XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI mode
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Date: 28.11.2008 |
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The Tests
The GPU of XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition warmed up to 85 C, but during the process the fan of the cooling system was running at merely 64% of the maximum speed.
To test XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition video cards in the SLI combination, we had to amend the customary configuration of our test bench:
| CPU |
Intel Core 2 Quad X6850 3.0 @ 3.67 GHz |
| Motherboard |
ASUS Striker 2 NSE (NVIDIA NF790i SLI) |
| RAM |
Corsair Dominator DDR3 2 x 2 GB 1333 MHz 6-6-6-18 1T |
| Operating system |
Windows Vista |
| Power supply unit |
Thermaltake Toughpower 750 W |
As a contender to XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI combination, we took Radeon HD 4870 X2. To test the GeForce video cards, we used the GeForce 180.43 beta driver that was optimized for Far Cry 2. For the Radeon HD 4870 X2, we used the Catalyst 8.11. We start introduction to the results with 3DMark tests.
At 3DMark 06, XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI combination scored about the same points as Radeon HD 4870 X2. But if we compare the results for all the video cards produced in this test, it becomes clear that we can't give an impartial view using these video cards. Now let's move on from the outdated 3DMark 06 to the modern 3DMark Vantage.
In 3DMark Vantage, there are no such restrictions as they were in 3DMark 06, so the results for all the video cards ranked in about the same sequence as it is in real games. The first place was taken by XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI which scored the most points. The second was the SLI combination made up of regular GeForce GTX 260. The nominal overclocking added quite a number of points to XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition, both in the SLI and in the single mode. And - alas - Radeon HD 4870 X2 was merely the third.
We compared the results for XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI versus the single XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in 3DMark tests.
Now let's see how the video cards in question will prove themselves in real games. Since the video cards being tested are really powerful, we set 8X FSAA and 16X AF enabled in games.
At Call of Duty, the performance of XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI, to all appearances, turned out to be restricted by the CPU speed, since its results and the results for the SLI made of regular GeForce GTX 260 video cards are very close in all the resolutions. The results for Radeon HD 4870 X2 proved to be worse since they drop as the resolutions go up.
At Need for Speed Pro Street Racing, the performance of XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI, to all appearances, again turned out to be restricted by the speed of the CPU, albeit not much as it was in the previous game. As the resolutions go up, we can see again some minor drop of performance. Radeon HD 4870 X2 demonstrated the worst results in this game, since the CrossFire mode is not yet optimized for it.
At Crysis, there are no issues with the restrictions of video cards' performance from the part of the CPU. At this test, we can see that XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI demonstrated the best results. The second place was taken by the SLI combination made of regular GeForce GTX 260 cards, and the third place was given to Radeon HD 4870 X2. If we compare the single XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition versus the regular GeForce GTX 260, then, due to overclocking, the new product by XFX demonstrates much better results.
 At Call of Juarez, XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI do not suffer from the restrictions of the CPU as in the first two games. Therefore, their results are better than in the SLI combination made up of regular GeForce GTX 260, and the performance gain achieved through use of the SLI amounted to almost 100%. Radeon HD 4870 X2 demonstrated good results and took the third place in this test, and the performance of single GeForce GTX 260 proved to be little for high resolutions.
 The game Race Driver: GRID for XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI, as well as for the SLI combination made up of regular GeForce GTX 260 and Radeon HD 4870 X2 proved to be poor - both the test and the speed of the above listed video cards proved to be restricted by CPU or maybe the game itself. In the end, we can merely state that the performance of these video cards is more than enough for this game. But the single XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition and GeForce GTX 260 video cards can be quite adequately benchmarked based on the produced results - the former demonstrated much better results than the latter due to overclocking.
 At Far Cry 2, where the tests were run with the maximum settings enabled for a test scene of average duration, there are no problems with the CPU-boundedness of the video cards. The best results were demonstrated by XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI, followed by the SLI combination made up of regular GeForce GTX 260. However strange that may seem, in this test the video card Radeon HD 4870 X2 proved to be just a little bit faster than the single XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition.
We compared the results for XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in the SLI versus the single XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition in games.
Final Words
XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition video cards have proved to be good candidates for video cards to be merged into a SLI. Quite powerful due to additional functional units included into only the updated versions of GeForce GTX 260, these video cards merged into a combination demonstrate a thrilling level of speed, which is able pleasing even the most demanding gamers who prefer high quality settings in games coupled with high resolutions. The price for a single video card like that is not too high - all is relative, so we'd better bring in a table of approximate prices for the tested video cards in the Moscow retail.
| Video card |
Approximate price, rubles (1$ ~ 26 rubles) |
| XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition |
11000 |
| GeForce GTX 260 (core 216) |
9000 |
| Radeon HD 4870 X2 |
16000 |
But.. we should keep it in mind that use of the SLI requires a matching motherboard, so the final price may go up.
- Discuss the material in the conference
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