BFG & Zotac GeForce GTX 295 & 285 @ DH

Zardon · Jan 31, 2009, 02:06 PM

I really do think these about cover V8 and skulltrail.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/intelV8/index.php
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=524
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=609

There is very little point in comparing skulltrail with I7 as its two cpu's V one and fully buffered DDR2 versus DDR3.

Skulltrail is also still massively expensive and you could probably end up with 3 or 4 I7 systems for the same price.

comp_ali · Jan 31, 2009, 03:56 PM

Got the clue , btw Is there any I7 lab tops out there ?

sammorris · Feb 2, 2009, 04:05 AM

This benchmark is absolutely outstanding. Thanks go to everyone who contributed to it.
I know this is a GTX295/285 discussion thread, but it's only the second comprehensive bench suite I have seen regarding HD4870X2 Crossfire X - which I have just ordered (Yes Allan, intending to only use one GPU, I've now gone for four haha). I chose a Zalman ZM850-HP for its quiet noise level, and believe that 850W from a solid unit like that should be enough to power the system. My HX 520W has handled the single HD4870X2 and 3.6Ghz Q9550 admirably, in the face of all the people who said it wouldn't be possible, I hope the Zalman impresses to the same extent.

A few questions though, how do you guys get those frames in Mirrors Edge? I like the game but it runs like poop on my system. At 2560x1600 4xAA, PhysX off of course, with my X2, I get around 17-20fps with Catalyst A.I. disabled, and 30 ish with it enabled, but horrible macrostutter (renamed exe to Oblivion.exe as per someone else's thread - before this I saw no performance boost at all).
Lots of people online have complained, lots more people have said it runs beautifully - very confused. Catalyst 9.1, Vista x64 (tried XP with 8.12 too, no change)

blown503 · Feb 2, 2009, 03:19 PM

You did a lot of work, and its a great review. One thing I have wondered all along is how does the gtx 295 compare in the same benchies as the
9800 gx2 ? I would like to see some numbers on that. Is the 295 really that much more of a card than the 9800 gx2? They both do quad core. Newegg doesnt even sell the 9800 anymore. I believe Nvidia doesnt make the same core anymore because the 2 are really close in comparison. Think that is possible? I am curious on this.

sammorris · Feb 2, 2009, 04:56 PM

The 9800GX2 performs very similarly to the GTX280 singular, in most of the benchmarks I've seen, sometimes slightly above, sometimes slightly below. The GTX295 is a much more powerful card.

Cardnyl · Feb 3, 2009, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

i do not understand the argument you are trying to make here, the 4870X2 and GTX 295 are actually very close in price.

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
$449

Newegg.com - EVGA 017-P3-1291-AR GeForce GTX 295 1792MB 896 (448 x 2)-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
$505

with the 285 being $350 as you said
Newegg.com - XFX GX285NZDFF GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

and the dual 280s going to $620 and with the use of rebate, goes down to $600 (sorry limit 1 per household)
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

you are talking about the GTX 295 which is only around $509 for most brands and is just slightly higher in price compared to the 4870X2 at $449 and making its cost out to be closer to $600 by comparing it to the dual 280s which is completely false as shown above.

nvidia has pretty much won the high end to extreme range this time around....

GTX295>4870X2
GTX285<4850X2 (unofficial ATi card)
GTX260 Core 216>4870 512/1024
9800GTX+ = 4850
9800GT<4830

When I made my reply I sorted the cards by cheapest card and factored in any available vendor rebates the egg had to offer. This places the x2 at the ~400 price point and the ~500 dollar price point. At the time I posted the closest nvidia solution I could find was a gtx285 (380) in terms of price. Sorry for not clarifying.

Cardnyl · Feb 3, 2009, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammorris

This benchmark is absolutely outstanding. Thanks go to everyone who contributed to it.
I know this is a GTX295/285 discussion thread, but it's only the second comprehensive bench suite I have seen regarding HD4870X2 Crossfire X - which I have just ordered (Yes Allan, intending to only use one GPU, I've now gone for four haha). I chose a Zalman ZM850-HP for its quiet noise level, and believe that 850W from a solid unit like that should be enough to power the system. My HX 520W has handled the single HD4870X2 and 3.6Ghz Q9550 admirably, in the face of all the people who said it wouldn't be possible, I hope the Zalman impresses to the same extent.

Yea I am still not sure why folks quote these insanely huge PSU requirements for these cards. Anyone with a 20 dollar power meter can see that most high end systems barely crack 3-400 watts at the plug. Factoring efficiency (80-85% of that value) and its clear as day that the psu is barely being taxed for what its rated for. I am still using my 520HX and will continue to do so for sometime to come.

kman225 · Feb 3, 2009, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blibbax

All the same, it'd be very interesting to see a V8 vs Skulltrail vs X58 comparison. I'd expect the X58 to walk away with the gaming tests, and the V8 to loose pretty much everything, but it'd be interesting nevertheless.

x58 all the way!

sammorris · Feb 4, 2009, 08:31 PM

It amazes me when people buy Kilowatt power supplies for things like a single GTX280.
I was drawing 480W or so at the wall with my 3.85Ghz Q9550 and HD4870X2, factoring in DC efficiency I had plenty of headroom with a 520W PSU. Likewise, I have only purchased an 850 to power two X2s, where most would probably look for 1500W.

For those interested, I fixed Mirrors Edge on the X2, by not running Fraps. Amazingly, my frame rate doubles and the macrostutter disappears when Fraps is closed. The mind boggles.

