GeForce GTX 285: 55nm Enabling Higher Performance
by Derek Wilson on January 15, 2009 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Age of Conan Performance
Age of Conan is our only MMO test both because it is very easy to benchmark and because it is graphically intensive as far as modern MMOs go even without DX10. The opening section of the game is restricted to just the player, so we are able to benchmark without the interference of other gamers. This also happens to be one of two test we are running that favor AMD hardware (the other test is Race Driver GRID).
At 2560x1600, the GeForce GTX 285 splits the difference between the stock clocked GTX 280 and the Radeon HD 4870 1GB. At this res, SLI and CrossFire offer more robust and reliable performance than single cards, but 30 fps isn't necessarily required for a good experience with this MMO as long as framerates are smooth (which they are with the GTX 285 and the Radeon HD 4870 1GB).
Looking at the rest of the tests, we can see that the ~$380 GeForce GTX 285 is on par with the 4870 1GB (which can be had for about $250). Price wise, the competition with the GTX 285 is closer the more expensive Radeon HD 4870 X2 (which can be had for about $430 though some mail in rebate offers can net a better deal). The single card CrossFire solution provides much higher performance than the GTX 285 for the extra cash here.
As for the performance improvement over the stock clocked GTX 280 ranges from about 8% to a little over 10%, which is actually pretty good for the overclock we've got.
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MadMan007 - Thursday, January 15, 2009 - link
The benchmark numbers are there below the graphs but I agree that charting 2560x1600 isn't very realistic. Maybe the benchmarkers are getting a little out of touch with what real people have for monitors.Beno - Thursday, January 15, 2009 - link
ffs its been 2 years and we still cant get pass 100 fps burrier in crysis at 1650x !!every new cards ati and nv makes, only gives around extra 10 fps on that game :(
MadMan007 - Thursday, January 15, 2009 - link
One detail that's not clear, and this is partly because of NVs confusingly named releases, is which GTX 260 is included in the charts. We know it's not the 55nm, but is it 192 or 216 shader? Lots of websites forget to put this detail in their testing, just writing GTX26-192 or -216 would make it clear. Thanks.jabber - Thursday, January 15, 2009 - link
....those bizarre S-Video outputs?Why not something more useful? Or just drop them completely.
Odeen - Thursday, January 15, 2009 - link
The S-Video outputs are industry standard, and are used to connect to SD TV sets.. I don't see what's so bizzare or useless about them.jabber - Friday, January 16, 2009 - link
But who uses them?I've never seen anyone use them and I havent read about anyone trying for years. When they did all those years ago the VIVO thing was a mess or a pain to get working.
Just seems pointless now especially for SDTV.
MadMan007 - Friday, January 16, 2009 - link
While it's an s-video looking output it's not just for s-video, they are used for component output as well I believe.SpacemanSpiff46 - Thursday, January 15, 2009 - link
Any reason the 4850 X2 is being neglected so much? I have not seen any reviews with this card. Also, it would be nice to see how the 9800GX2 is stacking up with these cards.bob4432 - Thursday, January 15, 2009 - link
wonder the same thing myself - the 4850 is a good card alone and the price is very nice. add to that that many people are running a 4850, this could be a very attractive upgrade - lets see some 4850 cf setup #s/comparisons tooSunagwa - Friday, January 16, 2009 - link
I have to agree. I always go for the most value when I purchase my parts.Granted "value" can easily be taken out of context considering obviously wide ranging income.
For me however the 4850 (this time around, I am a PC gamer at heart) was the absolute choice when I purchased it.
Getting back on topic, I would love to see the CF setup as well as the dual GPU setup included in your review. If only to be able to compare the performance and possible upgrade potential of my current computer to your test bed.
Just a side note for those who care but my C2DUO-Wolfdale OC'D to 4Ghz that I payed 160$US for has me very happy and I could care less about Corei7...wait...no I could not. 8)
Regards,
Sunagwa