NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 Graphics Card Review

By Olin Coles

Manufacturer: NVIDIA Corporation
Product Name: GeForce GTX 760 Graphics Card
Retail Price: Starting at $249.99 (Amazon | Newegg)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by NVIDIA.

On 25 June 2013 NVIDIA will introduce the GeForce GTX 760 video card, designed to replace the GeForce GTX 660 Ti in the updated product stack. These two discrete graphics solutions are virtually identical in looks, shape, and size, but GeForce GTX 760 has received an updated graphics processor and memory subsystem.

NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 760 video card is built from the 28nm Kepler GK104 graphics processor, featuring 1152 CUDA cores that are clocked to reach 980 MHz and reach 1033 using NVIDIA Boost 2.0 technology. GeForce GTX 760 also comes with 2GB of GDDR5 video memory, clocked to provide a 1502 MHz graphics frame buffer. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests and compares the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 graphics card using several highly-demanding DX11 video games, such as Metro: Last Light, Batman: Arkham City, and Battlefield 3.

There are three platforms to enjoy video games: portable, console, and PC. While smartphone and tablet devices can play games, graphics rarely go beyond simple 2D. Gaming consoles take detail quality a few steps farther, but pale in comparison to the hyper-realistic gaming experience available to high-end PC graphics cards. While game developers might not consider PC gaming as lucrative as entertainment consoles, companies like NVIDIA use desktop graphics technology to set the benchmark for smaller more compact GPU designs that make it into notebooks, tablets, and smartphone devices.

Source: NVIDIA

The GeForce GTX 760 has been designed for gamers who want to enjoy their games with the graphics settings and AA turned up, paired with a 1920×1200 or 1920×1080 display. GeForce GTX 760 ships with 6 SMX units providing 1152 CUDA Cores. The memory subsystem of GeForce GTX 760 consists of four 64-bit memory controllers (256-bit) with 2GB of GDDR5 memory.

The base clock speed of the GeForce GTX 760 is 980MHz. The typical Boost Clock speed is 1033MHz. The Boost Clock speed is based on the average GeForce GTX 760 card running a wide variety of games and applications. Note that the actual Boost clock will vary from game-to-game depending on actual system conditions. GeForce GTX 760’s memory speed is 6008MHz data rate.

The GeForce GTX 760 reference board measures 9.5” in length. Display outputs include two dual-link DVIs, one HDMI and one DisplayPort connector. Two 6-pin PCIe power connectors are required for operation

NVIDIA Boost 2.0

NVIDIA GPU Boost technology automatically increases the GPU’s clock frequency in order to improve performance. GPU Boost works in the background, dynamically adjusting the GPU’s graphics clock speed based on GPU operating conditions.

Originally GPU Boost was designed to reach the highest possible clock speed while remaining within a predefined power target. However, after careful evaluation NVIDIA engineers determined that GPU temperature is often a bigger inhibitor of performance than GPU power. Therefore for Boost 2.0, we’ve switched from boosting clock speeds based on a GPU power target, to a GPU temperature target. This new temperature target is 80 degrees Celsius.

As a result of this change, the GPU will automatically boost to the highest clock frequency it can achieve as long as the GPU temperature remains at 80C. Boost 2.0 constantly monitors GPU temperature, adjusting the GPU’s clock and its voltage on-the-fly to maintain this temperature.

In addition to switching from a power-based boost target to a temperature-based target, with GPU Boost 2.0 we’re also providing end users with more advanced controls for tweaking GPU Boost behavior. Using software tools provided by NVIDIA add-in card partners, end users can adjust the GPU temperature target precisely to their liking. If a user wants his GeForce GTX 760 board to boost to higher clocks for example, he can simply adjust the temperature target higher (for example from 80C, to 85C). The GPU will then boost to higher clock speeds until it reaches the new temperature target.

Besides adjusting the temperature target, Boost 2.0 also provides users with more powerful fan control. The GPU’s fan curve is completely adjustable, so you can adjust the GPU’s fan to operate at different speeds based on your own preferences.

Adaptive Temperature Controller

With GPU Boost 2.0, the GPU will boost to the highest clock speed it can achieve while operating at 80C. Boost 2.0 will dynamically adjust the GPU fan speed up or down as needed to attempt to maintain this temperature. While we’ve attempted to minimize fan speed variation as much as possible in prior GPUs, fan speeds did occasionally fluctuate.

For GeForce GTX 760, we’ve developed an all-new fan controller that uses an adaptive temperature filter with an RPM and temperature targeted control algorithm to eliminate the unnecessary fan fluctuations that contribute to fan noise, providing a smoother acoustic experience.
GeForce Experience is a new application from NVIDIA that optimizes your PC in two key ways. First, it maximizes your game performance and game compatibility by automatically downloading the latest GeForce Game Ready drivers. Second, GeForce Experience intelligently optimizes graphics settings for all your favorite games based on your hardware configuration.

