NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 3GB Review
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Just Cause 2 (DX10)
Just Cause 2 has quickly become known as one of the best-looking games on the market and while it doesn’t include DX11 support, it uses the full stable of DX10 features to deliver a truly awe-inspiring visual experience. For this benchmark we used the car chase scene directly following the Casino Assault level. This scene includes perfectly scripted events, some of the most GPU-strenuous effects and lasts a little less than four minutes. We chose to not use the in-game benchmarking tool due to its inaccuracy when it comes to depicting actual gameplay performance.
1920 x 1200
2560 x 1600
Just Cause 2 (DX10)
Just Cause 2 has quickly become known as one of the best-looking games on the market and while it doesn’t include DX11 support, it uses the full stable of DX10 features to deliver a truly awe-inspiring visual experience. For this benchmark we used the car chase scene directly following the Casino Assault level. This scene includes perfectly scripted events, some of the most GPU-strenuous effects and lasts a little less than four minutes. We chose to not use the in-game benchmarking tool due to its inaccuracy when it comes to depicting actual gameplay performance.
1920 x 1200
2560 x 1600
Lost Planet 2 (DX11)
Lost Planet is a game that was originally released on consoles but in its port over to the PC, it gained some highly impressive DX11 features. For this benchmark, we forgo the two built-in tools and instead use a 2 minute gameplay sequence from the second level in the first chapter. The reason we use this level is because it makes use of three elements that are seen throughout the game world: jungles, water and open terrain.
1920 x 1200
2560 x 1600
Lost Planet 2 (DX11)
Lost Planet is a game that was originally released on consoles but in its port over to the PC, it gained some highly impressive DX11 features. For this benchmark, we forgo the two built-in tools and instead use a 2 minute gameplay sequence from the second level in the first chapter. The reason we use this level is because it makes use of three elements that are seen throughout the game world: jungles, water and open terrain.
1920 x 1200
2560 x 1600
Metro 2033 (DX11)
There has been a lot of buzz about Metro 2033 which has mostly centered on its amazing graphics coupled with absolutely brutal framerates on even the best GPUs on the market. For this test we use a walkthrough and combat scene from The Bridge level which starts at the beginning of the level and lasts for about 3 minutes of walking, running and combat. Famerates are measured with FRAPS and Advanced PhysX is turned off.
1920 x 1200
2560 x 1600
Metro 2033 (DX11)
There has been a lot of buzz about Metro 2033 which has mostly centered on its amazing graphics coupled with absolutely brutal framerates on even the best GPUs on the market. For this test we use a walkthrough and combat scene from The Bridge level which starts at the beginning of the level and lasts for about 3 minutes of walking, running and combat. Famerates are measured with FRAPS and Advanced PhysX is turned off.
1920 x 1200
2560 x 1600
Unigine: Heaven v2.0 (DX11)
Unigine’s Heaven benchmark is currently the de-facto standard when it comes to simple, straightforward DX11 performance estimates. While it is considered a synthetic benchmark by many, it is important to remember that no less than four games based on this engine will be released within the next year or so. In this test we will be using a standard benchmark run with and without tessellation enabled at three resolutions,
1920 x 1200
2560 x 1600
Unigine: Heaven v2.0 (DX11)
Unigine’s Heaven benchmark is currently the de-facto standard when it comes to simple, straightforward DX11 performance estimates. While it is considered a synthetic benchmark by many, it is important to remember that no less than four games based on this engine will be released within the next year or so. In this test we will be using a standard benchmark run with and without tessellation enabled at three resolutions,
1920 x 1200
2560 x 1600
8xMSAA Testing
In this section we take a number of games we have tested previously in this review and bring things to the next level by pushing the in-game MSAA up to 8x. All other methodologies remain the same.
BattleField: Bad Company 2 (DX11)
Note that 8x MSAA is enabled via the game’s config file for the NVIDIA cards since it is not a selectable option within the game menu
Dirt 2 (DX11)
F1 2010 (DX11)
Just Cause 2 (DX10)
8xMSAA Testing
In this section we take a number of games we have tested previously in this review and bring things to the next level by pushing the in-game MSAA up to 8x. All other methodologies remain the same.
