cooler does its job well, but in automatic mode it is inferior to the cooling systems of the other two video cards. At the same time, at maximum fan speed, the GeForce GTX 560 Superclocked is the coldest video card. Equipped with the largest fans, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ultra Durable cooling system could be considered the best in the efficiency test, if not for its failure to pass the FurMark test. Note that the maximum speed of the fans of its cooling system does not exceed 2000 rpm. Well, MSI once again confirms the high efficiency of the patented Twin Frozr II cooling system. No wonder they plan to sell it separately in the near future. However, it is impossible to fully evaluate and compare the efficiency of video card cooling systems without studying their noise level. Therefore, let's move on to its measurement.
The noise level of cooling systems was measured using an electronic sound level meter CENTER-321 in the period from one to three o'clock in the morning in a completely closed room of about 20 square meters with double-glazed windows. The lower measurement limit of the sound level meter is 29.8 dBA, and the subjectively comfortable (not to be confused with low) noise level of coolers when measured from such a distance is around 36 dBA. The noise level was measured outside the system case, when the only source of noise in the room was the cooler itself and its fan. The sound level meter, fixed on a tripod, was always located strictly at one point at a distance of exactly 150 mm from the cooling system fan rotor. Video cards inserted into a polyurethane foam base were placed at the very corner of the table. The fan rotation speed was changed over the entire range of their operation using the controller by changing the supply voltage in 0.5 V steps.
Here are the results we got ( dotted lines The boundaries of fan operation during automatic adjustment in game mode are marked):
In general, we can say that the Gigabyte video card is equipped with the quietest cooling system, as one would expect, based on its design and the speed of the fans. In 2D mode, its fans are not audible at all, just like the fan of the EVGA video card. But the same cannot be said about MSI - after all, at 1800 rpm, two 75 mm impellers are clearly distinguishable against the background of a quiet system unit. Although, subjectively, under gaming loads, the Twin Frozr II cooling system operates in a more comfortable sound range than the EVGA cooler.
All video cards were tested for overclocking using their standard systems cooling without increasing core voltage. Based on its results, we found out that the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Superclocked is capable of stably operating at frequencies of 930/1860/4640 MHz, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ultra Durable at 960/1920/4880 MHz, and the maximum frequencies of the MSI GeForce N560GTX Twin Frozr II-OC were 940/1880/5020 MHz:
This is quite a typical overclocking for the GeForce GTX 560. The best result in terms of the graphics processor was demonstrated by the Gigabyte video card, and in terms of video memory - by MSI. Of course, you need to remember that the success of overclocking largely depends on the specific instance of the video card.
The operating temperature of all three video cards in the game after overclocking changed insignificantly (only plus 2 degrees Celsius on the core):
EVGAGigabyteMSI
However, this happened due to the fact that the video card cooler fans increased their speed in automatic mode and did not allow the temperature to rise by a large amount.
Things are much worse with the temperatures of video cards in SLI mode:
It's no joke, but even with an ordinary gaming load, the graphics processor of the Gigabyte video card located on top warmed up to 100 degrees Celsius, despite, as we have just seen, a very effective cooler:
Yes, you can complain about the summer heat and the closed case or the proximity of these video cards to each other and the undesirable proximity to sound card. But aren’t these typical operating conditions for system unit components? And not everyone has such a spacious case with well-organized ventilation as the Antec Twelve Hundred, as well as the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD9 motherboard, which is so flexible in terms of installation options in any PCI-Express slots. Still, for long-term and carefree operation of SLI and CrossFireX systems, video cards with longitudinal air flow and its ejection from the system unit case are required, and even better - with liquid cooling systems. But, this is a topic for a completely different article.
At the end of the review of video cards, we provide links to their BIOS:
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 1 GB Superclocked;
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 1 GB Ultra Durable;
MSI GeForce GTX 560 1 GB.
Test configuration, tools and testing methodology
All performance tests of video cards were carried out in a closed system unit case with the following configuration:
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD9 (Intel X58 Express, LGA 1366, BIOS F5 05/04/2011);
CPU: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition i7-980X 3.33 GHz(Gulftown, B1, 1.225 V, 6x256 KB L2, 12 MB L3);
CPU cooling system: Thermalright Archon (2xTY-140, 950 rpm);
Thermal interface: Gelid GC-Extreme;
RAM: DDR3 3x2 GB OCZ Platinum Low-Voltage Triple Channel (1600 MHz / 7-7-7-24 / 1.65 V);
Video cards:
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 1 GB Superclocked 851/1701/4104 MHz;
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 1 GB Ultra Durable (GV-N56GOC-1GI) 830/1660/4004 MHz and 960/1920/4880 MHz;
MSI GeForce N560GTX 1 GB Twin Frozr II-OC 870/1740/4080 MHz;
System disk: RAID-0 2xSSD Kingston V-series SNV425S2128GB(SATA-II, 2x128 GB, MLC, Toshiba TC58NCF618G3T);
Disk for programs and games: Western Digital VelociRaptor (SATA-II, 300 GB, 10000 rpm, 16 MB, NCQ) in a Scythe Quiet Drive 3.5" box;
Archive disk: Samsung Ecogreen F4 HD204UI (SATA-II, 2 TB, 5400 rpm, 32 MB, NCQ);
Case: Antec Twelve Hundred (front wall - three Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe S-Series MF12-S2 at 1020 rpm; back - two Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentPRO PL-1 at 1020 rpm; top - standard 200 mm fan at 400 rpm);
Control and monitoring panel: Zalman ZM-MFC2;
Power unit: Xigmatek "No Rules Power" NRP-HC1501(1500 W), 140 mm fan;
Monitor: 30" Samsung 305T Plus.
To reduce the dependence of video card performance on the speed of the platform, a 32-nm six-core processor with a multiplier of 25 and activated function“Load-Line Calibration” (Level 2) was overclocked to 4.5 GHz by increasing the voltage in the motherboard BIOS to 1.46875 V:
Moreover, 6 GB random access memory DDR3 operated at a frequency of 1.5 GHz with timings 7-7-7-16-1T at a voltage of 1.64 V. Technologies " Turbo Boost" and "Hyper-Threading" were disabled during testing.
Testing, which began on July 12, 2011, was conducted under the direction of operating system Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1 with all critical updates as of the specified date and installation of the following drivers:
motherboard chipset Intel Chipset Drivers - 9.2.3.1016 alpha ;
DirectX End-User Runtimes libraries, release date: November 30, 2010;
video card drivers for graphics NVIDIA processors - GeForce/ION 275.50 beta (06/20/2011).
The performance of video cards was tested in one, the most relevant resolution today - 1920x1080 pixels. For the tests, two graphics quality modes were used: “Quality + AF16x” - texture quality in the drivers “by default” with anisotropic filtering of 16x level enabled, and “Quality + AF16x + MSAA 4x (8x)” with anisotropic filtering of 16x level and full-screen anti-aliasing of 4x or 8x, in cases where the average number of frames per second remained high enough for comfortable gameplay. Anisotropic filtering and full-screen anti-aliasing were enabled directly in the game settings. If these settings were missing in games, the parameters were changed in the control panel of the GeForce/ION drivers. Vertical sync was also disabled there. No further changes were made to the driver settings.
The list of test applications and games has been reduced to the most relevant and resource-intensive applications, and also updated to latest versions. It included one semi-synthetic package, one techno demo and 12 games. This is what it looks like with brief description methods (hereinafter the games are arranged in the order of their release):
3DMark 2011(DirectX 11) - version 1.0.1.0, “Performance” and “Extreme” settings profiles;
Unigine Heaven Demo(DirectX 11) - version 2.5, maximum quality settings, tessellation at the “normal” level, AF16x, resolution 1280x1024 without MSAA and 1920x1080 with MSAA 4x;
BattleForge: Lost Souls(DirectX 11) - version 1.2 (06/16/2011), maximum graphics quality settings, shadows enabled, SSAO technology enabled, double run of the test built into the game;
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat(DirectX 11) - version 1.6.02, settings profile “Improved dynamic lighting DX11” with additional manual setting of all parameters to the maximum, tested our own demo recording “cop03” at the “Backwater” level;
Metro 2033: The Last Refuge(DirectX 10/11) - version 1.2, official test was used, quality settings “High”, tessellation, DOF and MSAA4x disabled, AAA anti-aliasing was used, double sequential pass of the “Frontline” scene;
Just Cause 2(DirectX 9) - version 1.0.0.2, maximum quality settings, “Background Blur” and GPU Water Simulation techniques activated, double sequential pass of the “Dark Tower” demo;
Aliens vs. Predator (2010)(DirectX 11) - “Texture Quality” in “Very High” mode, “Shadow Quality” in “High” mode, SSAO technology enabled, two test cycles in each resolution;
Lost Planet 2(DirectX 11) - game version 1.0, maximum graphics quality settings, motion blur enabled, performance test “B” was used;
StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty(DirectX 11) - game version 1.0, all graphics settings to “Ultra” level, “Ultra” physics, reflections included, double two-minute test of our own demo “jt1”;
Sid Meier's Civilization V(DirectX 11) - game version 1.0.1.217, maximum graphics quality settings, double run of the “diplomatic” test of the five most difficult scenes;
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2(DirectX 11) - version 1.04, maximum graphics quality settings, shadows activated, tessellation enabled, double run of the test scene;
Crysis 2(DirectX 11) – version 1.9, used Adrenaline Crysis 2 Benchmark Tool v1.0.1.12 beta, “Ultra High” graphics quality settings profile, textures high resolution included, double demo loop on the Times Square stage.
