Larger variations are normal in higher resolutions. In fact, the frame rate can even go up because the graphics card gets more work to do and CPU power can be used for the 3D engine again. CrossFire with dual-chip cards, SLI, and single-card CrossFire don’t provide any advantages, as the frame rates are almost always lower due to a taxed CPU. For good frame rates in Quake Wars, one fast graphics chip is enough.
Driver Comparison: Catalyst 8.9 Versus Catalyst 8.10 w/ Radeon HD 4870 X2
You can see a slight drop in performance, but the values are within measurement tolerances. The break at 1680x1050 without anti-aliasing (0AA) is unexpected, but we tested several times to confirm that these numbers are correct.
| ET: Quake Wars in fps | 1280 0xAA | 1680 0xAA | 1920 0xAA | 1280 4xAA | 1680 4xAA | 1920 4xAA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD 4870 X2 8.10 QX@3.67 | 90.1 | 87.6 | 89.1 | 86.4 | 86.3 | 86.1 | 525.6 |
| HD 4870 X2 8.9 QX@3.67 | 91.1 | 91.4 | 89.4 | 87.9 | 87.3 | 86.8 | 533.9 |
| Performance difference in percent | -1.1 | -4.2 | -0.3 | -1.7 | -1.1 | -0.8 | -1.6 |
Summary
- 31 Different Combinations Tested
- Comparison Of Graphic Chips And Test Configurations
- Problems with Catalyst 8.10: Part 1
- Problems with Catalyst 8.10: Part 2
- Radeon HD 4870 X2 Specifications and Ports
- Asus Radeon HD 4870 X2 Top (EAH4870X2 TOP/HTDI/2G/A)
- Software Asus Radeon HD 4870 X2 Top
- HIS Radeon HD 4870 X2 (H487X2F2GP)
- Software HIS Radeon HD 4870 X2
- MSI Radeon HD 4870 X2 OC Edition (R4870X2-T2D2G-OC)
- Software MSI Radeon HD 4870 X2 OC Edition
- Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 (HD4870 X2 G2 GDDR5)
- Software Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2
- Radeon HD 4870 X2 Crossfire (4CF)
- Assassin’s Creed v1.02
- Call of Duty 4 v1.6
- Crysis v1.21 High Quality
- Crysis v1.21 Very High Quality
- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.4
- Half Life 2 Episode 2
- Mass Effect
- Microsoft Flight Simulator X SP2
- World in Conflict v1.05
- 3DMark06 1280x1024p v1.1.0
- Radeon HD 4870 And HD 4870 X2 Compared
- Radeon HD 4870 X2 And HD 4870 CrossFire (CF) Compared
- Radeon HD 4870 X2 And HD 4870 X2 CrossFire (4CF) Compared
- Radeon HD 4870 X2 And GeForce 9800 GX2 Compared
- Image Quality of ATI and Nvidia
- Overall Performance
- Performance Gain From CPU And Graphics Driver
- Power Consumption, Noise Level, And Temperature
- Ratio of Overall Performance And Power Consumption
- 3D Performance At 1280x1024
- 3D Performance At 1680x1050
- 3D Performance At 1920x1200
- Conclusion
