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The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the company's second GPU based on 16nm Pascal architecture and is positioned as a high-end graphics card, slightly below the GTX 1080. It uses 8 gigabytes of GDDR5 memory, has three DisplayPort 1.4 connections and a single HDMI 2.0b port.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Good price-for-performance
At 1440p resolution (1440 x 2560) with the highest available settings the GTX 1070 achieves an average fps of 98.4 for Dirt Rally, 84.4 for Battlefield 4 and 62 for GTA V. This makes the 1070 ideal for 1440p gaming and the card can often provide very high framerates of more than 120 fps when playing in 1080p. Gaming in 4K is also an option with the GTX 1070, where stable and fluent framerates of more than 30 fps can be achieved on ultra settings.
Pro Very quiet operation
Measured 75 cm away from a PC, the GTX 1070 has an idle sound production of 34 dBA and 40 dBA under stress. In a silent room, the sound production of the card is definitely audible - but isn't experienced as annoying. As a comparison - 40 dBA is equivalent to the noise a refrigerator produces.
Pro Doesn't produce much heat
Under load, the reference GTX 1070 produces around 76 degrees Celsius heat (measured in 20° C room temperature) which is on the lower side for high-end graphics cards. Compared to the slightly more powerful GTX 1080, this graphics card runs six degrees Celsius cooler.
Cons
Con Brand new hardware, risk involved in early adoption
It is unknown if there are inherent issues with this GPU (such as quality control, motherboard compatibility issues, driver issues, OS issues, etc) as it was only recently announced and has not undergone large-scale testing in the consumer market.
Con No native support for 3- and 4-way SLI
SLI - short for Scalable Link Interface - is NVIDIA's technology of combining the power of two or more identical GPU's in order to reach a better performance. In other words, you can use multiple videocards to further increase performance. Although the GTX 1070 supports 2-way SLI without a problem, NVIDIA does not offer support for 3- and 4-way SLI. The included SLI-bridge which serves as a connector between the two cards, is only compatible in a 2-way configuration. 3-way and 4-way SLI are possible, but aren't supported. You'll have to use an older SLI-bridge found on older GeForce models and you'll need to generate an 'Enthusiast Key' on NVIDIA's website. However, NVIDIA does not guarantee a 3- or 4-way configuration will provide any noticeable benefits.
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Con Founders Edition is more expensive
The Founders Edition of the GTX 1070 - which is NVIDIA's reference card and is priced at $450, which is a noticeable difference compared to the $380 of other GTX 1070 graphics cards. The Founders Edition versions have a metal backplate and blower fans for improved cooling in smaller cases, but don't have any performance advantages.
Con Reference card is more expensive than an aftermarket card
Why are consumers paying more for an inferior version of the 1070?