Testing methodology and notes
GPU Comparisons |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics Card | Peak Core Clock (MHz) |
Stream Processors |
Memory Clock (MHz) |
Memory Bus (bits) |
Graphics Driver | |
| AMD Radeon R9 295X2 8GB | 1,015 | 5,632 | 5,000 | 512 x2 | Catalyst 14.4 beta | |
| AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB | 1,000 | 2,816 | 5,000 | 512 | Catalyst 14.4 beta | |
| AMD Radeon HD 7990 6GB | 1,000 | 4,096 | 6,000 | 256 x2 | Catalyst 14.4 beta | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan 6GB | 876 | 2,688 | 6,008 | 384 | GeForce 337.50 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB | 928 | 2,880 | 7,012 | 384 | GeForce 337.50 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB | 915 | 3,072 | 6,008 | 256 x2 | GeForce 337.50 | |
HEXUS Graphics Test Bench |
|
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-4770K (3.50GHz, 8MB cache, quad-core) |
| CPU Cooler | Intel reference E97378-001 |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H |
| Memory | 16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro (2x8GB) DDR3 @ 1,866MHz |
| Power Supply | Corsair AX860i |
| Storage Device | Crucial M500 240GB SSD |
| Chassis | Corsair Graphite Series 600T |
| Monitor | Dell UltraSharp UP2414Q 4K (3,840x2,160) |
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 64-bit |
HEXUS Ultra-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 |
| Battlefield 4 | DX11 at 3,840x2,160 | Ultra + DOF |
| Crysis 3 | DX11 at 3,840x2,160 | 4xMSAA, High Preset |
| Far Cry 3 | DX11 at 3,840x2,160 | 2xMSAA, Ultra Preset |
| GRID 2 | DX11 at 3,840x2,160 | 4xMSAA, Ultra Preset |
| Just Cause 2 | DX10 at 3,840x2,160 | 8xMSAA, High Preset |
| Total War: Rome II | DX11 at 3,840x2,160 | Ultra 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
We have tested six very high-end graphics cards from the grounds up. The Nvidia trio have all been run with the latest 337.50 drivers while AMD's cards are run using the Catalyst 14.4 beta driver.
There's little point in ascertaining whether these cards can run games at 1080p or even 1440p - we've proved this many times before. The real test is to see if AMD's jewel in the crown, and others, can run a 4K screen with the same image-quality settings that we use at the lower resolutions.
Dual-GPU cards have historically benchmarked well in pure framerate but have been left wanting in terms of smoothness, where slow frames blight the overall games playing experience. This is the primary reason why we've previously recommended against them. For this review we're also looking to see how each GPU spits out its frames, with a view of understanding how smooth the rendering is. You'll see exactly what we mean when looking at the first game.
