GTX 280 vs. GTX 260 vs. 8800 GTX review

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sardonic.n7

Limp Gawd
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Oct 16, 2006
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Review


System Specs
QX6850 @ 3.6 GHz (9x400)
Asus P5Q Deluxe (Ket's mBIOS 1306)
8 GB Mushkin 996580 @ DDR2-960 5-5-15-15
Raptor 150 GB & Seagate 1 TB (games installed on those)
Corsair HX1000 1000w
Vista Ultimate x64 SP1

BFG 8800 GTX OC clocks: 600/900/1404
eVGA GTX 260 SC clocks: 621/1026/1296
BFG GTX 280 OC clocks: 615/1107/1350

Latest official drivers for all cards were used.
BFG 8800 GTX OC Forceware 175.19 configuration
eVGA GTX 260 SC Forceware 177.41 configuration
BFG GTX 280 OC Forceware 177.41 configuration
3D settings were left at defaults other than quality, which was set to "High Quality", & vsync, which was forced "Off", or when i needed to apply AA/AF to a game that didn't have in-game options for that.


For all benchs, i ran tests at least 3 times or more (excepting: CS:Source - twice; Plasma Pong - once).
Results posted are averaged from the multiple runs.



UT3 botmatch @ 2560x1600 DX10 maxed

Warfare: Floodgate
8800 GTX
min - 33 fps
ave - 42.02 fps
max - 53.33 fps
GTX 260
min - 41 fps
ave - 56.39 fps
max - 72.33 fps
GTX 280
min - 51.67 fps
ave - 66.04 fps
max - 88.67 fps

Deathmatch: Defiance
8800 GTX
min - 37.66 fps
ave - 50.49 fps
max - 68.67 fps
GTX 260
min - 49 fps
ave - 66.1 fps
max - 91 fps
GTX 280
min - 60.67 fps
ave - 82.72 fps
max - 124.67 fps


UT3 botmatch @ 2560x1600 DX10 maxed 4xMSAA 16xAF

Warfare: Floodgate
8800 GTX
min - 15.33 fps
ave - 21.07 fps
max - 27 fps
GTX 260
min - 20.33 fps
ave - 30.07 fps
max - 37.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 28.67 fps
ave - 36.85 fps
max - 44.33 fps

Deathmatch: Defiance
8800 GTX
min - 5.67 fps
ave - 23.72 fps
max - 36.33 fps
GTX 260
min - 26.33 fps
ave - 36.96 fps
max - 51 fps
GTX 280
min - 34 fps
ave - 42.96 fps
max - 56.67 fps


Bioshock Fraps run @ 2560x1600 DX10 maxed
8800 GTX
min - 34.67 fps
ave - 41.87 fps
max - 49 fps
GTX 260
min - 47.33 fps
ave - 56.13 fps
max - 67.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 56.33 fps
ave - 69.63 fps
max - 84 fps


Bioshock Fraps run @ 2560x1600 DX10 maxed 4xMSAA 16xAF
8800 GTX
min - 16.67 fps
ave - 20.66 fps
max - 27.33 fps
GTX 260
min - 23.33 fps
ave - 27.37 fps
max - 33.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 28 fps
ave - 34.42 fps
max - 43.33 fps


GRID Fraps run on Le Mans @ 2560x1600 maxed 4xMSAA
8800 GTX
min - 22.33 fps
ave - 29.16 fps
max - 34.67 fps
GTX 260
min - 30 fps
ave - 39.38 fps
max - 46.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 35.67 fps
ave - 46.49 fps
max - 56.33 fps


UT2004 botmatch @ 2560x1600 8xMSAA 16xAF
Onslaught: Ascendancy
8800 GTX
min - 49 fps
ave - 70.18 fps
max - 86.67 fps
GTX 260
min - 59 fps
ave - 79.33 fps
max - 101.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 63.33 fps
ave - 85.79 fps
max - 111.67 fps


Call of Duty 4 Fraps run @ 2560x1600 maxed 4xMSAA
8800 GTX
min - 19.33 fps
ave - 31.07 fps
max - 51.33 fps
GTX 260
min - 31.33 fps
ave - 46.07 fps
max - 76.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 32.67 fps
ave - 53.12 fps
max - 84.67 fps


HL2: Episode 2 Fraps run @ 2560x1600 maxed 8xMSAA 16xAF
8800 GTX
min - 15 fps
ave - 26.86 fps
max - 33.67 fps
GTX 260
min - 26.33 fps
ave - 51.18 fps
max - 67 fps
GTX 280
min - 27.67 fps
ave - 53.62 fps
max - 69.33 fps


Clive Barker's Jericho Fraps run @ 2560x1600 maxed 4x"Smoothing" (in-game AA)
8800 GTX
min - 12 fps
ave - 16.66 fps
max - 22 fps
GTX 260
min - 20.67 fps
ave - 26.47 fps
max - 33.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 24.33 fps
ave - 31.74 fps
max - 39.67 fps


Mass Effect Fraps run @ 2560x1600 maxed
8800 GTX
min - 23.67 fps
ave - 35.67 fps
max - 42.67 fps
GTX 260
min - 32.67 fps
ave - 46.42 fps
max - 55 fps
GTX 280
min - 39.33 fps
ave - 55.22 fps
max - 63.67 fps


Mass Effect Fraps run @ 2560x1600 maxed 4xMSAA
8800 GTX
min - 11 fps
ave - 15.83 fps
max - 19 fps
GTX 260
min - 17.33 fps
ave - 23.59 fps
max - 27.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 20.33 fps
ave - 28.13 fps
max - 33 fps


Devil May Cry 4 Performance Test @ 2560x1600 DX10 maxed 8xMSAA
8800 GTX
min - 20 fps
ave - 25.73 fps
max - 32 fps
GTX 260
min - 30.67 fps
ave - 37.96 fps
max - 45.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 32 fps
ave - 43.78 fps
max - 53 fps
Note on the GTX 280: Saw weird big fps drops in some runs. I discarded those results, but wanted to mention the oddity.


F.E.A.R. benchmark @ 2560x1600 maxed 4xMSAA 16xAF
8800 GTX
min - 23.33 fps
ave - 42.67 fps
max - 96 fps
GTX 260
min - 34.67 fps
ave - 66 fps
max - 137.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 39.67 fps
ave - 76 fps
max - 165.67 fps


CS:Source Stresstest @ 2560x1600 maxed 8xMSAA 16xAF
8800 GTX
ave - 82.7 fps
GTX 260
ave - 158.28 fps
GTX 280
ave - 170.6 fps


Crysis Fraps run @ 1920x1200 all high 64-bit DX9
8800 GTX
min - 19.33 fps
ave - 24.51 fps
max - 28.67 fps
GTX 280
min - 34.67 fps
ave - 37.73 fps
max - 41.67 fps


Crysis Fraps run @ 1920x1200 all high 64-bit DX9 4xMSAA
8800 GTX
min - 15.67 fps
ave - 17.56 fps
max - 21 fps
GTX 280
min - 19 fps
ave - 21.84 fps
max - 29.67 fps


And most importantly...:D
Plasma Pong Fraps run @ 2560x1600 maxed 4xMSAA
8800 GTX
min - 60 fps
ave - 67.28 fps
max - 70 fps
GTX 280
min - 58 fps
ave - 64.88 fps
max - 68 fps



Impressions & Pics





I'd like to say i'm very happy with my new GTX 280, but that wouldn't really be the whole story.

My old 8800 GTX was a very good card, & held its own for a long time.
My new GTX 280 is certainly a pretty huge improvement, & the GTX 260's performance sits in between the two quite nicely.

This review was supposed to happen a long time ago, in July.