Shadow Play

Utilizing the H.264 video encoder built-in to every Kepler GPU, ShadowPlay works in the background, seamlessly recording your last 20 minutes of gameplay footage, or if you’d like to record your latest StarCraft match, ShadowPlay can record that too.
Compared to software-based video encoders like FRAPS, ShadowPlay takes less of a performance hit, so you can enjoy your games while you’re recording.

Download NVIDIA GeForce Experience here: geforce.com/drivers/geforce-experience/download

GeForce GTX 760 is a mainstream-market discrete graphics card for desktop computer systems, available for $249.99 online (Amazon | Newegg). NVIDIA has built the GeForce GTX 760 for hardware enthusiasts and gamers wanting to play PC video games at 1920×1080 with their maximum graphics quality settings. GTX 760 also supports the following NVIDIA technologies: GPU Boost 2.0, 3D Vision, CUDA, DirectX 11, PhysX, TXAA, Adaptive VSync, FXAA, 3D Vision Surround, and SLI.

The GeForce GTX 760 is a is a dual-slot video card that measures 10.5″ long and 4.4″ wide and will fit into nearly all mid-tower computer case enclosures with room to spare. GeForce GTX 760 shares an identical size profile with GeForce GTX 660 Ti and GTX 670, but measures shorter than NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 570, GTX 580, and GTX 770, as well as AMD’s Radeon HD 6970, and HD 7970 (each 10.5″ long).

In addition to a new and improved NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0 technology, GeForce GTX 760 also delivers refinements to the user experience. Smoother FXAA and adaptive vSync technology results in less chop, stutter, and tearing in on-screen motion. Adaptive vSync technology adjusts the monitor’s refresh rate whenever the FPS rate becomes too low to properly sustain vertical sync (when enabled), thereby reducing stutter and tearing artifacts. Finally, NVIDIA TXAA offers gamers a film-style anti-aliasing technique with a mix of hardware post-processing, custom CG file style AA resolve, and an optional temporal component for better image quality.

Fashioned from technology developed for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN, engineers adapted a slightly tweaked design for GeForce GTX 760. A single rearward 60mm (2.4″) blower motor fan is offset from the surface to take advantage of a chamfered depression, helping GTX 760 to draw cool air into the angle-focused fan shroud. This design allows more air to reach the intake whenever two or more video cards are combined into close-proximity SLI configurations. Add-in card partners with engineering resources will likely incorporate their own cooling solution onto GTX 760, although there seems little benefit from eschewing NVIDIA’s cool-running reference design.

GeForce GTX 760 offers two simultaneously functional dual-link DVI (DL-DVI) connections, a full-size HDMI 1.4a output, and a DisplayPort 1.2 connection. Add-in partners may elect to remove or possibly further extend any of these video interfaces, but most will likely retain the original reference board engineering. Only one of these video cards is necessary to drive triple-displays and NVIDIA 3D-Vision Surround functionality, when using both DL-DVI and either the HDMI or DP connection for third output. All of these video interfaces consume exhaust-vent real estate, but this has very little impact on cooling because the 28nm Kepler GPU generates much less heat than past GeForce processors, and also because NVIDIA intentionally distances the heatsink far enough from these vents to equalize exhaust pressure.

As with past-generation GeForce GTX series graphics cards, the GeForce GTX 760 is capable of two-card “Quad-SLI” configurations. Because GeForce GTX 760 is PCI-Express 3.0 compliant device, the added bandwidth could potentially come into demand as future games and applications make use of these resources. Most games will be capable of utilizing the highest possible graphics quality settings using only a single GeForce GTX 760 video card, but multi-card SLI/Quad-SLI configurations are perfect for extreme gamers wanting to experience ultra-performance video games played at their highest quality settings with all the bells and whistles enabled across multiple monitors.

Specified for 170W Thermal Design Power output, the Kepler GPU in GeForce GTX 760 operates much more efficiently than NVIDIA’s previous generation GPUs. Since TDP demands have been reduced GTX 760 runs cooler during normal operation, and has move power available for Boost 2.0 requests. NVIDIA has added a painted “GeForce GTX” logo along the exposed side video card, which differs from the backlit version that comes with GTX TITAN/780/770. GeForce GTX 760 requires two 6-pin PCIe power connectors for operation, allowing NVIDIA to recommend a modest 500W power supply for computer systems equipped with one of these video cards.

By tradition, NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX series offers enthusiast-level performance with features like multi-card SLI pairing. More recently, the GTX family has included GPU Boost application-driven variable overclocking technology – now into GPU Boost 2.0. The GeForce GTX 760 graphics card keeps with tradition in terms of performance by producing single-GPU frame rates more efficiently than any other product at its price-point. Of course, NVIDIA’s Kepler GPU architecture adds proprietary features as well, such as: 3D Vision, Adaptive Vertical Sync, multi-display Surround, PhysX, and TXAA antialiasing.

