Inno3D GeForce GTX 580 HAWK Edition 3GB graphics card review

Test methodology

GPU comparisons
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)	£420	855	512	1,710	4,100	384	ForceWare 270.61
Inno3D GeForce GTX 580 HAWK (3,072MB)	£400	772	512	1,544	4,008	384	ForceWare 275.33
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
Point of View GeForce GTX 560 Ti (1,024MB)	£190	822	384	1,645	4,008	256	ForceWare 270.61
Sapphire Radeon HD 6990 OC (4,096MB)	£515	880	3,072	880	5,000	256 x 2	Catalyst 11.4
Sapphire Radeon HD 6990 (4,096MB)	£515	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)	£400	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)	£200	800	1,408	800	5,000	256	Catalyst 11.4

Test bench
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
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.