The Geforce GTX 1070 is consumer graphics cards which belongs to the new Geforce Pascal generation. While it is the less powerful sibling of the GTX 1080, we think the GTX 1070 is the card for gaming at 1044p. It is just the right card to experience a new class of performance enhanced and VR gaming. When Nvidia unveiled the GTX 1080 earlier this year, it claimed that the GTX 1080 would outperform the GTX Titan X (Maxwell). Now we know the GTX 1070 can do the same thing.

Nvidia has introduced its reference GTX 1070 “Founders Edition”, and its partners are good to go with custom designs. EVGA is one of Nvidia's oldest and most experienced partners and knows how to gain user attention. This time EVGA has two custom coolers for the GTX 1070. The first is based on the new Active Cooling Xtreme (ACX) 3.0 cooler generation, and the second is a hybrid, all in one cooling solution with a maintenance free, self-contained water cooler. 

The EVGA GTX 1070 FTW, which we review today, uses the ACX 3.0 cooler. This cooler has many small cool visually appealing details that the best way to present all of them to our readers is through a series of images. Here we show one image of the GTX 1070 FTW card. We left more detailed images and descriptions for the later sections. Please notice that the ACX 3.0 cooler is better than a standard graphics card cooler, but EVGA decided to keep it two slots wide, and you will appreciate this if you decide to go for SLI.

Before we go into detail about FTW card, it is important to compare the GTX 1070 (using GP104 GPU) to its predecessor, the GTX 970 (using GM204 GPU). We will provide some details for the GTX 1080 which is the stronger brother of the GTX 1070. The GTX 1080 and the GTX 1070 are based on the same GP104 GPU, but the GTX 1070 has a lower performance due to some shortcuts through the GPU.

According to technical details, the GTX 1070 isn't a huge improvement on the GTX 970. The important difference is that the GTX 1070 uses the new Pascal architecture. The new Pascal architecture uses TSMC's 16nm FinFET node which is more advanced compared to the 28nm used for the previous Maxwell GM204, and for the GM200 (GTX 980 Ti). By lowering the physical size of transistors it was possible to squeeze 7.2 billion transistors into a 314 mm² package. We are talking here about a fully enabled GP104 GPU which is used on the GTX 1080. With the GTX 1070 some parts of the GPU are disabled Compare this to the 5.2 billion transistors packed into 398 mm² for the GM204. This means the GP104 has 22.9 million transistors per mm2, compared to only 13.1 million transistors per mm² for the GM204.

There are optimisations and improvements across the GPU that provide a better performance per watt. As in the previous generation, the GPU core is divided into four graphics processing clusters (GPC), but the GP104 GPU has less shared resources and more dedicated resources which leads to better performance. While the GTX 1080 comes equipped with a full GP104 GPU consisting of 20 Streaming Multiprocessor (SM) across four GPCs, the GTX 1070 sports only 15 SMs. In other words it has three functional graphics processing clusters. 

The GTX 1080 has 2560 CUDA cores vs. 1920 CUDA cores for the GTX 1070, and more TMUs (160 vs. 120). Compare this to the GTX 980 with its 2048 CUDA cores and 128 TMUs. The ALUs design is unchanged. There are still 128 CUDA cores per (SM) and data throughput per clock of this unit is the same as the Maxwell generation. Now there are five SMs per GPC instead of the previous four SMs per GPC. Image below shows the full GP104 GPU.



The GTX 1070 uses the same 64 ROPs as the GTX 1080. This number comes from the fact the chip's back end has eight 32-bit memory controllers with eight ROPs and 256KB of L2 cache bound to each. The two graphics cards have the same memory capacity at 8GB. This means memory has been increased compared to 4GB on the GTX 980 and GTX 970. The GTX 1070 uses GDDR5 memory, unlike the GTX 1080 that comes with GDDR5X memory. This affects memory bandwith which is 320GB/s for the GTX 1080 and a nice round 256GB/s for the GTX 1070. This is still 14 per cent higher than GTX 980 with 224GB/s. GDDR5X memory is a new generation of RAM that’s much faster, but it's more expensive than GDDR5.

