Nvidia GeForce GTX 570 1.3GB Review

GeForce GTX 570 Specifications

The GeForce GTX 570 1.3GB is a lesser GPU than the mighty GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB, but not by a great deal. There’s one less SM (Streaming Multiprocessor, or stream processor cluster), one less memory controller unit and lower clock speeds.

This means that it consumes less power than the top-end GPU too, with the GTX 570 1.3GB requiring only a pair of 6-pin PCI-E power connectors rather than the 8-pin and 6-pin connectors of the GTX 580 1.5GB and GTX 480 1.5GB.

The reduction in power needs also sees a drop in power delivery circuitry, with the GTX 570 1.3GB boasting two fewer power phases for the GPU, despite using the same PCB layout as the GTX 580 1.5GB. There hasn’t been any significant redesign though; a pair of chokes and capacitors has simply been left off.

Even with a reduced power draw, cooling Fermi GPUs can be tricky; just look at the GTX 480 1.5GB and its 90°C operating temperatures under load. Happily, the GTX 570 1.3GB, like the GTX 580 1.5GB, packs a vapour chamber cooler to tame the heat. The design has been slightly revised though: we suspect to cut production costs, as the unit has a rougher looking base and still has the ‘filler’ pipe through which the vapour chamber gases have been injected (it’s been sealed, obviously). The surface area and technology behind the cooler hasn’t changed though, so it should deliver similarly excellent thermals and noise levels of the GTX 580 1.5GB.