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Gigabyte GTX 275 1792MB Super Overclock Review

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Fallout 3

Fallout 3


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For these Fallout 3 benchmarks we decided to use one of the more graphically intensive portions of the game: a gameplay session which starts at the exit from Vault 101, through Springvale, over a small hill towards Washington and then back towards Megaton. Within this session two ants were fought near Springvale. All in all, the gameplay time is about 6 minutes.

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Far Cry 2 (DX9)

Far Cry 2 (DX9)


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Even though Far Cry 2 has its own built-in benchmarking tool with some flythroughs and “action scenes”, we decided to record our own timedemo consisting of about 7 minutes of game time. It involves everything from run-and-gun fights to fire effects. The built-in benchmarking too was then set up to replay the timedemo and record framerates

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Joined
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Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Far Cry 2 (DX10)

Far Cry 2 (DX10)


HD4890-24.jpg

Even though Far Cry 2 has its own built-in benchmarking tool with some flythroughs and “action scenes”, we decided to record our own timedemo consisting of about 7 minutes of game time. It involves everything from run-and-gun fights to fire effects. The built-in benchmarking too was then set up to replay the timedemo and record framerates

1680 x 1050

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1920 x 1200

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2560 x 1600

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
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Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead


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For benching Left 4 Dead, we used a pre-recorded 5 minute timedemo taken on the No Mercy campaign during The Rooftop Finale mission. Framerates were captured with FRAPS.

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX9)

Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX9)


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Even though HawX has a built-in benchmarking tool, we found that it did not provide accurate enough results needed to reflect what actual in-game performance would be. Thus, we played through the first 6 minutes of a mission and recorded the results with FRAPS.

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Messages
12,840
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Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX10 / 10.1)

Tom Clancy’s Hawx (DX10 / 10.1)


HD4890-26.jpg

Even though HawX has a built-in benchmarking tool, we found that it did not provide accurate enough results needed to reflect what actual in-game performance would be. Thus, we played through the first 6 minutes of a mission and recorded the results with FRAPS. All ATI cards have DX10.1 enabled.

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2560 x 1600

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Heat & Acoustics / Power Consumption

Heat & Acoustics


For all temperature testing, the cards were placed on an open test bench with a single 120mm 1200RPM fan placed ~8” away from the heatsink. The ambient temperature was kept at a constant 22°C (+/- 0.5°C). If the ambient temperatures rose above 23°C at any time throughout the test, all benchmarking was stopped. For this test we use the 3DMark Batch Size test at it highest triangle count with 4xAA and 16xAF enabled and looped it for one hour to determine the peak load temperature as measured by GPU-Z.

For Idle tests, we let the system idle at the Vista desktop for 15 minutes and recorded the peak temperature.


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The temperatures this card pumped out came as a bit of a surprise considering the speeds it runs at. However, the reason for this decrease over the reference card is a slight increase for the fan speed of the GTX 275 Super Overclock. This doesn’t make it loud per se but we have to remember that the fan on a standard GTX 275 is dead quiet. One way or another, Gigabyte card is still quiet but not silent.


Power Consumption


For this test we hooked up our power supply to a UPM power meter that will log the power consumption of the whole system twice every second. In order to stress the GPU as much as possible we once again use the Batch Render test in 3DMark06 and let it run for 30 minutes to determine the peak power consumption while letting the card sit at a stable Windows desktop for 30 minutes to determine the peak idle power consumption. We have also included several other tests as well. Please note that after extensive testing, we have found that simply plugging in a power meter to a wall outlet or UPS will NOT give you accurate power consumption numbers due to slight changes in the input voltage. Thus we use a Tripp-Lite 1800W line conditioner between the 120V outlet and the power meter.

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Considering the performance the Super Overclocked showed throughout the tests, it was pleasant to see it consuming less power than a GTX 285. However, when it comes to performance per watt there is no way it can beat the current crop of ATI’s DX11 cards.
 
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SKYMTL

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Overclocking Results

Overclocking Results


What do we consider a stable overclock? If the card can pass our test which involves a 20 minute loop of 3DMark06, 30 minutes of playing Far Cry 2 and an additional 30 minute gameplay sequence in Left 4 Dead, it is considered stable.

Since overclocking can vary from one card to the next within the same family of cards, you should be aware that these results will not be considered when voicing our final opinions about these four cards. As such, we will show you the final overclocking results but leave our opinions to ourselves and let you guys form your own conclusions.

Final Overclocks:

Core: 737Mhz
Shaders: 1598Mhz
Memory: 2590Mhz (DDR)

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SKYMTL

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Conclusion

Conclusion


Reviewing a product such as the GTX 275 Super Overclock really isn’t easy since it’s one of those cards that could have been a market leader if its release was just timed right. Gigabyte overclocked this thing to unbelievable heights and its performance belittles the GTX 285 again and again. This made its benchmark performance somewhat bittersweet since the Super Overlock is being released unbelievably late.

On the positive side of things, we believe that Gigabyte really does have a winning combination with their Super Overclock series. We were impressed by the first card sporting this moniker –in GTX 260 216 guise- and the follow-up GTX 275 follows closely in its footsteps by delivering suitably stunning performance. One interesting aspect of this card’s parity with the GTX 285 is that it actually consumes less power then its big brother. That additional efficiency would lead us to recommend the GTX 275 Super Overclock over a GTX 285 for a high-end folding rig. The additional memory also comes into effect in some rare scenarios which allows this card to really pull away from both its reference kin and the higher end NVIDIA cards.

While, performance isn’t a problem with the Super Overclock, there are other things holding it back. At this point, we have HD 5850 cards that are retailing for under $300 which pistol whip the ~$330 Gigabyte card on nearly every level. In overall performance, price, efficiency, heat production, acoustical footprint and even availability (yes, that’s saying a lot considering finding the HD 5850 is next to impossible), Gigabyte’s card gets battered and bruised. We actually believe this card is exactly what the NVIDIA crowd needed but at a price that undercuts the HD 5850 1GB by a good $30. Instead, it commands a significant price premium over ATI’s current price / performance leader.

Thinking back through all of the GPUs we reviewed in the past year, we really can’t help feeling that we have seen this all before. Why? Because months ago EVGA brought their GTX 275 FTW edition to market which (other than a 2Mhz difference in core speeds) sported identical clocks to the Gigabyte GTX 275 Super Overclock. Not only was the FTW broadly available but its price was pegged around $350CAD…six months ago. Not only does this fact give voice to the absolute stagnation of NVIDIA’s GPU prices but it also makes us wonder why Gigabyte decided to release this card at this point in time.

Personally, I don’t want this to spell the end of Gigabyte’s Super Overclock series from because I love the fact there is one more manufacturer out there that is willing to push the limits of current technology. If it was retailing for $250 or even available at all we would have been singing a much different tune right now but that wasn’t meant to be.

In the introduction it was asked whether the GTX 275 Super Overclock was too little too late and I think we pretty much answered that throughout the course of this review. If it was released months ago, Gigabyte would have had a really winner on their hands. As it stands, it is still a great card when compared to other NVIDIA-based products but it just can’t compete on a level footing against the latest and greatest from ATI.


Pros:

- Fastest GTX 275 out there
- Beats a GTX 285 hands down
- Great accessory package


Cons:

- Too little too late
- Outgunned and outpriced by the HD 5850
- Inefficient compared to the competition
- No availability at this time



 
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