BattleField: Bad Company 2 (DX11)
Note that 8x MSAA is enabled via the game’s config file for the NVIDIA cards since it is not a selectable option within the game menu
Dirt 2 (DX11)
F1 2010 (DX11)
Just Cause 2 (DX10)
Surround / Eyefinity Gaming Performance
Both NVIDIA and AMD now have multi monitor output options for some truly immersive gaming. However, spanning a game across three or more monitors demands a serious amount of resources which makes this a perfect test for ultra high-end solutions.
In this section, we will be testing multi card setups across three 1080P monitors with and without AA enabled. While all solutions have the ability to implement bezel correction, we leave this feature disabled in order to ensure compatibility. The benchmarks run remain the same as in normal testing scenarios.
Aliens versus Predator (DX11)
BattleField: Bad Company 2 (DX11)
Dirt 2 (DX11)
Surround / Eyefinity Gaming Performance
Both NVIDIA and AMD now have multi monitor output options for some truly immersive gaming. However, spanning a game across three or more monitors demands a serious amount of resources which makes this a perfect test for ultra high-end solutions.
In this section, we will be testing multi card setups across three 1080P monitors with and without AA enabled. While all solutions have the ability to implement bezel correction, we leave this feature disabled in order to ensure compatibility. The benchmarks run remain the same as in normal testing scenarios.
Aliens versus Predator (DX11)
BattleField: Bad Company 2 (DX11)
Dirt 2 (DX11)
Surround / Eyefinity Gaming Performance pg.2
Both NVIDIA and AMD now have multi monitor output options for some truly immersive gaming. However, spanning a game across three or more monitors demands a serious amount of resources which makes this a perfect test for ultra high-end solutions.
In this section, we will be testing multi card setups across three 1080P monitors with and without AA enabled. While all solutions have the ability to implement bezel correction, we leave this feature disabled in order to ensure compatibility. The benchmarks run remain the same as in normal testing scenarios.
F1 2010 (DX11)
Just Cause 2 (DX10)
Lost Planet 2 (DX11)
Metro 2033 (DX11)
Surround / Eyefinity Gaming Performance pg.2
Both NVIDIA and AMD now have multi monitor output options for some truly immersive gaming. However, spanning a game across three or more monitors demands a serious amount of resources which makes this a perfect test for ultra high-end solutions.
In this section, we will be testing multi card setups across three 1080P monitors with and without AA enabled. While all solutions have the ability to implement bezel correction, we leave this feature disabled in order to ensure compatibility. The benchmarks run remain the same as in normal testing scenarios.
F1 2010 (DX11)
Just Cause 2 (DX10)
Lost Planet 2 (DX11)
Metro 2033 (DX11)
3D Vision / 3D Vision Surround Performance
In this section, we push things even further by enabling 3D Vision and 3D Vision Surround on the NVIDIA solutions. The reason we picked the two games below is due to their excellent compatibility with the three dimensional features offered by 3D Vision. Otherwise, all methodologies remain the same as before.
3D Vision takes a massive bite out of the overall performance with every one of the solutions we tested. Basically, it forces the GPU(s) to render two frames at the same time which effectively doubles the amount of information being processed.
The GTX 590 is able to perform quite well in these games and is the only single card solution that can conceivably offer playable framerates.
This is the mack-daddy of tests since we’re basically asking the system to render two 5760 x 1080 frames at the same time. 3D Vision Surround simply brings every one of these setups to their knees but remember that higher framerates can be achieved by slightly lowering detail levels. We should also mention that the GTX 590 didn’t display any driver issues or hiccups throughout these tests.
3D Vision Performance
In this section, we push things even further by enabling 3D Vision and 3D Vision Surround on the NVIDIA solutions. The reason we picked the two games below is due to their excellent compatibility with the three dimensional features offered by 3D Vision. Otherwise, all methodologies remain the same as before.
3D Vision takes a massive bite out of the overall performance with every one of the solutions we tested. Basically, it forces the GPU(s) to render two frames at the same time which effectively doubles the amount of information being processed.
The GTX 590 is able to perform quite well in these games and is the only single card solution that can conceivably offer playable framerates.
3D Vision Surround Performance
This is the mack-daddy of tests since we’re basically asking the system to render two 5760 x 1080 frames at the same time. 3D Vision Surround simply brings every one of these setups to their knees but remember that higher framerates can be achieved by slightly lowering detail levels. We should also mention that the GTX 590 didn’t display any driver issues or hiccups throughout these tests.