GPU clock is unfortunately detuned for the GTX 1070. For the GTX 1080 Nvidia dialed the GPU's base clock to 1607MHz, while the boost clock is set to 1733MHz. For the GTX 1070 the GPU base clock is set to 1506MHz and its specified GPU Boost clock is 1683MHz. 

EVGA GTX 1070 FTW graphics card used in this review had a hefty factory overclock which sets the base GPU clock to 1607MHz, which is as high as the base clock of the more powerful GTX 1080 graphics card. The memory clock is not increased from the reference 8008MHz, which is unfortunate, but EVGA never overclocks memory.

The Packaging

The front side of the box is simple, it shows the graphics card version. In this case it is "For The Win" (FTW) model which has a higher clock speed and can be overclocked further than the reference card. Each card is hand tested and guaranteed stable at the advertised clock speeds. EVGA has also SSC model, which stands for super-super clocked and is one below FTW. This means the card is factory overclocked by EVGA and has been tested for stability for overclocked clocks. Further, SC stands for super clocked. It is the lowest overclock EVGA offers but is still tested and guaranteed stable at the advertised speed.

The box is pretty. It is just the right size. The ACX 3.0 cooler uses 10cm fans, and some description of the used fans is provided on the box side.



This packaging is sturdy and can survive nasty transport conditions.







In the box you’ll find:
- EVGA Full Size Poster
- A User Guide and Quick Installation Guide
- A sticker set (Enthusiast Built)
- Driver DVD
- A small note about PCIE 3 compatibility
- EVGA Case Badge
- 2x 6-pin to 8-pin Power Adapter (the card uses non-reference 8-pin power connector)

A closer look at GTX 1070 FTW

EVGA has created the ACX 2.0 cooler for the Geforce 900 series. We were impressed with the cooling performance and the build quality. In the GTX 1000 series EVGA has crafted an ACX 3.0 cooler, which is much bigger. It has its roots in the in the GTX 980 Ti Classified which was equiped with an oversized ACX 2.0 cooler. The next image shows the new GTX 1080 FTW graphics card followed by the new GTX 1070 FTW, the GTX 980 Ti FTW and the GTX 980 Ti Classified.

GTX 1080 FTW

GTX 1070 FTW

GTX 980 Ti FTW

GTX 980 Ti Classified

As you can see the GTX 1070 FTW graphics card is almost visually identical with the GTX 1080 FTW graphics card. Both have the same ACX 3.0 cooler, the only difference is the mesh used for the shroud of the GTX 1070 FTW is white.

The GTX 1070 FTW measures 26.67cm x 12.86cm, and this confirms that we are looking at an oversized graphics card. But still, we’re talking about 2-slots width, with a card which is 2cm taller than standard. A quick look over what other Nvidia's AIB partners have done for the GTX 1070 shows that almost all of them have made oversized coolers  to keep low GPU temperatures. Some AIB partners resort to a bulky triple-slot coolers to reduce noise and allow higher clocks, while keeping the GPU under the thermal threshold. GTX 1070 FTW keeps the standard width. However, the oversized ACX 3.0 cooler comes with a large heatsink and it relies on two 10cm fans for good cooling.

The ACX 3.0 cooler has most advanced illumination system that we have seen so far, and it looks great, as you can below. EVGA Precision XOC Utility provides interface to customize those light effects.

Before we continue, we want to show you how the card looks out of the box. As you can see it is fully covered 'protected' with plastics film. 

With the GTX 1080 FTW we had a hard time with removing the film. Oddly, there were two layers of film at some places, and someone screwed the screws through it so we were not able to remove the plastic film completely.


GTX 1080 FTW

With the GTX 1070 FTW things got better, at least we could remove the  film quickly, since it was not screwed in.


