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Overclocking nvidia geforce 750 ti. Video cards. Product appearance

Today we will take a look at the second budget product based on the new Maxwell architecture and the GM107 graphics chip. GeForce GTX 750 from GeForce GTX 750 Ti has fewer computing units. Of the five SMMs, the younger version has four active, so the GTX 750 already has 512 stream processors and 32 texture units. The graphics chip frequencies of both GeForces are the same - with a base value of 1020 MHz, the Boost Clock is stated to be 1085 MHz. But, as we remember, the maximum frequency in Boost is even higher. The memory is slightly slower - the effective data exchange rate for GDDR5 is 5010 MHz instead of 5400 MHz for the GeForce GTX 750 Ti.

The stated TDP is 55 W, which is even less than the characteristics of the old GeForce GTX 650. The standard video buffer volume for the GeForce GTX 750 is one gigabyte. But variations with a larger volume made by some manufacturers are also possible.

We will look at a video card made by ASUS, which is equipped with a standard amount of memory, but is pre-overclocked at the factory.

The card comes in a compact box. External design is standard for ASUS products. The package contents are minimal; inside the box there is only a disk with software.

At first glance, it is clear that this is a representative of the budget class - small in size, simple in design cooling system.

The plastic cooler shroud covers most of the board, but the radiator underneath is not that large.

Upon examination reverse side It is worth noting the presence of a sticker on one of the screws. This prevents the cooling system from being safely removed without voiding the warranty.

The rear panel has HDMI, DVI, D-Sub connectors. This universal set will allow you to connect any monitors, so the kit does not include any additional adapters.

The radiator is reminiscent of boxed cooling Intel processors- dense core and diverging curved petals. In fact, this design is also used in the reference GeForce GTX 750.

We do not have the opportunity to directly compare the sizes of the reference radiator and the ASUS radiator. But we can clearly state the advantage of the video card in question thanks to the larger FirstD FD8015U12S fan of 80 mm size.

A simple printed circuit board inherits the design of the ASUS GTX750TI-OC-2GD5, only instead of three GPU power phases, two are implemented.

Full markings of the GM107-300-A2 processor.

Four SKhynix H5GC2H24BFR T2C memory chips are soldered.

Only the graphics core was factory overclocked - the base frequency was increased to 1059 MHz with a Boost Clock of 1137 MHz. The memory operates at the prescribed 5010 MHz (according to monitoring - 5012 MHz).

ASIC Quality is 82.6%.

Real Boost reaches 1215 MHz and the frequency constantly remains at this mark. Based on the results of a 12-minute warm-up in the Unigine Valley benchmark, the GPU temperature did not exceed 58 °C. The fan spun up to only 1700 rpm, creating minimal noise. Good results for such a cooling system.

ASUS managed to overclock to 1194 MHz at the base frequency with a maximum Boost of 1349 MHz. It is noteworthy that the younger card has a function to increase the power limit, and this ultimately ensures complete stability at maximum frequency without drawdowns even in the heaviest games. The memory was overclocked to 6010 MHz.

For overclocking tests, the fan was set to a higher speed mode (1950 rpm) to ensure minimal temperature change. In this mode, the video card completed almost all tests. The crash and black screen occurred at the very end of testing. But when the card cooled down, we were able to complete the remaining tests without any problems. This demonstrates that the card was working at its limit. Presumably, the reason is the high memory frequencies, and for everyday use one would have to use lower GDDR5 values.

A few words about how the video card was tested as a reference version. The GeForce GTX 750 Ti's Boost frequency easily reaches 1163 MHz with minimal drops. For our tests, a fixed value of 1150 MHz was used as a potential boost in such operating conditions. They did the same this time, lowering the base frequency to such a level that the real value stopped at 1150 MHz. Although, with a lower TDP and lower operating temperatures, the GeForce GTX 750 is more likely to maintain Boost at maximum. So we may have even stripped our card of its legitimate 10-15 MHz. If there are discrepancies, they are tiny and do not fundamentally affect the final results. Characteristics of tested video cards

All participants testing the GeForce GTX 750 Ti will participate in comparative testing. Their characteristics are given in the table below. Older models were tested only at nominal speed, without overclocking.

Below are the official frequency data. The graphs show the full range of NVIDIA core operating frequencies, including peak Boost values.

