Finally finished with Overclocking and Temp tests with the Zotac GTX 1070 Ti AMP+ Edition.
https://i.imgur.com/wpGDQHp.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/t8zx4We.jpg
TLDR :- overclocked it runs slightly faster than a stock GTX 1080 but at quite high cost with higher voltages and temps.
Highest stable overclock I got was GPU 2101MHz Memory 2202MHz with a 3DMark Timespy
graphics score (different from the overall score) of 7383 but with temps averaging 78C and getting up to 82C. Voltage averaged 1050mV and hitting 1080mV. I did all the overclocking with the case glass panel removed and ambient temp was about 29C. The settings I used in MSI Afterburner and custom fan curve are below ...
https://i.imgur.com/tWS9I2y.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/neNRF8t.jpg
As a comparison, the out of the box stock Timespy graphics score result was 6852 with temps averaging 72C. So the overclock gave a 7.75% increase in Timespy synthetic performance. As far as gaming performance, in Mass Effect Andromeda, visually speaking everything already looks fantastic on a 1440p Gsync monitor and I really can't tell any difference between stock and overclocked settings as framerates were jumping around between 55-84 fps at 1440p Ultra settings. The only perceivable differences are the temps and voltage numbers.
In MEA, temps went up to 82C on overclocked settings and even at stock settings temps were still a balmy 78C at 29C ambient with the case glass side panel closed. With the panel removed, overclocked temp was better at 80C and stock temp was 76C.
A couple of things to note is that at idle this GPU is really cool at 41C with 29C ambient and the case side panel closed. This is because the fans never stop spinning which was a surprise for me since most new cards have the fans off function at low temps. Also there are 2 lights on the card that you might find annoying if you have OCD.
https://i.imgur.com/wxZ7MHf.jpg
At the 2 8-pin power sockets there's this very bright but small red LED that I assume indicates good connection and power delivery. Also there's a small RGB LED at the back of the card below the backplate. You can see it in the picture above at the back right corner of the card. This little RGB LED follows whatever colour and whatever light effect you select for the Zotac name. Both LEDs cannot be turned off in Zotac's Firestrike software. If someone knows how to turn these LEDs off please enlighten me.
In concluding the GTX 1070 Ti is a great bargain if you desire close to GTX 1080 performance and want to save some $$. Currently you can save approx S$100 if you go for a GTX 1070 Ti. So is the Zotac GTX 1070 Ti AMP+ edition a good buy? Well, I have reservations about the cooling performance but the 5-year warranty can't be beat. Unless you plan on selling/changing your GPU/rig in 3 years time then any brand will do. For me I tend to keep my cards around for spare rigs which I pass on to friends or family so having 2 extra years of warranty is preferred. And an AMP+ Edition certainly makes a better buy than the Zotac Mini SKU considering the high temps this card gets in our tropical weather. As for overclocking this card, I've decided to keep it at stock since there's no real benefit for me in all the games I play and I much prefer lower temps/voltages. I will try some gameplay recording and Twitch streaming using OBS with this card next week and see if there're any issue. Meanwhile thanks for reading and cheers!
