Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 G1 Gaming: Killer 1080P Gaming

We already know a lot about the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960. In our launch coverage of the GPU we noted, “The GeForce GTX 960’s low-power characteristics, beefed up video engine, and overclocking headroom, in addition to support for technologies like NVIDIA’s Voxel Global Illumination (VXGI), Multi-Frame sampled AA (MFAA), Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR), and DX12,l make the card a compelling choice.” The GTX 960 is an excellent choice for MOBA gamers or gamers running single displays at resolution of 1080P, or below but at high image quality settings.

The GeForce GTX 960 also happens to be a very power efficient GPU, that’s doesn’t need a ton of cooling and most cards require only a single supplemental power connector. Gigabyte, however, decided to amp-up one of their GTX 960 cards to the max—regardless of the GTX 960’s requirements. What they ended up with is a factory overclocked GTX 960, with a highly-capable, oversized cooler, and enough power in reserve to feed cards an order of magnitude more powerful. And that makes the GeForce GTX 960 G1 Gaming we’re going to show you here standout from many of the also-rans in the GPU space. Check it out...

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 G1 Gaming Specifications & Features

Chipset	GeForce GTX 960
Core Clock	Base / Boost clock：1241/ 1304 MHz
Memory Clock	7010 MHz
Process Technology	28 nm
Memory Size	2 GB (4GB Also Available)
Memory Bus	128 bit
Card Bus	PCI-E 3.0
Memory Type	GDDR5
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.4
PCB Form	ATX
Digital max resolution	4096 X 2160
Analog max resolution	2048 x 1536
Multi-view	4
I/O	Dual-link DVI-I / Dual-link DVI-D / HDMI / DisplayPort*3
Card size	H=43mm, L=295mm, W=114mm (without bracket)
Power requirement Pricing:	400W (with one 6-pin & one 8-pin external power connectors) 2GB model $190 currently on Amazon 4GB Model $239 currently on Amazon

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The Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 Gaming’s main features and specifications are listed above. As you can see, the card is overclocked out of the box with a 1241MHz base clock and 1304 MHz boost clock, but those values can be tweaked via the included Gigabyte OC Guru II utility, which offers standard, OC, and Eco modes for the card.
In addition to its factory overlcock, the Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 Gaming’s Windforce 3X cooling system really stands out. The Windforce 3X packs multiple copper heatpipes, which make direct contact with the GPU, and a relatively large, dense array of aluminum heatsink fins, topped by a trio of fans. Now, the GTX 960 can get by with a cooler a fraction of this size, but outfitting it with something like the Windforce 3X allows Gigabyte to do a few things with this card. First, the fans can be completely shut off when the card is operating at lower temps—which means it’s completely silent when not being taxed. It also allows the GPU to run at lower temperatures than reference solutions, which can aid in overclocking. As an added touch, the cooler has LEDs and indicators that light up to show whether the card is operating in silent mode or if the fans have completely stopped.

The backside of the Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 Gaming is adorned with adorned with a stylized backplate, which helps protect the PCB and adds some rigidity. The card is also outfitted with a ton of outputs for more flexible display configurations. This card has three fill sized DisplayPorts, an HDMI output, and a pair of DVI outputs. At any given time, four of these outputs can be used.

Gigabyte also includes some goodies with its GeForce GTX 960 G1 Gaming. Along with the card itself, you’ll find a pair of power adapters in the box (molex to PCIe), some basic documentation, and a drive and utility disc, which includes a copy of Gigabyte’s OC Guru II utility. This software package give users the ability to tweak clock speeds, fan speeds, voltages, and power and temperature targets, as well as monitor the health of the card.