Video adapter	GeForce GTX 660	GeForce GTX 750 Ti	GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost		GeForce GTX 750	GeForce GTX 650 Ti	Radeon R9 270	Radeon HD 7850	Radeon R7 260X 2GB	Radeon R7 260X 1GB	Radeon R7 260
Core	GK106	GM107	GK106	GM107	GM107	GK106	Curacao	Pitcairn	Bonaire	Bonaire	Bonaire
Number of transistors, million pieces	2540	1870	2540	1870	1870	2540	2800	2800	2080	2080	2080
Technical process, nm	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28
Core area, sq. mm	221	148	221	148	148	221	212	212	160	160	160
Number of stream processors	960	640	768	512	512	768	1280	1024	896	896	768
Number of texture blocks	80	40	64	32	32	64	80	64	56	56	48
Number of rendering units	24	16	24	16	16	16	32	32	16	16	16
Core frequency, MHz	980-1033	1020-1085	980-1033	1059-1137	1020-1085	928	625	860	1100	1000	1000
Memory bus, bit	192	128	192	128	128	128	256	256	128	128	128
Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory frequency, MHz	6008	5400	6008	5010	5010	5400	5600	4800	6500	6000	6000
Memory capacity, MB	2048	2048	2048	1024	1024	1024	2048	2048	1024	1024	1024
Supported DirectX Version	11.1	11.2	11.1	11.2	11.2	11.1	11.2	11.1	11.2	11.2	11.2
Interface	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0
Declared power level, W	140	60	134	55	55	110	150	130	115	up to 115	95

Test stand

Configuration test bench next:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K ([email protected] GHz, 12 MB);
cooler: Thermalright Venomous X;
motherboard: ASUS Rampage IV Formula/Battlefield 3 (Intel X79 Express);
memory: Kingston KHX2133C11D3K4/16GX (4x4 GB, DDR3-2133@1866 MHz, 10-11-10-28-1T);
system disk: Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB (240 GB, SATA 6Gb/s);
additional drive: Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 (1 TB, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200 rpm);
power supply: Seasonic SS-750KM (750 W);
monitor: ASUS PB278Q (2560x1440, 27″);
operating system: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64;
GeForce GTX 750 driver: NVIDIA GeForce 334.69;
GeForce driver: NVIDIA GeForce 334.67;
Radeon driver: ATI Catalyst 14.1 beta1.6.

IN operating system User Account Control, Superfetch and interface visual effects are disabled. Driver settings are standard. The testing methodology was described earlier.

Test results

Let's start studying the results with Black Flag. Here we see a negligible difference between the GeForce GTX 750 and the GeForce GTX 650 Ti at nominal and overclocked. The first is 4% weaker than the Radeon R7 260. The advantage of ASUS over the reference is 5-6%.

The GeForce GTX 750 in Batman turns out to be slightly weaker than the old GeForce GTX 650 Ti. ASUS outperforms its predecessor in terms of average frame rate and is slightly ahead of the younger version of the Radeon R7 260X. Overclocking GeForce allows you to achieve up to 20% advantage over a video adapter with recommended frequencies.

The new GeForce GTX 750 wins by 3-5% relative to the younger NVIDIA participant and is less than 4% below the level of the Radeon R7 260X in terms of average fps. The lag behind the GeForce GTX 750 Ti is 19%, which can be almost completely compensated by overclocking the younger newcomer.

The amount of video memory has a significant impact on performance in . Therefore, the gap between the GeForce GTX 750 and GeForce GTX 750 Ti reaches 27-30%. The newcomer's advantage over the GeForce GTX 650 Ti ranges from 10% in average fps to 21% in minimum fps. The GeForce GTX 750 and Radeon R7 260X have the same minimum score, with a slight advantage over their rival AMD in terms of the average gaming parameter. Overclocking allows ASUS to reach the performance level of the Radeon R7 260X with two gigabytes of memory.

The newcomer turns out to be faster than all versions of the Radeon R7 260X. ASUS is as close as possible to the Radeon HD 7850 in terms of average frame rate. It is noteworthy that overclocking the GeForce GTX 750 has almost no effect on the minimum fps, although with the GeForce GTX 750 Ti everything is different - the increase is excessive, even higher than the increase in frequencies. I think the new video driver will eliminate this funny incident.

The budget newcomer is losing ground relative to the GeForce GTX 650 Ti in the game. Even ASUS falls a little short of the level of its predecessor. The difference between the GeForce GTX 750 and GeForce GTX 750 Ti is only 16%. AMD representatives demonstrate an overall advantage. The video adapter in question manages to overtake the younger version of the Radeon R7 260X when overclocked to 1194-1349/6010 MHz.

The GeForce GTX 750 has an average position between the GeForce GTX 650 Ti and Radeon R7 260X 1GB. The gap from competitor AMD is 4-11%. The lag from its older brother GeForce GTX 750 Ti is from 15% in average fps to 22% in minimum fps. Acceleration allows you to catch up with your older partner. At frequencies of 1194-1349/6010 MHz, the newcomer is inferior to the Radeon HD 7850 by only 3-4%.

