The NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Performance Review
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4K: AC: Unity / Battlefield 4
In this sequence, we use the Singapore level which combines three of the game’s major elements: a decayed urban environment, a water-inundated city and finally a forested area. We chose not to include multiplayer results simply due to their randomness injecting results that make apples to apples comparisons impossible.
Assassin’s Creed: Unity
Battlefield 4
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/y9nwvLwltqk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In this sequence, we use the Singapore level which combines three of the game’s major elements: a decayed urban environment, a water-inundated city and finally a forested area. We chose not to include multiplayer results simply due to their randomness injecting results that make apples to apples comparisons impossible.
4k: Dragon Age: Inquisition / Dying Light
Dragon Age: Inquisition is one of the most popular games around due to its engaging gameplay and open-world style. In our benchmark sequence we run through two typical areas: a busy town and through an outdoor environment.
Dying Light is a relatively late addition to our benchmarking process but with good reason: it required multiple patches to optimize performance. While one of the patches handicapped viewing distance, this is still one of the most demanding games available.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z7wRSmle-DY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Dragon Age: Inquisition is one of the most popular games around due to its engaging gameplay and open-world style. In our benchmark sequence we run through two typical areas: a busy town and through an outdoor environment.
Dying Light
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MHc6Vq-1ins" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Dying Light is a relatively late addition to our benchmarking process but with good reason: it required multiple patches to optimize performance. While one of the patches handicapped viewing distance, this is still one of the most demanding games available.
4K: Far Cry 4 / Grand Theft Auto V
The latest game in Ubisoft’s Far Cry series takes up where the others left off by boasting some of the most impressive visuals we’ve seen. In order to emulate typical gameplay we run through the game’s main village, head out through an open area and then transition to the lower areas via a zipline.
Far Cry 4
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sC7-_Q1cSro" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The latest game in Ubisoft’s Far Cry series takes up where the others left off by boasting some of the most impressive visuals we’ve seen. In order to emulate typical gameplay we run through the game’s main village, head out through an open area and then transition to the lower areas via a zipline.
Grand Theft Auto V
4k: Hitman Absolution / Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Hitman is arguably one of the most popular FPS (first person “sneaking”) franchises around and this time around Agent 47 goes rogue so mayhem soon follows. Our benchmark sequence is taken from the beginning of the Terminus level which is one of the most graphically-intensive areas of the entire game. It features an environment virtually bathed in rain and puddles making for numerous reflections and complicated lighting effects.
With its high resolution textures and several other visual tweaks, Shadow of Mordor’s open world is also one of the most detailed around. This means it puts massive load on graphics cards and should help point towards which GPUs will excel at next generation titles.
Hitman Absolution
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8UXx0gbkUl0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Hitman is arguably one of the most popular FPS (first person “sneaking”) franchises around and this time around Agent 47 goes rogue so mayhem soon follows. Our benchmark sequence is taken from the beginning of the Terminus level which is one of the most graphically-intensive areas of the entire game. It features an environment virtually bathed in rain and puddles making for numerous reflections and complicated lighting effects.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
With its high resolution textures and several other visual tweaks, Shadow of Mordor’s open world is also one of the most detailed around. This means it puts massive load on graphics cards and should help point towards which GPUs will excel at next generation titles.
4K: Thief / Tomb Raider
When it was released, Thief was arguably one of the most anticipated games around. From a graphics standpoint, it is something of a tour de force. Not only does it look great but the engine combines several advanced lighting and shading techniques that are among the best we’ve seen. One of the most demanding sections is actually within the first level where you must scale rooftops amidst a thunder storm. The rain and lightning flashes add to the graphics load, though the lightning flashes occur randomly so you will likely see interspersed dips in the charts below due to this.
Tomb Raider is one of the most iconic brands in PC gaming and this iteration brings Lara Croft back in DX11 glory. This happens to not only be one of the most popular games around but it is also one of the best looking by using the entire bag of DX11 tricks to properly deliver an atmospheric gaming experience.