Jan 31, 2009, 02:06 PM	#31
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 177	Re: BFG & Zotac GeForce GTX 295 & 285 @ DH I really do think these about cover V8 and skulltrail. http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/intelV8/index.php http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=524 http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=609 There is very little point in comparing skulltrail with I7 as its two cpu's V one and fully buffered DDR2 versus DDR3. Skulltrail is also still massively expensive and you could probably end up with 3 or 4 I7 systems for the same price.

Jan 31, 2009, 03:56 PM	#32
comp_ali Sniper Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Egypt Posts: 10,441 Rep Power: 331 System Specs	Re: BFG & Zotac GeForce GTX 295 & 285 @ DH Got the clue , btw Is there any I7 lab tops out there ? __________________

Feb 2, 2009, 04:05 AM	#33
sammorris HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Brentwood or York, UK Posts: 178 Rep Power: 24 System Specs	Re: BFG & Zotac GeForce GTX 295 & 285 @ DH This benchmark is absolutely outstanding. Thanks go to everyone who contributed to it. I know this is a GTX295/285 discussion thread, but it's only the second comprehensive bench suite I have seen regarding HD4870X2 Crossfire X - which I have just ordered (Yes Allan, intending to only use one GPU, I've now gone for four haha). I chose a Zalman ZM850-HP for its quiet noise level, and believe that 850W from a solid unit like that should be enough to power the system. My HX 520W has handled the single HD4870X2 and 3.6Ghz Q9550 admirably, in the face of all the people who said it wouldn't be possible, I hope the Zalman impresses to the same extent. A few questions though, how do you guys get those frames in Mirrors Edge? I like the game but it runs like poop on my system. At 2560x1600 4xAA, PhysX off of course, with my X2, I get around 17-20fps with Catalyst A.I. disabled, and 30 ish with it enabled, but horrible macrostutter (renamed exe to Oblivion.exe as per someone else's thread - before this I saw no performance boost at all). Lots of people online have complained, lots more people have said it runs beautifully - very confused. Catalyst 9.1, Vista x64 (tried XP with 8.12 too, no change) __________________ Speakers: Logitech Z-2300 & Philips MC-70 [homebrew surround via ATEN CS1782 KVAM] for HTPC. Logitech Z-5500 for gaming PC. I/O: Razer Diamondback Magma, MS Intellimouse Optical, MS Sidewinder X6, Saitek Eclipse II, Pertelian X2040 USB Display DVD: As little as Possible (LG GH20NS15) Networking: Netgear GS105, GS605, GS608, WRN2000, Linksys WRT54GL [Tomato], DrayTek Vigor 120, yards of CAT6

Feb 2, 2009, 03:19 PM	#34
blown503 HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: S. Indiana Posts: 573 Rep Power: 57	Re: BFG & Zotac GeForce GTX 295 & 285 @ DH You did a lot of work, and its a great review. One thing I have wondered all along is how does the gtx 295 compare in the same benchies as the 9800 gx2 ? I would like to see some numbers on that. Is the 295 really that much more of a card than the 9800 gx2? They both do quad core. Newegg doesnt even sell the 9800 anymore. I believe Nvidia doesnt make the same core anymore because the 2 are really close in comparison. Think that is possible? I am curious on this. __________________

Feb 2, 2009, 04:56 PM	#35
sammorris HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Brentwood or York, UK Posts: 178 Rep Power: 24 System Specs	Re: BFG & Zotac GeForce GTX 295 & 285 @ DH The 9800GX2 performs very similarly to the GTX280 singular, in most of the benchmarks I've seen, sometimes slightly above, sometimes slightly below. The GTX295 is a much more powerful card. __________________ Speakers: Logitech Z-2300 & Philips MC-70 [homebrew surround via ATEN CS1782 KVAM] for HTPC. Logitech Z-5500 for gaming PC. I/O: Razer Diamondback Magma, MS Intellimouse Optical, MS Sidewinder X6, Saitek Eclipse II, Pertelian X2040 USB Display DVD: As little as Possible (LG GH20NS15) Networking: Netgear GS105, GS605, GS608, WRN2000, Linksys WRT54GL [Tomato], DrayTek Vigor 120, yards of CAT6

Feb 4, 2009, 08:31 PM	#39
sammorris HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Brentwood or York, UK Posts: 178 Rep Power: 24 System Specs	Re: BFG & Zotac GeForce GTX 295 & 285 @ DH It amazes me when people buy Kilowatt power supplies for things like a single GTX280. I was drawing 480W or so at the wall with my 3.85Ghz Q9550 and HD4870X2, factoring in DC efficiency I had plenty of headroom with a 520W PSU. Likewise, I have only purchased an 850 to power two X2s, where most would probably look for 1500W. For those interested, I fixed Mirrors Edge on the X2, by not running Fraps. Amazingly, my frame rate doubles and the macrostutter disappears when Fraps is closed. The mind boggles. __________________ Speakers: Logitech Z-2300 & Philips MC-70 [homebrew surround via ATEN CS1782 KVAM] for HTPC. Logitech Z-5500 for gaming PC. I/O: Razer Diamondback Magma, MS Intellimouse Optical, MS Sidewinder X6, Saitek Eclipse II, Pertelian X2040 USB Display DVD: As little as Possible (LG GH20NS15) Networking: Netgear GS105, GS605, GS608, WRN2000, Linksys WRT54GL [Tomato], DrayTek Vigor 120, yards of CAT6 Last edited by sammorris; Feb 4, 2009 at 09:04 PM.