discussion NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Review

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Folding@Home Performance / Overclocking Results

GPGPU: Folding@Home Performance

For these tests, we used the new Stanford’s newest GPU3 client with the –forcegpu nvidia_fermi flag in order to ensure the appropriate Work Units were sent our way. We let the system run through four work units on each GPU core and the results are shown below.

Click on images to enlarge​

Overall, the performance for the GTX 560 Ti 448 here is right in line with what we would expect. It is a good ~3,200 PPD above the results achieved by a stock clocked GTX 560 Ti but ~1,800 below a GTX 570 when fed with identical projects. For folders on a budget, this may be an excellent option since it can be overclocked for even better results.

Overclocking Results

Considering the GTX 560 Ti 448 uses cut-down but reference clocked GF110 core, we were expecting a bit of an overclocking bonanza and it didn’t disappoint. The Gigabyte card used in this review hit an incredible 122MHz overclock on its core at default voltages. While we haven’t had the chance to thoroughly test results with some additional voltage increases, it wouldn’t be surprising to see clock speeds in excess of 925MHz with a bit of tweaking. Memory overclocking meanwhile fell in line with the results we have seen achieved with may GTX 570 cards.

Naturally, all of this overclocking goodness results in some eye-opening performance results as well.

Core Clock: 854 MHz
Engine Clock: 1708 MHz
Memory Clock: 4214 MHz (QDR)

 

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Temperatures & Acoustics / Power Consumption

Temperature Analysis

For all temperature testing, the cards were placed on an open test bench with a single 120mm 1200RPM fan placed ~8” away from the heatsink. The ambient temperature was kept at a constant 22°C (+/- 0.5°C). If the ambient temperatures rose above 23°C at any time throughout the test, all benchmarking was stopped. For this test we use the 3DMark Batch Size test at its highest triangle count with 4xAA and 16xAF enabled and looped it for one hour to determine the peak load temperature as measured by GPU-Z.

For Idle tests, we let the system idle at the Windows 7 desktop for 15 minutes and recorded the peak temperature.

The results here are nothing short of amazing but they are a byproduct of Gigabyte’s included custom cooler rather than any “reference” design. We will however see that most other board partners will have temperatures that closely match these since every GTX 560 Ti 448 we have seen uses some form of enhanced heatsink system.

Acoustical Testing

What you see below are the baseline idle dB(A) results attained for a relatively quiet open-case system (specs are in the Methodology section) sans GPU along with the attained results for each individual card in idle and load scenarios. The meter we use has been calibrated and is placed at seated ear-level exactly 12” away from the GPU’s fan. For the load scenarios, a loop of Unigine Heave 2.5 is used in order to generate a constant load on the GPU(s) over the course of 20 minutes.

Again Gigabyte’s heatsink doesn’t fail to impress. Even though it is large and overhangs the PCB’s edge by a fair amount, it is one of the quietest we have ever tested.

System Power Consumption

For this test we hooked up our power supply to a UPM power meter that will log the power consumption of the whole system twice every second. In order to stress the GPU as much as possible we once again use the Batch Render test in 3DMark06 and let it run for 30 minutes to determine the peak power consumption while letting the card sit at a stable Windows desktop for 30 minutes to determine the peak idle power consumption. We have also included several other tests as well.

Please note that after extensive testing, we have found that simply plugging in a power meter to a wall outlet or UPS will NOT give you accurate power consumption numbers due to slight changes in the input voltage. Thus we use a Tripp-Lite 1800W line conditioner between the 120V outlet and the power meter.

Power consumption is about where we would have expected it to be considering this card’s pedigree alongside Gigabyte’s upgraded component stack.

 

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Conlcusion

Conclusion

Don't forget to read our GTX 560 Ti 448 Roundup where we take a look at cards from EVGA, MSI and Gigabyte

After months of waiting for a new graphics card to be released, gamers have been treated to nothing more than a new spin on an existing core and yet….we couldn’t be happier. The GTX 560 Ti 448 may have a slightly clumsy name and won’t be around for all that long but it plugs a yawning hole in NVIDIA’s current lineup by bridging the gap between two very popular cards. The original GTX 560 Ti and GTX 570 are still market leaders in their own categories but this new card brings something to the table that neither could: an affordable price combined with great performance at high IQ settings in today’s most popular games.

As we saw with the ill-fated GTX 465, using failed cores that were originally destined for flagship SKUs can sometimes result in things being cut a bit too far back to assure one card doesn’t step on another’s toes. NVIDIA neatly avoided that particular trap this time around since there was already a hole in their lineup that until previously was filled by AMD’s HD 6950 1GB and 2GB. With the $250 to $300 price point being the current darling for people looking for a new GPU that can play games like BF3 and Skyrim, NVIDIA needed their own alternative during this Christmas season. The GTX 560 Ti 448 is part of the answer (in addition to some strategic cuts to other cards’ SRPs) and its performance against the aforementioned AMD cards bears this out.

With the GTX 560 Ti 448 on the horizon, AMD and their board partners decided to begin offering the HD 6950 2GB for about $275 before rebates and with good reason. We see an across the board win for the new NVIDIA card and if we discount the AMD cards’ stutter-filled performance in The Witcher 2 (one of only two tests in which the HD 6950 came out ahead); it becomes even harder to recommend anything but the GTX 560 Ti 448 in this price range. Granted, the difference between NVIDIA and AMD isn’t extreme but the HD 6950’s struggle to maintain framerates with anti aliasing enabled should certainly be taken into account.

However, one of the main benefits of this card over competing offerings is the willingness of NVIDIA’s AiBs to think outside the box. None of them are using a cookie cutter “reference” design and instead seem to be more focused on one-upping each other’s specifications and heatsink engineering. The end result is a batch of quiet, pre-overclocked cards of which many shouldn’t be priced a dime above NVIDIA’s suggested cost of $289.

Against the GTX 570, the GTX 560 Ti 448 fares quite well and in certain situations comes dangerously close to matching its bigger brother. Add a bit of overclocking to the 448’s equation and both will run head to head. With some GTX 570s retailing for $310 after rebates over the last few weeks, plenty of readers will be questioning NVIDIA’s $289 price but don’t expect this situation to repeat itself in the near future. Board partners now have a clearly targeted product to throw up against the HD 6950s of this world instead of having to resort to deep discounts.

Unfortunately there are some negative points that we have to bring up as well. In some rare combinations of in game settings the 448 cores and expanded memory layout don’t make a significant difference over a standard GTX 560 Ti, particularly at lower resolutions. This card’s limited edition nature and desirable positioning may also cause retailers to take advantage of the situation and raise prices. We’re crossing our fingers that everyone behaves but it’s been known to happen, particularly at this time of the year.

After the minor disaster that was the GTX 465, many expected the GTX 560 Ti 448 to be more of the same. It has proven the detractors wrong by offering an excellent combination of price, board partner customizability and framerates. If you are in the market for a new budget friendly graphics card this season, this is one you'll want to jump on.

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