Test Specifications and Methodology
We test only with updated drivers, while this makes comparison difficult, when looking at new graphics cards a new driver is necessary and unavailable anyway. Additionally as an Australian publication we cannot retest hardware with new drivers as the majority of review hardware we receive from vendors must be returned
Stating the CPU configuration is also important, as motherboards using Intel’s Z or X chipset when paired with an unlocked Intel CPU will overclock that CPU ‘out of the box’ to maximize its potential. Other review sites will not state, or even know the true clockspeed and CPU core settings their test machines are set to.
| Type | Test Machine Specs |
|---|---|
| Graphics Cards | EVGA GEFORCE GTX 960 SSC edition NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 reference card NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX TITAN X reference card ASUS ROG GEFORCE GTX 980 MATRIX Platinum edition NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 Ti reference card AMD RADEON R9 290X press edition |
| Graphics Drivers | 980 Ti 352.90/353.06, TITAN X/ROG 980/EVGA 960 350.12/352.86 GTX 980 344.16, R9 290X Catalyst 14.4 |
| CPU | INTEL 4th Gen Core i7-5960X - 3.2GHz to 3.5GHz 8 Core 16 Thread Intel TS13X Liquid Cooler |
| Mainboard | GIGABYTE X99-Gaming G1 ASUS X99-A/USB 3.1 |
| Memory | Crucial 4 x 4GB Desktop Series DDR4-2133 modules Corsair 4 x 4GB Dominator LPX DDR4-2800 modules |
| BIOS settings | Default - Multi Core Enhancement and XMP off by default. RAM run at 21333 For GTA V testing, XMP mode selected in ASUS BIOS which enables DDR4-2800, 127 BCLK x 28 multiplier resulting in 3564 MHz CPU speed with all core ratios synced |
| Chassis | Corsair Vengeance C70 Gaming Tower - 2 Intake Fans 1 Exhaust |
| Power Supply | FSP Aurum C750 80 GOLD 750W |
| Display | DELL UP2414Q 4K 60Hz |
| OS | Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit |
tested at 15-20 C ambient. Power tests at Full HD resolution.
| Benchmarks | Desc |
|---|---|
| Crysis 3 | Welcome to the Jungle - Rendezvous with Psycho |
| Battlefield 4 | South China Sea - Valkyrie |
| World of Tanks | Basic Training |
| Wolfenstein: New Order | Prologue Mission, Bomber Run |
| Blender | BMW1M-MikePan.blend |
| Evil Within | Intro Mission - Until Captured |
Ambient Temperature:
GTX 980/ ROG 980/ GTX 960/ TITAN X tested at 25-29 C ambient room temperature, while 980 Ti was tested at 15-20 C ambient.