GTX 1070 FTW

Still, there is one place on the cooler where we could not remove the film completely, as shown on the image below.

  

A closer look continued

The shroud of ACX 3.0 cooler is made of many small parts. 

And it is 'Desiged by EVGA'.

The shroud (black part of it) is made of quality looking plastic with brushed aluminium trimmings. It has to be plastic or it would be too heavy. It is open on all sides and the openings serve as exhaust vents.

A backplate has become standard for the EVGA's high end graphics cards. It is not that important for the cooling but the backplate adds much to the card's overall image and this one looks particularly nice. A backplate is an important part of the ACX 3.0 cooler since it helps reinforce the PCB.


While the GTX 1070 Founders Edition has a TDP of 150 watts, the GTX 1080 Founders Edition has a 180 TDP. Both use a single 8-pin connection. Maximum total graphics power for the GTX 1070 FTW is 215W and for the GTX 1080 FTW is 258W. Both EVGA cards use a pair of 8-pin connectors (each up to 150W). This means the GTX 1070 FTW card would be good with one 8-pin power connector, but EVGA decided that a dual 8-pin setup is better for feeding the 10 phase power and providing the core with clean filtered power. More phases means less heat per phase, and since we get more stable power delivery this should provide better overclocking. When ti comes to overclocking your GPU’s maximum speed always depends on how lucky you get in the GPU lottery.



This card is meant for overclocking and QSD (Quick Switch Dual BIOS) allows you to switch to the secondary BIOS with the flick of a switch. The BIOS switch is located close to the PCI power connector. Be aware that changing the bios does void the warranty, but since the card has a pair of BIOS chips, you can safely modify/flash the slave(secondary) without doing this.


EVGA took an open shroud approach, where fans are positioned on top and blow directly at the heatsink. This approach means that hot air will not be vented from the chassis. Satisfactory airflow ensures the best possible cooling, but it’s nothing that a few quality intake and outtake fans won’t effectively nullify.



The whole cooler is held  by only four screws in vicinity of the GPU, but there are no vibrations or signs of instability.

EVGA designed Straight Heat Pipes 3.0 (but as you can see it is not all that straight) and increased copper contacts reduce the GPU temperature by 10 per cent, compared to Straight Heat Pipes 2.0 used on the ACX 2.0 cooler. A big copper base covers the small GP104 GPU.

We always advise users to clean the heatsink regularly. It’s good for the card and it also helps keep fan RPMs as low as possible, but cleaning the heatsink can become cumbersome on some cards, as it is a case with the GTX 1080 FTW ACX 3.0. EVGA designed a special heatsink with lots of dissipation surfaces, but you cannot remove the shroud from the heatsink easily. However it is not hard to remove the fans, and  clean the heatsink below the fans at least annually.

The Power Logic PLD10015B12H fan has some good features. First of all it was chosen due to its dense, curved blade design and double ball bearing design. A poor blade design generates more noise but, this particular 11-blade fan seems to be up to the job. The noise generated by ball bearing designs tends to be low, at least while they are new. Since this fan uses two ball bearings it should last a bit longer and generate a less noise even after a couple of years of wear.

The reference Geforce GTX 1080/ GTX 1070 has three DisplayPorts (DisplayPort 1.4), a single HDMI (HDMI 2.0b) and single DVI display outputs. The EVGA GTX 1070 FTW card has the same configuration of video outputs. Four video outs can be used at the same time. Since DVI connector lacks analogue wiring there is no support for D-sub monitors through dongles. After we become acquainted with Adaptive V-Sync which was introduced with Kepler, and with G-SYNC introduced with Maxwell, now is the time to learn about Fast Sync. This display sync option combines good and bad sides of the two V-Sync modes. Fast Sync provides low-latency but at the same time it eliminates frame-tearing.