GeForce GTX 750 beats GeForce GTX 650 Ti in . With the younger Radeon R7 260X, parity in average frequency with a minimum indicator is 10% weaker. ASUS is faster reference by another 4-5%. Overclocking adds 11-14% performance. It is not possible to catch up with the GeForce GTX 750 Ti.

A modest advantage of the regular version of the GeForce GTX 750 over the GeForce GTX 650 Ti and an equally modest gap between ASUS and the Radeon R7 260X 1GB. The difference between GeForce GTX 750 and GeForce GTX 750 Ti is 20-24%.

In Hitman, the GeForce GTX 750 outperforms the Radeon R7 260 and even shows a tiny advantage over the Radeon R7 260X 1GB. The lag behind the GeForce GTX 750 Ti is no more than 15%, which is compensated by overclocking. Higher frequencies allow you to bypass the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost.

At the Ashes level, we see a difference of 6-13% between NVIDIA's junior participants in favor of the GeForce GTX 750. The newcomer wins 2-3% over the Radeon R7 260X 1GB. ASUS is faster than the older version of the Radeon R7 260X. The difference between the two representatives of the GTX 750 series is 16-22%.

In the built-in benchmark, the ratio between GeForce GTX 750 and Radeon R7 260X shifts towards AMD. The advantage over the Radeon R7 260 remains.

The newcomer confidently outperforms the GeForce GTX 650 Ti, but falls slightly short of the Radeon R7 260. ASUS is slightly behind the Radeon R7 260X. The difference with the older GeForce GTX 750 Ti is less than 13%, which is easily compensated by overclocking.

The new GeForce GTX 750 is inferior to the old GeForce GTX 650 Ti by 3% in terms of minimum fps, but beats it by 6% in terms of average. A modest 4% lag in the average gaming frame rate relative to the Radeon R7 260X is combined with a 22% difference in the minimum parameter in favor of this AMD representative. The advantage of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti over its younger counterpart reaches 15-17%. The latter easily covers this with its overclocking.

In Splinter Cell, the newcomer outperforms the Radeon R7 260. We can talk about parity between ASUS and the Radeon R7 260X 1GB. Overclocking allows you to demonstrate the performance level of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti and Radeon HD 7850.

The performance of a simple GeForce GTX 750 is at the level of the Radeon R7 260. The newcomer loses up to 5% to the old NVIDIA representative. ASUS is already on par with the GeForce GTX 650 Ti, showing at the same time a tiny lag behind the Radeon R7 260X 1GB. Overclocking allows you to overtake the GeForce GTX 750 Ti and reduce the gap from the Radeon HD 7850 to 4-5%.

GeForce GTX 750 is 2% faster than GeForce GTX 650 Ti and 5% better than Radeon R7 260. ASUS is 5% faster than the reference. The difference between GeForce GTX 750 and GeForce GTX 750 Ti is less than 17%. At frequencies of 1194-1349/6010 MHz, the newcomer is inferior to the Radeon HD 7850 by less than one percent.

In the most latest version 3DMark advantage over its predecessor reaches 11%. Same difference with Radeon R7 260X 1GB. The newcomer Radeon R7 260 snatches a couple of percent. The lag behind the GeForce GTX 750 Ti is at the standard level of 17%.

Energy consumption

Quite expectedly, the newcomer turned out to be the most economical among all participants. Moreover, a system with a GeForce GTX 750 shows up to a 13 W difference in power consumption from a system based on a GeForce GTX 750 Ti. But you should understand that these values were obtained using specific non-reference video card models.

conclusions

Based on the testing results, we can state the closest results for the GeForce GTX 750 and Radeon R7 260. The NVIDIA newcomer outperforms its opponent in nine out of 21 tests. But only in five games does the AMD opponent clearly win. In other cases, we can talk about approximate parity, when one of the opponents is better in terms of the average game parameter, and the second is better in terms of minimum fps. Radeon R7 260X already looks more confident. The new GeForce manages to beat such a competitor in only five tests. Although in many cases the difference is still not critical and is easily compensated by the increase in frequencies of the GeForce GTX 750. It is pleasant to note the increase in performance relative to the GeForce GTX 650 Ti in the vast majority of games. A slight advantage for the old one is observed only in four cases; in other applications the GeForce GTX 750 is faster, albeit by a minimal margin. This is the ratio between the two GeForces different generations remains the same during overclocking. However, our GeForce GTX 650 Ti is not the best in this regard. It is possible that the top versions of the old video adapter will be stronger than the new one. But the GeForce GTX 750 also has low power consumption. In this regard, the affordable Maxwell is better than all its closest competitors from AMD and NVIDIA.

