EVGA GeForce GTX 465 SuperClocked Video Card Review

[nextpage title=”How We Tested”]During our benchmarking sessions, we used the configuration listed below. Between our benchmarking sessions the only variable was the video card being tested.

Hardware Configuration

• CPU: Core i7 Extreme 965 (3.2 GHz, 8 MB L2 memory cache).
• Motherboard: ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition (1611 BIOS)
• Memories: 3x 1 GB Qimonda IMSH1GU03A1F1C-10F memory modules (DDR3-1066/PC3-8500, CL7)
• Hard disk drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS (300 GB, SATA-300, 10,000 rpm, 16 MB cache)
• Video monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 305T (30” LCD, 2560×1600)
• Power Supply: SilverStone Element ST75EF
• CPU Cooler: Intel stock
• Optical Drive: LG GSA-H54N

Software Configuration

• Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
• Video resolution: 2560×1600 @ 60 Hz

Driver Versions

• AMD/ATI video driver version: Catalyst 10.5
• NVIDIA video driver version: 257.15 beta

Software Used

• 3DMark Vantage Professional 1.0.1
• Aliens vs. Predator
• Call of Duty 4 – Patch 1.7
• Crysis Warhead – Patch 1.1 + HOC Bench Crysis Warhead Benchmark Tool 1.1.1
• Darkest of Days
• Far Cry 2 – Patch 1.03
• Metro 2033

Error Margin

We adopted a 3% error margin; thus, differences below 3% cannot be considered relevant. In other words, products with a performance difference below 3% should be considered as having similar performance.

[nextpage title=”3DMark Vantage Professional”]

3DMark Vantage measures Shader 4.0 (i.e., DirectX 10) performance and supports PhysX, a programming interface developed by Ageia (now part of NVIDIA) to transfer physics calculations from the system CPU to the video card GPU in order to increase performance. Mechanical physics is the basis for calculations about the interaction of objects. For example, if you shoot, what exactly will happen to the object when the bullet hits it? Will it break? Will it move? Will the bullet bounce back? Note that since we are considering only the GPU score provided by this program, physics calculations are not taken into account.

We ran this program at three 16:10 widescreen resolutions, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, and 2560×1600. First we used the “Performance” profile, and then we used the “Extreme” profile (basically enabling anti-aliasing at 4x, anisotropic filtering at 16x, and putting all detail settings at their maximum or “extreme” values). The results being compared are the “GPU Scores” achieved by each video card.

[nextpage title=”Call of Duty 4″]

Call of Duty 4 is a DirectX 9 game implementing high-dynamic range (HDR) and its own physics engine, which is used to calculate how objects interact. For example, if you shoot, what exactly will hapen to the object when the bullet hits it? Will it break? Will it move? Will the bullet bounce back? It gives a more realistic experience to the user.

We ran this program at three 16:10 widescreen resolutions, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, and 2560×1600, maxing out all image quality controls (i.e., everything was put on the maximum values on the Graphics and Texture menus). We used the game internal benchmarking feature, running a demo provided by NVIDIA called “wetwork.” We are putting this demo for downloading here if you want to run your own benchmarks. We ran the demo five times, and the results below are the average number of frames per second (FPS) achieved by each video card.

[nextpage title=”Crysis Warhead”]

Crysis Warhead is a DirectX 10 game based on the same engine as the original Crysis, but optimized (it runs under DirectX 9.0c when installed on Windows XP). We ran this program at three 16:10 widescreen resolutions, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, and 2560×1600, maximizing image quality (16x anti-aliasing, 16x anisotropic filtering) and using the Airfield demo. The results below are the number of frames per second achieved by each video card.

[nextpage title=”Far Cry 2″]

Far Cry 2 is based on an entirely new game engine called Dunia, which is DirectX 10 when played under Windows Vista with a DirectX 10-compatible video card. We used the benchmarking utility that comes with this game, setting image quality to the maximum allowed and running the “Ranch Long” demo three times. The results below are expressed in frames per second and are an arithmetic average of the three results collected.

[nextpage title=”Aliens vs. Predator”]

Aliens vs. Predator is a DirectX 11 game, and like the other games, we ran its benchmarking module at 1680×1050, 1920×1200, and 2560×1600 resolutions, leaving the game on its default image quality settings (texture quality at “high,” anti-aliasing at 4x, and no anisotropic filtering).

[nextpage title=”Metro 2033″]

Metro 2033 is a DirectX 11 game, and like the other games, we ran its benchmarking module at 1680×1050, 1920×1200, and 2560×1600 resolutions, leaving the game on its default image quality settings (texture quality at “high,” anti-aliasing at 4x, and anisotropic filtering at 2x).

[nextpage title=”Darkest of Days”]

Darkest of days is a DirectX 9 game that implements a PhysX engine, moving physics calculations from the CPU to the GPU. Although it’s not very popular, we added this game because of its PhysX benchmarking feature. We ran this game at 1680×1050 with details set at “very high,” and both anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering disabled. We ran three tests, first with PhysX set at “low,” where the game makes all physics calculations using the system CPU, then increasing it to “medium” (which adds leaves, wind and weapons impact effects due to bullets and grenades), and finally increasing it to “high” (which adds fog and smoke effects). The medium and high PhysX levels move physics calculations from the CPU t
o the GPU. Keep in mind that only NVIDIA-based cards support PhysX.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The performance advantage of EVGA GeForce GTX 465 SuperClocked over the standard GeForce GTX 465 was insignificant (below 3%), since it has a very light GPU overclocking (3%). So we don’t see why pay more for the overclocked card to get the same performance level.

There were only two scenarios where GeForce GTX 465 was faster than Radeon HD 5850: Far Cry 2 at 2560×1600 with image quality settings maxed out (at other resolutions Radeon HD 5850 was faster) and Darkest of Days. And besides these two games, GeForce GTX 465 was only faster than Radeon HD 5830 in Crysis Warhead with image quality settings maxed out (but at 2560×1600 Radeon HD 5830 was faster).

So unless you plan to play a PhysX-based game or are a stubborn NVIDIA fanboy, we see no reason why you would buy the new GeForce GTX 465. Radeon HD 5850 costs only a little bit more and completely crushes GeForce GTX 465, while Radeon HD 5830 costs less and achieved the same performance or was faster in most of the games we ran.