Nvidia’s Pascal graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture has spawned everything from the fastest gaming GPU ever to some low-cost options that nevertheless provide for some serious 1080p gaming. Whether you want to spend $100 or more than $700 on a graphics card, the latest Nvidia chips have you covered.
If you’re squarely in the gamer midrange, then there are plenty of options for you, too. Gigabyte has recently introduced yet another of these, a GeForce GTX 1070 variant that promises strong performance at what’s likely to be a more reasonable price, as The Tech Report discovered.
The Aorus GeForce GTX 1070 8G uses the company’s Windforce Stack cooling system with three 100mm fans that force airflow downward into an advanced copper backplate cooling design. Titan X-grade choke and capacitors promise superior durability when overclocked, and the system utilizes a 3D-Active Fan feature that shuts the fans off during low-power gaming sessions and provides an RGB LED indicator showing fan status.
Generally speaking, the GTX 1070 slots in between the GTX 1060 and GTX 1080 to provide sufficient performance for today’s modern games even running in 4K resolution. It’s significantly faster than the previous generation 980 Ti and Titan X, making it a real bargain considering its performance level.
Regarding the Aorus specifically, the card supports a base speed of 1632MHz with a boost to 1835MHz when in overclock mode, and 1607MHz and 1797MHz boost in gaming mode. Gigabyte touts the card’s ability to drive up to 8K displays at 60Hz, making it a good choice for driving extremely high-end monitors like Dell’s $5,000 UP3218K. The Aorus GeForce GTX 1070 8G, naturally, is also certified for virtual reality (VR) gaming.
Connectivity options include three DisplayPorts, a DVI-D port, and an HDMI 2.0 connection. VR gamers will welcome the inclusion of two additional HDMI ports on the card’s interior, although the use of these ports disables one of the DisplayPorts. An RGB lighting system can cycle through 16.8 million color options for fully customizable lighting effects.
Gigabyte hasn’t yet provided pricing or availability. Given the impending release of the GTX 1080 Ti version of the Aorus, an April 2017 time frame is likely for the GTX 1080 8G as well.
