Testing Procedure
Methods
To test the performance of video cards at eTeknix we run a variety of tests at four different resolutions, where supported and appropriate, across a suite of games and benchmarks. We run each of these benchmarks three times to take an average and use the latest WHQL-certified video card drivers from AMD and Nvidia to test with – namely Catalyst 13.4 and Nvidia Forceware 320.49. For newer RX 2XX series graphics cards we have had to test with the 13.11 Beta to avoid compatibility issues.
To attain noise levels we hold a decibel meter approximately 3 inches away from the card after running Furmark for five minutes. To achieve idle noise we allow the system to stay idle at the desktop for 5 minutes before taking a noise reading.
To achieve temperatures we take the maximum temperature of the GPU core during Furmark load as recorded by CPUID HW Monitor. To achieve idle temperatures we take the minimum recorded GPU core temperature in CPUID HW Monitor after desktop-idling for 5 minutes.
To measure power consumption we take the maximum stable power consumption at idle on the desktop over a 5 minute period, and for load we take the maximum stable power consumption during Furmark load. Like with acoustic measurements we do not read off the maximum stable power consumption value until after 5 minutes to give the system enough time to stabilise at its power envelope.
Test System:
- Motherboard – Asus Rampage IV Extreme X79 LGA 2011 (chipset fan disabled)
- Processor – Intel Core i7 3960X at stock clock speeds of 3.3GHz with Turbo Mode disabled.
- RAM – 16GB (2 X 8GB) Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 1866MHz at 9-10-9-27
- CPU Cooler – Corsair H100i with Quiet Fan Profile
- Power Supply – Corsair HX1050W
- Main Storage Drive – Kingston HyperX 240GB SSD over SATA III interface
- Chassis – Lian Li T60 Test Bench
- Displays – Dell U2711 Ultra Sharp for 2560 by 1440 and we use the LG IPS 234 & LG IPS 224 with the Dell U2711 Ultra Sharp to run 5760 by 1080.
- Operating System – Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit
We would like to thank Asus, Corsair, Kingston, Lian Li and all our other partners who supplied us with test 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!
Games Used
- Aliens Vs Predator
- Dirt Showdown
- Hitman: Absolution
- Metro Last Light
- Sleeping Dogs
- Bioshock Infinite
- Tomb Raider
Resolutions Used (where possible)
- 1680 x 1050
- 1920 x 1080
- 2560 x 1440
- 5760 x 1080
Hardware Used
- Plug “killawatt” style electricty usage meter
- Benetech GM1351 decibel meter
Software Used
- 3DMark 11
- 3DMark 2013
- CPUID HWMonitor
- Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0
- Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
- Furmark 1.10.5
its looks like for a price AMD R9 290X FTW
+150 $ for + 5fps on 1080p?? no thx. And for 4K still 290X better. Game bundles (3) really, thats the only idea ?? pff
Well that’s not really all is it? Stock vs stock you’re talking about 5-10% more performance for a 780ti over a 290x. Its also quieter, runs cooler and consumes less power. The game bundle is also a nice inclusion. “290X still better at 4K”…, where’s the evidence of that? (that’s not doubting you I’ve just yet to see it myself) Obviously the 290X is a way better value solution but the 780Ti is a more refined overall package in terms of the card itself. Of course AMD and Nvidia both have their unique advantages so I won’t even go into those. However, I think you’re oversimplifying things a bit too much.
Power draw is pretty much the same so that rules that out. 699 $ was a okay price for me seeing I needed the games anyway.
It really isn’t. I have to refer to TechPowerUp on this occasion as they have a great power draw results – http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_780_Ti/25.html
Under super heavy loads they are virtually the same but the average PC owner spends more time outside of games than they do in games. The GTX 780Ti excels in low power consumption during all “normal” day to day activities and in heavy gaming still consumes marginally less while offering more performance. The GTX 780 Ti consumes both less power and is more power efficient – no question about it. Again I want to refer to techpowerup with their performance per watt results –
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_780_Ti/28.html
Yeah, I’m not getting a 780 Ti for 699 $ to worry about power consumption or not overclocking the thing with 1.3+mV..
“290X still better at 4K”…, where’s the evidence of that?
The AMD R9-290x would be better at 4K gaming, because it was developed for 4K.
The 4GB vram and 512-bit memory bandwidth means it can create more pixels per second than for e.g. 312-bit 3GB memory. But still though the Nvidia GTX780ti is a beast of a card. So In my opinion the GTX780ti is the best 1080p card and the AMD R9-290x is the best 4k card
More RAM doesn’t always mean better performance. The GTX 780Ti has more memory bandwidth and memory bandwidth is just as important. Our testing showed the GTX Titan at 4K was about 10% slower than the GTX 780Ti. I reckon the GTX 780Ti will be on par with the R9 290X or possibly better. We will definitely be getting in a 4K monitor again to test this and bring you guys some more results.
Actually in this review on 5 out of the 7 games the GTX 780 Ti performed better on 4K than the 290X…
We didn’t test 4K in this review?
Oh crap sorry (face palm) read the resolutions wrong 😛
im still going for the R9-290X due the price performance ratio also i have more amd optimized games, both this cards are beatyfull, its really nice that the 2 companies always compete like this so we can have great choices
I have been so gung-ho for the R9 290x for a while now. I’m beginning to build in a little under three weeks and I found out about the R9 series of cards have a “black screen” problem. Really sucks. I wanted the 290x for the VRAM and wide memory bus, seems more future proof than the 3gb and 384bit of the 780 ti. I was going to get a 27″ 1440p monitor and the 290x, but now I’m thinking I’ll get a 24″ 1080p and a 780 ti.
Yeah it’s quite an impressive piece of hardware.
And Nvidia does it again ( a great card but quite expensive). We as consumers need a third or forth GPU manufacturer to enter the market and really push these companies to produce better cards for less money.