With dual R700 GPUs and a 2GB frame buffer, the Radeon 4870 X2 is an incredible performer. In our testing the Radeon 4870 X2 often ran over 30% faster than the GeForce GTX 280, which is the board that previously held the title of world’s fastest overall graphics card. The only case where the 4870 X2 was really outgunned was Crysis. This is because CrossFire still doesn’t seem to scale well in this game. Everywhere else though the Radeon HD 4870 X2 wiped the floor with the GeForce GTX 280.
This is most definitely the fastest single graphics card on the planet.
But the Radeon HD 4870 X2 is no longer going up against the GeForce GTX 280 as far as direct pricing is concerned. As a result of the latest round of GeForce price cuts, the $549 Radeon 4870 X2 is actually priced more comparably to the GeForce GTX 260 SLI setup we tested. A quick check of Newegg reveals that GeForce GTX 260 cards are currently selling for $250 and $260 after mail-in rebate. That puts a GeForce GTX 260 SLI setup at about $500-$550; approximately the same price point as a single Radeon HD 4870 X2 card.
In light of this comparison, the Radeon 4870 X2 and GeForce GTX 260 SLI run very competitive against one another, but we’re ever so slightly giving the performance edge to the Radeon 4870 X2. GeForce GTX 260 SLI performance in Lost Planet is roughly 12% faster than the 4870 X2, while Company of Heroes results varied depending on resolution (at lower res the GTX 260 ran 9-17% faster than the 4870 X2, but by 2560x1600 the pendulum swung in favor of the 4870 X2). The cards also trade blows in Call of Duty 4, with the X2 taking the early lead at 1600x1200 but by 2560x1600 it trails by 3% (of course, these tests are run with FRAPS, so you should probably consider it a tie). CrossFire scaling in Crysis isn’t as polished as SLI and therefore the GeForce GTX 260 reigns supreme in this game. BioShock clearly favored the 4870 X2, with the GTX 260 SLI running about 15% slower than the 4870 X2. Our tests with older games also preferred the X2.
What really pushes the 4870 X2 over the edge in comparison to the GeForce GTX 260 SLI setup is the fact that it requires a single PCI Express graphics slot and two power connectors. You also don’t need a special SLI or CrossFire motherboard.
Of course, NVIDIA would argue that PhysX is one intangible that can’t be ignored. Today they’re introducing new PhysX drivers and apps that all GeForce 8/9 and GTX 200 series card owners can check out.
PhysX is certainly a great feature, but is it compelling enough to give the GeForce GTX 260 an edge over the Radeon 4870 X2? Right now we’d say “no”, there just aren’t enough quality games on the market that take advantage of PhysX, but we also must admit that we’re eager to see how games like Mirror’s Edge and Borderlands will look.
Is the Radeon 4870 X2 a better buy than picking up two Radeon HD 4870s?
In comparison to the Radeon HD 4870 CrossFire setup, the Radeon HD 4870 X2 really shined at 2560x1600 in games like BioShock, Company of Heroes, and Lost Planet. In these cases the 4870 CrossFire setup just didn’t have enough memory and the 4870 X2 was able to pull away by a factor of 3-5X!! (In Company of Heroes the margin was just 27% at 2560x1600, although it also outran the 4870 CrossFire rig at 16x12 and 1920x1200 by 8-10%). If 8xAA gaming isn’t a priority for you, these margins would obviously tighten up quite a bit, but considering the pricing ATI is offering on the 4870 X2 it’s probably a better deal than buying two Radeon 4870 cards separately. And once again, you don’t need a CrossFire motherboard if you get the X2.
So there you have it. ATI’s back on top of the graphics market. The Radeon HD 4870 X2 is the best graphics card on the market right now. The only caveat that gives us a little pause however is ATI’s CrossFire drivers. We hate to beat ATI up over this yet again, but last summer when the first wave of DX10 games hit shelves, ATI had an awfully tough time with their CrossFire performance. Games like Lost Planet and World in Conflict all scaled poorly, if any at all. The fact that ATI still doesn’t provide the ability to setup custom game profiles for CrossFire rigs is also very disappointing.
Fortunately ATI’s CrossFire drivers have come a long way since last year, and it appears that starting with the 3870 X2 ATI has taken CrossFire scaling very seriously. The only game that shows little scaling is Crysis, and to be honest this game has historically been a thorn in the side of both SLI and CrossFire (NVIDIA only recently improved SLI scaling with newer ForceWare 177 drivers). ATI has also been pretty good about providing custom hotfix drivers for the latest games when needed.
Ultimately at the end of the day it comes down to performance and image quality. As we’ve shown you with our 8xAA benchmarks, clearly the Radeon HD 4870 X2 delivers in spades in both of these categories.
