Performance tests

Testbed:

• Intel Core i7-975 3340 MHz CPU
• ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard on the Intel X58 chipset
• 6GB of 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM from Corsair
• WD Caviar SE WD1600JD 160GB SATA HDD
• Tagan TG900-BZ 900W PSU
• Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, DirectX 11
• 30" Dell 3007WFP monitor
• VSync disabled
• NVIDIA Drivers 275.27, AMD Catalyst 11.5

Benchmarks:

• Far Cry 2 (Ubisoft) — DirectX 10.0, Shaders 4.0 (HDR), built-in benchmarking utility (the Middle level), maximum settings.
• Crysis Warhead (Crytek/EA) — Cargo, DirectX 10.0, Shaders 4.0, Very High settings, batch file, timedemo available by e-mail request.
• Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (Codemasters) — DirectX 11, Ultra High settings, run as follows: "dirt2.exe -benchmark example_benchmark.xml".
• Metro 2033 (4A Games/THQ) — DirectX 11, Super High settings, PhysX disabled, run from in game.
• Just Cause 2 (Avalanche Studios/Eidos Interactive) — DirectX 10.0, Super High settings, run from in game.
• Aliens vs. Predator (Rebellion/SEGA) — DirectX 11, Shaders 5.0, Very High settings, run from in game.
• F1 2010 (Codemasters) — DirectX 11, Ultra High settings, run as follows: "formulaone.exe -benchmark example_benchmark.xml". Game provided by NVIDIA.
• Tropics Benchmark 1.3 (Unigine) — DirectX 10.0, High settings.
• Heaven Benchmark 2.5 Pro (Unigine) — DirectX 11, High settings.
• 3DMark 11 (FutureMark) — DirectX 11, Performance settings.

We'd like to thank Unigine for helping us set up their benchmarks.

We have four different GPU clock rates today, all higher than the reference 810 MHz: 822, 850, 900 and 920 MHz. Traditionally, our diagrams have results for the lowest (standard) and the highest GPU frequency available for GTX 560. The rest naturally fit right in between.

Final thoughts

In general, GeForce GTX 560 is a rival to Radeon HD 6870 and should cost accordingly. It yields to HD 6870 in some tests, so watch the prices. As of mid-July 2011, Radeon HD 6870 may seem a little better in terms of price/performance ratio.

Gainward GeForce GTX 560 1024MB "Phantom" is an excellent modification of the reference GTX 560, with a very efficient cooler and good overclocking potential. Our sample easily works at 950 MHz GPU clock rate.

Gigabyte GV-N56GSO-1GI is another excellent solution, factory-overclocked and quite nice comparing with a reference Radeon HD 6870. But since there are overclocked versions of the latter as well, make sure you pay attention to actual prices.

Inno3D iChill GeForce GTX 560 has the highest GPU clock rate of all cards we tested today and has great performance.

Leadtek WinFast GTX 560 OC cannot boast of very high clock rates but is nevertheless a good solution with original design.

We express gratitude to Leadtek, InnoVision, Gigabyte, Gainward for the provided graphics cards. The PSU is provided by TAGAN, the monitor is provided by NVIDIA.

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