System setup and notes
Hardware
| Graphics cards | Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 2,048MB | Force3D Radeon HD 4870 512MB | Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2,048MB | PowerColor Radeon HD 4850 512MB | BFG GTX 280 OCX 1,024MB | BFG GTX 260 OCX MAXCORE 896MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current pricing, including VAT | £370 | £185 | £317 (estimated) | £115 | £328 | £257 |
| Shader model | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Stream processors | 1,600 | 800 | 1,600 | 800 | 240 | 216 |
| GPU(s) clock speed (MHz) | 750 | 750 | 625 | 625 | 665 | 655 |
| Shader clock speed (MHz) | 750 | 750 | 625 | 625 | 1,458 | 1,404 |
| Memory clock speed, effective (MHz) | 3,600 | 3,600 | 1,986 | 1,998 | 2,400 | 2,250 |
| Memory bus width (Bits) | 512 (2 x 256) | 256 | 512 (2 x 256) | 256 | 512 | 448 |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 LGA775 (3.0GHz, 12MB L2 cache, quad-core) | |||||
| Motherboard | MSI X48 Platinum (X48+ICH9R) | EVGA CK-132 NF79 (nForce 790i Ultra SLI) | ||||
| Motherboard BIOS | v2.3 (07/07/2008) | P06 |
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| Mainboard software | Intel Inf 9.0.0.1008 | nForce
15.17 |
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| Memory | 4GB (2x 2GB) Corsair XMS3 DMX DDR3-1333 | |||||
| Memory timings and speed | 9-9-9-24 1T @ 1,333MHz | |||||
| PSU | Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1,000W | Enermax Galaxy DXX 850W | ||||
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP - 2,560x1,600 | |||||
| Disk drive(s) | Seagate 500GB - 32MB cache - SATAII (ST3500320AS) | |||||
| Graphics driver | Catalyst 8.7 press | Catalyst 8.7 press | Catalyst 8.11 press | Catalyst 8.7 press | ForceWare 177.79 | ForceWare 177.79 |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Business SP1, 64-bit | |||||
Software
| 3D Benchmarks | Company Of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
v2.301: DX10 - ultra quality Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.5 (demo_00010.dem, map Valley): OpenGL - vhq GRID v1.2 - custom-recorded benchmark - ultra quality Call Of Duty 4 v1.7.568 custom HEX benchmark: DX10 - highest quality |
|---|
Notes
Real-world gaming benchmarks were run at 1,680x1,050, 1,920x1,200 and 2,560x1,600, although the highest resolution wasn't run with Race Driver: GRID due to substantial slowdowns in the game, leading to inconsistent and unrepeatable results via our FRAPS-recording method. We've also added in decent amounts of image quality, too.
£317 is the Radeon HD 4850 X2's MSRP. We'll be pitting it against stock-clocked high-end AMD alternatives to see how well the dual-GPU solution scales, and a pair of overclocked-but-similarly-priced GeForce GTX solutions. So, let's get on to those all-important numbers.