GeForce GTX 760’s GK104 graphics processor ships with 6 SMX units: good for 1152 CUDA cores clocked to 980 MHz that boosts to 1033 MHz. The Boost Clock speed is based on the average GeForce GTX 760 card running a wide variety of games and applications. The memory subsystem of GeForce GTX 760 consists of four 64-bit memory controllers combined to create a 256-bit lane, which produce 192.26 GB/s bandwidth from 2GB of GDDR5 memory operating at 6008 MHz data rate. GTX 760’s fill rate reaches 94.1 GigaTexels per second across the backwards-compatible PCI-Express 3.0 compliant graphics interface.

GTX 760’s exposed printed circuit board reveals a much smaller PCB then the video card profile suggests. Past GeForce products generally use a shroud to cover the entire length of the circuit board, but with GeForce GTX 760 the PCB measures only 7.0? of the 9.5? card length, adding a 2.5? extension to support the cooling fan. Because of the optimized Kepler GPU, GeForce GTX 760 does not benefit from any surface heatsink or cooling plates.

In the next section, we detail our test methodology and give specifications for all of the benchmarks and equipment used in our testing process…

The Microsoft DirectX-11 graphics API is native to the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System, and will be the primary O/S for our test platform. DX11 is also available as a Microsoft Update for the Windows Vista O/S, so our test results apply to both versions of the Operating System.

In each benchmark test there is one ‘cache run’ that is conducted, followed by five recorded test runs. Results are collected at each setting with the highest and lowest results discarded. The remaining three results are averaged, and displayed in the performance charts on the following pages.

A combination of synthetic and video game benchmark tests have been used in this article to illustrate relative performance among graphics solutions. Our benchmark frame rate results are not intended to represent real-world graphics performance, as this experience would change based on supporting hardware and the perception of individuals playing the video game.

• Motherboard: ASUS P9X79 Deluxe Motherboard (Intel X79 Express)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition (six cores/3300 MHz)
• System Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws-Z 32GB DDR3-1600
• Power Supply Unit: OCZ Z-Series Gold 850W OCZZ850
• Monitor: ASUS VG278H 27″ Widescreen Monitor

• 3DMark11 Professional Edition by Futuremark
  • Settings: Performance Level Preset, 1280×720, 1x AA, Trilinear Filtering, Tessellation level 5)
• Aliens vs Predator Benchmark 1.0
  • Settings: Very High Quality, 4x AA, 16x AF, SSAO, Tessellation, Advanced Shadows
• Batman: Arkham City
  • Settings: 8x AA, 16x AF, MVSS+HBAO, High Tessellation, Extreme Detail, PhysX Disabled
• BattleField 3
  • Settings: Ultra Graphics Quality, FOV 90, 180-second Fraps Scene
• Lost Planet 2 Benchmark 1.0
  • Settings: Benchmark B, 4x AA, Blur Off, High Shadow Detail, High Texture, High Render, High DirectX 11 Features
• Metro 2033 Benchmark
  • Settings: Very-High Quality, 4x AA, 16x AF, Tessellation, PhysX Disabled
• Unigine Heaven Benchmark 3.0
  • Settings: DirectX 11, High Quality, Extreme Tessellation, 16x AF, 4x AA

Graphics Processing Clusters	3-4
Streaming Multiprocessors	6
CUDA Cores	1152
Texture Units	96
ROP Units	32
Base Clock	980 MHz
Boost Clock	1033 MHz
Memory Clock (Data rate)	6008 MHz
L2 Cache Size	512KB
Total Video Memory	2048MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	256-bit
Total Memory Bandwidth	192.26 GB/s
Texture Filtering Rate (Bilinear)	94.1 GigaTexels/sec
Fabrication Process	28 nm
Transistor Count	3.54 Billion
Connectors	2 x Dual-Link DVI1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort
Form Factor	Dual Slot
Power Connectors	Two 6-pin
Recommended Power Supply	500 Watts
Thermal Design Power (TDP)3	170 Watts
Thermal Threshold4	95° C

Graphics Card	GeForce GTX650Ti	Radeon HD6970	GeForce GTX580	GeForce GTX660Ti	Radeon HD7950	GeForce GTX760	GeForce GTX670	Radeon HD7970	GeForce GTX770
GPU Cores	768	1536	512	1344	1792	1152	1344	2048	1536
Core Clock (MHz)	925	880	772	915	850	980	915	925	1046
Shader Clock (MHz)	N/A	N/A	1544	980 Boost	N/A	1033 Boost	980 Boost	N/A	1085 Boost
Memory Clock (MHz)	1350	1375	1002	1502	1250	1502	1502	1375	1753
Memory Amount	1024MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	1536MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit	256-bit	384-bit	192-bit	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit	384-bit	256-bit

