ROPs
Source: Tom's Hardware – Keywords: nvidia, gtx, 280
ROPs
There’s a pleasant surprise with the ROPs, too – they’ve increased in number from 24 on the G80 (16 on the G92) to 32. To be sure that they’re completely used, Nvidia has now introduced a 512-bit bus, which will surely be, given the characteristics of this GPU, more useful than the one on the R600.
With a 78% gain between the GTX 280 and the 9800 GTX, we’re exactly in line with the theoretical figure, since the doubling of the ROPs is impacted by the drop in frequency (675 MHz on the 9800 GTX).
And since we’re on the subject of AMD, we should note that it’s becoming more and more urgent for them to review their high-end GPU, still desperately clinging to 16 texture units and 16 ROPs since the X800 in 2004! Whereas AMD’s GPUs remain competitive on the level of raw processing power, on the other points they’re beginning to be seriously outdistanced by Nvidia, who’ve been making improvements with each new generation. Let’s hope that the new AMD architecture, which should be making its appearance soon, will close the gap.
That said, the results for the HD 3870 X2 are an opportunity to point out that while ATI is outdistanced in the number of units per chip, don’t forget that the manufacturer’s new strategy is to put bi-GPU cards up against single-GPU cards from Nvidia! That point, plus a GPU frequency that’s still higher (825 MHz) puts the 3870 X2 in front on this test, which is highly synthetic but valid.
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hmm not as big an improvement as i thought. will have to wait and see on the drivers improving the cards , but the 260 gtx seems to be the much better option given the price. still , will have to see what ati bring to the fray first. patience will be reflected in price i have no doubt.
frankly depressing, Me WANTS MRAW POWER!!!!
I am so disappointed. Now if AMD delivers on the dual GPU single memory rumour (2 GPUs on a single card but without the Crossfire problems) NVidia could have a serious problem.
Why have they tested this system with only 2Gb of RAM? If you're testing a GPU with 1Gb of VRAM, surely you'd have more installed?
They also have 2 conflicting prices on page 28.
For the 280GTX- $846 and $650;
For the 260GTX- $450 and $400
Wouldn't it have been more prudent to test against a 8800gtx ultra as this is still the single most powerfull card.
It might just be me but 66.5dBa is unbearable unless you have your PC locked away in a cupboard somewhere. This business of supplying substandard fans on very expensive cards is intolerable. Why don't they strike a deal with Zalman / Thermalright for example, and ship cards that are quiet / silent? I'm sure that people who have the money to buy a £500 GPU could afford £10 more for a better cooling solution that's included.
where is that 20W to 30W idle you are talking about? The least in the graph is 199W!
mi1ez: Probably the reason for just 2GB RAM was that it allowed Tom's to stick with 32-bit OS architecture. If they tried using more RAM they'd be stuck with 64-bit Bindows which would not be pretty - aside from really needing 8GB to give a big difference over 2GB in 32bit Vista, there's the slight issue of stable signed drivers, which these cards probably won't have for a while. Good luck trying to get Vista 64 to even "see" the cards! XD
jhoravi: that idle power would only come up on newer nVidia mobos as the card would be shut down entirely when idle and hand over to the integrated chip.
And was it me or was the Noise text copypasted over the Temperature text on the next page? Oops.
Lets try again Mr THG (uhhhm try getting your fraking website working plz)...
Now lets see this puppy in action:
http://www.evga.com/products/pdf/01G-P3-1289-AR.pdf
!!
Bob