I ordered a BFG GTX 280 back on July 10th, nearly two months ago.
But it turned out to be one of the defective ones that overheat, so back to BFG it went.
They helpfully shipped me back an overheating defective replacement, so again, i had to fight with them.
Finally after what can really only be described as a horrible nightmare, i received what seems to be a functional third GTX 280.

I say seems, because i have zero faith in the quality control that nVidia & BFG are performing (or aren't) on these cards.
As far as i am concerned, only time will tell if this card is actually okay.

Thus far though, at least it doesn't overheat.

In the interim, i purchased an eVGA GTX 260 to play with, & it has done well for me.

Aside from the issues getting a good one, the GTX 280 performs well & scales consistantly, & provides a much-needed boost over my 8800 GTX for newer games @ my 2560x1600 resolution.
I will add more impression of actually playing games (other than for Fraps scores) if i get some time :p

Noise is not perceptible at idle, however, it does become quite loud at load, louder than the 8800 GTX.

It seems the cooling is certainly not overkill, as usually the fan hits 100% or very close to during games, which concerns me alot for future more intensive games that will no doubt run even hotter.
AMD's dual slot coolers are usually even louder at load, but at least there's always lots of headroom, as you never see 100% fan unless you manually set it there.

Thanx for reading. :)
 
glad you like them. I upgraded to a gtx260 from a 8800gts640. Both cards are overclocked, but I left the gts640 installed in the system and dedicated it to physx for games that support it. You can probably close the gap between your 260 and 280 if you o/c it (obviously while waiting on your 280 to come back from RMA if it has to happen again :p ). My vanilla EVGA 260 oc'd to 756 on the core, 1215 memory, and 1512 shader. Never ran any benches though.
 
Very nice testing.
The gtx200 series are definitely a great single card, single chip improvement.

nst6563 said:
I upgraded to a gtx260 from a 8800gts640
Click to expand...
I did the exact same thing.
My EVGA gtx 260 super clocked is supposed to arrive here tomorrow.
 
Wow! Thanks for posting this, and including the min. fps--that's what's most important to me. Call me a pessimist, but I never really get thrilled by high fps--only pissed when I notice a game is bogging down. But, it looks like the 280 is a huge improvement over the 8800 GTX at high resolutions, which is great! My max resolution isn't as high as your (2304x1440), but I think the results should be close to yours.

I currently have an 8800 GTX with a BFG GTX 280 OC due to arrive Monday. Hopefully, the sucker won't die as soon as I put it in...
 
Good numbers, thanks for taking the time.


...I'd really like to see a comparison of yesterday's cards in sli, compared to today's cards (i.e. 9800GTX SLI <-me vs. GTX 260/280). Because, to be honest with the eye candy turned on I definately get some slowdown in games... but wether it's enough to drop $400 for another card, not sure.
 
I am going to try my new BFG GTX280 tonight. see how it does.
 
Pat on the back to the OP, it takes a lot of time and effort to put together such a comparison, thanks. Performance is right where I would expect it, considering the architecture. Still, it's very nice to see some quantitative data :).
 
This is a really helpful thread and review - thanks for posting. I have an X2 6400+ BE at the stock 3.2 Ghz and play at 1680x1050 with an 8800 GTX. While you test at a much higher res it does give me some idea of what to expect from an upgrade to the GTX 260 (EVGA "FTW" Edition). I'm not expecting an enormous boost at that resolution - I would be happy just to "smooth out" the games I play right now. The 8800 GTX is good, just would like a little higher minimum frame rate in games.
 
Only thing I can fault you on is that you should've run the same drivers on all cards, (177.92 beta UDA drivers). The 177.xx drivers are known to be faster so you're neutering the 8800GTX a little bit by running 175.xx. If you want to compare cards you should use the scientific method.. hold all things constant except the cards themselves.

