ASUS GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC Edition Video Card Review

We check out the value orientated ASUS GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC Edition video card which is priced at a bit over $100. Let's see what Shawn has to say.

Published
Updated
Manufacturer: ASUS
13 minutes & 13 seconds read time

Introduction and Package

Introduction of the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC Edition

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We don't tend to look at a lot of low-end video cards these days. Apart from the initial launch of a model, companies tend to focus on mid to high-end models as they release various versions of these models with increased speeds and upgraded coolers. Saying that, we have a couple of lower-end cards that have arrived in the last few weeks that we're going to be looking at.

One of the first cards we're going to be looking at comes from our friends over at ASUS and is based on the lower-end GTX 750 Ti GPU. Coming in at the low to mid $100 price mark, depending where you buy from, it has been a while since we've looked at a card so cheap.

We're looking forward to seeing how it does in our benchmark line up today, especially since it has been expanded a bit and changed since the last time we looked at these budget friendly video cards.

We really don't have a whole lot more say today, so let's leave it at that and move to the package of the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC Edition to see just what exactly we have hands here today.

Package - What comes inside the box

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Taking a look at the box, you can see the overall design is similar to other ASUS cards we've looked at. You can easily see the brand and model on the front along with some of the main features, including the fact it's overclocked, carries a dual fan cooling solution, has 2GB of GDDR5, and offers ASUS Super Alloy Power. Turning the box over, you can see a picture of the card along with a look at the I/O side of things showing the connectors. On the right side, we get an expanded look at some of those main features that are included.

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Moving inside the box, you can see we don't have much going on. We find the Speed Setup guide and a CD that offers both the driver and ASUS' own overclocking software, GPU Tweak, which was also mentioned on the back of the box.

PRICING: You can find the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC retails for $149.99 at Amazon.

Canada: The ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC retails for CDN$269.59 at Amazon Canada.

Video Card Details and Specifications

Close up with the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC Edition

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Taking a look at the card, you can see it's not too large, and the dual fan heat sink manages to hang over the back by a decent chunk. Behind the two large fans, you can also see that we have a massive heat sink covering the entire PCB and then some. Unlike higher-end cards, you don't see a whole bunch of copper heat pipes or anything like that coming out of the top of the card. Considering the fact we're dealing with a lower-end GPU here, though, the dual fan setup with a massive heat sink should perform well. We'll see just how well a little later when we get into the testing side of things.

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Taking a look around the card, you can see we have just a single 6-Pin PCIe power connector on the card. It's interesting to see that ASUS has chosen to place it towards the front of the card, though, instead of the back. In this position, we would normally see an SLI connector, something that isn't included on this model.

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Finishing our look at the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC, we move over to the I/O department where we find a single VGA port alongside a single HDMI port. In between these two ports, you can see we have two Dual-Link DVI-D connectors.

Specifications

As we've already mentioned a few times, this particular GTX 750 Ti 2GB comes overclocked out of the box. If you're dealing with a reference-clocked version of the card, you will see a core clock of 1020MHz that is then boosted to 1085MHz via NVIDIA's GPU Boost technology. As for the 2GB of GDDR5, that will carry with it a clock speed of 1350MHz, or 5400MHz QDR.

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Looking above, you can see that ASUS has pushed the core up to 1072MHz. This is just short of the boosted clock that the reference card offers. With the help of GPU Boost, you can see that our ASUS version is pushed to 1150MHz. As for the 2GB of GDDR5, you can see that like most companies they've chosen to leave that alone as the clock remains at 1350MHz, or 5400MHz QDR.

Test System Setup & FPS Numbers Explained

Test System Setup

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We would like to thank the following companies for supplying and supporting us with our test system hardware and equipment: Intel, ASUS, and Corsair.

As we mentioned in our introduction, we haven't had a look at a lot of low-end cards recently, so there's not a whole lot to compare against our ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC today. With that said, we do have a few cards included, albeit they do all sit at a higher price point. From the NVIDIA side of things, we have the MSI GTX 730 MINI-ITX Gaming, and above that, we have the reference GTX 770 2GB.

As for the AMD side of things, we have the recent R9 270X IceQ X2 Turbo Boost 2GB OC that we looked at alongside the Sapphire R9 280X 3GB Vapor-X OC. We'll leave it at that and move forward to see just what kind of performance we're able to get out of the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC.

The FPS Numbers Explained

When we benchmark our video cards and look at the graphs, we aim to get to a certain level of FPS which we consider playable. While many may argue that the human eye can't see over 24 FPS or 30 FPS, any true gamer will tell you that as we climb higher in Frames Per Seconds (FPS), the overall gameplay feels smoother. There are three numbers we're looking out for when it comes to our benchmarks.

30 FPS - It's the minimum number we aim for when it comes to games. If you're not dropping below 30 FPS during games, you're going to have a nice and smooth gaming experience. The ideal situation is that even in a heavy fire fight, the minimum stays above 30 FPS making sure that you can continue to aim easily or turn the corner with no dramas.

