Graphics Chips Compared Plus Test Configurations: GeForce GTX 295, GeForce GTX 285, Zotac GTS 250 1 GB (GTS 250) GeForce GTS 250

Table of content

•   1 - Give Up A Little Performance? Sure.
•   2 - Graphics Chips Compared Plus Test Configurations
•   3 - HIS H487QT1GP ICEQ4+ (Radeon HD 4870 1,024 MB)
•   4 - Sapphire HD4850 1G (Radeon HD 4850 1,024 MB)
•   5 - Sapphire Vapor-X HD 4870 2G (Radeon HD 4870 2,048 MB)
•   6 - Zotac GTS250 1 GB (GeForce GTS 250 1,024 MB)
•   7 - Zotac GTX 260 (GeForce GTX 260 896 MB)
•   8 - Benchmark Results: Fallout 3
•   9 - Benchmark Results: Far Cry 2
• 10 - Benchmark Results: F.E.A.R. 2
• 11 - Benchmark Results: Left 4 Dead
• 12 - Benchmark Results: The Last Remnant
• 13 - Benchmark Results: Tom Clancy's Endwar
• 14 - Benchmark Results: Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
• 15 - Benchmark Results: 3DMark06 1280x1024 Default
• 16 - Overall Performance
• 17 - Power Consumption, Noise Levels, And Temperature Readings
• 18 - 3D Performance, Ranked By Resolution And AA Settings
• 19 - GeForce GTX 260: Small Price, Big Performance

Give Up A Little Performance? Sure.

When it comes to graphics cards, the upper crust of the mid-range is perhaps your best bet for snagging great performance at a reasonable price. In order to deliver the goods without breaking the bank, vendors usually equip their cards with enhanced cooling solutions or a bit of extra graphics RAM.

If you're only comparing 3D performance, the difference between these mid-range cards and those you'd find at the very top of our latest graphics charts is less than what you might think. While the GeForce GTX 285 may be the fastest single-GPU card around, a GeForce GTX 260 or a Radeon HD 4870 doesn't lag behind by much. If you can live with that relatively minor difference, you stand to save between $100 to $150 or more.

If you're a smart shopper (we've been trying to help out as much as possible lately by tracking down the lowest prices on a number of different models), you can get decent 3D performance for under $250--and at that performance level, you should be able to stave off an upgrade for at least a year or two.

In particular, GeForce GTX 260 prices have slid sharply of late, so you can find older models with 192 shaders (newer ones have 216) for up to $50 less. If you're less-worried about a couple of $20s, you can opt instead for better models with 1 or 2 GB of graphics RAM that are also SLI- or CrossFire-ready. This means you can buy one card now, then purchase another one in a couple of months and use both in tandem to power your games at higher resolutions with more demanding graphics settings.

We ran the following graphics cards on a PC with an Intel Core i7-920 CPU overclocked to 3.8 GHz (its default clock rate is 2.66 GHz), minimizing the possibility of a processor-based bottleneck.

Nvidia Graphics Cards
Vendor and GPU	Internal Reference	RAM	GPU Clock	Shader	Memory Clock	SPs
GeForce GTX 295	2 x GT200b	2 x 896 MB GDDR3	576 MHz	4.0, 1,242 MHz	2 x 999 MHz	2 x 240
GeForce GTX 285	GT200b	1,024 MB GDDR3	648 MHz	4.0, 1,476 MHz	2 x 1,242 MHz	240
GeForce GTX 280	GT200	1,024 MB GDDR3	602 MHz	4.0, 1,296 MHz	2 x 1,107 MHz	240
GeForce GTX 275	GT200b	896 GDDR3	633 MHz	4.0, 1,404 MHz	2 x 1,134 MHz	240
Zotac GeForce GTX 260² (GTX 260 216 SPs)	GT200b	896 GDDR3	576 MHz	4.0, 1,242 MHz	2 x 999 MHz	216
GeForce GTX 260 216SPs	GT200b	896 GDDR3	576 MHz	4.0, 1,242 MHz	2 x 999 MHz	216
GeForce GTX 260	GT200	896 GDDR3	576 MHz	4.0, 1,242 MHz	2 x 999 MHz	192
Zotac GTS 250 1 GB (GTS 250)	G92b	1,024 MB GDDR3	740 MHz	4.0, 1,836 MHz	2 x 1,100 MHz	128
GeForce GTS 250	G92b	1,024 MB GDDR3	740 MHz	4.0, 1,836 MHz	2 x 1,100 MHz	128
GeForce 9800 GX2	2 x G92	2 x 512 MB GDDR3	600 MHz	4.0, 1,500 MHz	2 x 1,000 MHz	2 x 128
GeForce 9800 GTX+	G92b	512 MB GDDR3	738 MHz	4.0, 1,836 MHz	2 x 1100 MHz	128
GeForce 9800 GTX	G92	512 MB GDDR3	675 MHz	4.0, 1,688 MHz	2 x 1,100 MHz	128
GeForce 9600 GT	G94	1,024 MB GDDR3	650 MHz	4.0, 1,625 MHz	2 x 900 MHz	64
GeForce 9600 GT	G94	512 MB GDDR3	650 MHz	4.0, 1,625 MHz	2 x 900 MHz	64
GeForce 8800 GTS 512	G92	512 MB GDDR3	650 MHz	4.0, 1,625 MHz	2 x 972 MHz	128
GeForce 8800 GT	G92	1,024 MB GDDR3	600 MHz	4.0, 1,500 MHz	2 x 900 MHz	112
GeForce 8800 GT	G92	512 MB GDDR3	600 MHz	4.0, 1,500 MHz	2 x 900 MHz	112
GeForce 8800 Ultra	G80	768 MB GDDR3	612 MHz	4.0, 1,512 MHz	2 x 1,080 MHz	128
GeForce 8800 GTX	G80	768 MB GDDR3	576 MHz	4.0, 1,350 MHz	2 x 900 MHz	128
GeForce 8800 GTS	G80	640 MB GDDR3	513 MHz	4.0, 1,188 MHz	2 x 792 MHz	96
GeForce 8800 GTS	G80	320 MB GDDR3	513 MHz	4.0, 1,188 MHz	2 x 792 MHz	96

ATI Graphics Cards
Vendor and GPU	Codename	RAM	GPU Clock	Shader	Memory Clock	SPs
Radeon HD 4890	R790	1,024 MB GDDR5	850 MHz	4.1	4 x 975 MHz	800
Radeon HD 4870 X2	R700 (2 x RV770)	2 x 1,024 MB GDDR5	750 MHz	4.1	4 x 900 MHz	2 x 800
HIS H487QT1GP ICEQ4+ (HD 4870)	RV770	1,024 MB GDDR5	770 MHz	4.1	4 x 1000 MHz	800
Sapphire Vapor-X HD4870 2G (HD 4870)	RV770	2,048 MB GDDR5	750 MHz	4.1	4 x 900 MHz	800
Radeon HD 4870	RV770	512 MB GDDR5	750 MHz	4.1	4 x 900 MHz	800
Sapphire HD4850 1G (HD 4850)	RV770	1,024 MB GDDR3	625 MHz	4.1	2 x 993 MHz	800
Radeon HD 4850	RV770	512 MB GDDR3	625 MHz	4.1	2 x 993 MHz	800
Radeon HD 4770	RV740	512 MB GDDR5	750 MHz	4.1	4 x 800 MHz	640
Radeon HD 4670	RV730	512 MB GDDR3	750 MHz	4.1	2 x 1,000 MHz	320
Radeon HD 3870 X2	R680	2 x 512 MB GDDR3	823 MHz	4.1	2 x 900 MHz	2 x 320
Radeon HD 3870	RV670	512 MB GDDR4	776 MHz	4.1	2 x 1,125 MHz	320
Radeon HD 3850	RV670	256 MB GDDR3	668 MHz	4.1	2 x 829 MHz	320

SPs=Stream Processors, R680=2xRV670, R700=2xRV770, Shader 2.0=DirectX 9.0, 3.0=DirectX 9.0c, 4.0=DirectX 10, Shader 4.1=DirectX 10.1

 

Test System For Nvidia and ATI Graphics Cards
Motherboard	Asus P6T, PCIe 2.0, ICH10R, 3-Way SLI
Chipset	Intel X58
Memory	Corsair, 3 x 2 GB DDR3, TR3X6G1600C8D, 2 x 570 MHz 8-8-8-20
Audio	Realtek ALC1200
LAN	Realtek RTL8111C
HDDs	SATA, Western Digital, Raptor WD300HLFS, WD5000AAKS
DVD	Gigabyte GO-D1600C
Power Supply	CoolerMaster RS-850-EMBA 850 W
Drivers and Configuration
Graphics	ATI Catalyst 9.5, Nvidia GeForce 185.85 WHQL
OS	Windows Vista Ultimate 32-Bit, SP1
DirectX	9, 10, and 10.1
Chipset Driver	Intel 9.1.0.1007

HIS H487QT1GP ICEQ4+ (Radeon HD 4870 1,024 MB)

To see all photos in our gallery for this card, click on the image.

ATI reference coolers have been noticeably improved. This observation emerges from direct comparison with the modified cooler HIS' IceQ4+, which barely beats the base model. In 2D mode, the HIS fan is a little quieter at 36.8 dB(A), but the GPU itself runs about 8° C (14.4° F) warmer (HIS card 68° C/154.4° F; reference card 60° C/140° F). In 3D mode, we were surprised to observe that the HIS card ran at 52.1 dB(A) vs. 49.4 dB(A) for the reference card, making the HIS card more audible in an office or study.

This card features 1 GB of graphics RAM and is also overclocked directly through its graphics BIOS, so settings remain independent of the driver you run. The GPU operates at 770 MHz instead of the standard 750 MHz, and graphics RAM is clocked at 1,000 rather than 900 MHz. This empowers the enhanced HIS HD 4870 with about 3.5% better overall performance, as compared to the Sapphire 1 GB card also reviewed here or the ATI reference model.

But overclocking does have one serious disadvantage: this card operates continuously at higher clock rates. Even at idle in 2D mode, it doesn't slow down to 500 MHz (GPU) when running the Catalyst 9.5 driver as most other Radeon HD 4870s routinely do. Instead, the card runs at 770 MHz (GPU) and 1,000 MHz (RAM) at all times.

The circuit board is 9.45" (24 cm) long, and the fan height makes it two slots wide, as with all of the other 4870s we've tested. All of the card's memory chips sit beneath a thick copper heatsink for maximum heat dissipation. The heat from the GPU is channeled away by two thick heatpipes and exhausted out the back of the PC through slits in its external connector edge. Two six-pin PCI Express (PCIe) connectors provide the card with additional power.

Of course, this souped-up Radeon HD 4870 supports DirectX 10.1 with Shader 4.1. The retail package includes a D-sub adapter for analog displays, along with an HDMI adapter (although sound is handled internally), a CrossFire connector, a power splitter, and a driver CD.

Sapphire HD4850 1G (Radeon HD 4850 1,024 MB)

To see all photos in our gallery for this card, click on the image.

For our tests, Sapphire shipped us a narrow-profile card with a reference cooler that is only one slot wide. Despite its compact form factor, the board's cooler did a good job in managing temperatures for 2D operation (it ran at 59 °C/138.2 °F, while under heavy load the temperature climbed to 80 °C/176 °F). At idle, this card is fairly quiet at 36.7 dB(A). But under a constant workload, it's clearly audible at 50.4 dB(A).

Clock rates for the Sapphire model follow ATI's reference card closely, too. Its GPU runs at 625 MHz, while graphics RAM runs at 993 MHz. And in 2D mode, the GPU clocks down to 500 MHz. The graphics chip supports DirectX 10.1 with Shader 4.1, and its circuit board is 9.25"(23.5 cm) long. As far as overall performance is concerned, the Radeon HD 4850 trails a little behind the GeForce GTS 250.

This model includes 1,024 MB of graphics RAM instead of the more common 512 MB frame buffer. In Fallout 3, for example, with 1920x1200 resolution and anti-aliasing (AA) enabled, this boosts frame rates by about three frames per second (FPS). In Far Cry 2, the improvement is greater (at 1920x1200 resolution with 4x AA, frame rates rose by around 6 FPS). With 8x AA, the additional graphics RAM makes a huge difference. While the ATI reference card with 512 MB clocks a dismal 9.6 FPS, this Sapphire card produces a respectable 23.3 FPS instead. In other benchmarks in our test suite, however, we didn't see other noticeable differences.

