Question 1

What does dual mean in this video card? I've been looking at 03G-P4-2784-KR but I cannot find the difference aside from the oc for ftw versions.

Accepted Answer

Dual means it has a dual Bios on the card just in case the first bios fails during OCing. There is a dip switch on the board to switch between the two.

Question 2

What is the back plate that is sold separately that keeps being mentioned in reviews?  Necessary?

Accepted Answer

A back plate for a video card is normally a metal plate that attaches to the back (top) of the card. It's not strictly necessary, otherwise the manufacturer would have included it. Some users that overclock their cards beyond what EVGA has already overclocked the card may purchase and install it to add additional surface area to dissipate heat. Others may buy it simply to stiffen the card a bit, or like the looks of having the back plate installed with their see through cases. I've had the card installed for several months now, with no back plate, and don't see a need for it from a mechanical or heat dispersing standpoint.

Question 3

Has the Factory OC settings ever cause an issue for anyone??

Accepted Answer

Not me, nada, nothing.

Maybe, I repeat maybe,  finding a driver that works the best for you will be a challenge. For me and many others 332.21 is great.

Question 4

Will a Z87 Sabertooth mobo support this card?

Accepted Answer

This card is compatible with PCI-Express 3.0 and 2.0 slots. So I would think it would work. I'm using an Asus P8Z77-V LK and it works beautifully.

Question 5

What is the recommended size PSU that should be used in order to achieve SLI.

I have a 4790k CPU, 2 Hard drives, 1 Solid State, and A Fan Controller.

My current PSU is EVGA 1000 watts platinum.

Will I be able to achieve SLI?

Accepted Answer

I have used various PSU calculators, online, and I had a similar system.  I used a 1200 watt when running two 780 GTX in SLI, and never had an issue.  I can only assume that a PSU at 1000 watts is close to what's needed,  and may be OK, but you may be running the system at +90%, my 1200 watt was running closer to 75%, so I had some head room, incase I needed it for something.  in considering that the EVGA PSU is a very good piece, you should be OK.

Question 6

what kind of motherboard and processor should i have to even consider this card? Will I need a 6 core processor to get performance out of this card?

Accepted Answer

It's the clock speed of a processor that is the most important. If you're running a game that is dependent on the processor to keep up with your graphics, then i would think any 4Ghz Amd or 3Ghz Intel would be up to the task.
Most of today's games won't utilize more than 4 cores anyway. (so there's really no point in an i7 -for gaming-)

i3's do the job since they're hyperthreaded
i5's do it best.
i7's don't do enough over an i5 to justify the cost. Unless you also run high threaded productivity software.

Question 7

Does the core and boost clock actually matter? I see tons of these cards, just with different core and boost clocks, but for varying prices.
I do plan on overclocking, but does this stuff actually matter?
I mean will it have an effect on performance, or is this stuff I can just achieve for myself with a cheaper version of the card?

Accepted Answer

This has actually been addressed in another question, but in a different form.

The FTW (and Classified) cards from EVGA are "binned" better than other cards.  This means through testing, they've found the chips to be particularly conducive to higher performance through whatever criteria they use.

What does this mean?
1.  First and foremost, you have what should be a higher quality chip.
2.  The card is guaranteed by EVGA to work at its factory overclock.  A lower-binned chip may not be able to reach the speeds that this is sold at.
3.  Being a higher quality chip, you have an inherently higher chance to have a great chip to overclock.  This doesn't mean it'll overclock like a monster, nor does it mean that a lower-binned chip can't beat it with some luck.  But you have a higher chance at higher speeds.

Question 8

How much will using this card on PCI Express 2.0 interface slow this card down?  Will it make a huge difference in performance?  If someone has tested or benchmarked on both 2.0 and 3.0 it would be helpful.

Accepted Answer

I have a PCI-E 2.0 motherboard and the performance I get out of this card is in line with benchmarks on PCI-E 3.0 motherboards. If there's any difference, it won't be enough to notice and certainly not enough to justify buying a new motherboard.

Question 9

I've found out with the price drop of the GTX 700 cards, and just all around prices dropping I can afford the best cards maybe even the 780 Ti (Which I will probably will not get), but my main reason for this question is this.

What is the difference between EVGA 780 FTW version, and 780 Classified version? They are $20 apart but I'm wondering because I'm wondering which one is better. I'm wanting not in opinion but the actually facts of what makes them different, and how they are better then other.

Please if you have any information on this anything will help.

Accepted Answer

Hi Jason,

So the difference between the "FTW" and "Classified" edition really depends on what sort of gamer/computer builder you are.

For starters, the basic "on the cover" difference is the classified comes stock with a slightly higher core clock than the "FTW" edition.  A difference of about ~20MHz, nothing substantial.

If you are a moderate user, the price difference isn't justified as you can easily over-clock the "FTW" past the stock speed difference, and frankly even if you don't Over-Clock the difference is so negligible you'd never notice in games.

The other "on the cover" difference, is the "Classified" uses a different power connector setup; it utilizes 2 8 pin connectors instead of the more traditional 8/6 pin setup.

So this is where it gets a bit more hardcore.  The reason for this is the "Classified" is designed for super hardcore over-clockers.  It is setup to draw more power, so you can potentially over-clock it beyond what a "FTW" could potentially get.  The thing is though, it's not a guarantee - and I am sure some "Classified" cards max out at lower over-clocks that "FTW" editions, it's a silicon lottery really, HOWEVER, technically you have better odds of over-clocking higher with the Classified because they are usually binned a bit higher (e.g. think Grades of Meat at the local butcher, the "Classified" is like Filet Mignon)

Other than that the cards are EXACTLY the same physically, the use the same parts, same memory, same everything.  Again the classified is just designed for super-hardcore over clockers and potentially can use the extra power draw to over-volt and achieve higher core/memory clock speeds.

So if you are like me, a moderate gamer; with only a small interest in over-clocking the "FTW" edition is all you'll ever need (Runs BF4 on Ultra at 100FPS).

If you are super hardcore and chasing benchmark scores the "Classified" might be more your style since you can **potentially ** OC it higher.

Question 10

Is this card Voltage locked?

I can't seem to find a good answer on that.

Thanks!

Accepted Answer

out of the box you can over volt the card with a .38Mv offset.  
This yields a max of 1.2V.  
W/o over volt I get 1188MHz
With over volt I get 1228MHz.
Consider the card downclocks when it reaches 80c, and there is not much performance gain when pushed to 1228, I decided to run stock voltage 1188MHz

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