NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 - Graphics Card Manual

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 graphics card.
The GTX 970 is a powerful graphics card that gives you the fast, smooth, quiet gaming you're looking for in all your favorite titles. With features like GPU Boost 2.0, NVIDIA TXAA, and NVIDIA PhysX, this graphics card will give you the best your games have to offer.
Plus, with NVIDIA's GeForce Experience built right into its drivers, you can take advantage of NVIDIA's tens of thousands of hours of testing to optimize your gameplay settings with one click.

About This Guide

This installation guide discusses the installation and operation of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 graphic card.

Note: It is important to register your product in order to receive online and phone support. Consult the registration card included in the retail packaging for more information on registering your product.

System Specifications

• Motherboard
  PCl Express or PCl Express 3.0-compliant motherboard with one dualwidth x 16 graphics slot.
• System Power Supply
  Minimum 500 W or greater system power supply with two 6-pin PCl Express supplementary power connectors.
• Operating System
  • Microsoft Windows 8, 32-bit or 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows 7, 32-bit or 64-bit
  • Linux 32-bit or 64 bit
  • FreeBSD x86
• System Memory
  2 GB system memory (4 GB recommended)
• DVD-ROM drive or internet connection for driver installation
• 300 MB of available hard disk space

UNPACKING

Prior to unpacking your new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 graphics card, it is important to make sure you meet all the system requirements listed above for a smooth installation.
Be sure to inspect each piece of equipment shipped in the packing box. If anything is missing or damaged, contact your reseller.

Equipment
The following equipment and documentation are included in the GeForce GTX 970 graphics card box.

The NVIDIA Driver Installation Disc contains:

• GeForce Experience Software
• For other operating systems and to keep your drivers current, visit www.nvidia.com/drivers and download the latest drivers
• Digital version of this Manual and Driver

HARDWARE INSTALLATION

Installing the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 graphics card hardware involves opening your computer. Follow all the safety instructions provided here to ensure that there is no damage to you, your computer, or the graphics board.

Before You Begin

The GeForce GTX 970 graphics card is a PCl Express 3.0 x 16 graphics card. Your computer may already have a graphics card installed in the PCl Express slot. If so, you will need to remove that graphics card and replace it with the GeForce GTX 970 graphics card.

If you do not have a graphics card, this means that your motherboard has onboard graphics (there is a graphics chip installed on your motherboard or integrated in the motherboard chipset). If this is the case, there is no action that needs to be taken before installing your new graphics card.

Installing the Device

Because there are so many different computer systems on the market, the procedure to install the GeForce GTX 970 graphics card can vary from system to system. Use the following instructions as a guideline and consult the documentation for your computer system for any further information on your individual system.

Note: It is important that all power to the computer be disconnected before you install the graphics card.

Discharge your body's static electricity by touching a grounded surface before touching the graphics card. A grounded surface is the computer chassis, or some other surface you know to be grounded.

ATTENTION: If your system has been running for a while prior to opening the panels, it is very important that you wait until the graphics card in your system has cooled before taking the card out of the system. Graphics cards get very hot when they have been operating for any length of time.

Use the following procedure to install the GeForce GTX 970 graphics card into your computer system.

1. Turn off your computer and monitor and disconnect the power cord.
   Depending on your computer system, you may need to disconnect the cable going to the back of your system. Mark the cables so you can make sure you reconnect them properly.
2. Open your computer by removing the cover/side panel. Refer to your computer documentation from the original manufacturer for assistance.
3. Remove any existing graphics card (if there is one). Save hardware (such as screws and brackets) to use when installing the NVIDIA graphics card.
4. Remove two adjacent slot covers if you do not have a graphics card installed.
   Remove two adjacent slot covers that corresponds to the PCl-Express slot you are installing the GeForce GTX 970 graphics card in.
   

Note: The GeForce GTX 970 card is double-wide and requires removing two slot covers.

5. Plug the GeForce GTX 970 graphics card into the Primary PCl Express x 16 slot on your motherboard. This is often the slot closest to the CPU but may be the second or third slot. Look for the slot labeled x 16. It will likely be the only PCl Express slot with a retention lever on the end of the slot or the one closest to the CPU.
   Install your GeForce GTX 970 graphics card into the Primary PCl Express x 16 slot (the Primary slot is the one closest to the CPU).
   

ATTENTION : It is recommended that you install the graphics card into the primary PCl Express x 16 slot. If you install the graphics card into the secondary slot, your system may not recognize the graphics card and there will be nothing displayed on the monitor.
Also note that on some motherboard SBIOS, the physical location of the primary slot can be configured when there are more than one PCl Express x16 slots.

If you are installing additional GeForce GTX970 graphics cards for an SLI configuration, continue with step 6 (2-way SLI) or step 6 and 7 (3-way SLI). If you are only installing one GeForce card, go on to step 8.

ATTENTION: All of the graphics cards in an SLI configuration must be identical. Therefore, you must have all GeForce GTX970 graphics cards

6. Install a second GeForce GTX 970 graphic card (2-way SLI):
   1. Install the second GeForce card into the outer most PCl Express x 16 slot on the motherboard.
   2. Connect the two GeForce GTX 970 cards together using the dual SLI bridge connector that came with your SLI-ready motherboard
7. Install a third GeForce GTX 970 graphic card (3-way SLI):
   1. Connect the two GeForce GTX 970 cards together using the dual SLI bridge connector that came with your SLI-ready motherboard.
      
   2. Connect the three GeForce GTX 970 cards together using the triple SLI bridge connector that came with your SLI-ready motherboard.
      
8. Connect two 6-pin PCl Express auxiliary power connectors to the top edge of the GeForce GTX 970 graphics card. Note that the connectors and sockets on the graphics card have a unique shape and connect one way only.
   
9. Reinstall the cover on your computer and reconnect any cables that you removed earlier in the installation.
   

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION

With the hardware installed, it is now time to install the NVIDIA GeForce Experience software and the graphics driver.

GeForce Experience Software Installation

1. Install GeForce Experience software.
   • Go to http://www.geforce.com/geforce-experience/download and click Download Now.
   • Accept the NVIDIA software license agreement by selecting Agree and Continue. GeForce Experience software begins to install.
   • Select Close to finish the installation.
2. Optimize your installed games.
   • Open GeForce Experience and click Scan for Games and click OK to scan your installed games.
   • Click on Optimize All to optimize your game settings.

Install the Latest Drivers

1. Open GeForce Experience and select the Drivers tab.
2. Select Download Driver. Your GPU driver begins to download.
3. Select Express Installation when the download finishes. GeForce Experience begins to install the graphics driver.

Note: It may take several minutes for the installation to take place. Your screen may go blank for a few seconds one or more times during installation. This is normal.

4. Click CLOSE when the driver install completes.

Enabling/Disabling SLI

If you have more than one GeForce GTX 970 graphics card installed, you can enable/disable the SLI function using the following procedure:

1. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel open and click on Configure SLI, Surround, PhysX in the left task pane.
2. Select from the following multi-GPU configurations.
   • Maximize 3D performance
     Select this mode when you want your graphics cards to work together to increase your rendering performance and image quality
   • Acivate all displays
     Activate all displays disables SLI and activates all connected displays (heads)
   • PhysX settings
     PhysX settings switches which GPU runs PhysX and can also dedicate a GPU to PhysX only
   • Disable SLI
     Default Selection.
3. Click Apply.

CONFIGURING HDMI

Connecting HDTV via HDMI allows you to output both digital audio and video from your graphics card to an HDTV.

Enabling Audio Over HDMI
If you are connecting to your display over HDMI, you may need to set the HDMI output to be your default audio device.

1. Select Start Control Panel Sound
2. On the Playback tab, select your HDMI display and select Set Default.

Congratulations! Your GeForce graphics card(s) is now ready to use!
For detailed instructions on using the NVIDIA Control Panel, consult the Control Panel User's Guide found at www.geforce.com/drivers (select your driver, then click on Control Panel User's Guide to download the User's Guide).

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

To reduce the risk of fire, electric shock, or injury, always follow basic safety precautions.

Note: All hardware must be installed prior to installation of the drivers.

• Remove power from your computer by disconnecting the AC main source before installation.
• Do not install this card with I/O downward.
• Do not operate this product near water or when your hands or body are wet.
• Do not place this product on soft surfaces that could block the ventilation slots and cause overheating.
• Do not place this product near a heating register or radiator.
• Place this product securely on a stable surface. Serious damage to this product may result if it falls.
• Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not place this product where a person can step or trip on the power cord.

Documents / Resources

References

• http://www.nvidia.com/drivers
• Update Drivers & Optimal Playable Settings | NVIDIA GeForce Experience
• Official GeForce Drivers | NVIDIA

Download manual

Here you can download full pdf version of manual, it may contain additional safety instructions, warranty information, FCC rules, etc.

Download NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 - Graphics Card Manual