discussion Nvidia GeForce GTX 275 896MB Review

[SKYMTL]

Crysis: Warhead (DX9)

Crysis: Warhead (DX9)

To benchmark Warhead, we recorded a 5 minute timedemo on the Ice level which included ranged and hand to hand combat. The sequence was then played back using the Crysis Benchmarking Tool from HOC

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1200

2560 x 1600

Traditionally, Nvidia cards have been strong in Crysis and this time is no exception. While the HD 4890 is able to hold on to the coat tails of the GTX 275 in the lower resolution testing, the Nvidia card is able to pull ahead as IQ settings and resolution increases. We were once again surprised that the GTX 275 was able to stay within spitting distance of the GTX 285 through every one of these Crysis Warhead tests.

 

[SKYMTL]

Crysis: Warhead (DX10)

Crysis: Warhead (DX10)

To benchmark Warhead, we recorded a 5 minute timedemo on the Ice level which included ranged and hand to hand combat. The sequence was then played back using the Crysis Benchmarking Tool from HOC

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1200

2560 x 1600

Once again the GTX 275 is able to stay ahead of the HD 4890 but at some times only by a slim margin. The battle between the GTX 285 and its smaller brother is a bit of a non-issue here since it seems Warhead is able to take advantage of the extra shading power the 285 offers.

 

[SKYMTL]

Fallout 3

Fallout 3

For these Fallout 3 benchmarks we decided to use one of the more graphically intensive portions of the game: a gameplay session which starts at the exit from Vault 101, through Springvale, over a small hill towards Washington and then back towards Megaton. Within this session two ants were fought near Springvale. All in all, the gameplay time is about 6 minutes.

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1200

2560 x 1600

Unfortunately, the GTX 275 feels the full brunt of ATI’s HD 4890 fist in Fallout 3 as it just can’t keep pace through most of the benchmarks. In general the minimum framerates make things look worse as even the HD 4870 1GB is able to stay ahead of the GTX 275.

 

[SKYMTL]

Far Cry 2 (DX9)

Far Cry 2 (DX9)

Even though Far Cry 2 has its own built-in benchmarking tool with some flythroughs and “action scenes”, we decided to record our own timedemo consisting of about 7 minutes of game time. It involves everything from run-and-gun fights to fire effects. The built-in benchmarking too was then set up to replay the timedemo and record framerates

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1200

2560 x 1600

In Far Cry 2 DX9, the GTX 275 seems to loose a bit of steam as the HD 4890 is able to stage a comeback. When it isn’t trailing the HD 4890, the 275 wins only by the skin of its teeth. It seems that much like Nvidia domination in Crysis Warhead, ATI is able to pull one out of the fire in this game.

 

[SKYMTL]

Far Cry 2 (DX10)

Far Cry 2 (DX10)

Even though Far Cry 2 has its own built-in benchmarking tool with some flythroughs and “action scenes”, we decided to record our own timedemo consisting of about 7 minutes of game time. It involves everything from run-and-gun fights to fire effects. The built-in benchmarking too was then set up to replay the timedemo and record framerates

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1200

2560 x 1600

It seems like DX10 allows the GTX 275 and HD 4890 to trade blows quite evenly. The only mitigating factor is the fact that the Nvidia card prevails with some convincing framerates at ultra high resolutions.

 

[SKYMTL]

Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV

Due to the limitations the game puts on the graphics presets and how they can be adjusted, we decided to tweak our install. To do this we added a .txt file within the main game install folder with the command parameters –norestrictions and –nomemrestrict. In addition to this, we added the -availablevidmem (+memory multiplier) to effectively fool the game into thinking 512MB and 896MB cards were in fact able to access about 1GB of memory. Unfortunately, this means a 512MB or 896MB card will in fact be accessing slower system memory to make up for the discrepancy but that is a necessary evil to get comparable results. Finally, view distance was limited to 50%. Here are the full settings we used:

In this test we didn’t use the built-in benchmark but rather used a 10 minute gameplay sequence during in-game daylight conditions of which approximately 6 minutes were spent on foot while the remainder was spent driving. Basically, we find the in-game benchmark isn’t worth spit. All results were recorded with FRAPS.

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1200

2560 x 1600

Grand Theft Auto just doesn’t seem to play nice with any card. Where the ATI cards make extremely good showings for themselves in the lower resolution testing, they are quickly overreached by the GTX 275. All in all, we were disappointed in the GTX 275’s performance in this test.

 

[SKYMTL]

Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead

For benching Left 4 Dead, we used a pre-recorded 5 minute timedemo taken during The Rooftop Finale mission. Framerates were captured with FRAPS.

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1200

2560 x 1600

In what seems to be a recurring dream, the GTX 275 once again posts a bit disappointing numbers at lower resolutions but comes out with all guns blazing at 2560 res. What need to be paid special attention to here are the all-important MINIMUM framerates since even though the 275 trailed the HD 4890 in some cases, it was still able to post higher minimums.

 

[SKYMTL]

Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX9)

Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX9)

After testing the in-game benchmarking tool and also playing through the majority of the game itself, we found that the provided tool provides quite accurate results. Thus, we used it coupled with FRAPS

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1200

2560 x 1600

Nvidia dominates in the DX9 version of this game but it should be noted that EVERY card tested had more than acceptable framerates.

 

[SKYMTL]

Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX10 / DX10.1)

Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX10 / DX10.1)

Even though HawX has a built-in benchmarking tool, we found that it did not provide accurate enough results needed to reflect what actual in-game performance would be. Thus, we played through the first 6 minutes of a mission and recorded the results with FRAPS. As this game takes advantage of DX10.1 performance improvements, we will be noting any DX10.1 performance results as well.

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1200

2560 x 1600

Even though ATI does some wonders with DX10.1 we will focus solely on a direct DX10 comparison here and without a doubt, Nvidia’s domination continues…almost. The only blemish on Nvidia’s record here is the fact that the HD 4890 is able to make good use of its 1GB framebuffer and pull ahead in the last test.

 

[SKYMTL]

Heat & Acoustics / Power Consumption

Heat & Acoustics

Here we have a bit of a double edged sword when it comes to heat versus noise. Basically, the Nvidia GTX 275 is as quiet as a mouse but boy does it make a sacrifice in temperatures. From what I could tell, neither the temperature nor load parameters have any effect on fan speed. If you want a quiet card, this is it but be prepared for some shockingly high temperatures.

Power Consumption

For this test we hooked up our power supply to a UPM power meter that will log the power consumption of the whole system twice every second. In order to stress the GPU as much as possible we once again use the Batch Render test in 3DMark06 and let it run for 30 minutes to determine the peak power consumption while letting the card sit at a stable Windows desktop for 30 minutes to determine the peak idle power consumption. We have also included several other tests as well. Please note that after extensive testing, we have found that simply plugging in a power meter to a wall outlet or UPS will NOT give you accurate power consumption numbers due to slight changes in the input voltage. Thus we use a Tripp-Lite 1800W line conditioner between the 120V outlet and the power meter.

When it comes to the grand ATI versus Nvidia power consumption debate, there are two sides of the coin. On one side you have the excellent idle power consumption of the Nvidia cards while on the other side you have the efficiency of ATI’s peak load numbers. When compared to other Nvidia cards, the GTX 275 offers and excellent performance per watt ratio but ATI has rained on that parade by posting excellent full load power consumption.

As these numbers reflect a scenario with next to no CPU usage, if you are planning on buying a GTX 275 I would recommend nothing less than a good 600W power supply.