System setup
Hardware
| Graphics cards | PowerColor HD 4870 1GB PCS+ | Force3D HD 4870 512MB | PowerColor HD 4850 512MB | ZOTAC GTX 260 MB | Leadtek 9800 GTX+ 512MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current pricing, including VAT | £210* | £171.99 | £119.79 | £179.93 | £140.98 |
| Shader model | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Stream processors | 800 | 800 | 800 | 192 | 128 |
| GPU clock speed (MHz) | 800 | 750 | 625 | 576 | 738 |
| Shader clock speed (MHz) | 800 | 750 | 625 | 1,242 | 1,836 |
| Memory clock speed (MHz) | 3,700 | 3,600 | 1,986 | 1,998 | 2,200 |
| Memory bus width (Bits) | 256 | 256 | 256 | 448 | 256 |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 LGA775 (3.0GHz, 12MB L2 cache, quad-core) | ||||
| Motherboard | MSI X48 Platinum | EVGA CK-132 NF79 (nforce 790i Ultra SLI) | |||
| Motherboard BIOS | v2.3 (07/07/2008) | P06 |
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| Mainboard software | Intel Inf 9.0.0.1008 | nForce 15.17 |
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| Memory | 4GB (2x 2GB) Corsair XMS3 DMX DDR3-1333 | ||||
| Memory timings and speed | 9-9-9-24 1T @ 1,333MHz | ||||
| PSU | Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1,000W | Enermax Galaxy DXX 850W | |||
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP - 2,560x1,600 | ||||
| Disk drive(s) | Seagate 500GB - 32MB cache - SATAII (ST3500320AS) | ||||
| Graphics driver | Catalyst 8.8 | Catalyst Press 8.7 | ForceWare 177.79 | ||
| Operating system | Windows Vista Business SP1, 64-bit | ||||
Software
| 3D Benchmarks | Company Of Heroes: Opposing Fronts v2.301: DX10 - ultra quality Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.5 (demo_00010.dem, map Valley): OpenGL - vhq GRID v1.2 - custom-recorded benchmark - ultra quality Call Of Duty 4 v1.7.568 custom HEX benchmark: DX10 - highest quality |
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Notes
*estimated pricing
From the spec tables, we can see that the clock speed increases for the HD 4870 PCS+ over the reference design, as represented by Force3D's offering, are moderate at best. The PCS+'s increased framebuffer should prove to be the card's main advantage, but may only be realised at the highest resolutions.
As comparisons we'll be looking at reference design cards in the forms of Force3D's HD 4870, PowerColor's HD 4850, ZOTAC's GTX 260 and Leadtek's 9800 GTX+.
Real-world gaming benchmarks were run at 1,680x1,050, 1,920x1,200 and 2,560x1,600, although the highest resolution wasn't run with Race Driver: GRID due to substantial slowdowns in the game, leading to inconsistent and unrepeatable results via our FRAPS-recording method. We've also added in decent amounts of image quality, too.