In this run-through we use a section of the Shanty Town level. While it may not represent the caves, tunnels and tombs of many other levels, it is one of the most demanding sequences in Tomb Raider.[/I
Thief
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/p-a-8mr00rY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
When it was released, Thief was arguably one of the most anticipated games around. From a graphics standpoint, it is something of a tour de force. Not only does it look great but the engine combines several advanced lighting and shading techniques that are among the best we’ve seen. One of the most demanding sections is actually within the first level where you must scale rooftops amidst a thunder storm. The rain and lightning flashes add to the graphics load, though the lightning flashes occur randomly so you will likely see interspersed dips in the charts below due to this.
Tomb Raider
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/okFRgtsbPWE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Tomb Raider is one of the most iconic brands in PC gaming and this iteration brings Lara Croft back in DX11 glory. This happens to not only be one of the most popular games around but it is also one of the best looking by using the entire bag of DX11 tricks to properly deliver an atmospheric gaming experience.
In this run-through we use a section of the Shanty Town level. While it may not represent the caves, tunnels and tombs of many other levels, it is one of the most demanding sequences in Tomb Raider.[/I
Overclocking Results
Back when we reviewed the TITAN X, I commented that its overclocking capabilities were quite good considering how close it was operating to max TDP. The GTX 980 Ti meanwhile obviously has quite a bit left in the tank since it too has a max 250W TDP but makes due with less SMs, potentially granting a bit more headroom than its sibling.
The reference card proved to be a willing companion during the OC testing but we decided to limit fan speeds to 50% so were ultimately limited by temperatures. Nonetheless, Boost speeds easily reached 1330MHz with a few peaks around the 1350MHz mark. That’s a bit more than what was achieved with the TITAN X but not by all that much. Once again, expect non-reference cards to really stretch their legs.
Memory overclocking was about par for the course with frequencies hitting just north of the 8Gbps mark and no higher since EVGA’s Precision tool doesn’t allow for independent GDDR5 clocking.
Overclocking Results
Back when we reviewed the TITAN X, I commented that its overclocking capabilities were quite good considering how close it was operating to max TDP. The GTX 980 Ti meanwhile obviously has quite a bit left in the tank since it too has a max 250W TDP but makes due with less SMs, potentially granting a bit more headroom than its sibling.
The reference card proved to be a willing companion during the OC testing but we decided to limit fan speeds to 50% so were ultimately limited by temperatures. Nonetheless, Boost speeds easily reached 1330MHz with a few peaks around the 1350MHz mark. That’s a bit more than what was achieved with the TITAN X but not by all that much. Once again, expect non-reference cards to really stretch their legs.
Memory overclocking was about par for the course with frequencies hitting just north of the 8Gbps mark and no higher since EVGA’s Precision tool doesn’t allow for independent GDDR5 clocking.
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Conclusion; Incredible Performance, Even Better Price
The GTX 980 Ti is an absolute monster, a graphics card that will ultimately set the stage for a battle with AMD on both the pricing and performance fronts. Even without looking into our crystal ball to six months down the road, it is obvious that NVIDIA has thrown down a gauntlet with. AMD’s next architecture still looms large but it remains an unknown while the GTX 980 Ti posts spectacular results and will be available tomorrow morning.
NVIDIA’s intent with this card is quite obvious: snap up as many sales in the high end GPU market before AMD’s response materializes in retail channels. While we can’t speak to what the future will bring, the GTX 980 Ti makes a pretty convincing argument for itself. For all intents and purposes it matches the TITAN X blow for blow –though there are a few instances where the TITAN is able to pull ahead- while also one-upping the GTX 980 by a good 40% or so. Those are immense numbers, so much so that the TITAN X will be quickly relegated even further into niche status.
