NVIDIA GeForce GTX275 SLI Review
This article is the second round of GTX 200 benchmarks I'm working on. I was fortunate enough to get in touch with the fine folks at EVGA, and inquired about borrowing some cards for benchmarking and evaluation. They agreed, and this look at the GTX 275 1792MB in SLI is the second round of what will be an ongoing series of benchmarks and testing.
As of now, my rig stands at:
- BFG GTX 295 ForceWare 182.50 (last version to natively support Wide Surround modes)
- EVGA X58 Tri-SLI Motherboard
- Intel i7 920 at 4x2.67GHz
- 6GB G.Skill DDR3 RAM
- 2x Samsung 320GB T-Series HDD (one for the OS and games; one for swap file and FRAPS)
- LG Super Multi Blu (HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Player)
- Onboard audio
- Enermax Infiniti 720W
- Antec Skeleton
- Dell 3007WFP
- Matrox Digital TripleHead2Go
- 3x Dell SP2008WFP
- Logitch G15 Keyboard & G5 Mouse
In the first part of the series, we looked at the difference between the 896MB and 1792MB versions of the GTX 275. We found that in general the 1792MB version didn't provide a noticeable difference when comparing "average framerates," but it did provide a noticeably smoother experience (fewer "hiccups") in demanding games such as Far Cry 2. This was particularly noticeable in Wide Surround - 5040x1050.
We continue the evolution of graphics card configurations by looking at a pair of GTX 275 1792MB cards in SLI. We will also look at issues we uncovered with 64-bit versions of Half Life 2.
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 is a far more demanding game than Half-Life 2. As before, we tested with the built-in benchmark tool, using Ultra settings and 4xAA. As of yet, no card combination reaches 60fps, though the GTX 295 and the GTX 275 SLI come close at 1680x1050 and 1920x1200. The scores at 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 are rather comparable, with the single GPU sets coming in between 35-40 fps, and the multi-GPU setups approaching 60fps.
Above 1920x1200, we begin to see the GTX 275 SLI configuration pull ahead of the GTX 275, with a large performance delta at 5040x1050. We actually see a 50% increase for the GTX 275 SLI, versus the GTX 295, at 5040x1050. As well, this is the first configuration to hit 30fps at 5040x1050 with Ultra and 4xAA.
To further analyze the performance, we tested 5040x1050 at Medium, High, Very High and Ultra High settings. We tested each of these detail settings at 0xAA, 2xAA, 4xAA and 8xAA. At 5040x1050, we can only get 8xAA on Medium settings, and only with the GTX 275 1792MB and above. However, the Medium quality settings look like crap and Medium/8xAA performs on par with High/4xAA. I can't see anyone wanting the extra AA over the higher detail settings.
8xAA fails to load in High and above, causing either hard locks or reboots. The GTX 275 1792MB SLI configuration got further in the loading sequence, and actually rebooted rather than hard locking with video corruption. Considering all of the issues with 8xAA, we won't be reporting any results. If any of the GTX 285 cards allow for 8xAA in High or above, we will add them back in.
With High settings and 0xAA, we do cross the 60fps threshold with the GTX 295 and the GTX 275 SLI configuration. We also approach the 60fps mark with 2xAA. The GTX 295 offers almost identical performance for Very/0xAA, Ultra/0xAA, and Very/2xAA. These are all close enough, that you could say that you get these quality upgrades for "free." Additionally, Ultra/2xAA is comparable to Very/4xAA at 30+ fps.
Looking at the GTX 275 SLI we see much the same performance, although we see Ultra/0xAA, Very/2xAA, Ultra/2xAA and Very/4xAA all being with a margin of error. If you plan to run Far Cry 2 with High or Very High settings, the slightly cheaper GTX 295 (when compared to GTX 275 1729MB SLI) would give the best price/performance ratio. However, you will end up dealing with the GPU whine in most other games. But, if you are wanting to run at Ultra or 4xAA, then the GTX SLI configuration does provide a noticeable improvement.
