Review of the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) video card: perfect silence | Video Cards | Reviews

Few readers are aware that KFA2 (GALAX) is a branded manufacturer of graphics accelerators for overclockers and enthusiasts: the HOF line is an example of this. Therefore, the older products of the developers are distinguished by increased reliability and excellent equipment. But as the market developed and expanded, the manufacturer began to release video cards in a more affordable segment in order to reach the mass consumer and increase the share of influence.

The KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) video card is the most affordable graphics solution among the GeForce RTX 2070 Super models in the DNS range, which more and more users are looking at. This model purely conditionally refers to the budget representatives of its kind, but it has an effective cooling system with a redesigned printed circuit board, which, in comparison with the reference Founders Edition, distinguishes it for the better. And, to understand the new product in more detail, let’s review the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC).

Full name: KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC);

Manufacturer Code: 27ISL6MDU9EK.

Packaging and equipment

KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) comes in a large cardboard box with branded printing in green shades in different palettes. The box is adorned with an image of a mysterious stranger, which has become the hallmark of the line.

Two power adapters Molex >> 8-pin and Molex >> 6-pin complement the standard package from the user manual. The usual disk with drivers is absent, since the practice of disk drives in modern PCs has shown you can no longer find it, and downloading the latest driver is a matter of five minutes.

Appearance and design

The KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) graphics card inspires respect for its person thanks to a massive cooler with a pair of 100 mm fans and a strict design.

Among classmates, the novelty is distinguished by a 2.5-slot cooling system with a pair of turntables equipped with RGB backlighting and tuned by the proprietary Xtreme Tuner Plus utility.

The graphics accelerator is 286 mm long and 126 mm wide.

The reverse side of the video card is protected by a metal backplate, which is a stiffener. Multiple perforations allow not to create a “greenhouse” effect for SMD elements from this part of the printed circuit board, but does not participate in the role of a cooling system: no thermal pads were found.

Additional power supply for the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) is organized by means of two power connectors according to the “8 + 6” formula, while the power consumption of the novelty is quite modest and amounts to 215-240 W, depending on the Power Limita set.

The interface panel contains a classic set of video outputs:

• 3 x DisplayPort 1.4;
• 1 x HDMI 2.0b.

Cooling system

The most interesting part of the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) video card is its cooling system. The rather large cooler is secured by six spring-loaded screws in the GPU and power supply area.

The central cooler is a two-section radiator pierced with five heat pipes with a diameter of 8 mm each and recruited with a multitude of aluminum fins. Crimping and brazing methods are used, which improves the overall heat transfer efficiency.

At the base there is a copper insert, which also evenly distributes heating to the heat pipes: the manufacturer has abandoned the direct contact technology, which is only a plus for cooling. The base of the cooler also acts as a platform for removing heat from the memory microcircuits and comes into contact with the power section of the video card in the second section.

Two fans with a rotation speed of 0 – 2700 rpm and Fan Stop technology are hidden under the decorative casing. Each turntable is independently controllable and adjustable, allowing you to customize the cooling system over the GPU section and VRM power subsystem. Fans and lights are connected to a separate PCB for easy diagnostics and replacement.

The final element of the whole structure is the metal base plate. To give the ideal profile, there is not enough a pair of thermal pads in the power section.

Printed circuit board

The KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) video card is built on an original PCB of its own design, which the new product inherited from the older GeForce RTX 2080 Super model. The component base was taken with a margin.

Note the dense arrangement of SMD elements and a couple of unused functions, for example, the Dual BIOS switch, which once again suggests that the developers have resorted not to a budget PCB, but to a more expensive and high-quality printed circuit board of another solution, only slightly limiting its functionality.

The heart of the review hero is the TU104-410A-A1 graphics processor. This GPU was manufactured using a 12nm process technology in the 2nd week of 2019 and includes 2560 shaders, 64 raster units and 160 texture units.

The power subsystem has nine phases: seven are reserved for the graphics processor, two for video memory. Responsible for power management is the MP2888A PWM controller manufactured by Monolithic Power Systems.

The video memory is Micron GDDR6 standard 9JA77 D9WCW. Their clock frequency is 1750 MHz (effective frequency 14000 MHz).

There are additional voltage measuring points near the power connectors, which overclockers regularly use.

Test stand

• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z490-A Gaming (Intel Z490, LGA1200);
• Processor: Intel Core i5-10600K;
• Cooling system: EKWB EK-KIT Classic RGB P240;
• Thermal interface: Arctic Cooling MX-2;
• RAM: Team Xtreem 8Pack 4500 MHz 16 GB (2 x 8 GB);
• Video card: KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC);
• Drives: Western Digital Black SN750, 500 GB;
• Power supply: Corsair HX1200, 1200 watts;
• Operating system: Microsoft Windows 10 x64.

Standard frequencies and overclocking

The KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) graphics card received a factory overclocking of +45 MHz on the GPU and is endowed with Fan Stop technology, which allows the cooling system to stop the fans at low load and low temperatures. More precisely, the cooler starts at 55 * C, and turns off when the GPU is cooled to 43 * C: this avoids the parasitic “start-stop” effect.

Here are the detailed characteristics of the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super 1-Click OC firmware. The indicator of the level of its TDP is 215 W with the possibility of increasing up to 240 W.

The gaming load was emulated by the 3DMark Time Spy stability test with 20 runs, where the strengths and weaknesses of graphics accelerators are perfectly manifested. But from the very first minutes, the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) video card demonstrates itself on the positive side: the core clock speed reaches 2025 MHz in boost and stays at the 1980 MHz mark for the entire testing cycle. The cooling system starts very smoothly and reaches a peak value of 1500-1550 rpm with low noise levels, and the GPU temperature barely reaches 66 * C. These are excellent indicators for a graphics solution of this level. The VRM zone temperature was 73 * C.

To assess the efficiency and unlock the potential of the cooling system, we turn the fan speed to full capacity. In this mode, they reach a speed of 2750 rpm with a noise level slightly above average, and the temperatures of the GPU and VRM drop to 56 * C and 60 * C, respectively.

The manufacturer has already squeezed out most of the juices from the TU104-410A-A1 graphics chip, so the maximum overclocking of the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super 1-Click OC core ends at 2040 MHz, but the video memory conquers the 15.8 Gbps mark against the reference 14 Gbps.

Performance in games and benchmarks

The performance of the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) increases by 5-6% from manual overclocking.

Even in stock state, the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) handles heavy games and projects in 2K resolution, not to mention the more widely used Full HD.

Conclusion

Despite its positioning in comparison with other GeForce RTX 2070 Super models, our testing showed that the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) video card is a good representative of the small number of graphics accelerators that are among the balanced and optimal solutions achieved not by any restrictions and cost reductions, but by optimization and a more competent pricing policy.

The KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) graphics card is equipped with an efficient cooling system that, together with a tuned fan curve, creates a flawless tandem of an almost perfect cooler. A small factory overclocking of the graphics accelerator is leveled out by an aggressive boost, which squeezes the core 2 GHz out of the new product and keeps it in all heavy games, which allows you not to think about manual overclocking or other manipulations to squeeze out additional performance: everything has already been done for you. The redesigned printed circuit board allows the video card to operate at higher frequencies without the slightest hint of high temperatures in the power section and instability. But does the novelty have weaknesses?

We could not find any serious flaws in the KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC), there are only minor quibbles. These include the increased dimensions of the cooler, which will not appeal to users looking for an exclusively dual-slot video card. Something else? I think no. In the package bundle, additional power adapters, original external design, good performance and efficiency tilt the scales more towards an excellent video card.

Summing up, KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) is a balanced video card with an inconspicuous history and without loud slogans, which is quietly waiting for its user. The manufacturer should add brightness, emotion, advertising to make the novelty noticeable. In the meantime, developers are thinking about it, KFA2 GeForce RTX 2070 Super EX (1-Click OC) will be an excellent gaming solution for a gamer looking for an optimal video card.

Advantages:

• High performance;
• Appearance;
• Effective cooling system;
• Includes two power adapters;
• Cost.

Disadvantages: