GALAX and KFA2 Katana: Single-Slot GTX 1070 GPUs Coming Soon
by Anton Shilov on April 13, 2017 4:00 PM EST
GALAX and KFA2 have added single-slot GeForce GTX 1070 Katana video cards to their lineups, which is usually an indicator that the graphics adapters are going to hit the market shortly. The add-in-boards (AIBs) will be the only thin GTX 1070 high-end graphics cards on the market and will join a few other single-slot adapters in GALAX's lineup.
As discussed before, when GALAX first demonstrated a prototype of its single-slot GeForce GTX 1070 Katana graphics card, single-slot gaming AIBs are uncommon these days because GPU developers and hardware makers use dual-slot coolers for everything with a TDP of 75 W and higher. While most of gaming desktops can accommodate at least one double-wide graphics adapter, there are systems equipped with extra add-in-boards (audio, SSD, additional SATA or Thunderbolt 3 controllers, etc.) that may require slim single-slot components as there is simply not enough space inside. For this reason, single-slot graphics cards from ELSA and now GALAX and KFA2 will find their buyers.
The GeForce GTX 1070 Katana graphics cards from GALAX and KFA2 are produced by Palit Microsystems, the owner of the two brands. To make the boards thinner than their counterparts, the manufacturer had to develop a custom PCB design with a 4+1-phase VRM moved towards display outputs. Such design ensures that cool air takes heat away from the GPU first and only then the air is applied to inductors, MOSFETs and capacitors of the VRM (which are sturdier). The GeForce GTX 1070 Katana graphics adapters run their GPUs at 1518/1708 MHz (base/boost), which is very close to NVIDIA-recommended frequencies and thus the cards only require one 8-pin PCIe auxiliary power connector.
Another key element of the adapters is their single-slot cooling system that relies on a copper radiator with a vapor chamber and a high-pressure blower. The lid of the radiator has special openings above the VRM that exhausts part of the hot air and helps to better cool-down inductors and MOSFETs. In addition, there are exhaust holes on the bracket, therefore, at least part of the hot air is blown away outside of the PC. Palit does not disclose the maximum noise level produced by its cooling system, but it is logical to expect it to be noisier than their large brethren with multiple fans and doublewide radiators.
Since the GeForce GTX 1070 Katana cards are thin, the manufacturer had to sacrifice two out of five display connectors offered by most of the GP104-based designs. The graphics adapters feature a DisplayPort 1.4, a DVI-D output and an HDMI 2.0b connector. On the other hand, as most gamers use only one monitor, three different headers will be enough for vast majority of the target audience.
GALAX and KFA2 have not announced MSRPs of their GeForce GTX 1070 Katana graphics cards for their respective regions. Since the boards are unique, it is likely that they will be sold at a premium. Typically these cards are difficult to source outside of China or Japan, so it is worth letting these companies know if you want them in other regions.
Related Reading:
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
59 Comments
View All Comments
ImSpartacus - Friday, April 14, 2017 - link
I wish miniDP would've beat out full size DP. It's such a nice connector, but full size DP makes it hard for everyone to transition.owan - Friday, April 14, 2017 - link
DP->DL-DVI adapters are not cheap. A significant (probably majority) of people using resolutions greater than 1080p are doing so on inexpensive 1440p panels without DP inputs (i.e. Korean monitors or similar) that require DL-DVI.Bullwinkle J Moose - Thursday, April 13, 2017 - link
Noise canceling headphones should have been included for the high pressure blower!Silent graphics requires an extra slot
Silencers are required for single slot graphics
Sivar - Thursday, April 13, 2017 - link
I have never seen a silent 1070, but I imagine it would take more than even two slots for the massive heatsink that would be required.extide - Thursday, April 13, 2017 - link
As long as it is a DL DVI I think it's worth having. There are still a lot of us that have monitors that rely on DL DVI, like all those cheap 27" 2560x1440 monitors and I have a Dell 3007WFP that is pre-displayport so it also relies on DL DVI. DP -> DL DVI adapters aren't that cheap and they can be finicky. It sucks, I agree we should move on but for now there are still a lot of people depending on them. I also have a U3011 that I can run on DP but it is a finicky and "disconnects" from the computer if you turn it off, so I prefer to run it on DL DVI as well, if I can.ImSpartacus - Friday, April 14, 2017 - link
I feel like the kind of consumer with a cheapo Korean 27"er isn't the kind of consumer that has a compelling use case for a specialized single slot high performance gpu.They would just use a dual slot card like everyone else.
BrokenCrayons - Friday, April 14, 2017 - link
I'd rather deal with the price premium and unoptimized (for games) drivers of a Quadro P600 or P400 so I can get a single slot, half height GPU. They're currently the only Pascal-based cards that have a sane TDP.MrSpadge - Saturday, April 15, 2017 - link
That's such a bad choice compared to a GTX1050 with manually lowered power limit, which would perform higher (more bandwidth, more shaders at moderately lower clocks) at half the cost.BrokenCrayons - Monday, April 17, 2017 - link
That won't fix the double slot cooler issue. It would be necessary to find a non-OEM cooling solution of likely unproven capability. The last time I checked on Amazon, the P400 was selling for $140 so a GTX 1050 isn't half the cost. True, it's faster and may have drivers that are tweaked for gaming, but after spending almost a decade using latop Quadro GPUs to run the occasional game, I'm pretty happy with the state of professional graphics cards for casual amusement.damianrobertjones - Friday, April 14, 2017 - link
"Since the boards are unique, it is likely that they will be sold at a premium"Typical.