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650Ti (925 MHz GPU/1350 MHz vRAM – Forceware 306.38)
• AMD Radeon HD 6970 (880 MHz GPU/1375 MHz vRAM – AMD Catalyst 13.3)
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (772 MHz GPU/1544 MHz Shader/1002 MHz vRAM – Forceware 306.23)
• ASUS GeForce GTX 660Ti DirectCU-II TOP (1059 MHz GPU/1137 MHz Boost/1502 MHz vRAM – Forceware 306.23)
• AMD Radeon HD 7950 (850 MHz GPU/1250 MHz vRAM – AMD Catalyst 13.6 Beta 2)
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (980 MHz GPU/1033 MHz Boost/1502 MHz vRAM – Forceware 320.39)
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (915 MHz GPU/980 MHz Boost/1502 MHz vRAM – Forceware 306.23)
• AMD Radeon HD 7970 (925 MHz GPU/1375 MHz vRAM – AMD Catalyst 13.6 Beta 2)
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 (1046 MHz GPU/1085 MHz Boost/1753 MHz vRAM – Forceware 320.18)

FutureMark 3DMark11 is the latest addition the 3DMark benchmark series built by FutureMark corporation. 3DMark11 is a PC benchmark suite designed to test the DirectX-11 graphics card performance without vendor preference. Although 3DMark11 includes the unbiased Bullet Open Source Physics Library instead of NVIDIA PhysX for the CPU/Physics tests, Benchmark Reviews concentrates on the four graphics-only tests in 3DMark11 and uses them with medium-level ‘Performance’ presets.

The ‘Performance’ level setting applies 1x multi-sample anti-aliasing and trilinear texture filtering to a 1280x720p resolution. The tessellation detail, when called upon by a test, is preset to level 5, with a maximum tessellation factor of 10. The shadow map size is limited to 5 and the shadow cascade count is set to 4, while the surface shadow sample count is at the maximum value of 16. Ambient occlusion is enabled, and preset to a quality level of 5.

• Futuremark 3DMark11 Professional Edition
  • Settings: Performance Level Preset, 1280×720, 1x AA, Trilinear Filtering, Tessellation level 5)

3DMark11 Benchmark Test Results

Graphics Card	GeForce GTX650Ti	Radeon HD6970	GeForce GTX580	GeForce GTX660Ti	Radeon HD7950	GeForce GTX760	GeForce GTX670	Radeon HD7970	GeForce GTX770
GPU Cores	768	1536	512	1344	1792	1152	1344	2048	1536
Core Clock (MHz)	925	880	772	915	850	980	915	925	1046
Shader Clock (MHz)	N/A	N/A	1544	980 Boost	N/A	1033 Boost	980 Boost	N/A	1085 Boost
Memory Clock (MHz)	1350	1375	1002	1502	1250	1502	1502	1375	1753
Memory Amount	1024MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	1536MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit	256-bit	384-bit	192-bit	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit	384-bit	256-bit

Aliens vs. Predator is a science fiction first-person shooter video game, developed by Rebellion, and published by Sega for Microsoft Windows, Sony PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Xbox 360. Aliens vs. Predator utilizes Rebellion’s proprietary Asura game engine, which had previously found its way into Call of Duty: World at War and Rogue Warrior. The self-contained benchmark tool is used for our DirectX-11 tests, which push the Asura game engine to its limit.

In our benchmark tests, Aliens vs. Predator was configured to use the highest quality settings with 4x AA and 16x AF. DirectX-11 features such as Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) and tessellation have also been included, along with advanced shadows.

• Aliens vs Predator
  • Settings: Very High Quality, 4x AA, 16x AF, SSAO, Tessellation, Advanced Shadows

Aliens vs Predator Benchmark Test Results

Graphics Card	GeForce GTX650Ti	Radeon HD6970	GeForce GTX580	GeForce GTX660Ti	Radeon HD7950	GeForce GTX760	GeForce GTX670	Radeon HD7970	GeForce GTX770
GPU Cores	768	1536	512	1344	1792	1152	1344	2048	1536
Core Clock (MHz)	925	880	772	915	850	980	915	925	1046
Shader Clock (MHz)	N/A	N/A	1544	980 Boost	N/A	1033 Boost	980 Boost	N/A	1085 Boost
Memory Clock (MHz)	1350	1375	1002	1502	1250	1502	1502	1375	1753
Memory Amount	1024MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	1536MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit	256-bit	384-bit	192-bit	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit	384-bit	256-bit

Batman: Arkham City is a 3d-person action game that adheres to story line previously set forth in Batman: Arkham Asylum, which launched for game consoles and PC back in 2009. Based on an updated Unreal Engine 3 game engine, Batman: Arkham City enjoys DirectX 11 graphics which uses multi-threaded rendering to produce life-like tessellation effects. While gaming console versions of Batman: Arkham City deliver high-definition graphics at either 720p or 1080i, you’ll only get the high-quality graphics and special effects on PC.