Beta drivers are the same as WHQL drivers, except without the microsoft stamp of approval. There isn't any real "beta" code, it's all stable. It's just not "official" because Microsoft hasn't stamped it. When they do, the tag changes from "beta" to "WHQL"

Very comprehensive though, good job!
 
sardonic.n7 said:
Review
which concerns me alot for future more intensive games that will no doubt run even hotter.
Click to expand...

That's impossible. The chips run up to a certain temperature at max utilization then never go higher. It's not like they can become infinitely hot on their own.

Also, for testing they bake GPUs to ensure they can withstand the crazy temperatures.
 
Thanks for the review...I moved from a 8800GT Ko to my GTX280 and I love it. Gaming at 1920x1200 in my new 26" LCD (older 21" CRT lasted a LONG time) is just too sweet. Ocing is pretty good too at 702/1404/1260.
Regards
 
PlzFixMyComputer said:
That's impossible. The chips run up to a certain temperature at max utilization then never go higher. It's not like they can become infinitely hot on their own.

Also, for testing they bake GPUs to ensure they can withstand the crazy temperatures.
Click to expand...

Thats assuming max utilization now, isnt it?
 
Nice write up. I'm also looking to upgrade from my 8800 GTX to either a GTX 280 or 4870x2. I have a crossfire Mobo so going ATI would benefit me if I wanted to use Crossfire. Still deciding
 
i like the review, nice job! I'm jumping on a gtx260 soon as the price drops or the revised 260 comes out which ever is first.
 
My GTX260 can't play Stalker clear skys at 19x12 dx10. It's pretty OC'd heavily also. I would wait for the revised 260 for the people thinking about the 260 right now.
 
Armoured said:
My GTX260 can't play Stalker clear skys at 19x12 dx10. It's pretty OC'd heavily also. I would wait for the revised 260 for the people thinking about the 260 right now.
Click to expand...
The GTX 260b (is that the official name?) is coming in at, what, $50 above the current 260's MSRP? So, in a general sense, it'll initially pop at $300+ in the wild? I'd want to see some test results first to be sure where it lies, of course, but at that point I'd probably be looking at a 4870...
 
For me it's the minimum FPS that matter most. When the 8800GTX drops into the low 20's in a game, it's noticable. The biggest improvment moving to the 280 has been the frame rate is smooth with max detail all the time.
 
That took a bit of time to do, no doubt.

Thanks. I have wanted to see a direct comparason between the 8800 gtx and 280. I relaly apreciate the work you put into it.
 
joikd said:
Wow! Thanks for posting this, and including the min. fps--that's what's most important to me. Call me a pessimist, but I never really get thrilled by high fps--only pissed when I notice a game is bogging down. But, it looks like the 280 is a huge improvement over the 8800 GTX at high resolutions, which is great! My max resolution isn't as high as your (2304x1440), but I think the results should be close to yours.

I currently have an 8800 GTX with a BFG GTX 280 OC due to arrive Monday. Hopefully, the sucker won't die as soon as I put it in...
Click to expand...

Yes, minimum fps is always the most important to me.
All reviews should include that :)

ADRENALIN_2099 said:
so what are you going to do with the GTX 260 :D?
Click to expand...

Return it to where i got it from.

Dogmapog said:
Bah....it desperately needs some GDDR5 ram and 30% more grunt overall.
Click to expand...

That would be nice.
I'll add 55nm to that wishlist. :)

ATLPIMP said:
Good numbers, thanks for taking the time.


...I'd really like to see a comparison of yesterday's cards in sli, compared to today's cards (i.e. 9800GTX SLI <-me vs. GTX 260/280). Because, to be honest with the eye candy turned on I definately get some slowdown in games... but wether it's enough to drop $400 for another card, not sure.
Click to expand...

Hard to say.
I don't do SLI or Crossfire though.
Don't like all the joyous issues associated with multi-GPU setups.

Mr. K6 said:
Pat on the back to the OP, it takes a lot of time and effort to put together such a comparison, thanks. Performance is right where I would expect it, considering the architecture. Still, it's very nice to see some quantitative data :).
Click to expand...

Thanx.

Jeffredo said:
This is a really helpful thread and review - thanks for posting. I have an X2 6400+ BE at the stock 3.2 Ghz and play at 1680x1050 with an 8800 GTX. While you test at a much higher res it does give me some idea of what to expect from an upgrade to the GTX 260 (EVGA "FTW" Edition). I'm not expecting an enormous boost at that resolution - I would be happy just to "smooth out" the games I play right now. The 8800 GTX is good, just would like a little higher minimum frame rate in games.
Click to expand...

You'll get a boost, but honestly, you need a better CPU.

PlzFixMyComputer said:
That's impossible. The chips run up to a certain temperature at max utilization then never go higher. It's not like they can become infinitely hot on their own.

Also, for testing they bake GPUs to ensure they can withstand the crazy temperatures.
Click to expand...

And yet my first two 280s were defective ones that overheated & hit 105C in minutes (& then throttled)

As for temps, an example of what i mean is Furmark.

We used to have RTHDRIBL & ATiTool as great stress-testers.
Now we have a programs that run cards even hotter.

It's similar with games from what i've seen.



Thanx everyone for all the kinds words.

It was a ton of work compiling all the results, but it has been worth it for me, & i'm glad it's helpful to you as well :)
 
Thanks alot OP.

So if i game at 1440x900 on my 19'' Windescreen Monitor, should i get a 8800 GTX?, It should perform like a GTX 280 at that res right?

And since i have a 680i SLI board, i guess my current 8600 GTS can be used for Physx.
 
3far4shot said:
Thanks alot OP.

So if i game at 1440x900 on my 19'' Windescreen Monitor, should i get a 8800 GTX?, It should perform like a GTX 280 at that res right?

And since i have a 680i SLI board, i guess my current 8600 GTS can be used for Physx.
Click to expand...

for everything but cyrsis, had to say it, an 8800GTX will own most any game at that res. the only reason I upgraded is that it struggled at 1920 by 1200 on some games. The 8600GTS isn't worth much for that sort of thing if I understand right. However as the 8800GTX is still in the 125-150 range I can't see it over a 4850. the newer card will last longer and will be better able to handle the newer games. On the other hand I think nvidia is getting read to do an inventory dump on the "old" GTX260. might want to look at that as an option.
 
Armoured said:
My GTX260 can't play Stalker clear skys at 19x12 dx10. It's pretty OC'd heavily also. I would wait for the revised 260 for the people thinking about the 260 right now.
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I'm looking up cards at the moment. Keeping the visuals up I'm having to run in 1280x720. I can't believe Clear Sky is so graphics-intensive. I have an 8800GTX and was wanting to get something that could do the job without costing $500.
 
Valset said:
for everything but cyrsis, had to say it, an 8800GTX will own most any game at that res. the only reason I upgraded is that it struggled at 1920 by 1200 on some games. The 8600GTS isn't worth much for that sort of thing if I understand right. However as the 8800GTX is still in the 125-150 range I can't see it over a 4850. the newer card will last longer and will be better able to handle the newer games. On the other hand I think nvidia is getting read to do an inventory dump on the "old" GTX260. might want to look at that as an option.
Click to expand...

Thanks, i will pick up a GTX 260 if i can, even if my monitor res isn't that high.
 
Nice benchies OP appreciate the time spent. However, not that I'm surprised, the 260/280 is a decent boost but hardly what I want over a 2 year old card. I'm hoping NV will have a revised 55nm gtx260/280b whatever out by the time ci7 is out and I build. Because honestly I don't really want one of the current 200 series.
 
hv43082 said:
Nice comparison OP. Now if you can stick hd4870x2 in there...
Click to expand...

Maybe.

But considering how much i don't like SLi/CF & especially the fact that there is still microstuttering on the 4870X2, nevermind all the [lack of] fun with games that don't scale well w/ CF & the current prices...not overly likely to happen.
 
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