60 FPS - It's the average we look for when we don't have a minimum coming at us. If we're getting an average of 60 FPS, we should have a minimum of 30 FPS or better and as mentioned above, it means we have some smooth game play happening.

120 FPS - The new number that we've been hunting down over recent months. If you're the owner of a 120 Hz monitor, to get the most out of it you want to get around the 120 FPS mark. Moving from 60 FPS / 60 Hz to 120 FPS / 120 Hz brings with it a certain fluidity that can't really be explained, but instead has to be experienced. Of course, if you're buying a 120 Hz monitor to take advantage of 3D, an average of 120 FPS in our benchmark means that in 3D you will have an average of 60 FPS, which again means you should expect some smooth gameplay.

Why are some graphs incomplete?

Adding new game benchmarks is a long, tedious and time consuming task as every video card has to be re-tested in those new benchmarks. Because of that reason we have always just evaluated our benchmark line up every six months. To stay up to date and current with the latest benchmarks and games available, we've changed our approach to adding new benchmarks.

Our benchmark line up will progress and be updated as newer more intensive games with benchmarks comes to light. While this will mean that initially you may only see a single video card in those particular graphs, as the weeks go on and we test more and more video cards, the results will grow quickly. This will help keep our benchmark line up as up to date as possible as we introduce and remove games on a constant basis.

Benchmarks - 3DMark

3DMark 11

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.1

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Starting off with 3DMark 11, we can see that the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC does manage to sit a decent chunk behind the GTX 770, with a difference of around 30 percent being seen at the lower Performance preset.

3DMark Fire Strike

Version and / or Patch Used: 1

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Moving into Fire Strike, we can again see the card sits at the back of the pack. The overall performance here doesn't look too bad, though. We're looking forward to seeing how it performs in our real-world gaming environments in just a moment.

Benchmarks - 3DMark Sky Diver & Catzilla

3DMark Sky Diver

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.1

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Designed for lower-end cards, the new Sky Diver benchmark gives the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC a pretty decent score.

Catzilla

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.3

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Checking out Catzilla, we can see that the performance isn't too bad. We'll move on to Heaven and see just how it goes in our real-world gaming environment after that.

Benchmarks - Unigine Heaven & Phantasy Star Online 2

Unigine Heaven Benchmark

Version and / or Patch Used: 3

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NVIDIA cards have always performed stronger under the Tessellation-heavy benchmarks, and here is no different. The performance of the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC isn't too bad here considering the price point of the card.

Phantasy Star Online 2

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark

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Considering the resolutions we're running at under PSO2, the performance isn't too bad. You're going to want to drop down to get a playable score.

Benchmarks - Lost Planet 2 & Just Cause 2

Lost Planet 2

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark

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Checking out Lost Planet 2, you can see that the performance is quite strong on this older game, with the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC giving us playable numbers at both 1920x1200 and 1680x1050. Thanks to NVIDIA always performing quite strongly under Tessellation-heavy benchmarks as well, you can see it manages to sit not all that far behind the higher-end HIS R9 270X 2GB Turbo Boost OC here.

Just Cause 2

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

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Just Cause 2 numbers look pretty good as we again see the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC performing strongly at both 1920x1200 and 1680x1050. It isn't until we move to 2560x1600 that the card's performance drops back.

Benchmarks -Metro Last Light & Nexuiz

Metro Last Light

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

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Getting into Metro Last Light, you can see that all of our cards struggle here to get playable FPS, with the only time we see a number above 60 FPS being at 1680x1050 with the Sapphire R9 280X 3GB Vapor-X OC.

Nexuiz

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

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Moving into Nexuiz, we see the same kind of picture as we saw under Metro Last Light. Apart from the Sapphire R9 280X 3GB Vapor-X OC at 1680x1050, all of our cards struggle to get close to that 60 FPS number we're on the hunt for.

Benchmarks - Sniper Elite V2 & Sleeping Dogs

Sniper Elite V2

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark

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Moving on to Sniper Elite V2, we can see that 1680x1050 performance isn't bad with a 64 FPS average. Moving to 1920x1200, you can see that with our in-game settings at Ultra, the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC struggles. If you wanted to play at 1920x1200 or 1080p, a small detail drop would get us the numbers we need to make the game smooth.

Sleeping Dogs

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

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As new as Sleeping Dogs is, the optimization in the game is quite strong. While not expensive, you can see that the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC manages to give us playable numbers at both 1680x1050 and 1920x1200. It's not until 2560x1600 that we see the card fall below the 60 FPS mark. Even then, though, we manage to still score quite an impressive 51 FPS average.

Benchmarks - Hitman Absolution & Tomb Raider

Hitman Absolution

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

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Hitman Absolution sees some great performance at 1680x1050. At 1920x1200, we see a strong minimum but an average that sits a little bit too low for our liking. This means that 2560x1600 is out of the picture.

Tomb Raider

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

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Checking out Tomb Raider, you can see the FPS just plummet, and across the board, the numbers are too low for us. While the minimum at 1680x1050 isn't too bad, the average is just too low.

