With next generation graphics architectures still a good ways off, we’ve seen a steady stream of manufacturers introducing custom versions of current GPUs. Unfortunately these cards are meant as flagship products that make a bold statement so they are usually reserved for certain well-heeled consumers. This has led MSI, ASUS, Zotac and many others to introduced high performance versions of the GTX 580 while less expensive alternatives have -for the most part- maintained the status quo. Gigabyte on the other hand has broadened the reach of their Super Overclock series so it touches products at almost every single price point. In this review we will be looking at their GTX 570 Super Overclock which is meant to appeal to the large number of people who want high performance but just can’t justify spending more than $400 to get it.
The specifications of this card are about what we have come to expect after reviewing several other Super Overclock products. When taken together, the clock speeds aren’t necessarily ground breaking but they should contribute to reasonably higher framerates in most games. The core does however get a nice bump, making this version the highest clocked GTX 570 currently on the market but as usual, Gigabyte’s memory overclocks are completely MIA.
At around $370, the Super Overclock certainly isn’t the least expensive GTX 570 around either (reference versions routinely go for around $320) but its apparent performance and some additional features do make this premium justifiable.
There really isn’t much to distinguish this card from the excellent GTX 580 Super Overclock we reviewed a while back. It uses the same Windforce 3x heatsink design as its bigger brother along with a custom designed PCB that’s about 11” long but this version lacks the GTX 580’s dual bios feature.
The Windforce 3X heatsink uses a trio of 80mm fans which sit atop a huge heatsink that uses a copper vapor chamber and 8mm heatpipes. In the past, this setup has proven to be quiet and delivered very good temperatures so we hope it can accomplish the same here.
The PCB meanwhile houses a 14-phase PWM, voltage read points, an 8-pin + 6-pin power connector layout for additional overclocking headroom, NEC / Tokin “super capacitors” and the components demanded by Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable VGA. Gigabyte also hand picks each of the GPU cores used in these cards in order to ensure the best possible overclocking headroom. Additionally, there is a long flat heatsink added to this card’s underside in order to disperse heat from the VRM modules.
The specifications of this card are about what we have come to expect after reviewing several other Super Overclock products. When taken together, the clock speeds aren’t necessarily ground breaking but they should contribute to reasonably higher framerates in most games. The core does however get a nice bump, making this version the highest clocked GTX 570 currently on the market but as usual, Gigabyte’s memory overclocks are completely MIA.
At around $370, the Super Overclock certainly isn’t the least expensive GTX 570 around either (reference versions routinely go for around $320) but its apparent performance and some additional features do make this premium justifiable.
There really isn’t much to distinguish this card from the excellent GTX 580 Super Overclock we reviewed a while back. It uses the same Windforce 3x heatsink design as its bigger brother along with a custom designed PCB that’s about 11” long but this version lacks the GTX 580’s dual bios feature.
The Windforce 3X heatsink uses a trio of 80mm fans which sit atop a huge heatsink that uses a copper vapor chamber and 8mm heatpipes. In the past, this setup has proven to be quiet and delivered very good temperatures so we hope it can accomplish the same here.
The PCB meanwhile houses a 14-phase PWM, voltage read points, an 8-pin + 6-pin power connector layout for additional overclocking headroom, NEC / Tokin “super capacitors” and the components demanded by Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable VGA. Gigabyte also hand picks each of the GPU cores used in these cards in order to ensure the best possible overclocking headroom. Additionally, there is a long flat heatsink added to this card’s underside in order to disperse heat from the VRM modules.
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