Testing methodology
Comparison Processor Configurations |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel |
AMD |
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Core i7-4770K |
Core i5-4670K |
Core i7-3770K |
Core i5-3570K |
Core i3-3225 |
Core i7-2700K |
Core i5-2500K |
A10-6800K |
A10-6700 |
A10-5800K |
A10-5700 |
|
| Motherboard | Gigabyte Z87-D3HP |
Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H |
Gigabyte F2-A85X-UP4 |
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| BIOS | F4 |
F14 |
F4 |
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| Chipset Driver | Intel Inf 9.4.0.101 and IMEI 9 |
AMD Catalyst 13.6 |
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| DDR3 Memory | G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2 x 4GB) |
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| Memory Timings | 11-11-11-30-2T @ 2,133MHz |
11-11-11-30-2T @ 1,866MHz |
11-11-11-30-2T @ 2,133MHz |
11-11-11-30-2T @ 2,133MHz |
11-11-11-30-2T @ 1,866MHz |
11-11-11-30-2T @ 2,133MHz |
11-11-11-30-2T @ 1,866MHz |
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| Integrated Graphics | HD 4600 |
HD 4600 |
HD 4000 |
HD 4000 |
HD 4000 |
HD 3000 |
HD 3000 |
HD 8670D |
HD 8670D |
HD 7660D |
HD 7660D |
| Discrete Graphics | Sapphire Radeon HD 7730 1GB (Catalyst 13.8 beta) AMD Radeon HD 6670 1GB (Catalyst 13.8 beta) |
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| Disk Drive | Samsung 840 Pro 250GB |
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| Optical Drive | Sony AD-7263S |
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| Chassis | Corsair Graphite 600T |
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| Power Supply | Corsair AX750 |
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| Operating System | Windows 8 64-bit |
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IGP Benchmarks |
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| 3DMark Vantage | DX10, run at the default performance preset | ||||||||||
| 3DMark 11 | DX11, run with the performance preset | ||||||||||
| 3DMark | DX11, Fire Strike benchmark | ||||||||||
| BioShock Infinite | DX9, 1,280x720 and 1,920x1,080 medium quality | ||||||||||
| DiRT Showdown | DX9, 1,280x720 and 1,920x1,080 medium quality | ||||||||||
| Just Cause 2 | DX9, 1,280x720 and 1,920x1,080 medium quality | ||||||||||
Miscellaneous Benchmarks |
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| General purpose | LuxMark OpenCL using HDR Ball test and Bitcoining using GPUMiner front-end (discrete GPUs only) | Power Consumption | While idling and when running DiRT Showdown | ||||||||
Notes
This system setup page is somewhat different than usual. We believe it makes most sense to compare the performance of the HD 7730 against the latest integrated graphics available on Intel and AMD CPUs. Doing so allows us to determine whether spending an extra £50-60 for a discrete card is worth it for folk who have built inexpensive PCs based around IGPs.
We've also tested the Radeon HD 6670 1GB (£50) and included those results in the graphs. Nvidia has just introduced a new GeForce GT 640 (Revision B, GK208) that is a natural competitor to the HD 7730, and we'll be looking at its performance in a later review by also comparing it to the GK107-based chip that's widely available.
We have some of the best integrated graphics of 2013 - Intel 'Haswell' HD 4600 and AMD 'Richland' HD 8670D - versus entry-level discrete cards that have been tested on the Core i7-3770K platform. Discrete cards should win, right?