How we test
GPU comparisons |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics cards | Current pricing | GPU clock (MHz) | Stream processors | Shader clock (MHz) | Memory clock (MHz) | Memory bus (bits) | Graphics driver |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1,536MB | £399 | 772 | 512 | 1,544 | 4,008 | 384 | ForceWare 262.99 |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1,280MB | £280 | 732 | 480 | 1,464 | 3,800 | 320 | ForceWare 263.09 |
| ASUS GeForce GTX 480 1,536MB | £280 | 700 | 480 | 1,401 | 3,698 | 384 | ForceWare 262.99 |
| ASUS GeForce GTX 470 1,280MB | £215 | 607 | 448 | 1,215 | 3,348 | 320 | ForceWare 260.89 |
| KFA
GeForce GTX 460 1,024MB |
£145 | 675 | 336 | 1,350 | 3,600 | 256 | ForceWare 260.89 |
| KFA
GeForce GTX 460 Razor 1,024MB |
£160 | 675 | 336 | 1,350 | 3,600 | 256 | ForceWare 260.99 |
| EVGA GeForce GTX 460 768MB | £120 | 675 | 336 | 1,350 | 3,600 | 192 | ForceWare 260.89 |
| HIS Radeon HD 6970 2,048MB | £299 | 880 | 1,536 | 880 | 5,500 | 256 | Catalyst 10.12P |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2,048MB | £230 | 800 | 1,440 | 800 | 5,000 | 256 | Catalyst 10.10P |
| HIS Radeon HD 6870 1,024MB | £185 | 900 | 1,120 | 900 | 4,200 | 256 | Catalyst 10.10P |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1,024MB | £145 | 775 | 960 | 775 | 4,000 | 256 | Catalyst 10.10P |
| XFX Radeon HD 5870 1,024MB | £210 | 825 | 1,600 | 825 | 4,800 | 256 | Catalyst 10.10P |
| XFX Radeon HD 5850 1,024MB | £155 | 725 | 1,440 | 725 | 4,000 | 256 | Catalyst 10.10P |
Test bench |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7 980X Extreme Edition (3.33GHz, 12MB L3 cache, hexa-core, LGA1366 - Turbo Boost enabled) | |||||||||||
| Motherboard | ASUS P6X58D Premium | |||||||||||
| Motherboard BIOS | 1002 | |||||||||||
| Memory | 6GB Corsair DDR3 | |||||||||||
| Memory timings and speed | 9-9-9-24-1T @ DDR3-1,600 | |||||||||||
| PSU | Corsair HX1000W | |||||||||||
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP - 2,560x1,600px | |||||||||||
| Disk drive(s) | Corsair Force F80 SSD | |||||||||||
| Operating system | Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit | |||||||||||
Benchmarks |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aliens vs. Predator | DX11, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 2xAA, 16xAF, very high quality. | |||||||||||
| Just Cause 2 | DX10, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 4xAA, 16xAF, Dark Tower benchmark | |||||||||||
| Mafia II | DX9, 1,920x1,080 resolution, AA on, 16x AF, built-in benchmark | |||||||||||
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | DX11, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 4xAA, 16xAF, ultra quality, FRAPS-recorded benchmark. | |||||||||||
| Call of Duty: Black Ops | DX9, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 4xAA, ultra quality, FRAPS-recorded benchmark. | |||||||||||
| Crysis Warhead | DX10, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 4xAA, gamer quality, Frost map, FRAPS-recorded benchmark. | |||||||||||
| DiRT 2 | DX11, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 4xAA, ultra quality, London map. | |||||||||||
| Temperature | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record GPU core temperature both when idle and whilst playing Call of Duty: Black Ops. And, for a worst-case scenario, we throw in numbers from the FurMark stress test. | |||||||||||
| Power consumption | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record mains power draw both when idle and whilst playing Call of Duty: MW2. And, for a worst-case scenario, we throw in numbers from the FurMark stress test. | |||||||||||
| Noise | A PCE-318 noise level meter is placed at front of a Corsair 700D chassis with side panel on. | |||||||||||
Notes
We've listed a total of 12 comparison GPUs - six from NVIDIA and six from AMD - that take in the high-end of the graphics-card market. The KFA2 Razor is clocked in at default speeds meaning that performance should be analogous to a standard GTX 460 1GB's, though the driver has been updated to the latest WHQL version, 260.99.
Seven games are tested at the 1,920x1,080 resolution. We've declined to show numbers for 1,680x1,050 and 2,560x1,600 because it would lead to graph overload. If you want to see how a GTX 460 1GB scores in all resolutions, head on over to here.
Rather more importantly, please do view the temperature, power-draw and noise graphs; they will inform you just how good KFA2's single-slot implementation really is.
