NVIDIA's first GTX 700 Series graphics card introduces the new lineup with impressive results. Built on the same GK110 graphics processor as the GeForce GTX Titan, it represents the best GPU technology NVIDIA has to offer at this time. Compared to the GTX Titan, the differences are relatively slim as NVIDIA disabled another streaming multiprocessor (SMX), which reduces the CUDA core count from 2688 to 2304. Also, the GTX 780 comes with 3 GB GDDR5 memory whereas the GTX Titan has 6 GB, and that's pretty much where the differences end.
When looking at the performance of the Gigabyte GTX 780 WindForce OC, we see performance that matches the GeForce GTX Titan. Compared to the GTX 780 reference design, the improvement is 7% on average and 11%(!) at 2560x1600. AMD's fastest single-GPU card, the HD 7970 GHz, is 27% slower—no danger at all. While AMD wants to put the HD 7990 on the performance throne, our own review shows that it is just not competitive enough, and also too expensive with $1049.

So how did Gigabyte manage to make their card as fast as the GTX Titan? First of all, they increased the GPU clocks by almost 100 MHz (120 MHz higher than Titan). Unfortunately, memory clock is unchanged, which would have been an easy extra boost. Our manual overclocking confirms that there would be plenty of headroom for that. Now, the secret sauce seem to be the operating temperatures. NVIDIA designed their Boost 2.0 algorithm with temperatures in mind: if the card goes beyond 80°C, Boost 2.0 will reduce clocks to ensure the card stays around that temperature target. Gigabyte realized that and designed a cooler that ensures the card will never reach 80°C to avoid the additional throttling from taking effect. Just having a good cooler is not enough, you also need to find the right fan speed settings. It's easy to stay below 80°C with a fan that sounds like a leafblower, and Gigabyte picked decent fan settings that are only slightly noisier than the reference cooler. In return, they reap additional performance benefits.
While the technical aspects of the cooler are certainly nice, it cannot compete with NVIDIA's reference design cooler visually, which is without a doubt the best-looking one in the industry. I can't blame Gigabyte for trying to come up with a more cost-effective design, but a more sleek appearance would have been nice. I also wish the card came with a backplate. Granted, unlike the GTX Titan, which has memory chips on the back side, the GTX 780 has nothing to cool, but a backplate would have certainly helped with the visual appearance of the Gigabyte GTX 780 WindForce OC.

As mentioned before, Gigabyte's cooler runs slightly noisier during gaming than the NVIDIA reference cooler, but the difference is negligible. In idle, the cooler is quieter than NVIDIA's reference, but the difference is negligible.
Power consumption in absolute numbers is slightly increased, but not enough to make any difference outside the lab. What is interesting, though, is that even with increased performance delivered, power consumption does not go up accordingly. So, when looking at performance per watt, the Gigabyte GTX 780 OC ends up with quite a lead on the reference design, especially at 2560x1600, where it competes with the most efficient boards that usually place in the lower end of the performance spectrum.

Not long ago, people were shocked by GTX Titan's massive $1000 pricing, and the GTX 780 isn't cheap either. NVIDIA's MSRP is $649, and Gigabyte says they expect their GTX 780 Windforce OC to retail at a similar price that may be slightly more or less. While I can't blame Gigabyte, the price is definitely too high when looking at the delivered performance. The card should, even when looking at the performance of Gigabyte's overclocked card, be around $550. So it's overpriced, we kinda all knew that, but will NVIDIA get away with it? Absolutely. Many people bought the GTX Titan after the outcry on GTX Titan pricing, but they are extremely happy with the card. Countless forum reports are testament to that. These same people will now be sad as many fought with their wives/GFs/moms to buy a GTX Titan, because the GTX 780 offers pretty much the same performance at a lower price.
If you can't afford the GTX 780, don't worry about it. The GTX 770 will be launching soon, and GeForce GTX 600 cards are still strong. It's not like the GTX 700 introduces features that you absolutely must have to be able to play the latest games. Most gamers will even have a great time with a $200 GTX 660 that can play all titles just fine at full HD. But you now have options that cost less than 1000 USD if you want more.