The GTX 980 was and still is an excellent card but it tends to fall apart when asked to render 4K resolutions. Meanwhile the GTX 980 Ti, even in single card form, has no trouble delivering playable framerates at 4K across nearly every single game. There are some exceptions to this like Total War: Attila which gobble up a bewildering quantity of resources but for the most part this cut-down GM200 core cuts through 4K situations with aplomb.
Had the GTX 980 Ti been delivered at its expected $749 price point, we would have considered it an excellent addition to NVIDIA’s lineup and a pretty good value. NVIDIA had other plans though. In an effort to put downwards pricing pressure on AMD’s upcoming launches (with advanced High Bandwidth Memory, they certainly won’t be inexpensive to manufacture) this new card is being introduced at “just” $649. While not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, this is an incredible value which also pushed the GTX 980 down into a lower $499 bracket. Suddenly single card 4K gaming is becoming a reality for a lot more gamers.
NVIDIA has been able to achieve all of this by sticking to a relatively simple formula: utilize existing technology to reduce overall BOM and development costs while insuring immediate availability. This has now been translated into lower costs for end users for a graphics card that is compatible with DX12, boasts huge performance benefits and comes with enticing features like GameStream and G-SYNC compatibility. The inclusion of Batman: Arkham Knight is just the icing on an already appealing cake.
The GTX 980 Ti may not come with a shiny new architecture, it is still something to be extremely excited about. At the very least it drives down the cost of entry for playable single card 4K performance. For the time being it sets the benchmark for performance, price and efficiency within the high end graphics card segment and if what we hear is correct, that’s a benchmark that will remain in place for some time to come.
Conclusion
The GTX 980 Ti is an absolute monster, a graphics card that will ultimately set the stage for a battle with AMD on both the pricing and performance fronts. Even without looking into our crystal ball to six months down the road, it is obvious that NVIDIA has thrown down a gauntlet with. AMD’s next architecture still looms large but it remains an unknown while the GTX 980 Ti posts spectacular results and will be available tomorrow morning.
NVIDIA’s intent with this card is quite obvious: snap up as many sales in the high end GPU market before AMD’s response materializes in retail channels. While we can’t speak to what the future will bring, the GTX 980 Ti makes a pretty convincing argument for itself. For all intents and purposes it matches the TITAN X blow for blow –though there are a few instances where the TITAN is able to pull ahead- while also one-upping the GTX 980 by a good 40% or so. Those are immense numbers, so much so that the TITAN X will be quickly relegated even further into niche status.
The GTX 980 was and still is an excellent card but it tends to fall apart when asked to render 4K resolutions. Meanwhile the GTX 980 Ti, even in single card form, has no trouble delivering playable framerates at 4K across nearly every single game. There are some exceptions to this like Total War: Attila which gobble up a bewildering quantity of resources but for the most part this cut-down GM200 core cuts through 4K situations with aplomb.
Had the GTX 980 Ti been delivered at its expected $749 price point, we would have considered it an excellent addition to NVIDIA’s lineup and a pretty good value. NVIDIA had other plans though. In an effort to put downwards pricing pressure on AMD’s upcoming launches (with advanced High Bandwidth Memory, they certainly won’t be inexpensive to manufacture) this new card is being introduced at “just” $649. While not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, this is an incredible value which also pushed the GTX 980 down into a lower $499 bracket. Suddenly single card 4K gaming is becoming a reality for a lot more gamers.
NVIDIA has been able to achieve all of this by sticking to a relatively simple formula: utilize existing technology to reduce overall BOM and development costs while insuring immediate availability. This has now been translated into lower costs for end users for a graphics card that is compatible with DX12, boasts huge performance benefits and comes with enticing features like GameStream and G-SYNC compatibility. The inclusion of Batman: Arkham Knight is just the icing on an already appealing cake.
The GTX 980 Ti may not come with a shiny new architecture, it is still something to be extremely excited about. At the very least it drives down the cost of entry for playable single card 4K performance. For the time being it sets the benchmark for performance, price and efficiency within the high end graphics card segment and if what we hear is correct, that’s a benchmark that will remain in place for some time to come.
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