Why it matters to you
If you have a slim gaming PC and feel like you are missing out on the latest generation of GPUs, Galax’s new GTX 1070 could be what you’re looking for.
Nvidia graphics card partner Galax debuted a new design for a GTX 1070 graphics card that slims down its air cooler enough to fit it into a single slot. Measuring in at just 16mm at its thickest point, the card is streamlined, is powerful as ever, and doesn’t require a drop of water to keep it cool.
As much as many enthusiasts love a big, monster, top-tier graphics card with a massive cooler blowing air like there is no tomorrow, not everyone wants, needs or has the space for such a card. Some are looking for high-end performance but without the associated footprint, noise levels or power draw. Enter Galax’s new GTX 1070 Katana.
Utilizing a mixture of a vapor chamber heatsink — similar perhaps to the upcoming Project Scorpio — and what Galaxy describes as its “legendary turbo radiator”, according to Hexus, it is able to create a super-thin cooling solution that means the card doesn’t jut out far at all.
All of that cooling power is contained within a sleek, black shroud that, though rather long, gives the card an understated look. Galax claims that the card will still cool enough to prevent any form of thermal throttling, but does warn that that shroud will get hot, adding a specific “Caution Hot Surface” message just below the coaxial fan.
Despite the heat warnings, Galax still coaxed out a few extra megahertz from the stock GTX 1070 configuration. It reportedly runs at 1,518MHz and boosts up to 1,708Mhz — a rise of 12Mhz and 25Mhz respectively. According to Chinese site EXPReview’s coverage of the card, this works out to an improvement of a few points in 3Dmark testing over the 1070 Founders Edition, but nothing to shout home about.
The whole card requires only a single eight-pin power connector to run and can connect up to your PC using its DisplayPort 1.4 connector, an HDMI 2.0b port or the older DL-DVI-D connector.
Galax has not released pricing or availability information as of yet, but we will update this piece when we learn more.