Testing methodology
GPU comparisons |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics card | GPU clock (MHz) |
Stream processors |
Shader clock (MHz) |
Memory clock (MHz) |
Memory bus (bits) |
Graphics driver | |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 (3,072MB) | 607 | 1,024 | 1,215 | 3,414 | 384 x 2 | ForceWare 285.88 | |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (1,536MB) | 772 | 512 | 1,544 | 4,008 | 384 | ForceWare 285.88 | |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (1,280MB) | 732 | 480 | 1,464 | 3,800 | 320 | ForceWare 285.88 | |
| EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 CF (1,280MB) | 797 | 448 | 1,594 | 3,900 | 320 | ForceWare 295.73 | |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 (1,280MB) | 732 | 448 | 1,464 | 3,800 | 320 | ForceWare 285.88 | |
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti (1,024MB) | 822 | 384 | 1,645 | 4,008 | 256 | ForceWare 285.88 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 7970 (3,072MB) | 925 | 2,048 | 925 | 5,500 | 384 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 7950 (3,072MB) | 800 | 1,792 | 800 | 5,000 | 384 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2,048MB) | 1,000 | 1,280 | 1,000 | 4,800 | 256 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 7850 (2,048MB) | 860 | 1,024 | 860 | 4,800 | 256 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 7770 (1,024MB) | 1,000 | 640 | 1,000 | 4,500 | 128 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 6990 (4,096MB) | 830 | 3,072 | 830 | 5,000 | 256 x 2 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 6970 (2,048MB) | 880 | 1,536 | 880 | 5,500 | 256 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 6950 (2,048MB) | 800 | 1,408 | 800 | 5,000 | 256 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 6870 (1,024MB) | 900 | 1,120 | 900 | 4,200 | 256 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
| AMD Radeon HD 6850 (1,024MB) | 775 | 960 | 775 | 4,000 | 256 | Catalyst 12.1 | |
HEXUS high-end test bench |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2500K (3.33GHz, 6MB smart cache, quad-core, LGA1155) | |||||||||||
| Motherboard | Intel Desktop Board DP67BG | |||||||||||
| Memory | 8GB Corsair Vengeance (9-9-9-24 @ 1,600MHz) | |||||||||||
| Power Supply | Corsair AX850W | |||||||||||
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP | |||||||||||
| Disk drive(s) | Crucial RealSSD C300 (256GB) | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Corsair Graphite Series 600T | |||||||||||
| Operating system | Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit, SP1) | |||||||||||
HEXUS high-end benchmark suite |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark 11 | Performance and Extreme presets | |||||||||||
| Aliens vs. Predator | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 4xAA, 16xAF, very high quality | |||||||||||
| Battlefield 3 | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 4xMSAA, 16xAF, ultra quality | |||||||||||
| Batman: Arkham City | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 8xMSAA, extreme quality | |||||||||||
| Crysis 2 | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 4xAA, ultra quality | |||||||||||
| Just Cause 2 | DX10, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 4xAA, 16xAF, very high quality | |||||||||||
| Total War: Shogun 2 | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,600 resolutions, 4xMSAA, 16xAF, high quality | |||||||||||
| Power Consumption | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record mains power draw both when idle and whilst playing Crysis 2 | |||||||||||
| Temperature | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record GPU core temperature both when idle and whilst playing Crysis 2 | |||||||||||
| Noise | A PCE-318 meter is used to record noise levels when idle and whilst playing Crysis 2 | |||||||||||
| Overclocking | Pushing the graphics card as far as it will go, we increase speeds and re-run the Aliens vs. Predator benchmark | |||||||||||
| HEXUS bang4buck | A custom metric used to evaluate comparative performance with price factored in | |||||||||||
Notes
We've updated the GeForce driver to the 295.73 WHQL for this card - it was benchmarked just before the release of the 296.10 set. Knowing that a pre-overclocked Ti 560 448 performs at around the same levels as a GTX 570 at stock speeds, we can also examine the improvements, if any, over the 285.88 set, as used on all other GeForces.
Remember, keep an eye out for the performance of the Radeon HD 7850. Readers who own the Radeon HD 6950 2GB may also like to keep note of where this Fermi card fits into the overall landscape just before the launch of the Kepler GPU(s).
