Today we’ll be taking a closer look at the recently introduced Gainward GTX 970 4GB with the company’s trademark Phantom cooler.

The GTX 970 Phantom is a factory overclocked card with bumped up GPU frequencies, yet thanks to the Phantom cooler it is supposed to be cooler and quieter than the reference card. Actually Gainward is offering two 970-series cards. The second one works at reference clocks and comes with a custom blower cooler. This model is priced at about €300, while the Phantom version costs some €30 to €50 more. Both cards are widely available.

The Geforce GTX 970 is the “second best” graphics card based on the Maxwell GPU architecture. The Geforce GTX 980 is the current flagship, leading the charge for the GTX 900 series. Both cards are based on the 28nm GM204 GPU. The GTX 980 comes with 2048 CUDA cores, while the GTX 970 has 1664 CUDA cores enabled. Three out of sixteen streaming multiprocessors, which each hold 128 CUDA cores, are disabled on the GTX 970.

You can think about the GTX 970 and GTX 980 as replacements for the outgoing Kepler-based GTX 780 and GTX 780Ti.

The GTX 970 Phantom works at a base clock of 1152MHz, while the reference GPU base clock is 1050MHz. Nvidia's GPU Boost 2.0 takes the average GPU clock to 1178MHz for the reference GPU and to 1304MHz for the Phantom card.

In addition to the relatively impressive GPU clock, the Phantom also looks good. It uses a massive triple-slot cooler and looks like it means business, but then again a triple-slot cooler isn’t a great choice for all users.

Despite the comparatively low TDP, a good cooler is still very important on Maxwell cards. All current high-end graphics cards use dynamic overclocking algorithms that take the temperature into account and in order to maximize its performance the card must be well cooled.

Nvidia designed Maxwell to deliver more efficiency and performance. The GTX 980 and GTX 970 are vastly more efficient than their Kepler-based predecessors. The GTX 980 has a TDP of 165W, while the GTX 970 is rated at 145W. The old GTX 780 Ti and GTX 780 have a TDP of 250W. Just like their predecessors both new cards are capable of delivering smooth frame rates at resolutions up to 2560x1600. In case you are planning to build a 4K gaming rig, two GTX 970 cards should be enough for good frame rates and anti-aliasing in demanding titles.

With the GTX 980 and GTX 970, Nvidia also decided to launch a few new technologies that were not employed in the first incarnation of the Maxwell architecture, used in the GTX 750 series. Voxel Global Illumination, Multi Frame Anti-aliasing and Dynamic Super Resolution are built around old concepts, but they do a good job at reinventing them. Of course, DirectX 12 is supported on all Maxwell cards.

Gainward’s packaging is huge, among the biggest used for graphics card today. The nice thing about it is that it features a carrying handle, along with a transparent window which provides a nice view at the card, which is a nice touch for brick-and-mortar retail.

Plenty of descriptions and specs cannot fully satisfy the discerning shopper, as some bits like mini-DisplayPort to standard DisplayPort connectors are not included. The GTX 970 Phantom card comes with three mini-DP connectors, one mini-HDMI connector and (fortunately) one standard dual-link DVI connector. In the box you will find a DVI-to-VGA converter and one 8-pin power connector. 

The Gainward GTX 970 Phantom is based on a slightly altered GTX 760 Phantom PCB design and boasts the custom Phantom cooler on top. The Phantom’s fans are hidden behind the heatsink, so it may trick some people into thinking that it’s a passive cooler. Still, if you peek through the heatsink fins, you’ll see the silhouettes of the fans. The shroud looks nice, but it is plastic.

The Phantom cooler on the GTX 970 card is not a new design, as it is already used on the GTX 760 Phantom card. The cooler uses two fans and the next image shows the GTX 970 Phantom card and the GTX 760 Phantom card. The GTX 970 Phantom card, pictured left, is 247mm long and 112mm high, the same as the GTX 760 Phantom.

We can justify Gainward’s decision not to employ the more powerful Phantom cooler with three fans due to the GTX 970’s TDP of 145W. The old GTX 760 has a TDP of 170W.

For comparison, the GTX 980 has a TDP of 165W, and just like the GTX 970 it requires two 6-pin power connectors. The GTX 780 Ti and GTX 780 have a TDP of 250W.

The last time Gainward redesigned the Phantom cooler was during the transition from GTX 600 to GTX 700 cards. The most visible difference is that the fans can be easily removed, much like hard drives from a hot swap bay, without messing with the wiring. This clever trick saves a lot of time when you clean your card.

 

Bear in mind that we are dealing with a 2.5-slot cooler, which isn’t a great choice for all users.

However with widely spaced PCIe slots on latest motherboards it should not be a problem to build an SLI setup using two GTX 970 Phantom cards. In addition to standard dual-SLI, it can also be used in triple- and quad-SLI setups, as it features two SLI connectors. It’s important to note that when connecting multiple displays between more than one card, you may see performance differences (similar to previous GPUs). For example, a 3-Way SLI configuration with one display connected to each card, versus plugging all three connectors into the same card.

As far as video outputs on the reference GTX 970 are concerned, most users should be covered. The reference card features three DisplayPort connectors, an HDMI 2.0 connector (which includes HD audio and Blu-ray 3D movies support and allowing you to run 4K@60Hz), and a dual-link DVI output for a total of five connectors.

The Gainward GTX 970 Phantom features the same number of connectors as the reference card, but it uses mini HDMI and mini DisplayPort connectors. They might not be the best choice for all users. Four video outs can be used at the same time, just like on the reference GTX 970 card, with difference that the reference card provides a different mix of video connectors.

