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While the focus for many hard-core gamers is the more expensive video cards like GTX 770, GTX 780 and AMD’s various R9-cards the truth is that just as many are just looking for a good budget card that allows them to play most game at a reasonable setting. The card we are testing today, the Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC is just such a card. Using a chip from the new Maxwell family it offers a lot of performance per watt, even more when you consider that Zotac has overclocked the card right out of the box.
SPECIFICATIONS
| GeForce GTX 650 Ti | Zotac GTX 750 Ti | Zotac GTX 750 Ti OC | |
| GPU | GK106 Kepler | GeForce GTX 750 Ti (GM107, Maxwell) | GeForce GTX 750 Ti (GM107, Maxwell) |
| Core clock | 925 MHz | 1033 MHz (base) 1111 MHz (boost) | 1046 MHz (base) 1124 MHz (boost) |
| Cores | 768 | 640 | 640 |
| Memory Clock | 5400 | 5400 | 5400 MHz |
| Memory Size | 1 or 2 GB | 1 Gb DDR5 | 2 GB DDR5 |
| Ports | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DP | |
| Max resolution | 2560 x 1600 (120 Hz) (DL-DVI) 4K (30 Hz) (HDMI) | 2560 x 1600 (120 Hz) (DL-DVI) 4K (60 Hz) (DisplayPort) 4K (30 Hz) (HDMI) |
There are a few differences between the Zotac GTX 750 Ti OC-version of the card and the regular Zotac GTX 750 Ti. As the name implies it is overclocked right out of the box from 1033 MHz to 1046 MHz. It is not a huge overclock over the regular Zotac 750 Ti card though. We get a proper hdmi-port as well as a DisplayPort which means we have more ways to connect it to a monitor including expensive 4K-monitors.
While the regular Zotac GTX 750 Ti only has one fan and no power-connector we get two fans on the Zotac GTX 750 Ti OC as well as a 6-pin power connector. One of the advantages with the new Maxwell GM107 GPu is that it is much more power efficient. The TDP for the GTX 650 Ti for example is 110W while it is just 60 W on the GTX 750 Ti.
CLOSER LOOK
The looks similar to other Zotac-cards we reviewed. It is pretty angular and also comes with the orange fans which makes it stand out. Even with the dual-fans it is no longer than around 19 cm.
The fans are the same type we”ve seen on other Zotac cards and help keep the card cool without making to much noise.
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We get a full spread of ways to connect the card to a monitor including a DisplayPort.
PERFORMANCE
As usual we put the card through its paces by testing it in some benchmarks.
Test Rig
| Case | Thermaltake Level 10 |
| CPUs | Intel Core i7-3930 @3.2 Ghz |
| Motherboards | ASUS P79X Deluxe |
| Ram | 32 GB |
| CPU Cooler | Corsair H100 |
| GPU | Zotac GTX 750 Ti OCZotac GeForce GTX 760 AMP!Zotac GeForce GTX 770 |
Crysis 3
We used Fraps to record the framerate while running through the ship in the beginning of the game fighting a few guys, blowing up a crate and some other action.
Setting: 8xAA, 16xAF, Very High Texture resolution, Very High all other settings
Using our standard benchmark settings we do not expect the card to fly through the game. It does perform a lot better than the predecessor, the GTX650 Ti and by turning down AA/AF and quality settings it is possible to get great visuals even with this card at playable framerates.
Bioshock Infinite
Setting: Using Adrenaline Benchmark Tool: Ultra, 16xAF
If Crysis 3 is a game that need its quality settings turned down to be playable Bioshock Infinite is a good example of a game that works great on the Zotac GTX750 Ti OC.
Overclocking
The Zotac GTX 750 Ti OC comes with Nvidia Boost 2 meaning you never are completely sure what clockrate wyou will end up with. The drivers we are testing with does seem to limit how much we can get out of the card and thus we were not able to overclock more than around 75 Mhz more on the GPu core. Future driver might open up the overclocking limit a bit more. Since Zotac adds a 6-pin power connector it might imply that there could be some more heaedroom coming that will need a bit more power than what the PCIE-slot can give.
Power consumption, temperatures and noise level
One of the key improvements with the Maxwell GPU-core is that is should be a lot more power efficient. The stock 750 Ti has a TDP at 60W and the only reason Zotac has included a 6-pin power conenctor is to open the possibility for osme overclocking that will take the card above the TDP which means more power that the PCIE-slot will give.
| Power consumption | Temperature | Noise level dBa | |
| Idle | 90 W | 26 degrees | 31 |
| Running Metro: Last Light | 300 W | 62 degrees | 33 |
Power consumption at the wall for the whole system.
Remember that this is the power consumption of the whole system including CPU, drives, fans and so on. The GTX 780 Ti scores around 465 W so it is a pretty big difference between the two cards. Together with the low temerature and the low noise level it shows that this is a great card for a budget gaming rig as it will work great even with a smaller 300-400 Watt PSU.
Summary
The Zotac GTX 750 Ti OC offers a nice upgrade to the GTX 650 Ti and compares well to the Radeon R7 260X. By lowering settings a bit you get a card that easily can play most of todays games at full HD without breaking the bank. Zotac adds a little extra to the reference card by pre-overclocking it but this unfortunately will not make games run that much better. Still, as the first card with the Maxwell GPU as well as a affordable mainstream product this is a no-brainer for anyone wanting to get better gaming performance while on a budget.
Review Overview
Performance - 7.5
Value - 9
Quality - 8
Features - 7.5
8
The Zotac GTX 750 Ti OC offers a nice upgrade to the GTX 650 Ti and compares well to the Radeon R7 260X. By lowering settings a bit you get a card that easily can play most of todays games at full HD without breaking the bank. Zotac adds a little extra to the reference card by pre-overclocking it but this unfortunately will not make games run that much better. Still, as the first card with the Maxwell GPU as well as a affordable mainstream product this is a no-brainer for anyone wanting to get better gaming performance while on a budget.
