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; 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 performance, we see the GTX 780 not too far behind the GTX Titan; the difference is 7% when averaged out over our benchmarks. Compared to last-generation's GTX 680, the performance improvement is a respectable 16%. The red camp really has nothing to counter the GTX 780 as AMD's HD 7970 GHz is seriously lagging behind, being almost 20% slower. While AMD wants to put the HD 7990 on the performance throne, our own review shows that it is just not competitive enough, and too expensive with $1049.

The GeForce GTX 780's base clock is a modest 863 MHz, which suggests that the card has some nice OC potential. Our testing shows great overclocking potential with the card topping out at around 22% with 1050 MHz. Memory overclocks very well, reaching 1865 MHz, which is on the upper-end of the spectrum too. As a result, the GTX 780 gains a 17.8% real-life performance boost in our testing from overclocking alone, without any additional tweaking. Additional tweaking options exist in the form of the power limit and temperature target, but such advanced options might overcomplicate things for many. Nevertheless, the observed performance gain lifted the card beyond stock GTX Titan performance levels, at lower pricing.
NVIDIA's new Boost 2.0 algorithm works well; just like when we initially reviewed it on the GTX Titan. I did notice one thing, though. The Gigabyte GTX 780 OC we reviewed today delivers significantly higher performance, more than what could be expected from a clock speed increase alone. After some digging, I realized that the Gigabyte card never runs hotter than 72°C while the reference design reaches 80°C. NVIDIA's Boost 2.0 algorithm avoids overheating by introducing additional throttling at the 80°C mark. This approach certainly makes sense, but costs some performance. Gigabyte worked around this with a slightly noisier but cooler card resulting in some extra performance.

NVIDIA's cooler is fantastic. Its metal unibody construction with cool metal surfaces adds a completely different feel (literally) to the card. The Plexiglas window in the center is a subtle highlight that refuses to take the flashy sticker route. Overall, this is without a doubt the best-looking graphics card cooler on the market (the GTX 690 and Titan use the same design). On the other hand, I'm sure it costs serious money, more than the plastic coolers on other graphics cards. This could turn out to be an issue for custom board designs since they might just not look as nice as the Titan reference design. Also, the reference cooler's performance is great, so it won't be easy for board partners to improve on. We only wish the card came with a back-plate. Granted, unlike the GTX Titan, which has memory chips on the back side, the GTX 780 has nothing to cool, but the bare back PCB makes the sexy heatsink look kind of incomplete. We're pretty sure a backplate won't bankrupt NVIDIA.
Noise levels of the GTX 780 are fantastic. The card is barely audible in idle, but is ever ready to unleash its awesome gaming power. Even while heavily stressed, the card won't be annoying. It will definitely make its presence felt by increasing noise levels, but these are very reasonable compared to other high-end gaming cards; definitely quieter than GTX 690 and slightly quieter than the GTX Titan.

Power consumption of the GTX 780 is roughly on par with other recent NVIDIA cards. The jump in efficiency we sometimes observe when a new generation is introduced is certainly missing. The underlying reason is that the GTX 780 isn't a fundamentally new card, which doesn't have to be a bad thing. Efficiency is still very good and easily beats AMD's cards.

Not long ago, people were shocked by the GTX Titan's massive $1000 pricing, and the GTX 780 isn't cheap either. NVIDIA's MSRP is $649, and I suspect we will see custom board designs above and below that mark (using cheaper coolers). $649 is definitely too high when looking at delivered performance. Using GTX 680 performance-per-dollar values, the card should cost $540 to match the GTX 670's price of $470. It would only cost $400 if it used the same price/performance level as the GTX 660 Ti. 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. 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 introduced any 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.