Previous generations of Geforce reference designs featured relatively noisy coolers, but luckily this is no longer the case. Although many average users should have no concerns about picking up a reference GTX 780 Ti, overclockers might need something a bit better. When overclocked, the reference GTX 780 Ti can be loud, much louder than the EVGA GTX 780 Ti Superclocked ACX at the same clocks. Furthermore, the ACX cooler also allows for more overclocking headroom.

Note that the factory overclock raises the GPU clock by 130MHz, but we managed to squeeze additional 130MHz out of the already overclocked card, which is very impressive. If you are a hard core overclocker we suggest you wait for the EVGA GTX 780Ti Dual Classified Kingipin Edition card, as it is supposedly designed specifically for overclockers, at least those overclockers that will be able to afford it.

The factory overclock was enough to make the GTX 780 Ti SC ACX one of the fastest single-GPU graphics card on the market as it ends about 9 percent faster than the reference GTX 780 Ti. Combined with our overclock we measured up to 19 percent better performance.

In addition to great performance, the ACX cooler is also quite a bit quieter than the reference cooler when the card is pushed to its limits. For example it is just as quiet as the reference cooler at reference clocks even with a 130MHz GPU overclock. Furthermore the ACX cooler keeps the GPU somewhat cooler than the reference design. The GPU temperature does not exceed 74 degrees Celsius, while the reference card usually hits 83 degrees Celsius.

It is clear that AMD forced Nvidia to launch the GTX 780 Ti and slash pricing across the board. The 780 Ti is now available for €590, although the Superclocked ACX costs about €60 more. It is still relatively pricey compared to the R9 290X which has a disappointing reference cooler – but custom R290X cards are finally starting to appear.

The GTX 780 Ti SC ACX has 3GB of GDDR5, while the Titan ships with 6GB. Unless you have some very specific requirements, 3GB should be more than enough for comfortable gaming. The Titan is not faster in 2560x1600 tests than the GTX 780 Ti SC ACX. The Titan was basically a prestige compute card and it was overpriced when it launched. For gamers it no longer makes any sense and we suspect its days are numbered.

To conclude, EVGA has done an outstanding job. The new ACX cooler impressed us both in terms of performance and low noise, the overall performance of the GTX 780 Ti SC ACX is exceptional and the card should be able to handle new games for at least a couple of years.

Let’s also note that all EVGA Geforce GTX 780 Ti cards come with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Splinter Cell Blacklist. EVGA also exclusively bundles in for FREE the following games: Deadfall Adventures, Painkiller Hell and Damnation, and Rise of the Triad.