Titans and Olympians GPU test

Description Radeon HD 7990 and ARES II

 

We present to your attention the testing of the most powerful graphics solutions to date from NVIDIA and AMD, where GEFORCE GTX TITAN and GEFORCE GTX 690 met on the battlefield on the one hand   , and Radeon HD 7990 and ASUS ARES II on the other hand .  By the scale of the confrontation and the names given to video cards, this review can be safely called the battle of the Titans and the Olympians...

GEFORCE GTX TITAN and   GEFORCE GTX 690 have already been in our separate reviews, so we will focus only on the Radeon HD 7990 and ASUS ARES II.  We won't get too hung up on the description of video cards, enough reviews have already been published for the entire cycle of their existence and we will pay more attention to their overclocking potential and testing in comparison with competitors.

 

Specifications  Radeon HD 7990

Core frequency: 1000 MHz
Number of universal processors: 4096
Number of texture units: 2×128, blending units: 2×32
Effective memory frequency: 6000 MHz (4×1500 MHz)
Memory type: GDDR5
Memory size: 2×3 gigabytes
Memory bandwidth : 2×288 gigabytes per second
Theoretical maximum fill rate: 64 gigapixels per second.
Theoretical texture sampling rate: 256 gigatexels per second.
One CrossFire connector
PCI Express 3.0
bus Connectors: DVI Dual Link, four Mini-DisplayPort 1.2
Power consumption up to 375 W
Two 8-pin auxiliary power connectors

The Radeon HD 7990 features 2x 2048 stream processors, dual 384-bit memory buses, and 2x 3GB GDDR5 RAM. In the nominal mode of operation, the thermal package of the Radeon HD 7990 does not exceed 375 watts. Dual-Link DVI-I and four Mini DisplayPort video outputs are available.

  The video card has its own two-slot cooling system with three fans, more typical of non-reference models. Estimated price for the Radeon HD 7990  is $999.

Specifications  ASUS ARES II 

Core frequency: 1100 MHz
Number of universal processors: 4096
Number of texture units: 2×128, blending units: 2×32
Effective memory frequency: 6600 MHz (4×1650 MHz)
Memory type: GDDR5
Memory size: 2×3 gigabytes
Memory bandwidth : 2×316 gigabytes per second
Theoretical maximum fill rate: 70 gigapixels per second.
Theoretical texture sampling rate: 280 gigatexels per second.
One CrossFire connector
PCI Express 3.0
bus Connectors: 2xDVI Dual Link, four DisplayPort 1.2
Power consumption up to 500 W
Three 8-pin auxiliary power connectors

 The Asus Ares II runs at higher frequencies than any AMD single-chip solution, with the GPU running at 1100MHz and the onboard 2x 3GB GDDR5 memory chips running at an effective 6.6GHz. The Asus Ares II uses a water-cooled system to cool it, which can handle a thermal load of around 500W. The Ares II card is equipped with 20 power phases.

Three additional 8-pin PCI-E Power connectors deliver 3x 150W of power. The design occupies the space of two expansion slots, so that if desired, the enthusiast can add a second similar video card to the system. The estimated price of the Asus ROG Ares II model is $1,500.

Overclocking  Radeon HD 7990 and ARES II

Now let's talk a little about overclocking, let's start with the Radeon HD 7990 - overclocking this video card made it possible to reach a threshold that is even slightly lower than ASUS ARES II, namely 1100 MHz for the core and 6500 MHz for the memory. At higher frequencies, the video card lost its stability, which led to frequent freezes. The temperature regime remained at a fairly sane 80 degrees.

More interesting is the overclocking of the already powerful ASUS ARES II solution - without any questions, the video card was able to achieve record results, which are very high even for single-chip solutions, namely 1200 MHz for the core and 7200 MHz for the memory. It is also worth noting that water cooling copes with its duties quite well, but there is one thing, but if the dropsy is heated, it cools down for a very long time, so it is worth considering high-quality cooling of the CBO radiator.

At such frequencies, ASUS ARES II was able to show very high results, which are unattainable for other single video cards. Although the $500 overpayment may seem rather dubious for a 10% increase in performance...

Testing  GEFORCE GTX TITAN

All video cards were tested at maximum graphics quality by MSI Afterburner. The purpose of the test is to determine how video cards from different manufacturers behave under the same conditions. The minimum and average value of frames is taken as a performance indicator. 

Our video cards were tested at resolutions of 1920x1080 and 2560x1600 at the maximum graphics quality settings allowed by games, and, of course, by the resources of video cards. In this case, we took games that, at various quality settings, have the greatest impact on the drop in performance of video cards. These include the most resource-intensive games of our time -  Metro 2033,  Total War: Shogun 2 and  The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, as well as the latest innovations in the gaming industry. Below is a video of test segments:

 Radeon HD 7970GE tested at stock frequencies and overclocked Radeon HD 7970GE OC - 1160 MHz core and 7160 MHz memory

Radeon HD 7990  was tested at stock frequencies and overclocked  Radeon HD 7990 OC  - 1100 MHz core and 6500 MHz memory

ASUS ARES II  was tested at stock frequencies and with overclocking  ASUS ARES II  OC  - 1200 MHz core and 7200 MHz memory

GeForce GTX 680  tested at stock frequencies and overclocked  GeForce GTX 680 OC  - 1150 MHz core and 7000 MHz memory 

GeForce GTX 690  tested at stock frequencies and overclocked  GeForce GTX 690 OC  - 1020 MHz core and 7000 MHz memory

GEFORCE GTX TITAN  was tested at stock frequencies and with overclocking  GEFORCE GTX TITAN OC  - 1080 ~ 1180 MHz core and 6700 MHz memory

The test was carried out on one of the most powerful gaming configurations to date based on the Intel Core i7-3970X with its overclocking to 4.9 GHz, 16 gigabytes of DDR3 RAM at a frequency of 2133 MHz and an OCZ Vertex 3 SSD hard drive.

Metro 2033

 

Metro 2033 came out about two years ago and to this day is one of the most technologically advanced games, and, of course, one of the most demanding. This is the only game of 2010 that we took to test modern top-end graphics cards.

Testing at maximum quality settings 1920x1080

 

Testing at maximum quality settings 2560x1600

 

AMD dual-chip solutions showed impressive performance in Metro 2033 without overclocking, beating the overclocked GEFORCE GTX 690.

Total War: Shogun 2

 

Total War: Shogun 2 is a great successor to its Total War series and will appeal to many of its fans. Graphically, the game took the lead in the abundance of graphic bells and whistles and special effects, representing a mixture of scale with unprecedented hitherto in the world of beauty strategies. The test was conducted with the highest possible graphics settings in the game. Only the vertical sync function remained disabled. And how in the video card test of 2011 at a resolution of 2560x1600 video cards with at least two gigabytes of video memory were able to adequately show themselves.

Testing at maximum quality settings 1920x1080

 

Testing at maximum quality settings 2560x1600

 

NVIDIA has better optimized their solutions for   Total War: Shogun 2. In heavy 2560x1600 modes, the GEFORCE GTX 690 will be the best solution.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

 

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has become one of the most beautiful, technologically advanced and spectacular games of the past year. At the moment, the game is one of the most resource-intensive games of the present time. The game settings for the test were turned to the maximum.

Testing at maximum quality settings 1920x1080

 

Testing at maximum quality settings 2560x1600

 

In  The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for standard resolutions, the GEFORCE GTX 690 will perform better, at a  resolution of 2560x1600 AMD dual-chip solutions will be the best choice .

Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3 was the main project of last fall. The whole charm of this game lies in the fact that the developers not only provided the players with an exciting storyline and gameplay, but were also able to present the most beautiful and technological picture in the PC version.

Testing at maximum quality settings 1920x1080 

 

Testing at maximum quality settings 2560x1600

 

Almost all modern top-end video cards can cope with this game, AMD looks a little better in heavy modes...

Crysis 3

Crysis 3 surprised us a lot and made us rehabilitate Crytek in our eyes as a leading developer of computer game graphics. We have made tremendous progress regarding the second part, and we are faced not with a console porting product, but with a very modern and technologically advanced project.

Testing at maximum quality settings 1920x1080 

 

Testing at maximum quality settings 2560x1600

 

GEFORCE GTX 690 and Radeon HD 7990 look the best in Crysis 3  , the latter showed itself somewhat better, especially in overclocking .

tomb raider

Tomb Raider is a multi-platform project, and the development of the PC version was carried out in parallel with the console. In fact, all versions of the game on different platforms are identical to each other and the only difference between the PC version is a more powerful graphics component, which is simply stuffed with modern technologies.

Testing at maximum quality settings 1920x1080 

 

Testing at maximum quality settings 2560x1600

 

In  Tomb Raider, Radeon graphics cards showed simply impressive performance...

Bioshock Infinite

 

Bioshock Infinite is one of the biggest titles of the year, and the game has been loaded with graphical steroids relative to its console counterparts, as a result of which it can put a lot of pressure on modern gaming PCs. 

Testing at maximum quality settings 1920x1080 

 

Testing at maximum quality settings 2560x1600

 

In  Bioshock Infinite, there is still a problem with multichips, even for AMD video cards, and the GEFORCE GTX TITAN looks like the best choice.

3D Mark 11

 

3DMark 11 is the most optimal solution for testing modern top-end video cards, as its performance does not rest on the central processor. The result was the result of the GPU speed in Extreme mode.

Testing at 1920x1080 Extreme quality settings

 

In 3DMark 11 GEFORCE GTX 690 and Radeon HD 7990 in parity. The fastest solution was ASUS ARES II . 

3DMark 

 

3DMark is the most optimal solution for testing modern top-end video cards, since its performance does not rest on the central processor. The result was the result of the GPU speed in the Fire Strike Extreme mode.

Testing at 2560x1440 quality settings Fire Strike Extreme

 

3DMark 13 gives preference to AMD graphics cards. 

Testing  GEFORCE GTX TITAN and Radeon HD 7990/ ARESII in extreme modes

And finally, we tested the GEFORCE GTX TITAN, Radeon HD 7990 and ASUS  ARES II in the most difficult and extreme modes at an extreme resolution of 2560x1600. These modes turned out to be too tough for other participants -  the GeForce GTX 690 has too little video memory and you can’t even dream of comfortable playability at these settings, while the HD 7970GE has insufficient performance power and is not a rival to  GEFORCE GTX TITAN, but AMD dual-chips are capable of show miracles in these modes. Since the performance of  the Radeon HD 7990 in overclocking is equal to ASUS  ARES II, its results in this mode were not taken.

Testing at maximum quality settings 2560x1600

GEFORCE GTX TITAN showed decent performance, but not enough in some places. AMD dual-chip solutions in these modes turned out to be beyond competition and showed confident performance in all modes and in all games.

GEFORCE GTX TITAN is the fastest single-chip solution to date, although in most cases it is inferior to its fellow GEFORCE GTX 690. And as we wrote earlier, GEFORCE GTX TITAN is a card for next-generation games, which is especially noticeable when using extreme quality settings .

The GEFORCE GTX 690 is NVIDIA's fastest solution to date, with low power consumption and excellent acoustic performance. GEFORCE GTX 690 allows you to play all modern games at almost all quality settings, the only drawback of this video card is the tandem of SLI and a rather meager amount of video memory for ultra-high resolutions.

The Radeon HD 7990 is currently the fastest graphics solution available, faster than the GEFORCE GTX 690 in most cases and allows you to play games in all modes and quality settings. The only negative may be the not always well-functioning work of AMD CrossFireX and the delay in the output of frames, which in some games is very pronounced, which causes some discomfort...

ASUS ARES II is a champion that is unmatched in both performance and price. This is a rather specific graphic solution, which is very difficult to buy, even with the availability of funds. This video card has the same advantages and disadvantages as the Radeon HD 7990.