In an age when developers give game consoles priority over PC, it’s becoming difficult to find games that show off the stunning visual effects and lifelike quality possible from modern graphics cards. Fortunately Batman: Arkham City is a game that does amazingly well on both platforms, while at the same time making it possible to cripple the most advanced graphics card on the planet by offering extremely demanding NVIDIA 32x CSAA and full PhysX capability. Also available to PC users (with NVIDIA graphics) is FXAA, a shader based image filter that achieves similar results to MSAA yet requires less memory and processing power.

Batman: Arkham City offers varying levels of PhysX effects, each with its own set of hardware requirements. You can turn PhysX off, or enable ‘Normal levels which introduce GPU-accelerated PhysX elements such as Debris Particles, Volumetric Smoke, and Destructible Environments into the game, while the ‘High’ setting adds real-time cloth and paper simulation. Particles exist everywhere in real life, and this PhysX effect is seen in many aspects of game to add back that same sense of realism. For PC gamers who are enthusiastic about graphics quality, don’t skimp on PhysX. DirectX 11 makes it possible to enjoy many of these effects, and PhysX helps bring them to life in the game.

• Batman: Arkham City
  • Settings: 8x AA, 16x AF, MVSS+HBAO, High Tessellation, Extreme Detail, PhysX Disabled

Batman: Arkham City Benchmark Test Results

Graphics Card	GeForce GTX650Ti	Radeon HD6970	GeForce GTX580	GeForce GTX660Ti	Radeon HD7950	GeForce GTX760	GeForce GTX670	Radeon HD7970	GeForce GTX770
GPU Cores	768	1536	512	1344	1792	1152	1344	2048	1536
Core Clock (MHz)	925	880	772	915	850	980	915	925	1046
Shader Clock (MHz)	N/A	N/A	1544	980 Boost	N/A	1033 Boost	980 Boost	N/A	1085 Boost
Memory Clock (MHz)	1350	1375	1002	1502	1250	1502	1502	1375	1753
Memory Amount	1024MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	1536MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit	256-bit	384-bit	192-bit	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit	384-bit	256-bit

In Battlefield 3, players step into the role of the Elite U.S. Marines. As the first boots on the ground, players will experience heart-pounding missions across diverse locations including Paris, Tehran and New York. As a U.S. Marine in the field, periods of tension and anticipation are punctuated by moments of complete chaos. As bullets whiz by, walls crumble, and explosions force players to the grounds, the battlefield feels more alive and interactive than ever before.

The graphics engine behind Battlefield 3 is called Frostbite 2, which delivers realistic global illumination lighting along with dynamic destructible environments. The game uses a hardware terrain tessellation method that allows a high number of detailed triangles to be rendered entirely on the GPU when near the terrain. This allows for a very low memory footprint and relies on the GPU alone to expand the low res data to highly realistic detail.

Using Fraps to record frame rates, our Battlefield 3 benchmark test uses a three-minute capture on the ‘Secure Parking Lot’ stage of Operation Swordbreaker. Relative to the online multiplayer action, these frame rate results are nearly identical to daytime maps with the same video settings.

• BattleField 3
  • Settings: Ultra Graphics Quality, FOV 90, 180-second Fraps Scene

Battlefield 3 Benchmark Test Results

Graphics Card	GeForce GTX650Ti	Radeon HD6970	GeForce GTX580	GeForce GTX660Ti	Radeon HD7950	GeForce GTX760	GeForce GTX670	Radeon HD7970	GeForce GTX770
GPU Cores	768	1536	512	1344	1792	1152	1344	2048	1536
Core Clock (MHz)	925	880	772	915	850	980	915	925	1046
Shader Clock (MHz)	N/A	N/A	1544	980 Boost	N/A	1033 Boost	980 Boost	N/A	1085 Boost
Memory Clock (MHz)	1350	1375	1002	1502	1250	1502	1502	1375	1753
Memory Amount	1024MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	1536MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit	256-bit	384-bit	192-bit	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit	384-bit	256-bit

Lost Planet 2 is the second installment in the saga of the planet E.D.N. III, ten years after the story of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. The snow has melted and the lush jungle life of the planet has emerged with angry and luscious flora and fauna. With the new environment comes the addition of DirectX-11 technology to the game.

Lost Planet 2 takes advantage of DX11 features including tessellation and displacement mapping on water, level bosses, and player characters. In addition, soft body compute shaders are used on ‘Boss’ characters, and wave simulation is performed using DirectCompute. These cutting edge features make for an excellent benchmark for top-of-the-line consumer GPUs.

The Lost Planet 2 benchmark offers two different tests, which serve different purposes. This article uses tests conducted on benchmark B, which is designed to be a deterministic and effective benchmark tool featuring DirectX 11 elements.

• Lost Planet 2 Benchmark 1.0
  • Settings: Benchmark B, 4x AA, Blur Off, High Shadow Detail, High Texture, High Render, High DirectX 11 Features

Lost Planet 2 Benchmark Test Results

Graphics Card	GeForce GTX650Ti	Radeon HD6970	GeForce GTX580	GeForce GTX660Ti	Radeon HD7950	GeForce GTX760	GeForce GTX670	Radeon HD7970	GeForce GTX770
GPU Cores	768	1536	512	1344	1792	1152	1344	2048	1536
Core Clock (MHz)	925	880	772	915	850	980	915	925	1046
Shader Clock (MHz)	N/A	N/A	1544	980 Boost	N/A	1033 Boost	980 Boost	N/A	1085 Boost
Memory Clock (MHz)	1350	1375	1002	1502	1250	1502	1502	1375	1753
Memory Amount	1024MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	1536MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit	256-bit	384-bit	192-bit	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit	384-bit	256-bit

Metro 2033 is an action-oriented video game with a combination of survival horror, and first-person shooter elements. The game is based on the novel Metro 2033 by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. It was developed by 4A Games in Ukraine and released in March 2010 for Microsoft Windows. Metro 2033 uses the 4A game engine, developed by 4A Games. The 4A Engine supports DirectX-9, 10, and 11, along with NVIDIA PhysX and GeForce 3D Vision.

The 4A engine is multi-threaded in such that only PhysX had a dedicated thread, and uses a task-model without any pre-conditioning or pre/post-synchronizing, allowing tasks to be done in parallel. The 4A game engine can utilize a deferred shading pipeline, and uses tessellation for greater performance, and also has HDR (complete with blue shift), real-time reflections, color correction, film grain and noise, and the engine also supports multi-core rendering.

Metro 2033 featured superior volumetric fog, double PhysX precision, object blur, sub-surface scattering for skin shaders, parallax mapping on all surfaces and greater geometric detail with a less aggressive LODs. Using PhysX, the engine uses many features such as destructible environments, and cloth and water simulations, and particles that can be fully affected by environmental factors.

NVIDIA has been diligently working to promote Metro 2033, and for good reason: it’s one of the most demanding PC video games we’ve ever tested. When their flagship GeForce GTX 480 struggles to produce 27 FPS with DirectX-11 anti-aliasing turned two to its lowest setting, you know that only the strongest graphics processors will generate playable frame rates. All of our tests enable Advanced Depth of Field and Tessellation effects, but disable advanced PhysX options.

• Metro 2033 Benchmark
  • Settings: Very-High Quality, 4x AA, 16x AF, Tessellation, PhysX Disabled

Metro 2033 Benchmark Test Results

Graphics Card	GeForce GTX650Ti	Radeon HD6970	GeForce GTX580	GeForce GTX660Ti	Radeon HD7950	GeForce GTX760	GeForce GTX670	Radeon HD7970	GeForce GTX770
GPU Cores	768	1536	512	1344	1792	1152	1344	2048	1536
Core Clock (MHz)	925	880	772	915	850	980	915	925	1046
Shader Clock (MHz)	N/A	N/A	1544	980 Boost	N/A	1033 Boost	980 Boost	N/A	1085 Boost
Memory Clock (MHz)	1350	1375	1002	1502	1250	1502	1502	1375	1753
Memory Amount	1024MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	1536MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit	256-bit	384-bit	192-bit	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit	384-bit	256-bit

The Unigine Heaven benchmark is a free publicly available tool that grants the power to unleash the graphics capabilities in DirectX-11 for Windows 7 or updated Vista Operating Systems. It reveals the enchanting magic of floating islands with a tiny village hidden in the cloudy skies. With the interactive mode, emerging experience of exploring the intricate world is within reach. Through its advanced renderer, Unigine is one of the first to set precedence in showcasing the art assets with tessellation, bringing compelling visual finesse, utilizing the technology to the full extend and exhibiting the possibilities of enriching 3D gaming.

The distinguishing feature in the Unigine Heaven benchmark is a hardware tessellation that is a scalable technology aimed for automatic subdivision of polygons into smaller and finer pieces, so that developers can gain a more detailed look of their games almost free of charge in terms of performance. Thanks to this procedure, the elaboration of the rendered image finally approaches the boundary of veridical visual perception: the virtual reality transcends conjured by your hand.

Since only DX11-compliant video cards will properly test on the Heaven benchmark, only those products that meet the requirements have been included.