Another important advantage is that the low heat dissipation of the GM107 allows even simple systems cooling to maintain low operating temperatures and low noise levels. It is worth noting the good overclocking potential. In our specific case, we were able to obtain an increase of 15-20% relative to the recommended frequency configuration. Such overclocking sometimes allows you to catch up with the older GeForce GTX 750 Ti with a large amount of memory. So on this moment GeForce GTX 750 is the most progressive and best combination of consumer characteristics video card in its price segment. The only real drawback can be considered the inflated prices in our retail stores. This already makes you think about buying a Radeon or even an old GeForce GTX 650 Ti. But after prices normalize, competitors of the GeForce GTX 750 will have a hard time.

The reviewed ASUS GTX750-PHOC-1GD5 card is more interesting than the reference, although it doesn’t stand out in anything special. Cooling is better than a standard cooler mainly due to the larger fan, but this is enough for comfortable acoustic mode. Factory overclocking provides an additional 4-6% performance, which is a nice addition. And the overall frequency potential is quite decent. With careful selection of the final frequencies, it is quite possible to operate the video card in quiet mode.

Chip-based architecture Maxwell, we have studied specifications devices and conducted the first rapid test of the new product. We offer a more detailed assessment of the performance, overclocking potential and energy efficiency of the reference adapter with the GM107 graphics processor.

Overclocking

Before moving on to evaluating the performance of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, let's pay attention to the frequency potential of the video card. As we mentioned earlier, the reference adapter's GPU has a base frequency of 1020 MHz. Thanks to GPU Boost 2.0 technology, this value changes dynamically and, as practice has shown, during load it can increase up to 1150 MHz.

Let's see how much you can increase the GPU frequency yourself. Using the MSI Afterburner application, we were able to increase the base value to 1155 MHz (+13.2%). The Power Limit parameter for the reference adapter cannot be changed. This is not surprising considering that this model does not provide for additional power supply. The TDP of the video card is 60 W, while PCI slot Express x16 can provide up to 75W. It is important that the adapter consumption does not exceed the latter value; in addition, some power reserve is required.

The memory clock frequency was increased from 5400 MHz to 6524 MHz (+20.8%). The power consumption of a video card also increases with increasing memory frequency, so a certain balance is needed here.

Surely for devices equipped with an additional power connector, the frequency limits will be even higher, but the reference adapter also receives a good increase.

After overclocking, heating GPU increased slightly. The GPU temperature under load increased to 69C. These results are rather of academic interest, since video card manufacturers will use, at a minimum, original cooling systems, and often printed circuit boards own development. At the same time, we note that after additional boosting, the GPU clock frequency increased up to 1284 MHz. That is, the frequency potential of the GM107 is quite good.

Performance

We began to look at the performance of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti in the first part of the material dedicated to the new product based on a chip with Maxwell architecture. To more fully evaluate the device's capabilities, we also included the GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST in our review. A popular solution in its class has now practically disappeared from sale; perhaps, by comparing the results, the situation will become clearer. It will be interesting to compare the indicators with those for the Radeon R7 265, which recently joined the line of AMD graphics adapters. The model is actually based on the Radeon HD 7850. Considering the stated price of $149, it is obvious that this is the model the company is pitting against the new product of its main competitor. Since the Radeon R7 265 is not yet available for sale, this position is modeled using the HD 7850, which received higher chip/memory frequencies (925/5600 MHz) characteristic of the “new” model.

The diagrams also show the results of the Radeon R7 260X, operating in two frequency modes - 1000/6000 MHz and 1100/6500 MHz. In the second case, we are not talking about overclocking. The fact is that for Radeon R7 260X equipped with 1 GB of memory, the first formula is standard, while for versions with 2 GB of memory 1100/6500 MHz are recommended. We had an adapter with 1 GB of local memory, but for experimental purposes we increased the chip/memory clock speed to the level corresponding to the 2 GB version. Twice the amount of local RAM would improve the results of the Radeon R7 260X, but in the graphics modes used this would have less of an effect than the impressive difference in clock speeds.

The obtained indicators are quite difficult to average. Overall, the performance of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti is higher than that of the Radeon R7 260X, however, as before, a lot depends on the specific game engine. The difference can range from 5-7% in the synthetic FutureMark, to an impressive 31% in the game Bioshock Infinite. Moreover, in some cases, the AMD solution looks even preferable - a 5% difference in Total War: ROME II, about 2% in GRID 2 and almost equal results in Battlefield 4.

The performance of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti and Radeon R7 265, which are equal in price, is very interesting. In nominal modes, the AMD model is on average 15% more productive. Again, the advantage varies depending on the game. In the worst case scenario, in the game Bioshock Infinite, the Radeon R7 265 was even marginally inferior to the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, but this is an exception to the rule.