Total War: Shogun 2(DirectX 11) - version 2.0, built-in test (Battle of Sekigahara) on maximum settings graphics quality;
DiRT 3(DirectX 11) - version 1.1, built-in test on the “Aspen” track with maximum graphics quality settings.
More detailed description testing methods for video cards and graphic settings in some of the listed games you can find in a specially created thread of our conference, as well as participate in the discussion and improvement of these techniques.
If games have the ability to lock minimum number frames per second, it was also reflected in the diagrams. Each test was carried out twice; the best of the two values obtained was taken as the final result, but only if the difference between them did not exceed 1%. If the deviations of the test runs exceeded 1%, then the testing was repeated at least once more to obtain a reliable result.
Video card performance test results and their analysis
Since today's article is mainly a review and the performance of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 is already well known to you and me, we did not do another comparative testing with competing AMD video cards, but only assessed the difference in performance of EVGA, Gigabyte and MSI video cards by different frequencies, compared them with the results of the most overclocked of the trio, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ultra Durable video card at 960/1920/4880 MHz, and also assessed the effectiveness of SLI technology using the example of two GeForce GTX 560 from MSI and Gigabyte (at frequencies 870/1740/4080 MHz).In the diagrams, the video cards are located in the same order in which we studied them. Test results for EVGA GeForce GTX 560 1 GB Superclocked are highlighted in dark gray (almost black), Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 1 GB Ultra Durable video cards are in blue, and MSI GeForce N560GTX 1 GB Twin Frozr II-OC and SLI bundles are in red and dark -red, respectively. The memory capacity of all three video cards is 1 GB, so it is not indicated on the diagrams.
Total War: Shogun 2
DiRT 3
All the test results obtained in today’s article are not fundamentally different, so we did not comment on each individual diagram, but decided to make a general analysis. By and large, the difference in performance between EVGA, Gigabyte and MSI video cards is not great. The maximum advantage of the fastest of these three MSI video cards over the slowest Gigabyte does not exceed 3%, and is often completely absent, which is certainly not a compelling argument for choosing a video card when purchasing. At the same time, overclocking the GeForce GTX 560 allows you to increase its performance by 10-14%, and this is already quite good, especially since using the Gigabyte video card as an example, it was achieved without the cost of replacing the cooling system. This is also true for the other two video cards in testing.
The advantage of an SLI configuration of two GeForce GTX 560 over the same single video card is well reflected in the following diagram:
Note that the performance gain of this SLI configuration is not as friendly and impressive as on CrossFireX, however, on average for all tests in modes without anti-aliasing, the GeForce GTX 560 is 71% faster than one video card, and almost 80% faster when MSAA is activated. . NVIDIA SLI technology works most effectively in games such as BattleForge: Lost Souls, Sid Meier's Civilization V and Total War: Shogun 2, and least effectively in Aliens vs. Predator (2010) and DiRT 3.
In this subsection all that remains is to apply and move on to conclusions.
Conclusion
All three video cards of today's testing have a lot in common. They have the same graphics processor and identical 1 GB video memory, almost identical configurations and minimally different performance. Therefore, if the different sizes of video cards are not a significant criterion for you for choosing “your” GeForce GTX 560, then you should pay attention to such important criteria as the efficiency of cooling systems, noise level and, finally, cost. In terms of the first and second indicators, the clear leadership belongs to the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ultra Durable, even despite an incomprehensible bug with FurMark. Oddly enough, the Gigabyte video card is cheaper than the other two test participants - it can be purchased for $190, while the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Superclocked costs a little more - $195, and the MSI GeForce N560GTX Twin Frozr II-OC - 217. The difference is not so great, but still in favor of Gigabyte. In any case, we hope that after reading today’s article, choosing a GeForce GTX 560 will be easier and faster for you.Other materials on this topic
Testing modern graphics accelerators in F.E.A.R. 3
Review of three overclocked GeForce GTX 570 models
Faster, even faster! Palit GeForce GTX 560 Sonic Platinum and GTX 560 Ti Sonic video cards
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