Test Methodology
Gigabyte R9 290X WindForce OC Specification |
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GPU Comparisons |
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| Graphics Card | Peak GPU Clock (MHz) |
Stream Processors |
Memory Clock (MHz) |
Memory Bus (bits) |
Graphics Driver | |
| Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X WindForce OC 4GB | 1,040 | 2,816 | 5,000 | 512 | Catalyst 13.12 | |
| AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB | 1,000 | 2,816 | 5,000 | 512 | Catalyst 13.11 v8 | |
| Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Tri-X 4GB | 1,000 | 2,560 | 5,200 | 512 | Catalyst 13.11 v9.5 | |
| AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB | 947 | 2,560 | 5,000 | 512 | Catalyst 13.11 v8 | |
| Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti WindForce OC 3GB | 1,085 | 2,880 | 7,000 | 384 | GeForce 331.70 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB | 928 | 2,880 | 7,000 | 384 | GeForce 331.70 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan 6GB | 876 | 2,688 | 6,000 | 384 | GeForce 331.40 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB | 900 | 2,304 | 6,000 | 384 | GeForce 331.40 | |
HEXUS Graphics Test Bench |
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|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-4770K (3.50GHz, 8MB cache, quad-core) |
| CPU Cooler | Intel reference E97378-001 |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H |
| Memory | 16GB G.Skill RipJaws (2x8GB) DDR3 @ 1,600MHz |
| Power Supply | Corsair AX760i |
| Storage Device | Crucial M500 240GB SSD |
| Chassis | Corsair Graphite Series 600T |
| Monitor | Philips Brilliance 272P (2,560x1,440) |
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 64-bit |
HEXUS High-End Benchmark Suite |
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|---|---|---|
| GPU Benchmarks | Mode and Resolutions | Quality Settings |
| 3DMark | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | Fire Strike and Fire Strike Extreme |
| BioShock Infinite | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | Ultra + DOF |
| Crysis 3 | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 4xMSAA, High Preset |
| Far Cry 3 | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 2xMSAA, Ultra Preset |
| GRID 2 | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 4xMSAA, Ultra Preset |
| Just Cause 2 | DX10 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 8xMSAA, High Preset |
| Total War: Rome II | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 4xMSAA, High Preset |
| General Benchmarks | Description | |
| Power Consumption | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record mains power draw both when idle and while playing Far Cry 3 | |
| Temperature | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record GPU core temperature both when idle and while playing Far Cry 3 | |
| Noise | A PCE-318 meter is used to record noise levels when idle and while playing Far Cry 3 | |
Notes
Readers wanting to know how the Radeon R9 290X compares to a wide-range of current- and previous-generation graphics cards should consult our reference review. For the purpose of this evaluation, we're focussing specifically on the high-end by comparing eight enthusiast cards, four based on Radeon technology and four from the rival GeForce range. It won't have escaped your attention that we have two of Gigabyte's WindForce OC cards in our line-up: by the end of the benchmarks, we should know whether the R9 290X or GTX 780 Ti variant is the better bet.
