In order to compare these cards, we're reactivating our overclocked Core i5-2500K-based test bed, which is guaranteed to alleviate any platform-oriented bottleneck that might otherwise inhibit the performance of any graphics card.
Since the objective is to demonstrate relative performance between graphics products based on the same GPU and with only minor operating frequency differences, we don't need to roll out our complete benchmark suite in order to gauge the finishing order. A few games and a synthetic test will suffice.
| Test Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2500K (Sandy Bridge), overclocked to 4 GHz, 6 MB shared L3 cache, power-saving settings enabled, Turbo Boost disabled. |
| Motherboard | MSI P67A-GD65, Intel P67 Chipset |
| Memory | OCZ DDR3-2000, 2 x 2 GB, at 1338 MT/s, CL 9-9-9-20-1T |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar Black 750 GB, 7200 RPM, 32 MB cache, SATA 3Gb/s Samsung 470 Series SSD 256 GB, SATA 3Gb/s |
| Graphics Cards | Asus GTX 560 DirectCU II TOP ECS Black GTX 560 Galaxy GeForce GTX 560 MDT x4 MSI N560GTX Twin Frozr II OC Zotac GeForce GTX 560 AMP! |
| Power Supply | Seasonic X760 SS-760KM: ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V, 80 PLUS Gold |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper TX 2 |
| System Software And Drivers | |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 |
| Graphics Driver | GeForce: 285.62 |
| Benchmarks | |
| 3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.1.0, Benchmark Only |
| Battlefield 3 | Version 1.0.0.0, Operation Swordbreaker, Fraps Run |
| Aliens vs. Predator | Version 1.0.0.0, DirectX 11 Benchmark |
| Metro 2033 | Full Game, Built-In Benchmark, "Frontline" Scene DX9, High, AAA, 4x AF, No PhysX |
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Summary
- GeForce GTX 560 In Nvidia's $200 Range
- Asus GTX 560 DirectCU II TOP
- ECS Black Series NBGTX560-1GPI-F GeForce GTX 560
- Galaxy 56NGH6DH4TTX GeForce GTX 560 MDT x4
- MSI N560GTX Twin Frozr II/OC
- Zotac AMP! ZT-50702-10M GeForce GTX 560
- Test System Setup And Benchmarks
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11 And Battlefield 3
- Benchmark Results: AvP And Metro 2033
- Overclocking And Multi-Monitor Performance
- Power, Temperature, And Noise
- Five Unique GeForce GTX 560s
Ask a Category Expert
This dosent match with the above chart
Your kidding right, my overclocked 580GTX at 60% fan speed idles at 32c. Cards down clock themselves which allows them to run cooler at idle temps even if it were clocked at upwards i don't think a card would get hot unless it was being used.
I have the feeling that even a i5 2500k@4ghz bottlenecks a 7970 @1080p in most newer games.
If the GPU market goes the way it does, it won't take long that even midrange cards will be bottlenecked @1080p by the cpu.
Not really. This is mostly game depended. Depends on how much stress each graphics engine push at cpu and gpu.
Games like Dragon Age 2 and SWTOR are gpu intensive. So a GTX570 (that I have) is being used at 1080p at 99% of its usage with a low performance nowadays Q6600 in SWTOR (used MSI after burner to monitor it).
But with games such Skyrim which cpu is more important than other games, a highly clocked sandybridge is required in order to play smoothly at 1080p.
One thing is certain for sure. The higher the resolution the more gpu power and less cpu power requires a game.
The 280 idles higher than the 580 to the best of my knowledge, plus it's a 65nm part and the largest gaming GPU ever created.
That's an enormous amount of fan speed for an Idle GPU. Hope you're happy having a nice loud fan at idle. I can't imagine how loud it gets under a light load.
To the article, I don't think these comparisons are really necessary. All the cards are going to have different overclocking capabilities, which is what anyone from tom's is going to check. Hell, the worst card you guys test according to this comparison might overclock the most, and be the best card for the money on someone else's comparison.
For a $30 savings the ASUS ENGTX560 DCII OC/2DI is worth a look. Sure if you run the fans at 100% a higher CFM fan is going to be very loud, but no one runs their fans @ 100% either.
With Apps like MSI Afterburner and others it's incredibly easy to OC any GPU. It's a balancing act between performance, temperatures, and dDA (noise). One of the big reasons for water blocks on higher end cards, etc.
BTW - I appreciate the Article, it's enlightening and offers good info. Thanks!
Quite right! Fixed.
The GTX 560 is comparable to the 6870, though generally thought to be a little slower but with better OC headroom. The 6950 is much faster, and is comparable to the GTX 560 Ti.