The GTX 1070 FTW is ready for multi-GPU action, but officially supports ony standard two-card SLI setup. This is so that it can provide more bandwith at 4K at 60 Hz and above. To support this, Nvidia developed an advanced high-bandwidth SLI bridges called "SLI HB" which needs both SLI connectors in 2-way SLI mode. 3-way and 4-way SLI are still possible using a special software key from NVIDIA (while support in future games depends on the game/benchmark developers). 

Testbed

Testbed:
- Motherboard: EVGA X99 FTW
- CPU: Intel Core i7 5960K, 4.2GHz (Haswell-E)
- CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-02
- Memory: 4x4GB Kingston HyperX Predator DDR4 Memory Review (HX430C15PBK4/16)
- SSD:To shiba THNSNJ256GCSU 256GB
- Case: CoolerMaster Cosmos II
- Operating System: Win10 64-bit

Drivers:
- Nvidia 372.54

3DMark

Battlefield 4

Crysis 3

Witcher 3

Thermals and Noise

The reference cooler design has not changed much compared to the previous generation. The GTX 1070 has high GPU clocks and the reference cooler is not the best thing to use. It is not really loud or annoying, but it is not quiet either. We are pleased to inform you that the ACX 3.0 cools scores well here.

The new ACX 3.0 cooler is superior to the reference design as it keeps the GPU temperatures below 78 degrees Celsius on a warm day. The ACX 3.0 cooler ensures the card maintains the maximum Boost clock possible for as long as possible. The new Boost 3.0 algorithm will reduce the GPU Boost clocks on the GTX 1070 if the GPU temperature goes over 83 degrees Celsius, but the ACX 3.0 cooler keeps the GPU temperature significantly lover.

The card is completely silent in idle and during media playback. The card turns its fans off when GPU temperature is below 60 degrees Celsius. The GTX 1070 FTW ACX 3.0 is quiet, almost inaudible, even under load the fans remain barely noticeable. Below is shown idle temperature measured just after several minutes after we ended a game.

Overclocking

The EVGA GTX 1070 FTW works at a 1607MHz base clock, while the reference GPU base clock is set at 1506MHz. The overclocking potential is good considering that this is a factory overclocked card. Using standard voltage and AUTO fan settings we managed to push the GPU 120MHz over the factory clocks. Note we have increased memory clock for 270MHz (effectively 1080MHz). This resulted in a additional 6-9 per cent performance gain in our games. The card fairly silent even after our additional overclocking.

Conclusion

Nvidia geforce GTX 1070 is great graphics card for 1440p gaming. The user can freely experiment with the new Nvidia features, and we believe it has enough future-proof gear under the hood to drive whatever comes next. If you are prepared to make some sacrifies such as lowering anti-aliasing and other effects, the GTX 1060 offers a much cheaper route into 1440p gaming. In any case we see great improvements over previous Maxwell geneartion. The new Pascal generation is using a smaller manufacturing process, which helps to increase performance while reducing power consumption, in the GTX 1070 FTW case to maximum 225W.

The EVGA GTX 1070 FTW ACX 3.0 graphics card is not the fastest factory overclocked GTX 1070 graphics card, but if we look at the overall package, including cooler design and overclocking performance, this may be the best. Lower performance compared to other factory overclocked GTX 1070 graphics cards comes from the fact that EVGA did not overclock the memory, like Gainward. But the card’s base clock is 101MHz higher that the GPU base clock of the GTX 1070 Founders Edition, so you will see extra performance right out of the box. The new ACX 3.0 cooler looks great and performs great; literally it is quiet in all working scenarios.

Until recently the GTX Titan X (Maxwell) was a dream card for the gamers, but it cannot cope in terms of gaming performance and power efficiency with the new GTX 1080, and even the GTX 1070 is faster.  

The EVGA GTX 1070 FTW is powerfull graphics card, ready to conquer the 1440p gaming battlefield. Go for it if you can afford it, with this horse you can win the battle.