How we test
GPU comparisons |
||
|---|---|---|
| Graphics cards | Sapphire Radeon HD 5670 Ultimate 1,024MB | Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1,024MB |
| Current pricing, including VAT | £99 | £125 |
| Shader model | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Stream processors | 400 | 800 |
| GPU clock speed (MHz) | 775 | 850 |
| Shader clock speed (MHz) | 775 | 850 |
| Memory clock speed (MHz) | 4,000 | 4,800 |
| Memory bus width (bits) | 128 | 128 |
| Graphics driver | Catalyst 10.7 | Catalyst 10.7 |
Test bench |
||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5 750 | |
| Motherboard | ASUS P7P55D Premium | |
| Motherboard BIOS | 1720 | |
| Memory | 4GB Kingston DDR3 | |
| Memory timings and speed | 9-9-9-24-1T @ DDR3-1,333 | |
| PSU | Corsair HX1000W | |
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP - 2,560x1,600px | |
| Disk drive(s) | Corsair V128 SSD | |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit | |
Benchmarks |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aliens vs. Predator | DX11, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 0xAA, 8xAF, low quality. | |||||||||||
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | DX11, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 2xAA, 8xAF, medium quality, FRAPS-recorded benchmark. | |||||||||||
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | DX9, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 2xAA, normal quality, FRAPS-recorded benchmark. | |||||||||||
| Crysis Warhead | DX10, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 0xAA, mainstream quality, Frost map. | |||||||||||
| DiRT 2 | DX11, 1,920x1,080 resolution, 2xAA, max quality, London map. | |||||||||||
| Temperature | Evaluated with real-world Crysis Warhead | |||||||||||
| Power consumption | Evaluated with real-world Crysis Warhead | |||||||||||
| Noise | Albeit not scientific, we use the tried-and-trusted human ear to share an opinion on GPU noise. | |||||||||||
The mid-range platform takes in cheaper supporting components than our top-end rig, and the game settings are considerably lower. The raison d'être of the Ultimate card lies with its lack of noise rather than benchmark performance. To put it in some kind of context however, we've added a Radeon HD 5770 1GB's numbers. The faster card costs around £25 more, we note.