Comparing the performance of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti and GeForce GTX 650 Ti, one can observe a significant advantage of the new video card – 20–25%. Using these models as an example, we can talk about the advantages of the Maxwell architecture. Having more compute units (768 vs. 640), the Kepler-based GTX 650 Ti is noticeably inferior to the GTX 750 Ti. Although, of course, you should not lose sight of the difference in the base clock speeds of the GPUs, as well as the fact that the GTX 750 Ti has a GPU Boost mechanism that accelerates the chip up to 1150 MHz. While the GTX 650 Ti is content with 925 MHz.

The tests have shown that the GeForce GTX 750 Ti in many cases can replace not only the GTX 650 Ti, but also compete on an equal footing with the faster GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST. It is not surprising that NVIDIA does not yet plan to offer anything to replace the video card that is leaving the market. Often the performance difference is very small, up to 5%. The exception is when the application is very sensitive to bandwidth memory. In these cases, the 192-bit GTX 650 Ti BOOST bus comes in handy.

Additional overclocking improves the GeForce GTX 750 Ti's performance by 11-15%, sometimes allowing it to close the gap with the Radeon R7 265, although the latter also has a good margin for frequency tuning, which can be used if necessary.

Energy consumption

When starting to evaluate the energy efficiency of a video card based on a chip with Maxwell architecture, we expected interesting results. Indeed, the stated TDP level of 60 W for a device of this level is an impressive figure. Classmates' competitors have thermal packages of 100+ W.

We measured the maximum overall PC power consumption values obtained when used under the same conditions with various video cards. In the game Battefield 4, the difference in consumption of systems on the GeForce GTX 750 Ti and Radeon R7 260X was about 30–35 W, while the PC with the new NVIDIA product was 40–50 W more economical than the platforms with the Radeon R7 265 and GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST.

To reduce the impact of processor power consumption on the final result, we measured the results after running the FurMark stress test, which creates an extreme load on the video card and a minimal load on the CPU. Under such conditions, the difference in indicators increased to 50–60 W.

Results

GeForce GTX 750 Ti – interesting solution according to a whole set of parameters. Using a new graphics architecture, NVIDIA was able to significantly increase the performance of computing units, while simultaneously improving the energy efficiency of devices on Maxwell. It is obvious that the GeForce GTX 750 Ti is becoming the best solution in its class in terms of performance per watt of energy consumed. This is the fastest video card that does not require additional power. A very interesting option for fairly economical universal PCs of compact form factors. At the same time, the capabilities of the device allow you to get a comfortable level of performance in games.

As part of classic gaming platforms, the obvious advantages of the new product based on the GM107 will be somewhat offset by the rather high declared cost of the device. The recommended price of $149 matches that of the Radeon R7 265, which is significantly faster than the GeForce GTX 750 Ti. The struggle of two concepts. The new NVIDIA product has a progressive architecture, significantly better energy efficiency and support for proprietary technologies. AMD offers more performance for the same money, a promising Mantle API and the ability to use adapters in CrossFire mode.

The most significant argument when choosing in this case may be the real retail cost specific devices. GeForce GTX 750 Ti is already on sale at prices starting from 1,700 UAH. Radeon R7 265 is still not on sale, although they were nominally presented a few days earlier. Radeon HD 7850, differing from the Radeon R7 265 only more low frequencies, are available, but are offered from 2200 UAH. Alas, these models already fall into the sphere of interests of cryptocurrency lovers, therefore in practice they are greatly overvalued.

The compact and inexpensive board from Palit Microsystems Ltd is also equipped with an exclusive cooling system with a Palit TurboFan Blade air supercharger, the design of the blades of which was borrowed from turbojet engine fans. This design allows you to increase air flow at current speeds and thereby effectively combat overheating, demonstrating low noise levels. Among other things, the manufacturer has also improved the component base: replaced the standard capacitors with more reliable solid-state ones, used ferrite cores and modified the pulse-width modulator.

Conclusion

It cannot be said that the test results revealed something new for us. The result was predetermined by the given frequency characteristics. There was hope for possible overclocking potential, but there were no surprises here either. Here we have many similar video cards, with good cooling and sufficient performance for a mid-range system. Today, while developers are just looking at gaming platforms, and there are no particular reasons for increasing the load on video adapters, models based on NVIDIA Maxwell will be relevant for at least a couple of years.

However, there are significant differences between our competitors, despite having an identical platform. Enthusiasts and overclockers should pay attention to the MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti TWIN FROZR: it has a rich selection of software and a module for switching between two BIOSes. All this will allow us to more effectively solve the tasks. And for those who are not inclined to experiment, we can offer the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti - a reliable device from a renowned manufacturer with high pre-overclocking.

