Testing methodology and notes
GPU Comparisons | 
    ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics Card | Peak Core Clock (MHz)  | 
      Stream Processors  | 
      Memory Clock (MHz)  | 
      Memory Bus (bits)  | 
      Graphics Driver | |
| Gigabyte GeForce GTX Titan Black 6GB | 1,111 | 2,880 | 7,000 | 384 | GeForce 337.50 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan 6GB | 876 | 2,688 | 6,000 | 384 | GeForce 337.50 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB | 928 | 2,880 | 7,000 | 384 | GeForce 337.50 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB | 915 | 3,072 | 6,000 | 256 x2 | GeForce 337.50 | |
| 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 | |
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 AX760i | 
| 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 | 
    ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 recently tested a slew of high-end cards in preparation for the Radeon R9 295X2 review. Benchmarked at a 4K resolution and using high/ultra-quality settings, this was a test for the big boys of the graphics world.
It makes sense to benchmark the £840 Gigabyte GTX Titan Black using the same settings, to see how it compares to other premium single-GPU cards and some of the tastiest dual-GPU offerings on the market. We'll also pay particular attention to the quality of rendering by looking at frame times and latencies, as well.