Folding@Home w/ Dual & Single GPUs Investigated
Until Stanford puts the final touches on their updated and thoroughly revised OpenCL-based Folding @ Home application for AMD graphics cards, NVIDIA will continue to be the sole supplier of high performance folding cards. Naturally, the GTX 590 represents a unique opportunity for the community since it incorporates a pair of 512 CUDA core GPUs
By using two cores on a single PCB and a straightforward way to interact with CUDA, NVIDIA has opened up a new range of possibilities for Folding systems. Many of these options are available on the previous generation GTX 295 but the GTX 590 is the first DX11 card that can pull double duty as a number cruncher and gaming card…at the same time.
Click on image to zoom
After letting the system work on Folding for the better part of 30 hours and almost continually pulling P6801 work units, performance hovered around the 13,500 PPD mark per GPU for a total of ~27,000 PPD for the GTX 590. Due to the limited core overclocking capabilities with default voltages, don’t expect to go much beyond this unless you’re willing to sacrifice heat production, noise and power consumption.
Along with the ability to dedicate one of the GTX 590’s GPUs to processing PhysX, the main Multi GPU section in NVIDIA’s control panel allows the two cores to be disconnected from one another by disabling SLI. Many may find this to be a pointless exercise since it effectively halves the 590’s rendering capability but in order to use Folding @ Home and game at the same time, this is a necessary step. In addition, disabling SLI allows both GPUs and their associated memory to be overclocked independently of one another.
NVIDIA’s also allows for direct control over which onboard GPU processes CUDA information. As we will see below, setting CUDA to be processed on GPU #2 is an absolute must for optimal parallel gaming / Folding performance.
Parallel gaming & folding on the GTX 590
Once set up properly via Stanford’s excellent dual GPU setup guide, and the steps we have outlined above, the results speak for themselves. As GPU #2 chugs happily through the latest WU, GPU 1’s 512 cores are left free to be used for gaming. There are some challenges however …
As you can see, when the system isn’t set up properly, information pathways get crossed and performance in both F@H and gaming falls dramatically. However, when everything is working as it should the GTX 590 proves itself to be a highly adaptable solution for getting the best out of both worlds. For many people, having the ability to game and fold at the same time will likely prove to be invaluable if a certain application doesn’t require the attention of both cores on this card.
Folding@Home w/ Dual & Single GPUs Investigated
Until Stanford puts the final touches on their updated and thoroughly revised OpenCL-based Folding @ Home application for AMD graphics cards, NVIDIA will continue to be the sole supplier of high performance folding cards. Naturally, the GTX 590 represents a unique opportunity for the community since it incorporates a pair of 512 CUDA core GPUs
By using two cores on a single PCB and a straightforward way to interact with CUDA, NVIDIA has opened up a new range of possibilities for Folding systems. Many of these options are available on the previous generation GTX 295 but the GTX 590 is the first DX11 card that can pull double duty as a number cruncher and gaming card…at the same time.
Click on image to zoom
After letting the system work on Folding for the better part of 30 hours and almost continually pulling P6801 work units, performance hovered around the 13,500 PPD mark per GPU for a total of ~27,000 PPD for the GTX 590. Due to the limited core overclocking capabilities with default voltages, don’t expect to go much beyond this unless you’re willing to sacrifice heat production, noise and power consumption.
Along with the ability to dedicate one of the GTX 590’s GPUs to processing PhysX, the main Multi GPU section in NVIDIA’s control panel allows the two cores to be disconnected from one another by disabling SLI. Many may find this to be a pointless exercise since it effectively halves the 590’s rendering capability but in order to use Folding @ Home and game at the same time, this is a necessary step. In addition, disabling SLI allows both GPUs and their associated memory to be overclocked independently of one another.
NVIDIA’s also allows for direct control over which onboard GPU processes CUDA information. As we will see below, setting CUDA to be processed on GPU #2 is an absolute must for optimal parallel gaming / Folding performance.
Parallel gaming & folding on the GTX 590
Once set up properly via Stanford’s excellent dual GPU setup guide, and the steps we have outlined above, the results speak for themselves. As GPU #2 chugs happily through the latest WU, GPU 1’s 512 cores are left free to be used for gaming. There are some challenges however …
As you can see, when the system isn’t set up properly, information pathways get crossed and performance in both F@H and gaming falls dramatically. However, when everything is working as it should the GTX 590 proves itself to be a highly adaptable solution for getting the best out of both worlds. For many people, having the ability to game and fold at the same time will likely prove to be invaluable if a certain application doesn’t require the attention of both cores on this card.
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