Motherboard: Asus Maximus VII Hero (BIOS v 0904);
Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K 3800 MHz (100x38, 1.132 V) or 800 MHz when measuring the noise of the cooling system;
CPU cooling system: Thermalright Archon (Thermalright TY-140 fan, 140 mm, 500 rpm);
RAM: Kingston PC3-17000 (DDR3-2133, 9-10-10-27, 2x4 GB, dual-channel mode);
Hard drive: OCZ Vertex 4, 128 GB;
Power supply: ETG Premium 1200W, 1200 Watt;
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922.

Software

Operating system: Windows 7 x64 Ultimate;
Video card driver: Nvidia ForceWare WHQL 337.88;
Helper utilities:

GPU-z v. 0.7.9;
Heaven Benchmark 4.0;
MSI Afterburner v4.0.0 Final;
MSI Kombustor 2.5.

Testing tools and methodology

To overclock video cards, as well as monitor temperatures and fan speeds, the proprietary MSI Afterburner v4.0.0 Final utility was used.

The stability of the accelerators during overclocking was checked using the MSI Kombustor 2.5 utility (GPU Burn-in mode, 1920 x 1080). The obtained frequencies were additionally verified by running the Heaven Benchmark v 4.0 test with an extreme level of tessellation and graphics tests from the 3DMark 2013, 3DMark 11 and 3DMark Vantage packages.

To check the temperature conditions of video cards in conditions close to everyday conditions, Heaven BenchMark v was used. 4.0 (quality: ultra, tessellation: extreme, AA8x, 1920 x 1080).

The noise level was measured using a TM-102 digital sound level meter with a measurement error of no more than 0.5 dB. The measurements were taken from a distance of 0.5 m. The background noise level in the room was no more than 28 dB. The room temperature was 26 degrees Celsius.

Standard frequencies and overclocking

Test Inno3D GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC

This model comes with factory overclocking: base overclock to 1046 MHz core versus 1020 MHz for the reference version of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, in Boost mode – 1111 MHz at a voltage of 1.150 V versus 1085 MHz. The memory frequency is left unchanged – 1350 MHz.

In no-load mode, the frequencies dropped to 135/202 MHz, the GPU temperature during this operation was 29°C, and the noise emitted by the cooling system can be called very low.

Under load, GPU Boost 2.0 technology gives the graphics card the opportunity to show its character. The graphics core frequency was 1189 MHz, and the temperature did not exceed 68°C. The installed fan coped with its task at an impeller rotation speed of 1050 rpm, and the noise emitted was minimal.

How are things going with overclocking? It was difficult to find stable frequencies of the video core and memory, but my attempts were rewarded: 1196 MHz and 1600 MHz, respectively; in gaming applications the clock frequency reached 1334 MHz. Not a bad result.

It is worth noting that, despite the possibility of increasing the voltage by 31 mV, overclocking took place at the standard value, since as the voltage increased, the power consumption of the video card increased, and it, in turn, reduced the clock frequencies.

Now we present a graph of the dependence of temperature and noise on fan speed of the Inno3D GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC video card.

KFA2 GeForce GTX 750 Ti test

This model did without factory overclocking, its core frequency in normal mode was 1020 MHz, in Boost mode it was 1085 MHz versus 1033 MHz at a voltage of 1.131 V. The memory frequency remained the reference one - 1350 MHz.

When idle, the video card dropped frequencies to 135/202 MHz. The temperature dropped to 30°C and the noise emitted was low.

When turning on a “heavy” game, the video card came to life, and thanks to GPU Boost 2.0 technology, the core frequency increased to 1176 MHz. It is worth noting that installed system cooling did not allow the GPU to warm up above 56°C. At the same time, the noise emitted was low and was recorded only when the side wall of the case was open.

Let's move on to acceleration. And here everything is not bad: the core and video memory frequencies were 1240 MHz and 1675 MHz, respectively, and in Boost mode even 1381 MHz. An excellent result for such a baby!

At the end, it is worth giving a graph of the dependence of temperature and noise on fan speed, which will more clearly show the efficiency of the cooling system.

Test Palit GeForce GTX 750 Ti KalmX

The Palit video card is deprived of factory overclocking for the sake of the performance of the passive cooling system, so the frequency formula looks like 1020 MHz for the core and 1350 MHz for the memory.

Its idle frequencies dropped to 135/202 MHz, and the GPU temperature was fixed at 31°C. I think there is no point in writing about the noise level, it simply doesn’t exist.

Let's move on to the load. Everything is not bad here: the second version of Boost ensured that the video core operated at a frequency of 1163 MHz, the memory functioned at the required 1350 MHz.