Sapphire outdoes itself in the retail package contents. In the box you'll find bundled copies of PowerDVD, 3DMark Vantage Advanced Edition, DVD Suite v5 with Cyberlink applications, an eye-popping ATI demo, and a driver CD. Not only do you get an HDMI adapter, you also get an HDMI cable, a component video splitter, power adapters, and a CrossFire connector as well.

Sapphire Vapor-X HD 4870 2G (Radeon HD 4870 2,048 MB)

To see all photos in our gallery for this card, click on the image.

Sapphire's Vapor-X cooler is quite effective. While other cards are equipped with thick, heavy, copper heatsinks and fans, the entire cooling assembly on this Radeon HD 4870 model measures only 3.54"x3.54"x1.18" (90x90x30 mm). It's built on a flat copper plate with numerous aluminum cooling fins attached. The assembly looks like a cut-down version of the coolers that Intel or AMD bundle in their retail CPU boxes.

Inside the cooler, you'll find an evacuated chamber, where water functions as a cooling medium. The water removes heat from the chips, and the vacuum promotes efficient heat exchange with the much cooler ambient temperature inside the case. This kind of phase-change cooling depends on evaporation at the heat source, when the heatsink makes contact with the chips and condensation at the outer reaches of the heatpipes, where thermal energy maintains constant circulation. Capillary action also aids circulation of condensed liquid back to the hot surfaces on their return trip.

Nevertheless, temperatures in this unit don't differ much from the ATI reference design. In idle 2D mode, we got readings of 58° C/136.4° F instead of 60° C/140° F. Under heavy load, those tables turn a bit, with the Sapphire card reading 76° C/168.8° F and the reference card 74° C/165.2° F. The real difference in this cooling solution stands out in our noise measurements. At 2D idle mode, the Sapphire card is whisper-quiet at 36 dB(A), while it climbs only to 38.2 dB(A) under heavy load (by contrast, the ATI reference model ratchets up to 49.8 dB(A)).

In this design, the card also vents its exhaust through slits in the external connector edge. The vapor circulates down to the bottom of card to a secondary heatsink that cools the voltage regulator and various heavy-duty condensers. Because this card comes equipped with 2 GB of graphics RAM, you'll also find heatsinks on its back side to cool those chips as well. Memory chips on the front are not cooled, however, because they're not beneath the primary heatsink.

In overall performance, the Sapphire card falls between the overclocked HIS IceQ4+ and the Radeon HD 4870 reference card. The 2 GB of graphic RAM boosts frame rates in Fallout 3 by up to 7 FPS, and in Far Cry 2 frame rates at 1920x1200 resolution with 8x AA leap from a paltry 11.1 FPS (from the 512 MB reference card) to a fairly fluid 30.4 FPS. There isn't much difference in other benchmarks, though. This card also clocks down to 500 MHz in 2D idle mode.

The Vapor-X card requires two six-pin PCIe connectors, so you'll find two such adapter cables in the retail box. Its souped-up Radeon HD 4870 supports DirectX 10.1 with Shader 4.1. Other bundled goodies include the PowerDVD bundle, 3DMark Vantage Advanced Edition, Cyberlink DVD Suite v5 with applications, an ATI demo, a driver CD, and a CrossFire connector. Adapters aren't really needed, because external ports include analog D-sub mini, HDMI, and DVI.

Zotac GTS250 1 GB (GeForce GTS 250 1,024 MB)

To see all photos in our gallery for this card, click on the image.

Zotac sent us a GeForce GTS 250 with 1,024 MB of graphics RAM and standard clock rates for testing. Above all, the extra RAM makes itself felt in Far Cry 2. At a resolution of 1920 x 1200 with 8X AA, frame rates double, putting it on par with a standard 9800 GTX+ with 512 MB. At 4X AA you'll see an increase of 10 FPS vis-à-vis the reference card, although there isn't much difference in other benchmarks.

