The GTX Titan Z was the most powerful graphics card back in the days but after seeing benchmarks and comparisons.
…is the GTX Titan Z really that powerful?
Let’s check it out.
GTX Titan Z
The GTX Titan Z was recognized as the most powerful graphics card way back in 2014. Although this isn’t the most powerful graphics card this 2018, it still performs way better than most graphics cards when it comes to handling 4K resolution gaming.
But like any powerful cards out there, this, too, has some downsides. Its price may make it look like the end-game graphics cards back in the days but it was eventually found that it performs only 10% better than the GTX 780 Ti game-wise.
But why so expensive for such a small improvement in performance? We have it covered below.
GTX 780 Ti
Before GTX Titan Z was released, this was a beast and it could easily plow any games you throw at it. This offers 25% more cores than its younger brother, GTX 780, and getting it was worth the price.
Not only that it could easily handle games in ultra preset without compromise in speed but it’s also quiet.
Comparison and Evaluation
Now that we covered their background and history, it’s time to compare them and see which is better.
Below is a quick check of their specs…
| Base Clock Speed | Boost Clock Speed | CUDA Core | Memory | Memory Speed | Memory Clock | |
| GTX 780 Ti | 875 MHz | 928 MHz | 2880 | 3GB | 1750 MHz | 7000MHz |
| GTX Titan Z | 705 MHz | 876 Boost | 5760 | 12GB | 1750 MHz | 7000MHz |
Physical Appearance
You could see there’s a huge gap in performance and output between the Titan Z and 780 Ti but they aren’t that different in terms of size. But both are 11-inch long and can be fitted in smaller cases.
Clock Speed
Right away, you can clearly see the difference in clock speeds. The GTX 780 Ti has a base clock of 875 MHz while the GTX Titan Z runs at 705 MHz. On paper, this is actually 6% slower than the 780 Ti.
At boost speeds, the 780 Ti still wins the comparison, with a whopping 928 MHz compared to the Titan Z’s 876 MHz boost speed.
CUDA Core and Memory
Looking at the graph, GTX Titan Z has twice more CUDA cores than the GTX 780 Ti.
Memory-wise, GTX 780 Ti only has 3GB while Titan Z has a whopping 12GB memory.
Power Consumption
When it comes to power consumption, you can clearly see that the GTX Titan Z outperforms the GTX 780 Ti. The Titan Z has a max power of only 375 Watts while the 780 Ti has 500 Watts.
Going with dual 780 Ti means you need a more powerful PSU. As long as recommended PSU is concerned, the Titan Z only requires a PSU with 700 Watts while the 780 Ti requires 750 Watts. This means going with a GTX 780 Ti leads to higher electricity bills.
Price
The difference boils down to the price. At the time the GTX Titan Z was released, it was priced at $2,999 MSRP while the GTX 780 Ti was priced around $649.
Today, you may be able to snag a used GTX Titan Z for a little over $1,000 but it’s not worth getting at all.
For that price, you can build a powerful gaming PC under 1500 dollars, one with a more powerful GTX 1080 8GB graphics card. This is the second most powerful commercial graphics card to date.
The most powerful consumer graphics card is the GTX 1080 Ti. Check the GTX 1080 Ti review here if you wish to learn more about it.
Performance and Benchmarks
Now that we have their basic specifications and numbers covered, it’s time to see how both hold well in actual gaming. 1080p seems like a child’s play for GPUs with this power so we’ll see how well they perform in 4K (Ultra HD) resolutions.
Below is a set of gaming benchmarks from the guys at DigitalStorm.
Looking at the numbers of Titan Z and 2 GTX 780 Ti’s, it’s clear that Titan Z performs better in handling Bioshock Infinite’s 4K resolution.
As shocking as it may seem, 2 GTX 780 Ti’s seems to be on par in terms of handling Battlefield 4’s Ultra preset 4K resolution.
The 2 GTX 780 Ti’s lead the race in this round. It performs better than the GTX Titan Z by a slight margin in Crysis 3 set on very high on 4K resolution.
The GTX 780 was built with gaming in mind and it prioritizes anything gaming related compared to what the Titan Z prioritizes. This is why the Titan Z is only 10%-15% faster when it comes to gaming performance.
On the other hand, the GTX Titan Z was built as a hybrid card to perform both gaming and workstation processes. It’s expected that the Titan Z will outperform 2 GTX 780 Ti’s in terms of rendering performance but it’s still a shock that 2 GTX 780 Ti’s wins the Heaven 4.0 4K benchmark test.
Evaluation
With these numbers in mind, would it be best if you just get 2 GTX 780 Ti instead? There are things that need to be considered here.
If you want to build a very powerful gaming computer on a budget, going with 2 GTX 780 Ti’s will be a smart investment to make.
If you need more power for performances other than gaming, even 1 Titan Z is enough to give you the premium performance you need – at a price.
In terms of gaming, both cards performed well and how they differ is solely dependent on the game and how optimized it is. Regardless, The Titan Z does a pretty good job at being a hybrid card – great for gaming and workstation.
Final Verdict
After the comparison, it’s clear that both graphics card performs best for what they are intended for.
You may think you are better off getting the GTX Titan Z to maximize your gaming performance but is the 10% – 15% more performance worth it?
Personally? No.
Here’s the deal breaker:
People who are into content creation, graphics design, image editing, and rendering will experience the best output and performance with the GTX Titan Z. After all, it’s a graphics card that’s designed for professional content creators and limited to corporate use.
If you are into gaming, then 2 GTX 780 Ti’s can easily work in par or even outperform the GTX Titan Z in some game titles. Not only that it’s cheaper but it also gives you the best value for your money.
So at the end of the day, it’s true that two GTX 780 Ti’s can outperform the ever powerful GTX Titan Z – but only at a certain limit.