In this state, I was unable to warm up the GPU above 57°C. The result is impressive considering the fact that KalmX's original passive cooling system operated without additional airflow in a closed case.

It should be noted that it was decided to test the acceleration without additional airflow in order to determine the efficiency of the CO. The video card achieved a core frequency of 1240 MHz (Boost 1305 MHz), the memory did not disappoint - 1700 MHz. A worthy result, considering the fact that in applications the GPU frequency was 1366 MHz.

In this case, there is no point in showing a graph of the dependence of temperature and noise on fan speed, since the Palit GeForce GTX 750 Ti KalmX worked in passive mode. One has only to say that the highest temperature value was recorded in the game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and was equal to 62°C at reference frequencies, in other cases its value was in the range of 55-58°C.

Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC test

In turn, the Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC model comes with factory overclocking, as indicated by the “OC” suffix. The base core frequency was increased from 1020 MHz to 1033 MHz (in Boost mode - from 1085 MHz to 1111 MHz) at a voltage of 1.137 V. At the same time, the video memory frequency remained untouched - 1350 MHz.

When idle, the accelerator dropped frequencies to 135/202 MHz, and the GPU temperature was set at 30°C. The noise level emitted by the fan can be described as low.

Under load, thanks to GPU Boost 2.0 technology, the video core frequency increased up to 1176 MHz. At the same time, the cooling system did not allow the graphics processor to warm up above 64°C, operating at 45% of its capacity. maximum power. This approach ensured fairly quiet operation of the video card.

But what testing without overclocking? After an hour and a half of all sorts of games and tests, the process stopped at 1258 MHz for the core (in Boost mode - 1336 MHz) and 1725 MHz for memory. And thanks to GPU Boost 2.0, the core frequency was several points higher and amounted to 1358-1387 MHz.

At the end, it is worth giving a graph of the dependence of temperature and noise on the speed of the cooling system fan.

GeForce GTX 750 Ti performance

Performance in gaming applications has been examined repeatedly in the laboratory. Here are just a few links:

The baby KFA2 GeForce GTX 750 Ti is not a simple video card and can give other full-size solutions a head start. Due to its small size this model will be an excellent choice for building compact systems, and coupled with an efficient and quiet cooling system, you can forget about its existence when watching a movie on your HTPC.

The Palit GeForce GTX 750 Ti KalmX graphics accelerator with a passive cooling system, which turned out to be balanced, with a high-quality element base and silent CO, also looks like an interesting character. It can be recommended to users who want a productive solution in their systems that provides proper cooling and does not distract from their favorite game with noise: just put it in and forget it. And the extended three-year warranty can be considered a plus.

But the Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC model stands apart. Interesting appearance, excellent factory potential, high-quality components, a good set of supplies and a cooling system that, at first glance, is slightly inferior to its competitors in efficiency. But if you take a closer look, everything is in order here, because a temperature of 65°C (or even 70°C) cannot be called critical. There is no need to talk about the level of noise emitted - at low fan speeds the video card is practically silent, and it is in this state that it operates in automatic mode.

Nefedov Peter aka Go.d-bq

We express our gratitude to:

Regard Company for providing Inno3D GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, KFA2 GeForce GTX 750 Ti, Palit GeForce GTX 750 Ti KalmX and Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC video cards for testing.

Motherboard: Asus Maximus VII Hero (BIOS v 0904);
Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K 3800 MHz (100x38, 1.132 V) or 800 MHz when measuring the noise of the cooling system;
CPU cooling system: Thermalright Archon (Thermalright TY-140 fan, 140 mm, 500 rpm);
RAM: Kingston PC3-17000 (DDR3-2133, 9-10-10-27, 2x4 GB, dual-channel mode);
Hard drive: OCZ Vertex 4, 128 GB;
Power supply: ETG Premium 1200W, 1200 Watt;
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922.

Software:

Operating system: Windows 7 x64 Ultimate;
Video card driver: Nvidia ForceWare WHQL 337.88;
Helper utilities:
GPU-z v. 0.7.9;
Heaven Benchmark 4.0;
MSI Afterburner v4.0.0 Final;
MSI Kombustor 2.5.

Testing tools and methodology

To overclock video cards, as well as monitor temperatures and fan speeds, the proprietary MSI Afterburner v4.0.0 Final utility was used.

To check the temperature conditions of video cards in conditions close to everyday conditions, Heaven BenchMark v was used. 4.0 (quality: ultra, tessellation: extreme, AA8x, 1920 x 1080).

Standard frequencies and overclocking

Test EVGA GeForce GTX 750

This model comes with standard factory values - core and memory frequencies of 1020 MHz (Boost 1085 MHz) and 1253 MHz, respectively.

