System setup & notes
Hardware
| Graphics cards | BFG GTX 280 OCX 1GB | NVIDIA GTX 280 1GB | EVGA GTX 260 FTW 896 MB | NVIDIA GTX 260 896 MB | Sapphire HD 4870 X2 2GB | Force3D HD 4870 512MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current pricing, including VAT | £305 | £281.87 |
£258.50 | £192.53 | £345 | £167.82 |
| Shader model | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Stream processors | 240 | 240 | 192 | 192 | 1,600 (2 x 800) | 800 |
| GPU clock speed (MHz) | 665 | 602 | 666 | 576 | 750 | 750 |
| Shader clock speed (MHz) | 1,458 | 1,296 | 1,404 | 1,242 | 750 | 750 |
| Memory clock speed (MHz) | 2,400 | 2,214 | 2,214 | 1,998 | 3,600 | 3,600 |
| Memory bus width (Bits) | 512 | 512 | 448 | 448 | 512 (2 x 256) | 256 |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 LGA775 (3.0GHz, 12MB L2 cache, quad-core) | |||||
| Motherboard | EVGA CK-132 NF79 (nForce 790i Ultra SLI) | MSI X48 Platinum | ||||
| Motherboard BIOS | P06 | v2.3 (07/07/2008) |
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| Mainboard software | nForce 15.17 |
Intel Inf 9.0.0.1008 | ||||
| Memory | 4GB (2 x 2GB) Corsair XMS3 DMX DDR3-1,333 | |||||
| Memory timings and speed | 9-9-9-24 1T @ 1333MHz | |||||
| PSU | Enermax Galaxy DXX 850W | Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1,000W | ||||
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP - 2,560x1,600 | |||||
| Disk drive(s) | Seagate 500GB - 32MB cache - SATAII (ST3500320AS) | |||||
| Graphics driver | ForceWare 177.79 | ForceWare 177.79 | ForceWare 177.79 | ForceWare 177.79 | Catalyst 8.7 press |
Catalyst 8.7 press |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Business SP1, 64-bit | |||||
Software
| 3D Benchmarks | Company Of Heroes: Opposing Fronts v2.103: DX10 - very high quality Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.5, HEXUS custom-recorded benchmark. OpenGL - vhq Race Driver: GRID v1.2, HEXUS custom-recorded benchmark. Ultra quality Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare v1.7, HEXUS custom-recorded benchmark: DX9 - very high quality |
|---|
Notes
As we're using our new test platform and benchmarks, results are not comparable to those from our older reviews.
We're comparing the BFG GTX 280 OCX to other members of the GTX 200 family - namely the reference-clocked GTX 280 and GTX 260, as well as the pre-overclocked EVGA GTX 260 FTW.
In addition, we'll be looking at the red team's highest-performing single-card and single-GPU offerings in the form of the Sapphire HD 4870 X2 2GB and the Force3D HD 4870 512MB, respectively.
It's a shootout for single-board cards costing between £170 and £345, so let's see what NVIDIA's finest can do.
