Gigabyte’s GeForce GTX 950 Xtreme Gaming is the company’s premium offering in this segment. From the factory, this card comes pre-overclocked with a 1203 MHz base clock and 1405 MHz boost clock. Nvidia’s reference spec for the GTX 950 is 1026 MHz base and 1190 MHz boost, so Gigabyte has already given it an aggressive overclock, but with the company’s “GPU Gauntlet Sorting” binning process, it guarantees Xtreme Gaming cards have better overclocking headroom than the other GTX 950s it offers.
To help the binned GPUs reach their true potential, Gigabyte has included a single 8-pin PCIe port rather than sticking with the traditional 6-pin, which theoretically should enable higher power draw limits. The company has also opted to use the same high quality chokes and capacitors found on the Titan X, which Gigabyte said ensures a longer lifespan of the card. The PCB has even been coated with an aerospace-grade material that is designed to shield it from moisture and corrosion, as well as damage from dust buildup.
The GTX 950 Xtreme Gaming card features Gigabyte’s dual fan Windforce 2X cooler with copper heatpipes and aluminum heatsink fins. The fans included have what Gigabyte calls 3D stripe curve design, which features triangular-shaped blades. The company said this design helps reduce air turbulence, while increasing cooling capacity.
The fans on the Gigabyte GTX 950 Xtreme Gaming feature the 3D-Active Fan technology found in the company’s cards since 2007. 3D-Active Fan is Gigabyte’s 0 dB technology that allows one or both fans to stop spinning when the card is idle. The Xtreme Gaming card goes a little further and includes LED lights to indicate the state the fans are in.
There are LEDs that indicate silent, and stop on either side of the Windforce logo. The logo itself is illuminated by a multicolored LED that can be configured through the OC GURU II utility. The logo lights up in a variety of the different color options when the fans are spinning.
Rounding out the package, Gigabyte has opted to include a metal back plate, which is something you don’t often see at this price point.
Gigabyte’s GeForce GTX 950 Xtreme Gaming edition is available now, for a suggested price of $179.99.
