Let me preface this review by saying I've been building PC's since 1995. I have owned countless video cards over the years from all the big name players including 3DFX, ASUS, MSI, Gainward, Sapphire, ATI/AMD, EVGA, and Gigabyte. More recently I've become a bit of a quiet PC snob. I got the Fractal Design Define R4 case for a silent rig. I don't mind some fan noise while gaming, but when sitting just reading the web I expect silence. Recently I've tried two different 770 cards, and now have tried cards from 3 different 780 Ti cards from the following vendors: MSI, ASUS, and now this EVGA Superclocked 780 Ti w/ACX. With all of that said, here we go......
PACKAGE
EVGA really puts together a nice presentation. Everything is well packaged. EVGA has always been a step ahead of their competitors in this regard. Card is snug and secure in a branded static bag. Comes with a driver disc, manual, 2 large EVGA stickers, accessory PCI-E power cables sealed in a static bag (nice touch), and a very classy metal (yes METAL!) case sticker. Very cool. Great presentation. The card itself has a bunch of plastic on it covering the logos and the center of the fans. Be sure to remove all of that! Definitely a premium package compared to what ASUS and MSI give you which is more barebones.
The CARD
The EVGA 780 Ti SC w/ACX is lighter than both the MSI and ASUS solutions. The ACX cooler is a bit different than the MSI Twin Frozr and the ASUS DirectCU II. Both the MSI and ASUS fans are dominated aesthetically by large heat pipes and their fan solutions extend well beyond the PCB. The EVGA ACX coolor is "form fitting" to the PCB and bit self contained. It fits the PCB perfectly and is a closed off design, mostly dominated by a large heatsink and "EVGA" and " GEFORCE GTX 780 Ti" Branding. Looks GREAT through a case window. What can I say, I am sucker for seeing my hardware looking pretty in my case :)
FAN PERFORMANCE
Now, I've read the horror stories on the EVGA forums about the ACX fan/cooler. (buzzing, resonating) I've also read the reviews around the net, particularly from TechPowerUp! who were disappointed in the db level of the ACX fan. MSI's Twin Frozr has always excelled in this area having near silent fans under idle. Indeed the MSI 780 Ti GAMING is very quiet. ASUS as well at idle.
However I am very pleasantly surprised by the ACX fan! Idle temp as I type this is 29C, with a fan percentage of 29% running at 1179 RPM. Under 100% load, the fans get up to around 55% - 60%. Subjectively, to my surprise, the ACX fans are more quiet than the MSI Twin Frozr and the ASUS under 100% load. You can definitely hear all 3, but the ACX is a more smooth "whirrrring" sound, like a ceiling fan, vs. the slightly higher pitched "tinny" sounds of the MSI and ASUS fans. When I used the MSI Gaming App to enter "OC Mode" it jacks up the fan curve significantly making the fans even louder. ASUS under load is definitely audible.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE
I don't need to say much here. I mean it's a 780 Ti. You know how it performs if you are going to drop this kind of coin on a GPU. I game on a Dell U2712HM 1440p Monitor. I can max out every game except Assassin's Creed IV, but that's mostly due to the poor optimization of ACIV. Gaming on this card is pure bliss.
SUPPORT/COMPANY
EVGA is known for their excellent service. Their website is a great resource. Be sure to register your card there. They have 24x7 support, and the Step-Up program. If that sort of thing is important to you then it's another reason to look at EVGA. Being a US based company helps. Like I said I've owned cards from all the big vendors and I never experienced a major issue with support but EVGA has always been very responsive. Last year they replaced a very old 7900GS (lifetime warranty) in my son's rig with a 8800 GT without a hassle.
OVERALL
Make sure your Power Supply is ready. You'll need 42A on the 12V rail. Uses 1 PCI-E 6-Pin and 1 PCI-E 8-Pin power connector. I am very happy with this card. I know the 800 series is coming later this year, but the 780 Ti will have legs for years to come, and you can always get 2 and SLI them. Highly recommend.
My current Rig:
Asus P8Z77-V PRO | Core i5-3550 | EVGA GTX 780 Ti SC w/ACX | 16GB Patriot Viper DDR3-1866 | Fractal Define R4 | Corsair RM750 PSU | Dell U2712HM LCD | Win 8.1 64bit
| Max Screen Resolution | 4096 x 2160 |
|---|---|
| Memory Speed | 7000 MHz |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Nvidia GeForce |
| Chipset Brand | NVIDIA |
| Graphics Card Ram Size | 3 GB |