Batman: Arkham City PC Review Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s smash-hit action game Batman: Arkham Asylum. As the name suggests, you will be reprising your role as the Caped Crusader and going against an even larger 'prison' filled with Gotham's criminals and villains. A textbook example on how to do a proper sequel, Arkham City takes what worked in the original, excised or improved upon what didn’t, and elevated everything to an even greater scope. The PC version suffered from a few months of delay, but in that time, Rocksteady worked closely to NVIDIA to implement some familiar technologies from the last game, such as PhysX and 3D Vision, along with new DirectX 11 optimizations. But how well was the whole package executed? Read on to find out!
Saints Row: The Third PC Review Saints Row is one of most unique series of games to build upon the open-world action template forged by Grand Theft Auto, and has met with plenty of critical and commercial success since it began on consoles back in 2006. This latest iteration, titled Saints Row: The Third promises the most outlandish fun and freedom of customization of them all, and in a much more PC-friendly package than its predecessor. Does it live up to those expectations and, more importantly, is it worth the price of admission? Find out in Will's latest review!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is Bethesda Softworks’ latest offering in their series of epic fantasy RPGs, as well as one of the most highly-anticipated PC titles of 2011. As the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, prepare to take the fight to the mythical beasts that have returned to the realm after centuries of slumber, all the while exploring a huge and highly-detailed open world.
The PC version of the game promises enhanced graphical fidelity, standard RPG trimmings such as hotkeys and quick-save, as well as unbridled mod support, something we’ll all be thankful for once they release that SDK. Skyrim has already sold millions of copies and set records for play-time on Steam... Find out why in today's review, which happens to be one of the biggest and most in-depth articles on the subject out there!
L.A. Noire Complete Edition PC Review L.A. Noire, as the name clearly states, is a video game built on the tropes of one of the greatest periods of American cinema: film noir. Developed by the now defunct Australian developer Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, this title has been out on consoles for a full six months before finally making its way to the PC. This “Complete Edition” of the game features improved graphics, keyboard/mouse controls, and every bit of previously-released DLC for free. But was it truly worth the wait? Read on and find out!
Intel Core i7-3960X Sandy Bridge-E Performance Review
Today marks the launch date for Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E line of processors, a new family of high-end Core i7 products based on the LGA 2011 platform. This new socket is poised to replace the existing LGA 1366 specification used by the more powerful Nehalem and Westmere parts from the past couple years, specifically Bloomfield and Gulftown, the Core i7-9xx+ line of CPUs.
With 6 cores, 15MB of cache, and support for quad-channel DDR3-1600 memory, the Core i7-3960X sounds like quite a catch. Want to know more about it and how it performs? Read on!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Review
The self-appointed "most anticipated game in history" launched worldwide this past Tuesday. Why, it's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, of course (of course), what else? Unsurprisingly, the military FPS debate between this and Battlefield 3 rages on, but now that both have been released, surely we can take a look and objectively evaluate them both? Luke's taken the Xbox version of MW3 for a spin this week, so to find out what he thinks of it in today's review!
Stronghold 3 Review
The latest sequel in the long-running real-time strategy franchise from FireFly Studios, Stronghold 3 is all about building your dream castle and defending it against sieging enemies. Almost exactly one decade after the first game was released, this new title promises a return to the classic and well-received gameplay that has been strayed so far from in more recent iterations. Does it live up to those expectations? Will (AKA Synchronous Failure) tells us all about it in his first official FiringSquad review, so read on!
Battlefield 3 PC Review - Single-player Impressions
One of the most highly-anticipated PC games of the year is upon us; Battlefield 3 is now available in North America! EA/DICE have finally delivered a sequel to the core Battlefield franchise, a proper follow-up to BF2. Having played through the game's single-player campaign already, ahead of the multiplayer festivities kicking off around midnight, I figured I'd share my impressions ASAP. Is it really a worthy addition to the core Battlefield series, or just another bullet point on the back of the box? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Supersonic Software Interview
Following up on our hands-on preview from earlier this month, here's an interview with Supersonic Software, creators of Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. The game's coming out on XBLA and PSN in a matter of weeks, but for now, Luke chats with the developer about its predecessors Mashed and Micro Machines, how difficult it can be to get an indie game published, the closure of Codemasters' Guildford branch, and more!
Orcs Must Die! PC Review Orcs Must Die! is the first release from an independent developer named Robot Entertainment. Fans of classic real-time strategy games may have heard that name before, as the outfit is comprised of many veterans from Ensemble Studios, creators of the Age of Empires series.
Equal parts action and strategy, this is a tower defense game that not only puts you in command, but on the front lines of combat, as well. Slaughter thousands of orcs, ogres and other vile creatures of fantasy that invade your fortresses through 24 levels of the story-based campaign. With high levels of replayability thanks to its scoring and leaderboard functionality, multiple difficulty levels, and various styles of play, it sounds a steal at only $15. Does it deliver on all that’s promised, though? Read on and find out!
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