Gainward GTX780 Ti Phantom Single and SLI Review
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Published: 23rd December 2013 | Source: Gainward | Price: £599 each |
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The packaging for the Phantom is simple with the card itself front and centre, and just the product and manufacturer logos tucked away in a corner. Stealthy. Inside the box we have the usual graphics card accessories of display adaptors and Molex to PCI power, as well as the driver disk that nobody ever uses due to the speed with which graphics drivers are updated.
The moment you catch sight of the Phantom you realise that this isn't a regulation cooler. After all the fans aren't on top, and that definitely causes a raised eyebrow.
This is why the fans aren't obvious, and the real innovative star of the Gainward show. So often you can vacuum your fans but can't get into the fins to clean them without dismantling the cards. You can't even properly clean the fans on most graphics card coolers. With the Gainward Phantom the fans are kept in place with a single screw so that they slide out easily for proper cleaning.
Once they're removed you can use an attachment on your vacuum to get in there and clean out all the dust that accumulates. You can also see the cut-out that positions the fan connector. Working out how to enable fan removal without dismantling the card to unplug them is the real challenge and one that Gainward have solved ingeniously. It almost takes a leaf from a drive caddy.
We think that a pair of cards always looks stunning, and it's a large reason as to why we prefer two cards to something like a GTX690, and we're sure you'll agree that as a SLI arrangement the Gainward Phantoms look particularly striking.
Most Recent Comments
I thought these Gainward versions would be some of the more expensive non ref 780Tis. Others I have seen knocking about are £630-£650+ these coming in at £600 isn't bad.
Saying that though, It's hard to talk about the price of them with a strait face, the price of the 780Ti is general is bad. But at least these Gainward ones are cheaper than the others that are about.Quote
That being said I can't help but smile or laugh when I look at the price, even the price of one is out of my price range if I were to build a whole rig.
I do like the design of these gainward cards, the fans behind the fins and the ability to remove the fans are a truly fantastic feature for cleaning the cards and they don't look bad either.Quote
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Great review .Quote