WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.359 Another day, another new graphics card. 00:00:03.280 --> 00:00:13.920 Welcome to the Lionus Tech Tips performance overview of the GTX 980 from 00:00:08.559 --> 00:00:13.920 NVIDIA, their most advanced GPU 00:00:18.279 --> 00:00:23.279 yet. DKL's new Rip Jaws 4 series is 00:00:21.279 --> 00:00:27.439 their ultimate DDR4 memory with speeds of up to 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:29.519 3,333 MHz available. Click now to learn 00:00:27.439 --> 00:00:34.000 more. As usual, we'll start with the unboxing and physical overview. The 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:40.719 Media Sample GTX 980s come packaged in this sweet box that has the card upright 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:47.200 looking all majestic with its magnesium alloy fan housing, aluminum frame, and 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:48.600 trivalent chromium plating with H. 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:53.199 What's that? Sorry, you've seen this user 00:00:50.800 --> 00:00:58.320 configurable green LED lit GeForce logo before. NVIDIA hasn't really changed 00:00:55.680 --> 00:01:03.359 their cooler design since the 690. Ah, yes. No, I can see how you might think 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:08.479 that, but you haven't seen the back yet. Check it out. Now, we get a full metal 00:01:06.479 --> 00:01:12.799 back plate with a classy looking design and surface. Now, the issue with back 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:17.439 plates, and presumably the reason NVIDIA has never done a reference card with one 00:01:14.479 --> 00:01:22.000 before, is that it restricts the intake of a card installed in the next slot 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:26.159 over in tightly packed SLI configurations. So NVIDIA made this 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:32.000 strategic chunk of the back plate removable for users with lots of cards 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:37.280 right next to each other in SLI. Not that you need to run SLI just to hook up 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:42.159 enough monitors anymore. As we move over to the IO, yeah, that's some pretty good 00:01:39.600 --> 00:01:47.439 stuff right there. Three DisplayPort ports, so that's up to three G-Sync 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:50.479 displays off of a single card. An HDMI 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:54.320 2.0 port. So yeah, that's 4K 60 Hz over 00:01:50.479 --> 00:01:56.720 HDMI. and a dual link DVI port can all 00:01:54.320 --> 00:02:01.280 be found here. Any four of which can be used at one time on this beast of a 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:07.920 graphics card. Which leads us to the next notable thing physically. This is a 00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:12.319 flagship 80 class card, but like the GTX 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:13.920 680, it only has two six pin connectors. 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:19.040 A hint at the incredible power efficiency of the Maxwell architecture 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:24.160 at the core of the GM 204 chip that powers this card. The GTX 980 not only 00:02:22.480 --> 00:02:30.080 hung around at the top of our performance charts, but did it while 00:02:26.480 --> 00:02:33.519 consuming less power than GK 110based 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:35.519 cards like the 780 and 780 Ti and while 00:02:33.519 --> 00:02:39.840 running extremely quietly. So, let's talk about Maxwell for a bit here. 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:43.519 Without shrinking the manufacturing process, so they're still on the same 00:02:41.519 --> 00:02:49.440 28nmter node that they used to build the Kepler based GTX 680, NVIDIA has 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:51.239 effectively reduced TDP by 30 W, 00:02:49.440 --> 00:02:56.800 increased the number of CUDA cores by 33%, increased base clocks and memory 00:02:54.239 --> 00:03:01.760 speed by around 12% and doubled the number of render output units, as well 00:02:59.200 --> 00:03:06.640 as adding some other cool hardware bits to enable some really cool technology. 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:11.120 Pretty amazing, actually. So, first up in the new technology list is their 00:03:09.040 --> 00:03:15.280 improved third generation delta color compression. A technique that allows 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:20.400 data coming out of the core to be compressed by a factor of 2:1, 4:1, or 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:25.120 even 8:1 before being committed to memory by storing the value of a change 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:30.159 versus the previous frame rather than the value itself. This combined with 00:03:27.519 --> 00:03:36.959 improved caching allows the GTX 980, in spite of its mere 256-bit memory 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:39.280 interface, to achieve up to around 30% 00:03:36.959 --> 00:03:44.319 better effective memory performance compared to the GTX 680. In this scene, 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:48.640 the pink highlighted screen elements are taking advantage of this technology. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:52.319 Next up is a feature that's all about getting the most out of older games 00:03:50.239 --> 00:03:58.640 where you have lots of GPU horsepower to spare. DSR or dynamic super 00:03:55.799 --> 00:04:04.120 resolution is mostly just another name for a feature that has existed forever 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:06.319 but is now easier to use. Super sampling 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:10.239 anti-aliasing. The way it works is it renders the scene at a higher 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:14.640 resolution. So you can choose 2x, 3x, or 4x in the control panel. Then 00:04:12.480 --> 00:04:19.120 intelligently downscales it with a filter whose sharpness or softness can 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:24.880 be adjusted to let you use your extra GPU horsepower that otherwise was just 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:29.680 sitting there to yield potentially a much more pleasing gaming experience. 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:35.440 It's not the same as actually running on a 4K display, but it's much better than 00:04:32.960 --> 00:04:39.680 running native 1080p. The effect is especially noticeable on the grass in 00:04:37.840 --> 00:04:44.080 Dark Souls II here in this footage that I took at the NVIDIA event. The next 00:04:42.400 --> 00:04:49.880 feature is about getting more performance when we don't have enough, 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:52.199 and it's called MFAA or frame 00:04:49.880 --> 00:04:57.040 anti-aliasing. That's short for multi-frame sampled anti-aliasing. Grow 00:04:54.720 --> 00:05:01.919 up. The way this works is instead of taking a large number of samples with a 00:04:59.840 --> 00:05:08.000 static pattern to smooth the edges of on-screen objects or textures, MFAA 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:13.440 takes fewer samples per frame, half as many from what we've been told, but uses 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:16.400 new hardware in the GTX 980 and 970 to 00:05:13.440 --> 00:05:21.199 alternate the positions with each frame. Then it applies a clever filter. So the 00:05:18.479 --> 00:05:26.479 performance impact is about equivalent to two times MSAA, but the resulting 00:05:24.320 --> 00:05:31.759 image looks pretty much identical to four times MSAA. This feature isn't 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:34.639 enabled in the driver yet, so expect an update once we get a chance to play 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:38.960 around with it some more, but the initial results are impressive. Check 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:43.360 out the effect on the transparent textures like these wires in this 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:46.880 Battlefield 4 demo that NVIDIA was showing off at the launch event. Another 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:50.720 thing we won't be able to test for a while is the improvements that NVIDIA 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:55.680 has been making to the VR experience on their cards. The most notable of which 00:05:52.400 --> 00:05:57.680 is called auto asynchronous warp. A 00:05:55.680 --> 00:06:03.840 cheat, I guess, that allows the head tracking of a VR headset like the Oculus 00:05:59.840 --> 00:06:06.560 Rift to sample its position again right 00:06:03.840 --> 00:06:11.360 before a frame is finished being drawn to reduce the player's perception of the 00:06:08.960 --> 00:06:13.919 delay between physical motion and on-screen motion. And this will be 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:18.639 important for folks who have trouble with motion sickness in VR. Which leads 00:06:16.080 --> 00:06:22.639 us to the final feature, their VxGI global illumination technique that we 00:06:20.479 --> 00:06:26.080 also can't really test here because while Unreal Engine 4 is getting 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:30.319 support, it'll be a while before we get real games with the tech, but it looks 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:34.400 so freaking cool. NVIDIA has a couple of demos to show it off. One where they 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:37.680 render a Cornell box, so you can see the way the direct light enters at the top, 00:06:36.400 --> 00:06:43.520 so the tops of the shapes are the brightest with realistic soft shadows and color bleeding from reflective 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:48.240 surfaces. and one where they recreated as closely as possible the conditions of 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:53.600 this iconic photo from the 1969 lunar landing to demonstrate that it's 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:56.400 completely realistic and wasn't taken 00:06:53.600 --> 00:07:00.720 somewhere in Area 51 or whatever. Now, these two demos wouldn't be impressive 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:06.080 at all except that they're being done in real time instead of using path tracing, 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:09.759 a phenomenally computationally intensive global illumination technique that 00:07:07.520 --> 00:07:14.000 involves following light rays as they bounce around the scene. like all of 00:07:11.440 --> 00:07:19.360 them. NVIDIA is using dedicated hardware to split the scene into cubes called 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:22.160 voxels that act as dynamic light sources 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:28.880 that approximate the results of a more accurate rayraced rendering method but 00:07:25.280 --> 00:07:32.080 in real time. All right, so as cool as 00:07:28.880 --> 00:07:34.240 all that technology is, how does the 00:07:32.080 --> 00:07:38.240 card actually perform? That's what you want to know. Great question, Luke. Take 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:41.440 it away. Before we get into things, I want to point out that overclocking all 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:45.039 of our cards is yet again backed by popular demand. And because of that, you 00:07:43.520 --> 00:07:48.880 will be able to find the overclocking results and settings in the graphics 00:07:46.960 --> 00:07:51.840 card overclocking dock, which should be linked in the description below this 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:56.560 video. Also, when reading the settings for the GTX 980 in the overclocking dock 00:07:54.319 --> 00:08:00.319 below, there's no reason to worry. There is a reason why I ignore the memory 00:07:58.080 --> 00:08:04.400 clock speed. The 980, much like the 780 Ti before it, features a fantastic 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:08.319 technology called autobalancing power rails, which in its most basic 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:12.080 description, allows the card to take extra power overhead from parts of the 00:08:10.319 --> 00:08:16.400 card that aren't using it and move it elsewhere, allowing you to focus on one 00:08:14.080 --> 00:08:20.639 specific thing, which in this case resulted in the GPU clock speed being 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:24.160 cranked through the freaking roof, which is awesome because then you can access 00:08:22.479 --> 00:08:28.080 all of that FPS that you wouldn't otherwise be able to. Performance of the 00:08:25.919 --> 00:08:32.080 GTX 980 is honestly a little bit surprising in a good way. To give proper 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:37.760 context for that statement, we have to look at the rumor mill. Personally, I like to avoid rumors, but sometimes I 00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:42.159 don't really have a choice. For instance, on the September 12th version 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:47.040 of the WAN Show, my brother at Cold SE on Twitter, and I discussed how the 980 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:51.200 was, according to rumors, not supposed to beat out the 780 Ti. So, when I 00:08:49.760 --> 00:08:58.399 finally got the card in hand, I was delighted to see that more often than not, it was able to beat the 780 Ti in 00:08:55.120 --> 00:09:00.560 both 1080p and 4K benchmarks. Now, my 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:07.120 overclock for the 980 feels a little bit high, running at a range of 1503 to 1492 00:09:04.040 --> 00:09:08.880 MHz, but I really have no idea as I have 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:14.000 no one else's overclocks to compare to yet. And to be fair, my 780 Ti overclock 00:09:11.680 --> 00:09:19.200 is very aggressive anyways. So, I haven't exactly done the 980 any favors 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:20.800 in regards to the 780 Ti's clock speed. 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:24.560 But don't forget, all of this performance awesomeness doesn't just 00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:28.880 stand on its own. Not only are you paying considerably less for this card 00:09:26.560 --> 00:09:33.120 than you would pay for a 780 Ti, but you also pay less in the future. Underload, 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:37.920 the 980 has considerably less power draw than the 780 Ti, which is nice if you're 00:09:35.680 --> 00:09:40.720 actually paying for your power bill. And if you're not paying for your power 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:45.360 bill, maybe you can use that little tidbit of information to convince your parents that it might be time for an 00:09:43.680 --> 00:09:48.880 upgrade. Anyways, thanks for watching my segment, guys. Back to you, Linus. 00:09:46.959 --> 00:09:52.320 Thanks, Luke. All right, guys. So, you've seen the results and you've seen 00:09:50.560 --> 00:09:56.360 the pricing. Links as always in the video description for pricing. So, let 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:59.519 us know what you think. For non-overclockers, as I'm sure you'll 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:08.480 have noticed from the other reviews around the web, GTX 980 is a total tank. 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:11.519 But when overclocking the GTX 780 Ti, we 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:14.079 observed that this older GK 1110-based 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:18.320 card becomes much more competitive if you're willing to sacrifice features and 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:23.440 power consumption. So, let us know what you think. If you had over 500 bucks to 00:10:20.959 --> 00:10:27.680 spend on a graphics card, which one would get your money? Also, let us know 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:31.839 in the comments what other coverage you'd like to see of this card. An 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:35.920 overclocking guide, um, SLI performance scaling. Any other ideas? let us know. 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:39.040 Thanks for watching, guys. Like this video if you liked it. Dislike it if you 00:10:37.760 --> 00:10:43.440 disliked it. You can also leave a comment if you have feelings that are just more complicated than this. Also, 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:48.320 check out the link in the video description to support us if you want to buy a cool t-shirt, give us a monthly 00:10:46.880 --> 00:10:51.680 contribution, or change your Amazon bookmark to one with our affiliate code. 00:10:49.920 --> 00:10:54.800 So, when you buy your new graphics card, we'll get a small kickback as a, you 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:58.240 know, thank you for providing us with these videos, Lionus. We sure do think 00:10:56.560 --> 00:11:02.320 you're awesome. Here's your affiliate code being used in Amazon. Helps us out 00:11:00.160 --> 00:11:24.010 a lot. Thanks again for watching. And as always, don't forget to subscribe.