Does the reference 980 ti experience thermal throttling.

[maizenblue]

Non reference 980's like the ACX 2.0 had some pretty decent factory overclocks but only saw 2 or 3 extra FPS in most games at 1440p, But Non reference 980 Ti's like the MSI Twin Frozr are seeing like 10-15 FPS more for the same overclock.

 

The Reference 980 ti quickly hits 84C in games with the default fan curve, so im wondering if the card isn't even able to run at normal clock speeds because the card throttles at that point and this is the reason non reference 980 TI's are performing so much better.

 

If that's the case why didn't reviewers even mention this when they reviewed the reference 980 ti?

[Aniallation]

In most cases it's not thermal throttling, but that it doesn't seem to boost as high as non-reference 

[maizenblue]

In most cases it's not thermal throttling, but that it doesn't seem to boost as high as non-reference 

That makes sense.

[Curufinwe_wins]

As @Aniallation said, its not thermal throttling, it just doesnt boost as high due to thermals. The titan x does the same with reference cooling, although its more noticeable.

[maizenblue]

So basically it really does pay off to get a non reference 980 ti. I just bought an Asus reference model because they were on sale for 604 on Amazon this weekend, but I was assuming the non reference models would only see a few FPS as well unless you really overclocked the shit out of them, then I just looked at some benchmarks today and realized its a pretty big difference.

 

I was content to just let the thing run at 84-86c, because its rated to 92c and under warranty so who cares, but now that I know it might be costing me performance its a little bigger deal.

 

Oh well, I can always turn up the fan speed if I can tolerate the noise, which probably wont be the case because I thought my reference 970 was loud even at default settings. Maybe I'll look into a watercooling set up sometime down the line.

[MMKing]

The GM200 throttles it's boost at 84 degrees, and at 92 degrees it throttles the stock speeds. Set up a more aggressive fan curve, increase the amount of case fans and/or acquire higher quality fans. If your room is hot, get an air condition.

 

I'm not sure if you can manually change throttle thresholds, but i would imagine it would void your warranty. Nor am i sure at which point the GPU shuts off entirely, i'm guessing around the 95 degree point, the 92 base clock throttle being a last ditch effort to prevent permanent damage.

[Cheddle]

Non reference 980's like the ACX 2.0 had some pretty decent factory overclocks but only saw 2 or 3 extra FPS in most games at 1440p, But Non reference 980 Ti's like the MSI Twin Frozr are seeing like 10-15 FPS more for the same overclock.

 

The Reference 980 ti quickly hits 84C in games with the default fan curve, so im wondering if the card isn't even able to run at normal clock speeds because the card throttles at that point and this is the reason non reference 980 TI's are performing so much better.

 

If that's the case why didn't reviewers even mention this when they reviewed the reference 980 ti?

 

no

 

GPUBoost2.0 will reduce your overclock and overvolt as the temp increases. but its still higher than "stock"

 

My card on stock was holding around 1200 MHz completely stock with no changes, I increased the fan profile to run a little more aggressively (still quitter than my r9 290 was) and it was more like 1250mhz. 

 

I was able to get 1380 MHz on the stock cooler without throttling and with reasonable fan noise

 

I was able to get 1480mhz on the stock cooler with 100% fan speed (fekn loud!)