I'm a laptop user who likes to consider his laptop – an i7-4800mq / GTX 780m powered Sager – as a fairly powerful computer, be it for home or school use; it served as my desktop for the better part of a year. However, I got the urge to build a desktop, and with the limited space I had in terms of physical desk size and GPU space as a result of a microATX enclosure, I went with a fairly unusual choice for a smaller form-factor build for my graphics card. I chose an EVGA GTX 780 Ti Classified, a card normally used by fairly hardcore liquid-cooled and LN2-cooled computers.
One such reason was the “factory overclock”, which to me (we're taking a laptop user's view here), meant “guaranteed to work without issue”. As a laptopper, a 143MHz boost versus a reference specimen (1020MHz v. 876MHz when accounted for by the Kepler “13 Rule”) meant I could feel safe that this overclock would perform as expected in gaming. Initial benchmarks with my desktop showed a 3DMark Firestrike score of 11,006; for a gamer obsessed with 60fps at 1080p (and preferably higher), it meant less work and wondrance was necessary; simply max everything out and 60fps would work in the primary games of my choosing (Shift 2, Project CARS, Assetto Corsa, etc., (I'm a racing gamer)). Enjoying this smoothness regardless of the conditions in-game (dust / dirt, rain, car parts flying about), meant that I didn't have to worry if the games' particle engines would put me under 60fps, and searching for reduced settings. This helps in racing games where dips in framerates are more perceptible on average than in other types of games (ie: MMORPGs, for instance).
Packaging for the card was excellent. Soft foam, a nicely shielded bag, undamaged box, etc., I'm not big on the idea of accoutrement (ie: poster gimmicks), but I did like that EVGA knows that this card will most likely be used with high-end desktops, and includes converters for 6-pin to 8-pin, (the GPU takes 2 8-pin connectors for a 375w TDP out of the box) as well as a special strip should one be using this card under liquid cooling, or other “extreme” means. I may take this up in the future as I become more acquainted with this card's abilities, but for now, I'm just going to enjoy air cooling, and the fact that even at its greatly increased stock speeds, the fan curve is sufficient to prevent throttling within an mATX case. On a side note, I do wish that EVGA included a backplate and the OC guide that is provided with the Kingpin edition. Even though this card isn't top-of-the-line (ie: higher boost, guaranteed Samsung RAM, 450w TDP out of the box, etc.,), the purpose of this card is still the same; overclocking and power consuming to absolutely terrifying levels.
Installing the GPU into my Obsidian 350D / Maximus VII Gene combo was sorta like putting together a laptop in the sense of precision. Because the GPU is completely non-reference, and about an inch wider than a reference 780 Ti in order to accommodate the higher number of power phases and other features needed for extreme OC, it can be difficult to see whether the GPU is properly installed in the PCI-E slot. Listen for the click of the actuator close, and make sure the screw holes line up with the holes on the case to re-screw the GPU in. It's not much different than a normal card, it just requires more eye-balling and looking in a small space. Once screwed in, the GPU is in, albeit it does have some sag due to its larger cooler and corresponding weight gain over the reference version. I do recommend getting the 780 Ti's backplate that EVGA offers, but I do wish EVGA would include a backplate much as ASUS does with its MATRIX cards.
So what is it like having a Classified in a microATX case? If it looks like mine, it's a study in “small makes big”. Small size, small case, HUGE punch. At first I was terrified that under gaming loads, and even moreso benchmarking loads, that the GPU would simply fry the corsair RM850 under it by expelling hot air all over it and into the bottom of my case. I was also worried that it would have undesirable effects to the rest of my case. Although the side of my case got warm (heat goes up and along the side of my case, and out the back), there was no throttling, no downclocking from 1020 / 1085 (which ultimately went up to 1150 in both GPU-z and EVGA Precision), and although the air leaving the exhaust fan of my case and my PSU were a bit warmer, the card maintained its composure, albeit in a slightly louder-than-expected way. Not “laptop at full blast loud”, but not quite the “much quieter” effect I had expected from an ACX cooler. I think that's chalked up to my case being a bit smaller than the cases used by the average 780 Ti Classified user.
I admit it, I'm a bit afraid to overclock this GPU, but I decided to do a mild OC to see what would happen. I bumped up the clocks from 1020 to 1072, and saw my 11,006 Firestrike score become an 11,327. Temps maxed out at 77 Deg C vs. the 72 Deg C at reference speeds, and I wasn't comfortable with pushing the card further – not a fault of the GPU, but rather my own conditioning with laptops NOT to overclock things in the first place. I'll post my reference score and my OC scores at the end.
Although I haven't fully exploited the abilities of this GPU just yet (I'm waiting for a displayport cable that has connectors at both ends to get 4K / 60hz), this GPU is suitable for a larger mATX build. By that I don't just mean high performance, but a build that will give this card the necessary airflow it needs. I have it in my Obsidian 350D, but the case is as large as some ATX cases, and I have a liquid cooling loop to remove more of the heat from my CPU. I wouldn't recommend it in smaller cases such as BitFenix's small form-factor lineup, and for ITX, I wouldn't at all (unless you're willing to build it into a custom water loop, and even then the larger PCB may cause issues). However, with the right mATX case, the 780 Ti Classified can be a very powerful, and very viable choice for the gamer who wants one extremely fast GPU in his or her mATX case and has no plans to add a second GPU. Of course, if you water-cool it... adding a second classified is a non-issue... just make sure you have enough power for it. I wouldn't go below 650w for any reason with it, and I wouldn't go below 850 – preferably 1000w – if your plans for this card include BIOS hacking.
Great card, but it needs the right factors to exist in order to survive a life in an mATX case. Highly recommended with user-environment-based reservations (ie: NOT against the card).
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