Test methodology
GPU comparisons |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics card | Approx. pricing |
GPU clock (MHz) |
Stream processors |
Shader clock (MHz) |
Memory clock (MHz) |
Memory bus (bits) |
Graphics driver |
| Gigabyte GeForce GTX 590 (3,072MB) | £575 | 607 | 1,024 | 1,214 | 3,414 | 384 x 2 | ForceWare 267.84 |
| 2x ASUS GeForce GTX 580 in SLI (3,072MB) | £780 | 772 | 1,024 | 1,544 | 4,008 | 384 x 2 | ForceWare 266.58 |
| 2x ASUS GeForce GTX 570 in SLI (2,560MB) | £560 | 732 | 960 | 1,464 | 3,600 | 320 x 2 | ForceWare 266.58 |
| Gigabyte GeForce GTX 580 SOC (1,536MB) | £450* | 855 | 512 | 1,710 | 4,100 | 384 | ForceWare 270.61 |
| ASUS GeForce GTX 580 (1,536MB) | £390 | 772 | 512 | 1,544 | 4,008 | 384 | ForceWare 266.58 |
| ASUS GeForce GTX 570 (1,280MB) | £280 | 732 | 480 | 1,464 | 3,800 | 320 | ForceWare 266.58 |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 6990 OC (4,096MB) | £500 | 880 | 3,072 | 880 | 5,000 | 256 x 2 | Catalyst 11.4 |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 6990 (4,096MB) | £500 | 830 | 3,072 | 830 | 5,000 | 256 x 2 | Catalyst 11.4 |
| 2x HIS Radeon HD 6970 in CrossFire (4,096MB) | £540 | 880 | 3,072 | 880 | 5,500 | 256 x 2 | Catalyst 11.4 |
| 2x Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 in CrossFire (4,096MB) | £430 | 800 | 2,816 | 800 | 5,000 | 256 x 2 | Catalyst 11.4 |
| HIS Radeon HD 6970 (2,048MB) | £270 | 880 | 1,536 | 880 | 5,500 | 256 | Catalyst 11.4 |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 (2,048MB) | £215 | 800 | 1,408 | 800 | 5,000 | 256 | Catalyst 11.4 |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 5970 (2,048MB) | £500 | 725 | 3,200 | 725 | 4,000 | 256 x 2 | Catalyst 11.4 |
| *estimated price, UK MSRP to be confirmed | |||||||
Test bench |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7 980X (3.33GHz, 12MB L3 cache, six-core, LGA1366) | |||||||||||
| Motherboard | ASUS P6X58D-E (0502 BIOS) | |||||||||||
| Memory | 6GB Corsair Dominator (9-9-9-24-2T @ 1,600MHz) | |||||||||||
| Power Supply | Corsair HX1000W | |||||||||||
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP | |||||||||||
| Disk drive(s) | Crucial RealSSD C300 (256GB) | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Corsair Obsidian Series 700D | |||||||||||
| Operating system | Windows 7, SP1, 64-bit | |||||||||||
Benchmarks |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark 11 | Extreme preset, overall score and combined test results recorded. | |||||||||||
| Aliens vs. Predator | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 4xAA, 16xAF, very high quality. | |||||||||||
| Call of Duty: Black Ops | DX9, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 8xAA, ultra quality, FRAPS-recorded benchmark. | |||||||||||
| F1 2010 | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 8xAA, ultra quality, Monaco circuit. | |||||||||||
| Just Cause 2 | DX10, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 4xAA, 16xAF, very high quality, Dark Tower benchmark. | |||||||||||
| Metro 2033 | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 4xAA, 16xAF, very high quality. | |||||||||||
| StarCraft II | DX9, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 4xAA, ultra quality. | |||||||||||
| Power consumption | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record mains power draw both when idle and whilst playing Just Cause 2. | |||||||||||
| Temperature | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record GPU core temperature both when idle and whilst playing Just Cause 2. | |||||||||||
| Noise | A PCE-318 noise level meter is placed at front of a Corsair 700D chassis with side panel on. | |||||||||||
Notes
We've opted to benchmark Gigabyte's card using the latest set of NVIDIA ForceWare 270.61 drivers. The new release provides performance improvements of up to 11 per cent in Just Cause 2, but we found no perceivable difference between drivers in all other benchmarks.