Three G-SYNC displays can be driven by a single GeForce GTX 980 / GTX 970 card.

The I/O bracket also doubles as an exhaust vent, helping reduce temperatures within the chassis. The exhaust vent is much more important on the reference cooler which uses blower style fan (image below).

 

In order to provide a stable base for the bulky Phantom cooler Gainward decided to use a metal extension on the card, which extends along the top of the card.

The GTX 970 Phantom card has 4GB of GDDR5 memory and all the memory modules are at the GPU side of the PCB.  The memory comes from Hynix (model H5GQ2H24AFR-R0C) and it is specified to run at 1500MHz or 6000MHz GDDR5 effective.

Testbed:
- Motherboard: Intel DZ87KLT-75K
- CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K, 4x3.5GHz (Haswell)
- CPU Cooler: EVGA
- Memory: 2x4GB Corsair DDR3 2400MHz  
- Harddisk:   Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB
- Case: CoolerMaster Cosmos II
- Operating System: Win8.1 64-bit

344.07_geforce_win8_winvista_win7_64bit_international.exe

14-4-win7-win8-win8.1-64-dd-ccc-whql.exe

AMD-Catalyst-14.30.1005-Radeon-R9-285-Windows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Gainward GTX 970 4GB Phantom is quiet both in idle mode and under load. Of course, when the card is coping with high load, the fans are more audible, but noise levels remain low. The GPU temperature reaches the throttling point of 79-80 degrees Celsius. This temperature poses no threat for the GPU, but it’s the threshold at which the dynamic overclocking algorithm starts to kick in.

One think bothered us though – the high pitched sound made by coils when the card is under load. This is becoming an issue on Nvidia and AMD cards. A lot of designs are affected and the noise can be annoying, but luckily it is not very loud.

 

The reference Geforce GTX 970 pumps out just 145W under load. Although the Gainward GTX 970 Phantom is a factory overclocked card, it is still very efficient. Power consumption is better than on the EVGA GTX 970 ACX2.0 card. One of the reasons for its efficiency is the fact that Gainward set the PowerTarget relatively low.

 

The GTX 970 Phantom works at a base clock of 1152MHz, while the reference GPU base clock is 1050MHz. Nvidia's GPU Boost 2.0 takes the average GPU clock to 1178MHz for the reference GPU and to 1304MHz for the Phantom card.

The overclocking potential is not as good as on some custom GTX 970 cards, but considering that this is a factor overclocked card, we can be happy with +90MHz for the GPU and +150MHz for the memory, using standard voltage, at maximum fan speed.

One contributing factor may be the Phantom cooler with two fans, as well the limited Power Target, which limits the GPU clock in many situations. There is not a lot of tinkering that can be done with the GTX 970 Power Targe, as it’s set to 106% and we could not go over it. The card hits the target even without any additional overclocking. The GPU temperature reaches the throttling point of 79-80 degrees Celsius even when the card works at factory oveclock. This temperature poses no threat for the GPU, but it’s the threshold at which the dynamic overclocking algorithm starts to kick in. The Boost 2.0 algorithm kicks in from time to time and does not allow the card to run at the maximum frequency all the time.

We scored better results without further overlooking, just by increasing speed of the two fans.

With the GTX 970 Phantom, Gainward has introduced a factory overclocked card capable of matching the GTX 780 Ti in some tests.  The GTX 970 4GB Phantom works at a base clock of 1152MHz, while the reference GPU base clock is 1050MHz. Nvidia's GPU Boost 2.0 takes the average GPU clock to 1178MHz for the reference GPU and to 1304MHz for the Phantom card.

The Maxwell GM204 GPU proves that high-end cards do not have to end up with a high TDP. Nvidia’s new architecture offers exceptional performance-per-watt and the reference Geforce GTX 970 pumps out just 145W under load. The GTX 970 Phantom is about 5% faster than the reference card, although power consumption is almost on par with the reference design. One reason is the efficient power management, but also the relatively low Power Target.

The dual-fan Phantom cooler design features removable fans, where each fan can be removed for cleaning in minutes, without voiding the warranty. The Gainward GTX 970 4GB Phantom is certainly one of the more interesting custom GTX 970 graphics cards on the market.

The best news is that despite the factory overclock the Phantom cooler is still quiet and noise is simply not an issue. The GTX 970 Phantom heats up to 78-80 degrees, but stays quiet. This is a safe temperature for any desktop GPU. The Boost 2.0 algorithm kicks in from time to time and does not allow the card to run at the maximum frequency all the time.

The high-pitched hissing sound made by the card’s power components in some situations (under load) can be annoying and the issue is compounded by the fact that the Phantom cooler is so quiet. This is now becoming an issue with new Nvidia cards and some AMD cards as well.

The OC potential is limited, but this is a factory overclocked card and few users will even feel the need to overclock it. The GTX 970 is capable of dealing with all current titles, but in case you are planning a 4K build, you will need two of them. However, if you are an overclocker, you may want to look elsewhere, since the Power Target is set relatively low and the two-fan Phantom cooler isn’t designed to cope with too much heat.

On the other hand, unless you are crazy about overlocking, it’s hard not to recommend the GTX 970 Phantom – it’s a quiet card with a clever cooler and it can outpace the old GTX 780 in most tests. Even the new GTX 980 does not end up much faster. The GTX 970 offers better value for money than the GTX 980, which is another thing to keep in mind.

The GTX 970 Phantom is already shipping in Europe and it costs 30 to 50 euro more than a reference Gainward GTX 970, which can be found for about €300.