EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti FTW Graphics Card Review

Print
by Rob Williams on October 19, 2015 in Graphics & Displays

NVIDIA’s GeForce 980 Ti is a seriously compelling high-end graphics card, so it’s not too hard for vendors to make their offerings tempting. With its FTW edition, though, EVGA does have one trick up its sleeve: a bumping of the reference clock speed to 119%. There’s more than just that to the card, though, so let’s dive right in.

Page 6 – Game Tests: Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Total War: SHOGUN 2

Tom Clancy is responsible for a countless number of video games, but his Splinter Cell series has become something special, with each game released having been considered “great” overall. The latest in the series, Blacklist, is no exception, and thankfully for us, its graphics are fantastic, and not to mention intensive. For those who love a stealth element in their games, this is one that shouldn’t be skipped.

RIP, Tom Clancy.

Splinter Cell Blacklist - 1920x1080 Single Monitor

Manual Run-through: From the start of the ‘Safehouse’ level in Benghazi, Libya, we progress through until we reach an apartment building that must be entered – this is where we end the FPS recording.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti - Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2560x1440)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti - Splinter Cell: Blacklist (3840x2160)

Blacklist isn’t crazy demanding, so anything GTX 770 or above will give you very playable framerates at 1440p. 4K, of course, is a different story. EVGA’s FTW 980 Ti is the only card in our lineup to help us breach 60 FPS.

Total War: SHOGUN 2

Strategy games are well-known for pushing the limits of any system, and few others do this as well as Total War: SHOGUN 2. It fully supports DX11, has huge battlefields to oversee with hundreds or thousands of units, and a ton of graphics options to adjust. It’s quite simply a beast of a game.

Total War: SHOGUN 2 - 1920x1080 Single Monitor

Manual Run-through: SHOGUN 2 is one of the few games in our suite where the built-in benchmark is opted for. Strategy games in particular are very difficult to benchmark, so this is where I become thankful to have the option of using a built-in benchmark.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti - Total War: SHOGUN 2 (2560x1440)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti - Total War: SHOGUN 2 (3840x2160)

Wrapping up our gaming benches is SHOGUN 2 to reconfirm what we’ve seen up to this point: EVGA’s FTW card is the fastest in our lineup. It also offers a tremendous improvement over the GTX 980 in this particular title – it’s pretty unexpected.

Support our efforts! With ad revenue at an all-time low for written websites, we're relying more than ever on reader support to help us continue putting so much effort into this type of content. You can support us by becoming a Patron, or by using our Amazon shopping affiliate links listed through our articles. Thanks for your support!

Rob Williams

Rob founded Techgage in 2005 to be an 'Advocate of the consumer', focusing on fair reviews and keeping people apprised of news in the tech world. Catering to both enthusiasts and businesses alike; from desktop gaming to professional workstations, and all the supporting software.

twitter icon facebook icon instagram icon