How we test
| Graphics cards | HIS Radeon HD 5850 CrossFire 1,024MB | HIS Radeon HD 5970 2,048MB | Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 TOXIC 2,048MB | Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 CrossFire 1,024MB | Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 1,024MB | Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1,024MB | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 1,536MB | ZOTAC GeForce GTX 470 SLI 1,280MB | ZOTAC GeForce GTX 470 1,280MB | Inno3D GeForce GTX 295 1,792MB | BFG GeForce GTX 285 1,024MB | EVGA GeForce GTX 275 896MB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current pricing, including VAT | £450 | £550 | £360 (estimated) | £620 | £310 | £225 | £450 | £620* | £310 | £350 | £275 | £199 | |
| Shader model | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | |
| Stream processors | 2,880 | 3,200 | 1,600 | 3,200 | 1,600 | 1440 | 480 | 896 | 448 | 480 | 240 | 240 | |
| GPU clock speed (MHz) | 725 | 725 | 925 | 850 | 850 | 725 | 700 | 607 | 607 | 576 | 648 | 633 | |
| Shader clock speed (MHz) | 725 | 725 | 925 | 850 | 850 | 725 | 1,401 | 1,215 | 1,215 | 1,242 | 1,474 | 1,404 | |
| Memory clock speed (MHz) | 4,000 | 4,000 | 5,000 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,000 | 3,698 | 3,348 | 3,348 | 2,016 | 2,484 | 2,276 | |
| Memory bus width (bits) | 256 x 2 | 256 x 2 | 256 | 256 x 2 | 256 | 256 | 384 | 320 x 2 | 320 | 448 x 2 | 512 | 448 | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition (3.20GHz, 8MB L3 cache, quad-core, LGA1366 - Turbo Boost on) | ||||||||||||
| Motherboard | ASUS P6X58D Premium | ||||||||||||
| Motherboard BIOS | 0703 | ||||||||||||
| Mainboard software | Intel Inf 9.1.1.1025 | ||||||||||||
| Memory | 6GB Crucial DDR3-1,067 CL7 | ||||||||||||
| Memory timings and speed | 7-7-7-20 1T @ DDR3-1,066 | ||||||||||||
| PSU | Corsair HX1000W | ||||||||||||
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP - 2,560x1,600px | ||||||||||||
| Disk drive(s) | Corsair Nova V128 SSD | ||||||||||||
| Graphics driver | Catalyst 10.3a | Catalyst 10.3a | Catalyst 10.3a | Catalyst 10.3a | Catalyst 10.3a | Catalyst 10.3a | ForceWare 197.17 | ForceWare 197.17 | ForceWare 197.17 | ForceWare 197.13 | ForceWare 197.13 | ForceWare 197.13 | |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit | ||||||||||||
* in-stock pricing
Software
| Benchmarks | DiRT 2 v1.1, London map
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ultra quality Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X v1.2, internal benchmark: DX10/10.1 - high quality Far Cry 2 v1.03 - very high quality Crysis Warhead v1.1.1.711 - train map - enthusiast quality Battlefield: Bad Company 2 v523648 - FRAPS-recorded benchmark Unigine Heaven 2.0 benchmark Power-draw Temperatures HEXUS.bang4buck and HEXUS.bang4watt Overclocking |
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Notes
Benchmarks were conducted at 1,680x1,050, 1,920x1,200, and 2,560x1,600, where applicable, with decent degrees of image quality. We've tested with the latest drivers available from both companies.Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is an all-new benchmark and DiRT 2 has also been updated to v1.1 since the last slew of tests. The patch appears to provide better performance for NVIDIA GPUs.
A total of 12 high-end GPUs will show where the single-card and SLI duo fare when compared against some other tasty competition. The real comparisons to look out for are how the GTX 470/SLI matches up to the Radeon HD 5870/XF - both are priced at similar prices.
Taking this into account, the upcoming graphs will have the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 470/SLI and Radeon HD 5870/XF in non-regular colours, making them easy to spot.