System setup and notes
| Graphics cards | BFG GeForce GTX 285 1,024MB | BFG
GeForce GTX 260 896MB |
eVGA GeForce GTS 250 Superclocked 1,024MB | Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 Vapor-X 2,048MB | Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1,024MB | Sapphire
Radeon HD 4870 512MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current pricing, including VAT | £299 |
£160 | £144.60 | £220 (estimated) | £165 |
£143.72 |
| Shader model | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Stream processors | 240 | 216 | 128 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| GPU clock speed (MHz) | 648 | 576 | 770 | 750 | 750 | 750 |
| Shader clock speed (MHz) | 1,476 | 1,242 | 1,890 | 750 | 750 | 750 |
| Memory clock speed (MHz) | 2,484 | 1,998 | 2,246 | 3,600 | 3,600 | 3,600 |
| Memory bus width (bits) | 512 | 448 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition (3.20GHz, 8MB L3 cache, quad-core, LGA1,366) | |||||
| Motherboard | Foxconn Bloodrage X58 | |||||
| Motherboard BIOS | P04 | |||||
| Mainboard software | Intel Inf 9.1.0.1012 | |||||
| Memory | 6GB Corsair DOMINATOR PC12,800 | |||||
| Memory timings and speed | 9-9-9-24 1T @ DDR3-1,333 | |||||
| PSU | Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1,000W | |||||
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP - 2,560x1,600px | |||||
| Disk drive(s) | Seagate 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 (3Gb/s mode) | |||||
| Graphics driver | ForceWare 182.06 | ForceWare 182.06 | ForceWare 182.06 (non-WHQL) | Catalyst 9.3 | Catalyst 9.3 | Catalyst 9.3 |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Business SP1, 64-bit | |||||
Software
| 3D Benchmarks | Call of Duty 4: Modern
Warfare v1.7, HEXUS custom-recorded
benchmark:
DX9 - very high quality Company Of Heroes: Opposing Fronts v2.103: DX10 - very high quality Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.5, HEXUS custom-recorded benchmark. OpenGL - very high quality Far Cry 2 v1.01 - very high quality Race Driver: GRID v1.2, HEXUS custom-recorded benchmark - ultra quality |
|---|
Notes
A total of six cards based on four different SKUs. We benchmark them at 1,680x1,050, 1,920x1,200, and 2,560x1,600, along with decent image-quality settings. Unlike the normal tests, we run the Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 Vapor-X 2GB and Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB at 2,560x1,600 with the maximum image-quality setting enabled, to see if a 2GB frame-buffer pays dividends in the ultra-high-end space.In terms of performance, the three Radeon cards are differentiated by frame-buffer sizes alone, whilst the GeForce line-up takes in three different SKUs. The GeForce GTX 285 should win all the benchmarks, priced at £299, but the interesting part, we suppose, will be to see how the Radeons stack up to one another and the GTX 260.
