Roundup: Mainstream Graphics Cards From ATI And Nvidia
Features
By
Tino Kreiss
published
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 (and with Aero turned off). The 3D value is measured when the CPU and graphics card are operating under heavy load (peak value). Measurements took place at the wall socket. PSU efficiency averaged around 82.4% (according to manufacturer measurements).
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| Power Consumption | 2D Watts | 3D Watts |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 275 (896 MB) | 156 | 351 |
| GeForce GTX 260 216 SPs (896 MB) | 150 | 295 |
| GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB) | 154 | 330 |
| GeForce GTS 250 (1,024 MB) | 156 | 265 |
| GeForce 9800 GTX+ (512 MB) 182.46 | 165 | 277 |
| GeForce 9800 GTX (512 MB) | 170 | 278 |
| Zotac GeForce 9800 GT (512 MB) (9800 GT 512 MB) | 173 | 292 |
| GeForce 9800 GT (512 MB) | 172 | 282 |
| GeForce 9600 GT (1,024 MB) | 145 | 195 |
| GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB) | 146 | 206 |
| GeForce 8800 GTS (512 MB) | 171 | 282 |
| GeForce 8800 GT (1,024 MB) | 148 | 210 |
| GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB) | 160 | 254 |
| GeForce 8800 Ultra (768 MB) | 203 | 328 |
| GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB) | 186 | 298 |
| GeForce 8800 GTS (640 MB) | 178 | 261 |
| GeForce 8800 GTS (320 MB) | 170 | 248 |
| GeForce 8600 GTS (512 MB) | 147 | 192 |
| Radeon HD 4890 (1,024 MB) | 182 | 312 |
| Radeon HD 4870 (512 MB) | 191 | 288 |
| Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB) | 166 | 270 |
| Sapphire HD 4830 (512 MB) (HD 4830 512 MB) | 140 | 234 |
| Radeon HD 4830 (512 MB) | 140 | 234 |
| Sapphire HD 4770 512 MB (HD 4770 512 MB) | 153 | 203 |
| Radeon HD 4770 (512 MB) | 152 | 199 |
| HIS H467QT512P (HD 4670 2x512 MB) CF | 143 | 258 |
| Radeon HD 4670 (2x512 MB) CF | 143 | 256 |
| HIS H467QT512P (HD 4670 512 MB) | 129 | 187 |
| HIS H467PS1GP (HD 4670 1,024 MB) | 134 | 176 |
| Radeon HD 4670 (512 MB) | 125 | 178 |
| Radeon HD 3870 (512 MB) | 139 | 223 |
| Radeon HD 3850 (256 MB) | 134 | 197 |
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| Noise Levels | 2D dB(A) | 3D dB(A) |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 275 (896 MB) | 36.8 | 44.2 |
| GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB) | 37.5 | 41.2 |
| GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB) | 37.8 | 53.8 |
| GeForce GTS 250 (1,024 MB) | 39.6 | 50.2 |
| GeForce 9800 GTX+ (512 MB) | 36.6 | 41.4 |
| GeForce 9800 GTX (512 MB) | 37.2 | 44.8 |
| Zotac GeForce 9800 GT (512 MB) (9800 GT 512 MB) | 36.3 | 46.8 |
| GeForce 9800 GT (512 MB) | 36.3 | 46.2 |
| GeForce 9600 GT (1,024 MB) | 36.9 | 42.3 |
| GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB) | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| GeForce 8800 GTS (512 MB) | 36.4 | 39.5 |
| GeForce 8800 GT (1,024 MB) | 36.6 | 40.8 |
| GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB) | 36.5 | 40.8 |
| GeForce 8800 Ultra (768 MB) | 37.1 | 44.6 |
| GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB) | 37.5 | 40.5 |
| GeForce 8800 GTS (640 MB) | 37.1 | 37.4 |
| GeForce 8800 GTS (320 MB) | 36.2 | 37.0 |
| GeForce 8600 GTS (512 MB) | 46.6 | 47.2 |
| Radeon HD 4890 (1024 MB) | 36.7 | 48.4 |
| Radeon HD 4870 (512 MB) | 38.0 | 49.4 |
| Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB) | 36.2 | 47.9 |
| Sapphire HD 4830 (512 MB) (HD 4830 512 MB) | 40.5 | 41.2 |
| Radeon HD 4830 (512 MB) | 40.5 | 41.2 |
| Sapphire HD 4770 (512 MB) (HD 4770 512 MB) | 36.6 | 37.4 |
| Radeon HD 4770 (512 MB) | 36.3 | 38.5 |
| HIS H467QT512P (HD 4670 2x512 MB) CF | 37.3 | 37.3 |
| Radeon HD 4670 (2x512 MB) CF | 37.3 | 37.3 |
| HIS H467QT512P (HD 4670 512 MB) | 36.5 | 36.5 |
| HIS H467PS1GP (HD 4670 1024 MB) | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Radeon HD 4670 (512 MB) | 36.2 | 36.2 |
| Radeon HD 3870 (512 MB) | 35.9 | 38.7 |
| Radeon HD 3850 (256 MB) | 36.4 | 36.5 |
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| Temperatures (degrees Celsius) | 2D Mode | 3D Mode |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 275 (896 MB) | 47 | 92 |
| GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB) | 45 | 81 |
| GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB) | 48 | 90 |
| GeForce GTS 250 (1,024 MB) | 44 | 77 |
| GeForce 9800 GTX+ (512 MB) 182.46 | 48 | 81 |
| GeForce 9800 GTX (512 MB) | 55 | 74 |
| Zotac GeForce 9800 GT 512 MB (9800 GT 512 MB) | 58 | 87 |
| GeForce 9800 GT (512 MB) | 56 | 84 |
| GeForce 9600 GT (1,024 MB) | 43 | 70 |
| GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB) | 48 | 88 |
| GeForce 8800 GTS (512 MB) | 62 | 88 |
| GeForce 8800 GT (1,024 MB) | 44 | 62 |
| GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB) | 60 | 98 |
| GeForce 8800 Ultra (768 MB) | 56 | 95 |
| GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB) | 58 | 83 |
| GeForce 8800 GTS (640 MB) | 55 | 80 |
| GeForce 8800 GTS (320 MB) | 52 | 77 |
| GeForce 8600 GTS (512 MB) | 41 | 57 |
| Radeon HD 4890 (1024 MB) | 60 | 80 |
| Radeon HD 4870 (512 MB) | 60 | 74 |
| Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB) | 79 | 94 |
| Sapphire HD4830 (512 MB) (HD 4830 512 MB) | 34 | 61 |
| Radeon HD 4830 (512 MB) | 34 | 61 |
| Sapphire HD 4770 (512 MB) (HD 4770 512 MB) | 44 | 71 |
| Radeon HD 4770 (512 MB) | 52 | 72 |
| HIS H467QT512P (HD 4670 2x512 MB) CF | 39/34 | 79 |
| Radeon HD 4670 (2x512 MB) CF | 38/34 | 75 |
| HIS H467QT512P (HD 4670 512 MB) | 37 | 71 |
| HIS H467PS1GP (HD 4670 1,024 MB) | 41 | 70 |
| Radeon HD 4670 (512 MB) | 44 | 83 |
| Radeon HD 3870 (512 MB) | 51 | 92 |
| Radeon HD 3850 (256 MB) | 52 | 90 |
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74 Comments
Comment from the forums
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Bloodblender All I can say is that Tom's recent articles have been an excellent read, and this exactly the stuff I (as well as many others) require for their research purposes. Keep up the great work!Reply -
dirtmountain Nice article,very well done, but you need to show the 4670 in CF as costing $162, not $81 as shown in the final chart.Reply -
rambo117 the iceQ concept is amazing. keeps my 3870s nice and chilly (70C) while hardcore gamingReply
and not to mention they both look intimidating in my case ;) -
to me the gaming benches are most important but energy efficiency and heat dissipation run a close 2nd. thanks for providing it all!Reply
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Julianbreaker Newegg has quite a few 4850s that retail for $100 and it appears to be getting consistently better benchmarks than the 4770. I am confused as to why you would not recommend it over the 4770. Perhaps you are confused by simple maths.Reply -
radiowars PijQuick question - 4770 in crossfire or single 4890 best bet???..They already did a whole article on that...Reply -
bucifer I don't understand why you still won't use the 1GB version of the Radeon 4870. It's clear to me that the card is limited by it's amount of video memory when using hi-res, AA and AF.Reply
Searching for prices in US and Europe it retails cheaper than the GTX260(192 or 216).
The point is: the card should be included in the test just as the GTX260-216. It's clearly a better option than the 512 mb version and it's good for comparison! -
holodust Nice article, but I don't see how testing these cards on i7 920@3.8 fits into mainstream.Reply