discussion Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 Review

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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

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A wise man once asked: But can it play Crysis? In this case the answer is YES, it can. The performance of the HD 5870 1GB is nothing short of stunning when compared to the last generation of single GPU cards. It simply runs straight over the GTX 285 and HD 4890.

 

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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

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The HD 4870X2 has never been a strong performer in Crysis Warhead DX10 and the HD 5870 is able to really flex its muscles. Where it really shines is in the minimum framerate department where it tears the two dual GPU cards to pieces.

 

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Dawn of War II

Dawn of War II

Even though Dawn of War II has its own in-game benchmarking tool, we decided not to use it. Instead, we played through approximately 10 minutes of the final Space Marine mission “Last Stand” while recording framerates with FRAPS. With a massive amount of enemies rushing your position and additional troops deployed on your side, this mission features some of the largest battles in the single player game. In addition, since the Tyranid swarms appear at regular intervals, this mission is also perfect for comparison testing.

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*PLEASE NOTE THAT THE HD 5870 WAS THE ONLY CARD TO DISPLAY SERIOUS POP-IN WITHIN THIS GAME. THIS HAD EVERY INDICATION OF BEING A DRIVER OPTIMIZATION. AS SUCH, THESE RESULTS SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT*


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*PLEASE NOTE THAT THE HD 5870 WAS THE ONLY CARD TO DISPLAY SERIOUS POP-IN WITHIN THIS GAME. THIS HAD EVERY INDICATION OF BEING A DRIVER OPTIMIZATION. AS SUCH, THESE RESULTS SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT*


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*PLEASE NOTE THAT THE HD 5870 WAS THE ONLY CARD TO DISPLAY SERIOUS POP-IN WITHIN THIS GAME. THIS HAD EVERY INDICATION OF BEING A DRIVER OPTIMIZATION. AS SUCH, THESE RESULTS SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT*


Yes, it's unfortunate but it seems that the drivers we received for the HD 5870 caused some optimizations to go into overdrive and everything from plants to rocks to structures would pop in and out of existence. It was the only card to do so. I would have been more than happy to write a nice little FAIL next to the results but the HD 5870 DID run the game albeit with the above-mentioned issues. Folks, this is why we PLAY games and use our own timedemos.

 

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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.

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Once again the HD 5870 pretty much rules the roost when it comes to minimum framerates. Without a doubt, this new ATI card has some stunning potential when you take a look at these results. At one point, it pushed to the front of the pack but unfortunately, it fell back as the IQ settings and resolution was increased.

 

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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

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Far Cry 2 performance is great but it isn’t quite what we were hoping to see considering how close the HD 5870’s specs math up with those of the HD 4870X2. Granted, drivers for the dual GPU card are mature but it seems there is something else holding the HD 5870 back.

 

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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

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Unlike in FC2 DX9, the DX10 API allows the Sapphire card to really flex its muscles and it hangs right with the best of the best while leaving every other single GPU card in its dust.

 

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Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead

For benching Left 4 Dead, we used a pre-recorded 5 minute timedemo taken on the No Mercy campaign during The Rooftop Finale mission. Framerates were captured with FRAPS.

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Once again the HD 5870 stays far ahead of cards like the GTX 285 and HD 4890 but just can’t seem to move into the top rung. Nonetheless, for about $400 this card’s performance belies its price.

 

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Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX9)

Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX9)

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.

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Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX10 / 10.1)

Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX10 / 10.1)

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. All ATI cards have DX10.1 enabled.

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Here is a real oddity for you. After testing again and again, it just seems like at lower resolutions the HD 5870 isn’t quite able to put the rubber to the road but it begins surging ahead at higher IQ settings. This seems to be more of a driver issue rather than a performance shortfall.

 

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Extreme IQ Settings Testing

Extreme IQ Settings Testing

In this section we take a number of games we have tested previously in this review and bring things to the next level with additional AA and / or higher detail settings. All other methodologies remain the same.

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