• Unigine Heaven Benchmark 3.0
  • Settings: DirectX 11, High Quality, Extreme Tessellation, 16x AF, 4x AA

Heaven Benchmark Test Results

Graphics Card	GeForce GTX650Ti	Radeon HD6970	GeForce GTX580	GeForce GTX660Ti	Radeon HD7950	GeForce GTX760	GeForce GTX670	Radeon HD7970	GeForce GTX770
GPU Cores	768	1536	512	1344	1792	1152	1344	2048	1536
Core Clock (MHz)	925	880	772	915	850	980	915	925	1046
Shader Clock (MHz)	N/A	N/A	1544	980 Boost	N/A	1033 Boost	980 Boost	N/A	1085 Boost
Memory Clock (MHz)	1350	1375	1002	1502	1250	1502	1502	1375	1753
Memory Amount	1024MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	1536MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5	3072MB GDDR5	2048MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	128-bit	256-bit	384-bit	192-bit	384-bit	256-bit	256-bit	384-bit	256-bit

In this section, PCI-Express graphics cards are isolated for idle and loaded electrical power consumption. In our power consumption tests, Benchmark Reviews utilizes an 80-PLUS GOLD certified OCZ Z-Series Gold 850W PSU, model OCZZ850. This power supply unit has been tested to provide over 90% typical efficiency by Chroma System Solutions. To measure isolated video card power consumption, Benchmark Reviews uses the Kill-A-Watt EZ (model P4460) power meter made by P3 International. In this particular test, all power consumption results were verified with a second power meter for accuracy.

The power consumption statistics discussed in this section are absolute maximum values, and may not represent real-world power consumption created by video games or graphics applications.

A baseline measurement is taken without any video card installed on our test computer system, which is allowed to boot into Windows 7 and rest idle at the login screen before power consumption is recorded. Once the baseline reading has been taken, the graphics card is installed and the system is again booted into Windows and left idle at the login screen before taking the idle reading. Our final loaded power consumption reading is taken with the video card running a stress test using graphics test #4 on 3DMark11.

This section discusses power consumption for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 video card, which operated at reference clock speeds. Our power consumption results are not representative of the entire GTX 760-series product family, which may feature a modified design or factory overclocking by some partners. GeForce GTX 760 requires two 6-pin PCI-E power connections for normal operation, and will not activate the display unless proper power has been supplied. NVIDIA recommends a 500W power supply unit for stable operation of one single GeForce GTX 760 video card.

In our test results the GeForce GTX 760 consumed a mere 8W at the lowest idle reading, and 188W under full load with fan operating at 100%. NVIDIA’s average TDP is specified as 170W. If you’re familiar with electronics, it will come as no surprise that less power consumption equals less heat output as evidenced by our thermal results below…

This section reports our temperature results subjecting the video card to maximum load conditions. During each test a 20°C ambient room temperature is maintained from start to finish, as measured by digital temperature sensors located outside the computer system. GPU-Z is used to measure the temperature at idle as reported by the GPU, and also under load.

Using a modified version of FurMark’s “Torture Test” to generate maximum thermal load, peak GPU temperature is recorded in high-power 3D mode. FurMark does two things extremely well: drives the thermal output of any graphics processor much higher than any video games realistically could, and it does so with consistency every time. Furmark works great for testing the stability of a GPU as the temperature rises to the highest possible output.

The temperatures illustrated below are absolute maximum values, and do not represent real-world temperatures created by video games or graphics applications:

 

Video Card		Ambient		Idle Temp		Loaded Temp		Max Noise
ATI Radeon HD 5850		20°C		39°C		73°C		7/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460		20°C		26°C		65°C		4/10
AMD Radeon HD 6850		20°C		42°C		77°C		7/10
AMD Radeon HD 6870		20°C		39°C		74°C		6/10
ATI Radeon HD 5870		20°C		33°C		78°C		7/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti		20°C		27°C		78°C		5/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570		20°C		32°C		82°C		7/10
ATI Radeon HD 6970		20°C		35°C		81°C		6/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580		20°C		32°C		70°C		6/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590		20°C		33°C		77°C		6/10
AMD Radeon HD 6990		20°C		40°C		84°C		8/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST		20°C		26°C		73°C		4/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti		20°C		26°C		62°C		3/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670		20°C		26°C		71°C		3/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680		20°C		26°C		75°C		3/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690		20°C		30°C		81°C		4/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670		20°C		27°C		79°C		3/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770		20°C		27°C		78°C		3/10
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780		20°C		28°C		80°C		3/10

As we’ve mentioned on the pages leading up to this section, NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture yields a much more efficient operating GPU compared to previous designs. This becomes evident by the low idle temperature, and translates into modest full-load temperatures. While NVIDIA’s reference design works exceptionally well at cooling the GK104 GPU on GeForce GTX 760, consumers should expect add-in card partners to advertise unnecessarily excessive over-cooled versions for an extra premium. 79°C after ten minutes at 100% load is nothing at all, and is nowhere close to this card’s 95°C thermal threshold.

IMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, be advised that every author perceives these factors differently. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer revisions that occur after publication which could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on this conclusion, as it represents our rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate.

My ratings begin with performance, where GeForce GTX 760 replaces the GTX 660 Ti and competes with AMD’s Radeon HD 7950 graphics card. In our DirectX 11 tests however, GeForce GTX 760 kept pace ahead of the Radeon HD 7970. Ultra-demanding DX11 games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum made good use of Kepler’s optimized architecture, helping to deliver 82 FPS and overstepping the Radeon HD 7970 by 27 FPS. Battlefield 3 also gave the GeForce GTX 760 a 18 FPS lead over the Radeon HD 7970, all while using Ultra quality settings to produce nearly 73 FPS. Lost Planet 2 played well on all graphics cards when set to high quality with 4x AA, allowing GTX 760 to maintain an impressive 66.8 frame rate and leads the 7970 by 4 FPS. In Aliens vs Predator the GeForce GTX 760 improved 10 FPS beyond the GTX 660 Ti before trailing the Radeon HD 7970 by just as much. Metro 2033 is another demanding game that requires high-end graphics to enjoy high quality visual settings, however this benchmark appears to favor AMD Radeon products more so than GeForce graphics cards.

Synthetic benchmark tools offer an unbiased read on graphics products, allowing video card manufacturers to display their performance without special game optimizations or driver influence. Futuremark’s 3DMark11 benchmark suite strained our high-end graphics cards with only mid-level settings displayed at 720p, yet GeForce GTX 760 produced frame rate results comparable to the more expensive AMD Radeon HD 7970. Unigine Heaven benchmark tests used maximum settings that tend to crush most products, yet GTX 760 still produced 10 FPS beyond the Radeon HD 6970.

Appearance is a much more subjective matter, especially since this particular rating doesn’t have quantitative benchmark scores to fall back on. NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX series has traditionally used a recognizable design over the past two years, and with the exception to more angular corners GeForce GTX 760 appears looks very similar to the GTX 660 series it replaces. Because GeForce GTX 760 operates so efficiently, and allows nearly all of the heated air to exhaust outside of the computer case, the reference design does an excellent job for function. While fashionable looks might mean a lot to some consumers, keep in mind that this product outperforms the competition while generating much less heat and producing very little noise.

Construction is the one area NVIDIA graphics cards continually shine, and thanks in part to extremely quiet operation paired with more efficient cores that consume less energy and emit less heat, it seems clear that GeForce GTX 760 continues to carry on this tradition. Requiring two 6-pin PCI-E power connections with reduced power supply requirements of 500W, which is considered mainstream. Additionally, consumers have a single-GPU solution capable of driving three monitors in 3D Vision Surround with the inclusion of two DL-DVI ports with supplementary HDMI and DisplayPort output.

As of launch day (25 June 2013), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 video card will sell for $249.99. This price is directly targeted at the AMD Radeon HD 7950 graphics card, but keeping in mind that hardware manufacturers and retailers are constantly adjusting prices expect this to change a few times between now and a few months later. There’s still plenty of value beyond basic frame rate performance, and the added NVIDIA Kepler features run it off the charts. Only NVIDIA Kepler video cards can offer automated GPU Boost technology, 3D Vision, Adaptive VSync, PhysX technology, FXAA, and now TXAA.

My conclusion: GeForce GTX 760 is a very capable replacement for the GTX 660 Ti, and a superior alternative to the Radeon HD 7950 series. NVIDIA’s Kepler-based GK104 GPU has already proven itself in the GTX 770, and does so again here in the GTX 760. The real key to success is GTX 760’s 2GB GDDR5 memory subsystem, which features a 256-bit interface that transports data at 6008 MHz. With Radeon HD 7970 often trailing behind in performance, gamers have a good reason to play their favorite titles using team green hardware. GeForce GTX 760 delivers performance beyond the competition, and delivers as much value as it does technology perks.

+ Outperforms AMD Radeon HD 7970 in several tests
+ Great performance with DX11 video games
+ Supports NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0 technology, Adaptive VSync, TXAA, 3D Vision and PhysX
+ Triple-display and 3D Vision Surround support
+ Cooling fan operates at very quiet acoustic levels
+ Features DisplayPort connectivity for future monitor technology
+ Very low power consumption at idle and heat output under load
+ Upgradable into dual- and triple SLI card sets

– Expensive mainstream product
– Occasionally trailed GeForce GTX 660 Ti

COMMENT QUESTION: Do you prefer NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon graphics cards?