Benchmarks - BioShock Infinite & Battlefield 4

BioShock Infinite

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

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BioShock Infinite numbers across the board are a bit too low. Saying that, a small detail drop at 1680x1050 would see our FPS get to where we need them to be without too much trouble.

Battlefield 4

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Origin Update

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Looking at Battlefield 4, we can see that the FPS numbers are strong at both 1680x1050 and 1920x1200. Again, it's not until 2560x1600 that we see the FPS drop too low.

Benchmarks - GRID Autosport

Grid Autosport

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

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While GRID Autosport numbers are lower than we would like, the strong minimum at 1680x1050 combined with the 55 FPS average means that we would put this as passable. Above that, though, you can see the FPS are just too low. We do have room to move, and you could find yourself getting a decent gaming experience at 1920x1200 if you wanted.

Benchmarks - High Quality AA and AF

High Quality AA and AF Testing

While we test all our games with maximum in-game settings, turning on Anti-Aliasing (AA) and Antistrophic Filtering (AF) helps take the intensity of our testing to another level.

Here we see video cards go from playable FPS to unplayable FPS and the real power houses continue to help break that 60 FPS mark we always aim for to provide a smooth gaming experience.

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Without AA and AF on, we saw Metro Last Light struggle. It comes as no surprise that when we turn it on we see the FPS plummet.

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While the GRID Autosport numbers don't look too bad, they're overall just way too low for the game to be playable with these settings.

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Sleeping Dogs also struggles, which comes as no surprise. These mid $100 cards just aren't made for AA and AF gaming.

Temperature & Sound Testing

Temperature Test

The temperature of the core is pulled from MSI Afterburner with the max reading used after a completed run of 3DMark Vantage at the Performance preset.

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Temperature numbers on the card are impressive, sitting in the bottom half of the graph. Considering the lower-end nature of the card and the massive heat sink that ASUS has got going on, these numbers aren't all that surprising.

Sound Test

Pulling out the TES 1350A Sound Level Meter, we find ourselves quickly yelling into the top of it to see how loud we can be.

After five minutes of that, we get a bit more serious and place the device two CM away from the fan on the card to find the maximum noise level of the card when idle (2D mode) and in load (3D mode).

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What's really cool is just how quietly the card runs. Looking above, you can see it's the fourth quietest card here with just 0.4 dB separating it from the bottom card.

Power Consumption Testing

Using our PROVA Power Analyzer WM-01--or "Power Thingy" as it has quickly become known as to our readers--we are now able to find out what kind of power is being used by our test system and the associated video cards installed. Keep in mind that it tests the complete system (minus LCD monitor, which is plugged directly into AC wall socket).

There are a few important notes to remember, though. While our maximum power is taken in 3DMark06 at the same exact point, we have seen in particular tests the power being drawn as much as 10 percent more. We test at the exact same stage every time, so tests should be very consistent and accurate.

The other thing to remember is that our test system is bare minimum--only an SSD hard drive is used with a single CD ROM and minimal cooling fans.

So, while the system might draw 400 watts in our test system, placing it into your own PC with a number of other items will result in a higher draw.

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Again, considering the lower-end nature of the card, it comes as no surprise that power draw isn't too bad, coming in at just 344 watts under load.

Pricing, Availability and Final Thoughts

I must admit that it's hard to really get excited about these budget friendly video cards. Considering our benchmark suite is focused around benching at a higher level of detail, you just expect a card that carries with it a price tag in the lower-end of the $100 range to just plummet in all of our benchmarks.

Going through the lineup and checking out the performance, you can see the little ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC manages to perform quite well under a number of games at 1680x1050, with 1920x1200 even being possible at times. The times we do fall short of the FPS we want, because we do benchmark under the most extreme settings, we've really got a ton of room to move, meaning that getting those extra FPS shouldn't be too difficult.

At the lower to mid part of the $100 price range, depending on where you buy and what version the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC, the GTX 750 Ti 2GB just manages to pack quite a little bit of punch for the price. While the bundle isn't anything to get excited about, it normally never is these days.

The cooler on the card is great; it does a fantastic job of keeping our core cool, and manages to do it at an extremely low noise level. If you wanted, you could install ASUS' own overclocking software and get some extra performance out of the model at no price. Considering how well the cooler performs, we know we have room to move when it comes to adding extra MHz.

$300, $400, and $500 cards aren't for everybody. Some people don't need them, and others simply can't justify the cost associated with them. If you're going to be gaming at 1680x1050, a card like the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC is fantastic. If you're looking for something cheap that is going to perform well at a lower resolution, this is a fantastic option.

PRICING: You can find the ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC retails for $149.99 at Amazon.

Canada: The ASUS GTX 750 Ti 2GB OC retails for CDN$269.59 at Amazon Canada.

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Shawn takes care of all of our video card reviews. From 2009, Shawn is also taking care of our memory reviews, and from May 2011, Shawn also takes care of our CPU, chipset and motherboard reviews. As of December 2011, Shawn is based out of Taipei, Taiwan.

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