In no-load mode, frequencies are reduced to 135/202 MHz, the temperature of the GPU during this operation is 29°C, and the noise emitted by the cooling system can be called very quiet.

In load mode, GPU Boost 2.0 technology allows the video card to show its character. The graphics core frequency reaches 1150 MHz, and the temperature does not exceed 55°C. The installed large fan confidently copes with the task, without spinning up even half of its power, producing a low noise level.

When switching to overclocking, I had to face a natural obstacle laid down by Nvidia engineers, which lies in the maximum power consumption limited at 100%.

The latest version of the MSI Afterburner utility was powerless, but EVGA has its own program for this - EVGA PrecisionX. But even she was helpless: switching between power consumption and maximum temperature did not lead to anything. Everything is limited at the BIOS level.

In order not to harm the video cards, and taking into account the fact that many users overclock without BIOS modifications, it was decided to overclock only using software, in this case EVGA PrecisionX.

It was difficult to find stable frequencies of the video core and memory, but my attempts were rewarded: 1295 MHz and 1453 MHz, respectively; in gaming applications the clock frequency reached 1424 MHz. Excellent result.

As you can see, the voltage was not increased, since this entailed an increase in power consumption and a decrease in clock frequency for the sake of balance.

At the end, it is worth showing a graph of the dependence of temperature and noise on the fan speed of the EVGA GeForce GTX 750 video card.

First-generation Maxwell graphics accelerators are quite cold, and even at the minimum rotation speed of the impellers, the temperature of the main key elements - the processor and power subsystem - does not exceed the psychological mark of 70°C.

Test Inno3D GeForce GTX 750 Green

The Inno3D GeForce GTX 750 Green model does not come with factory overclocking, which we will soon fix.

When idle, the accelerator drops frequencies to 135/202 MHz, the GPU temperature during this operation is 28°C, and the noise level is minimal.

The load created by gaming applications revealed all the cards of the Inno3D model: if the overclocking was slightly lower than that of its competitor, then in the load, thanks to the more aggressive behavior of GPU Boost technology version 2.0, the Inno3D GeForce GTX 750 Green accelerator managed to outperform its opponent.

At the same time, the GPU temperature did not exceed 55°C, an excellent result. And the noise level emitted by the fan can be described as low.

Let's move on to acceleration. The core and video memory frequencies were 1295 MHz and 1553 MHz, respectively, and in Boost mode even 1428-1455 MHz, depending on power consumption.

At the end, it is worth giving a graph of the dependence of temperature and noise on fan speed, which will clearly show the efficiency of the cooling system.

And then there's a surprise. Even when the fan impeller rotation speed is set to 100%, the latter, according to software, began to work as expected, but the sound level meter did not detect any other activity, as shown in the graph. Simply put, the spinner always spins at the same speed. But it's always quiet.

Test Zotac GeForce GTX 750 LP

The little Zotac GeForce GTX 750 LP not only has the most compact dimensions, but also boasts, albeit quite modest, factory overclocking. Increase in base frequencies - up to 1033 MHz on the core versus 1020 MHz, in Boost mode - 1111 MHz versus 1085 MHz. The memory frequency is unchanged – 1253 MHz. Once again I am convinced that engineers are simply chasing beautiful numbers.

When idle, the accelerator resets frequencies to 135/202 MHz. In this case, the temperature of the GPU is set at 28°C, and the noise level emitted by the CO can be described as very low.

After two hours of continuous testing, the maximum GPU temperature was recorded at 58°C. Worthy for a baby! At the same time, the fan speed remained almost unchanged.

But we were either unlucky with overclocking, or we reached the limit of this board. The Zotac GeForce GTX 750 LP accelerator was able to operate only at 1208 MHz (in Boost it reaches 1351 MHz) for the core and 1528 MHz for the memory, and not a megahertz more.

To make the picture more clear, I will give a graph of the dependence of temperature and noise on fan speed.

The Inno3D GeForce GTX 750 Green graphics accelerator was also pleasantly surprised – if not by its appearance (don’t forget: we meet you by your clothes, you see us off by your mind), then at least in its overclocking. Let the considered model not pretend to be the most interesting component of the system, as some Asus solutions or MSI, but it can be safely recommended to people who are indifferent to design, preferring Good work. It is worth mentioning one nuance: for some reason, the rotation speed of the fan impeller did not change, and there are no other BIOS versions on the Internet, so you will either have to edit it yourself or be content with the same operation.

Well, the baby Zotac GeForce GTX 750 LP, being a classic representative of low-profile accelerators, will appeal to owners of HTPC and mATX systems due to its compact size. There is no need to talk about the noise emitted - at low fan speeds the video card is practically silent, and it is in this state that it operates in automatic mode.

Nefedov Peter aka Go.d-bq

We express our gratitude to: