To tackle this Hybrid Crossfire analysis we are using one main test system. We are using AMD’s FM2+ socket and A88X chipset with Gigabyte’s fantastic G1 Sniper A88X motherboard which we reviewed here. We also have our Intel test system but no additional testing was done with this over what was done in our Ultimate AMD Kaveri Review.
Main Storage Drive – Kingston HyperX 240GB SSD over SATA III interface
Chassis – Lian Li T60 Test Bench
Displays – Dell U2711 Ultra Sharp
Operating System – Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit
We would like to thank Gigabyte, MSI, Intel, AMD, Corsair, Kingston, Lian Li, Noctua and all our other partners who supplied us with test system equipment and hardware. Their generosity makes our testing possible and without them we wouldn’t be able to produce the reviews we do, so thank you!
Test Procedures
To conduct this review we have a small array of gaming-centric tests to show you. Below we have listed each benchmark and any associated details about how we run the test, how long for (if applicable) and any settings that may be helpful to know.
Synthetic 3D Benchmarks
3DMark11: Performance and Extreme presets.
3DMark (2013): Firestrike and Firestrike Extreme presets.
Gaming
Battlefield 4 – low preset at 720p (1280 x 720) and 1080p (1920 x 1080). Measured using fraps and a 2 minute sequence of the game in the middle of the first campaign mission. Replayed with as much duplication as possible to ensure accurate results.
Tomb Raider – normal preset at 720p and 1080p, v-sync off, motion blur and screen effects on using the built in benchmark.
Sleeping Dogs – normal preset at 720p and 1080p using built in benchmark.
Bioshock Infinite – medium preset at 720p and 1080p using the built in benchmark.
Batman Arkham Origins – normal geometry, everything else off. 720p and 1080p using the built in benchmark.
Metro Last Light – Medium preset, AF4X and low motion blur at 720p and 1080p using the built in benchmark.
Power consumption
Power consumption – total system power draw measured with the system in an idle desktop state, with a GPU load state and CPU+GPU combined load state. Load states were all provided by the AIDA 64 Engineer system stability test.