This circuit board is large, at nearly 10.62" (27 cm). It uses an eight-pin PCIe connector, so a six- to eight-pin adapter is included in the retail box. The graphics chip supports DirectX 10 with Shader Model 4.0. In terms of overall performance, this card falls squarely in the middle of the pack. Those who want to game cheaply on 1680x1050 resolution monitors should look for G92 chips, which may be found in the GeForce 8800 GTS 512, the GeForce 9800 GTX, and now the GeForce GTS 250.

Zotac adopts the double-slot Nvidia reference cooler for this card. Because the GPU is fabricated using 55nm technology, cooling performance is very good. In a 2D environment, idle temperatures measure around 44°C/111.2° F. Under heavy load, those readings climb to 77° C/170.6° F. But noise output leaves something to be desired. While 39.6 dB(A) at 2D idle is acceptable, the 50.2 dB(A) we measured at heavy load is louder than most G92 cards. Even the 65 nm GeForce 8800 GTS 512 MB and the GeForce 9800 GTX models generate noise levels under 45 dB(A).

The retail box includes the aforementioned six to eight-pin power adapter, plus a DVI-to-HDMI adapter. An internal SPDIF cable handles the sound. You'll also find optical media for the 3DMark Vantage Advanced Edition and the game XIII Century Death of Glory in the box as well.

Zotac GTX 260 (GeForce GTX 260 896 MB)

To see all photos in our gallery for this card, click on the image.

This second Zotac card features a beefed-up GTX 260 graphics chip. The most important differences from the original model include 216 stream processors instead of 192 and 55 nm GPU technology instead of 65 nm. The more dense GPU confers some nice benefits: under heavy 3D loads, the new model consumes 30 W less than the original model and runs 9° C/16.2° F degrees cooler. Clock rates adhere to Nvidia reference specs, which barely suffice to outdo ATI Radeon HD 4870 models. By comparison, the GeForce GTX 260 delivers a 4% performance increase. Although you'll see a small but positive difference if you compare unweighted values from the first overall performance chart, that difference increases if you look at the scores in the chart of weighted percentage values.

On average, a GeForce GTX 260 costs about $75 less than customized Radeon HD 4870 models. If you buy a first-generation GeForce GTX 260 card, you'll save another $50 or so, because they're currently going for $160 to $185 (refurbished units are available for under $150 if you look hard). The new Zotac GTX 260 uses the Nvidia reference cooler design, which covers two slots on the motherboard. At heavy load, this card heats up to 81° C/177.8° F but with noise readings of 41.2 dB(A), it runs fairly quietly. By comparison, original GeForce GTX 260 models mounted an auditory assault with impressive noise levels of 53.8 dB(A).

Accessories bundled with the card reflect careful thought. For those with older power-supply units (PSUs), Zotac includes two power adapters. There's a cable splitter for component video TV-out, an HDMI adapter with an SPDIF cable for internal sound, the Racedriver Grid racing game, and a copy of the 3DMark Vantage Advanced Edition benchmark. The circuit board is nearly 10.62" (27 cm) long, and requires two six-pin PCIe power connectors, both edge mounted at the rear of the card. The GPU supports DirectX 10 and Shader 4.0.

Benchmark Results: Fallout 3

This game mixes the role-playing and 3D first-person shooter (FPS) genres and uses an improved version of the Oblivion graphics engine. Fallout 3 supports HDR rendering using Shader Model 3.0. The graphics engine renders the game world fluidly and interior game spaces present no challenge to reasonably-modern GPUs.

For high-end tests we set graphics quality to Very High (the maximum possible setting). The highest setting for AA is 8x filtering. We ran a sequence at the Tenpenny Tower to collect our Fraps measurements. This scene takes place outdoors, in a space with a distant horizon and many objects and ruins in the visible landscape.

Benchmark Results: Far Cry 2

Far Cry 2 is a 3D shooter. Its Dunia engine offers compelling DirectX 10 visual effects, particularly when rendering fire, shadows, water, background vegetation, and streaming sunlight through dust, fog, rain, and so forth. We used the Very High setting for our high-end tests.

The test sequence runs the Ranch Small benchmark, which shows numerous people, a sweeping plain, burning grass, and thatch huts. At a resolution of 1920x1200 with AA turned on, graphics RAM becomes very important. The highest test setting for AA was 8x.

Benchmark Results: F.E.A.R. 2

This game is a horror-themed FPS. Once Warner took over this product, the game was polished with professional Hollywood shock effects of all kinds. Its interiors and short sequences run very smoothly and produce very high frame rates. Overall graphics quality is superior, and dream or vision scenes benefit from beautiful shader effects on-screen. We used the Maximum setting for our high-end tests, and the elevator scene in the Mission Ruin serves as the basis for Fraps measurements.

 

Benchmark Results: Left 4 Dead

In Left 4 Dead's 3D shooter game world, protagonists bite, claw, and blast their way through hordes of zombies. This game runs on an enhanced version of the Source Engine from Half Life 2. Owing to excellent support for multi-core processors and a modest appetite for 3D effects, gamers are virtually guaranteed completely fluid frame rates in Left 4 Dead.

 

For high-end tests, graphics quality was set to Very High, which guarantees the best possible graphics quality. The highest test setting for AA was 8x. We used a variety of timedemo items for our frame rate tests, where the Survivors group conducts a running street battle with countless zombies.

Benchmark Results: The Last Remnant

This role-playing game takes a more leisurely tempo, since its battles come in predictable rounds much like those in Final Fantasy. Visuals come from the Unreal 3 engine. Because you can't boost AA for this game manually, and the Nvidia drivers can't deliver higher settings, we used standard settings, which are locked at 4x AF.

When set to High, graphics settings are maxed out for the game, so that's what we used for our high-end tests. We used a real battle scene for the test sequence that we measured with Fraps. Because game action and encounters vary, we averaged two different runs for our readings. Without AA enabled, better graphics cards deliver decent frame rates, while higher-end GPUs deliver absolutely fluid action throughout.

Benchmark Results: Tom Clancy's Endwar

Tom Clancy's Endwar uses an enhanced Unreal 3 engine that looks very good on-screen. This game really isn't ideal for benchmarking because its frame rate is capped at 30 FPS. This is typical for current real-time strategy games and limits setting options for benchmarking to a narrow range.

Nevertheless, we observed that it was possible to push frame rates below 30 FPS in Replay Kopenhagen. We could only use the 1920x1200 resolution without AA–in that case, the 3D engine and the fastest graphics cards all had enough headroom to hit the 30 FPS limit, which produced identical results for all contenders. Borderline cards in this category include the GeForce 9800 GTX+, which achieved frame rates of 29.5 FPS. Any faster cards were clipped to 30 FPS, although they probably could have delivered at least a few more frames per second without the 30 FPS cap.

When AA was turned on our measurements were more meaningful, since the replay could load even the most powerful graphics cards more heavily. The top-end graphics chip classes are sure to hit the 30 FPS ceiling more often. At the bottom of the range, results are less ambiguous–if a graphics card lacks sufficient power, a difference of 10 FPS means a 30% decrease in performance. The High setting was as high as we could go for graphics quality.

Benchmark Results: Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

H.A.W.X. will never challenge Flight Simulator X for realism, but this flight simulator delivers very pretty DirectX 10 graphics and hectic dogfights. Thanks to automatic image stabilization, daredevil flight maneuvers are rendered perfectly and contribute mightily to the game's excitement. In our tests, DirectX 10 crashed at 8x AA and the game and screen went black. Switch to DirectX 9 instead, and the game works at 8x AA and offers frame rates up to 50% higher.

The graphics differences between DX 9 and DX10 are huge, as sunlight effects are sharply reduced and the haze over landscapes and cities goes missing. For our tests, we used DirectX 10 and the High setting, to achieve maximum graphics quality. We used the test sequence Mission: Glass Hammer over Rio to measure FPS. Frame rates were good overall, but AA reduces 3D performance by as much as 50%.

Benchmark Results: 3DMark06 1280x1024 Default

For our overclocked Core i7-920 (3.8 GHz) CPU with an X58 chipset, CPU scores fell in a range from 6317 to 6680 points. The GeForce 8800 GT earned the 6317 score at the low end, while the Radeon HD 4870 scored 6680 points. Current Nvidia graphics chips usually produce a CPU score between 6300 and 6400, whereas Nvidia chips come in around 6600.

Overall Performance

This first overview simply totals all benchmark results without applying any weighting. All values are measured in FPS, so this does not include readings from the synthetic 3DMark06 benchmark.

The second overview adjusts the data so that performance can be compared across multiple games and platforms (in mathematical terms, this process is called normalization), by transforming the data into percentage values. This ensures that no single benchmark can swamp the cumulative results because of higher frame rates or higher resolutions. All benchmarks count the same, as communicating results in percentage terms makes it easier to compare various test candidates to one another.

Please note: a reference value of 100% came from the smallest test value on each benchmark. Because the weakest card isn't always slowest in every test, some values greater than 100% will occasionally appear.

Power Consumption, Noise Levels, And Temperature Readings

Power consumption is measured in watts for the whole test platform. The 2D idle value comes from the normal Windows user interface without any load and with Windows Vista Aero turned off (minimal value). The 3D value is measured when the CPU and graphics card run under heavy load (peak value). Measurements took place at the wall socket. PSU efficiency averaged around 82.4% (according to manufacturer measurements).

Power Consumption	2D Watts	3D Watts	Power Adapters
GeForce GTX 285 (1,024 MB)	150	348	2 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce GTX 280 (1,024 MB)	155	347	1 x 6 + 1 x 8 pin PCIe
GeForce GTX 275 (896 MB)	156	351	2 x 6 pin PCIe
Zotac GeForce GTX 260² (GeForce GTX 260 216SPs 896 MB)	150	295	2 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB)	150	295	2 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB)	154	330	2 x 6 pin PCIe
Zotac GTS 250 1 GB (1,024 MB)	156	265	1 x 8 pin PCIe
GeForce GTS 250 (1,024 MB)	156	265	1 x 8 pin PCIe
GeForce 9800 GX2 (2 x 512 MB)	215	381	1 x 6 + 1 x 8 pin PCIe
GeForce 9800 GTX (512 MB)	170	278	2 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce 9600 GT (1,024 MB)	145	195	1 x 6 pin PCIe
Asus GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB)	146	206	1 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce 8800 GTS (512 MB)	171	282	1 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce 8800 GT (1,024 MB)	148	210	1 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB)	160	254	1 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce 8800 Ultra (768 MB)	203	328	2 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB)	186	298	2 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce 8800 GTS (640 MB)	178	261	1 x 6 pin PCIe
GeForce 8800 GTS (320 MB)	170	248	1 x 6 pin PCIe
Radeon HD 4890 (1,024 MB)	182	312	2 x 6 pin PCIe
Radeon HD 4870 X2 (2 x 1,024 MB)	234	465	1 x 6 + 1 x 8 pin PCIe
HIS H487QT1GP ICEQ4+ (Radeon HD 4870 1,024 MB)	196	298	2 x 6 pin PCIe
Sapphire Vapor-X HD 4870 2 GB (Radeon HD 4870 2,048 MB)	189	293	2 x 6 pin PCIe
Radeon HD 4870 (512 MB)	191	288	2 x 6 pin PCIe
Sapphire HD 4850 1 GB (Radeon HD 4850 1,024 MB)	165	257	1 x 6 pin PCIe
Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB)	166	270	1 x 6 pin PCIe
Radeon HD 4770 (512 MB)	152	199	1 x 6 pin PCIe
Radeon HD 4670 (512 MB)	125	178	None
Radeon HD 3870 X2 (2x512 MB)	186	365	1 x 6 + 1 x 8 pin PCIe
Radeon HD 3870 (512 MB)	139	223	1 x 6 pin PCIe
Radeon HD 3850 (256 MB)	134	197	1 x 6 pin PCIe

Noise Levels	2D dB(A)	3D dB(A)	Fan Diameter
GeForce GTX 285 (1,024 MB)	37.9	51.4	75 mm
GeForce GTX 280 (1,024 MB)	38.0	45.4	75 mm
GeForce GTX 275 (896 MB)	36.8	44.2	75 mm
Zotac GeForce GTX 260² (GTX 260 216 SPs 896 MB)	37.5	41.2	75 mm
GeForce GTX 260 216 SPs (896 MB)	37.5	41.2	75 mm
GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB)	37.8	53.8	75 mm
Zotac GTS 250 1 GB (GTS 250 1,024 MB)	39.6	50.2	75 mm
GeForce GTS 250 (1,024 MB)	39.6	50.2	75 mm
GeForce 9800 GX2 (2 x 512 MB)	37.9	53.5	75 mm
GeForce 9800 GTX (512 MB)	37.2	44.8	70 mm
GeForce 9600 GT (1,024 MB)	36.9	42.3	75 mm
GeForce 8800 GTS (512 MB)	36.4	39.5	70 mm
GeForce 8800 GT (1,024 MB)	36.6	40.8	75 mm
GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB)	36.5	40.8	60 mm
GeForce 8800 Ultra (768 MB)	37.1	44.6	73 mm
GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB)	37.5	40.5	75 mm
GeForce 8800 GTS (640 MB)	37.1	37.4	75 mm
GeForce 8800 GTS (320 MB)	36.2	37.0	75 mm
Radeon HD 4890 (1,024 MB)	36.7	48.4	73 mm
Radeon HD 4870 X2 (2 x 1,024 MB)	51.2	60.4	73 mm
HIS H487QT1GP ICEQ4+ (Radeon HD 4870 1,024 MB)	36.8	52.1	80 mm
Sapphire Vapor-X HD4870 2 GB (Radeon HD 4870 2,048 MB)	36.0	38.2	75 mm
Radeon HD 4870 (512 MB)	38.0	49.4	73 mm
Sapphire HD 4850 1 GB (Radeon HD 4850 1,024 MB)	36.7	50.4	60 mm
Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB)	36.2	47.9	60 mm
Radeon HD 4770 (512 MB)	36.3	38.5	70 mm
Radeon HD 4670 (512 MB)	36.2	36.2	50 mm
Radeon HD 3870 X2 (2 x 512 MB)	35.8	45.8	75 mm
Radeon HD 3870 (512 MB)	35.9	38.7	75 mm
Radeon HD 3850 (256 MB)	36.4	36.5	60 mm

Temperatures And Slot Width	2D Degrees	3D Degrees	Fan Height
GeForce GTX 285 (1,024 MB)	45	85	Double slot
GeForce GTX 280 (1,024 MB)	45	86	Double slot
GeForce GTX 275 (896 MB)	47	92	Double slot
Zotac GeForce GTX 260² (GTX 260 216 SPs 896 MB)	45	81	Double slot
GeForce GTX 260 216 SPs (896 MB)	45	81	Double slot

3D Performance, Ranked By Resolution And AA Settings

GeForce GTX 260: Small Price, Big Performance

ATI rules the markets where buyers seek high performance with maximum AA from small cards and a killer combination of low power consumption and good 3D frame rates (particularly for the Radeon HD 4670 and HD 4770 models). Nvidia rules when it comes to overall performance, and has carved out a great market niche with its GeForce GTX 260 card. The new and improved version with 216 shader processors (SPs) costs about $50 more than the older model with 192 SPs.

Great base-level pricing for the GeForce GTX 260 makes it tough for companies like Zotac to position its custom GeForce GTS 250 with 1 GB of graphics RAM, because the older GeForce GTX 260 runs faster and costs close to the same. The Radeon HD 4850 with 1 GB needn't fear the competition either, because its performance falls below that of the GeForce GTS 250 and more graphics RAM really matters only for higher resolutions with AA enabled (which itself affects only a handful of games). Its biggest advantage is a low price point of about $135. Against the Zotac GTX 260 with 216 SPs, neither of the custom cards from HIS nor Sapphire gain much ground, even if differences in performance are minimal. Simply put: the GeForce card costs between $35 and $110 less, and gives Zotac a buying advantage. Despite a reference cooler, this card is comfortably quiet and delivers good performance at a decent price.

In conclusion, let's compare the two ATI Radeon HD 4870 cards. Here, Sapphire comes out ahead, because its card incorporates quieter cooling, offers 2 GB of graphics RAM instead of only one, and costs around $235. The lone advantage to HIS is its competent overclocking, which delivers about 3.5% better performance than the Sapphire model.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-radeon,2326.html
2:00 AM - June 17, 2009 by Tino Kreiss
Source: Tom's Hardware DE