Reason Pack: KFA2 / Galax GTX 1080 Ti EXOC in review

In contrast to the ex-factory very high overclocked EVGA GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 Gaming, KFA2 / Galax is a deliberate use of reason and mediocrity, so that two fans on this rather slim dual slot card should be enough. In general, the... The board is a good old acquaintance and comes directly from Nvidia. This in turn confirms that it is simply an unchanged reference design. This certainly has upfront and night parts, but saves costs first. We're going to be no... Cooling concept and implementation The back of the board is conspicuously inconspicuous and shows the dark traces of the glued-on thermal pads between the backplate and the board. Which would have made us look elegant at the cooling. Tue... Benchmarks in 2560 x 1440 pixels We have deliberately dispensed with Full HD (1920 x 1080p) as the KFA2 / Galax GTX 1080 Ti EXOC runs into the CPU limit even in the highest settings. In WQHD (2560 x 1440 pixels), on the other hand, the actual work begins... Benchmarks in 3840 x 2160 pixels The KFA2 / Galax GTX 1080 Ti EXOC is in this high resolution, depending on the game, between 2 and approx. 4 percent faster than a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition or TitanX (Pascal). Overall, many titles ... When it is up to the power supply, we first need to know that the card with the factory settings with the 250 watts of the reference card has been set a very restrained Power Target, but this could be manually raised to just under 300 watts,... In fact achievable clock rates The actual achievable clock is subject to some influences. Even if GPU quality plays a bigger role here - unfortunately it cannot be influenced as the only element. And so it is in the end well möglic... Fan control and curves The difference in gaming in open and closed construction is clearly visible, which should of course also be measurable and audible. The start-up impulses are somewhat uncoordinated and you miss a little clearer... Summary There must be absolutely no shortcoming if a graphics card is not one of the fastest within its product category of factory overclocked cards with the same graphics chip. For the Founders Edition it still has...

Summary

There must be absolutely no shortcoming if a graphics card is not one of the fastest within its product category of factory overclocked cards with the same graphics chip. For the Founders Edition, however, it was still easy. The KFA2 / Galax GTX 1080 Ti EXOC is a very good compromise for a dual-slot card simply because of its comparatively low weight, its narrow and relatively short construction, as well as the appropriately selected settings for clock and power target.

The card still performs in a closed housing without any snapbreathing and also has a sovereign VR cooling system, which also includes the coils and capacitors. However, you should also leave it at the factory clock, because if you really want to make the most of it, you should very quickly come across the physical limits of this design. However, it is and remains a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, which performs a few single-digit percentage points faster than a Founders Edition and is also significantly quieter. You can live with this if you are not one of the FPS disciples who always want to balance on the last groove.

The only thing that bothers us a little and thus prevents a higher rating is the current price. The street price starts at approx. 750 Euros in reputable online shops and is thus significantly higher than comparable cards, which make much more visually and also tactically. The ALREADY tested MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11G is only approx. 5 Euro more expensive and a Zotac GTX 1080 Ti Amp! is even almost 40 euros cheaper. In the end, this also prevents a purchase tip, because despite the dual-slot design, the card does not have enough unique selling points or features to justify its price positioning.

Update from May 22, 2017 – 3:47 PM

As the distributor just told us, the EIA has now been adjusted to a rather appealing 689 euros. The ratios to the performance and the overall impression are also correct for this price, so that we now see the map as a very interesting price/performance tip.

Conclusion*

The KFA2 / Galax GTX 1080 Ti EXOC is a common card whose narrow dual-slot design could be of particular interest to smaller enclosures. It will not be possible to set overclocking records, because the reserves of the very light but still relatively quiet cooler are severely limited. Either one is satisfied with the very well-chosen factory specifications, or one is punished with an increased noise generation, which is disproportionate to the possible clock gain.

What puts the card in focus a little more after the price update (see box above) is the comparatively cheap price, because surely not only those who can't or want to install a much heavier and thicker 2.5-slot design are willing to pay. Then, of course, the narrow waist of the EXOC does itself really well when installed.

^{*) We adjusted the conclusion to the new prices afterwards, because 749 Euros were simply disproportionate compared to better equipped competitor cards.}

Pages: