Test System And Benchmarks
I'm going to preface this test system information by pointing out that, while the CPU is an older Q6600 model, it has been overclocked to 2.7 GHz and should perform on par with a brand-new Core 2 Quad Q9400 CPU. Some readers have suggested in the comments section that the platform will severely bottleneck the system, but evidence and experience have shown that this should not be the case. A 2.7 GHz Core 2 Quad will perform well enough and allow these video cards to stretch their legs.
| System Hardware | ||
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo Q6600 (Kentsfield), 2.7 GHz, FSB-1200, 8 MB Cache | |
| Platform | MSI P7N SLI Platinum Nvidia nForce 750i, BIOS A2 | |
| RAM | A-Data EXTREME DDR2 800+ 2x 2,048 MB, DDR2-800, CL 5-5-5-18 at 1.8 V | |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar WD50 00AAJS-00YFA 500 GB, 7,200 RPM, 8 MB cache, SATA 3.0 GB/s | |
| Networking | On-Board nForce 750i Gigabit Ethernet | |
| Graphics Cards | Gigabyte GV-N96TSL-1GI 1 GB DDR3 PCIe Gigabyte GV-N96TZL-1GI 1 GB DDR3 PCIe Asus ENGTS250 Dark Knight 1 GB DDR3 PCIe Zotac GeForce GTS250 AMP! Edition 1 GB DDR3 PCIe Asus ENGTX260 Matrix 896 MB DDR3 PCIe MSI N260GTX Lightning Black Edition 1,792 MB DDR3 PCIe | |
| Power Supply | Ultra HE1000X, ATX 2.2, 1,000 W | |
| Software and Drivers | ||
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit 6.0.6001, SP1 | |
| DirectX Version | DirectX 10 | |
| Platform Driver | nForce Driver Version 15.25 | |
| Graphics Driver | Nvidia GeForce 185.68 | |
| Crysis | Version: 1.2.1, Video Quality: Very High Details, Demo: CPU Benchmark + Tom’s Hardware Tool |
| Left 4 Dead | Version 1.0.1.1, Video Quality: all settings at maximum, Demo: Tom's Custom Benchmark |
| Fallout 3 | Version 1.4, Video Quality: Ultra, Demo: Tom's Custom Benchmark + FRAPS |
| World in Conflict | Version: 1.0.0.9, Video Quality: Very High Details, Demo: Game-Benchmark |
| Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box | Version 1.1, Video Quality: All settings at maximum, Demo: Tom's Custom benchmark and FRAPS |
| 3DMark Vantage | Version: 1.0.1, Demos: Performance, High, and Extreme Presets |
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Comments
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Would you run the first passive card with negative air pressure?
@mi1ez. Not too sure how yours is set up. But for most living rooms I'm sure the average Ikea or Argos T.V. cabinet wouldn't have adequate airflow for that. Getting waffted with heat in the summer wouldn't be my choice.
I don't have a passive card. I was just curious really given what they said about the card drawing cool air from outside the case.
The MSI overclocking panel appears to claim the fan is at 600,000rpm!
I wonder if there's an option on the Asus ENGTS250 Dark Knight card that allows you to run the cooler passive when idle? Seems like the heatsink could pull that off easily, doesn't it? It would be nice to have silent card when in 2D
so the question is can you control RPM of the fan and if so, can you put it to 0% when idle?
Well I just bought the Asus ENGTS250 card based on this review, and not only is the memory clocked slower at 2000Mhz DDR, the card does not slow it's clocks in 2D mode leading to substantially higher power consumption at idle.
I'm not impressed.