So how do the new GeForce GTX 200 series GPUs rate in terms of gaming performance? When compared to previous GeForce cards, the GeForce GTX 280 most closely approximates the performance of the GeForce 9800 GX2, or a pair of 9800 GTX cards running in SLI. In some cases the GTX 280 is faster than the 9800 GX2, particularly at 2560x1600 where its true 512-bit memory interface plays the most dividends. In our testing though a pair of GeForce 8800 GTX cards running in SLI was generally faster than one GeForce GTX 280.
Does that lessen the impact of the GeForce GTX 280? For some gamers, particularly those who already own GeForce 8800 GTX cards and an SLI motherboard, the answer is probably yes: after all, adding a second GeForce 8800 GTX card buys you performance that will exceed the GTX 280. The GTX 280 will consume less power than a pair of GeForce 8800 GTX cards and it boasts better video, but at $650 it isn’t exactly an inexpensive upgrade.
Then there’s the GeForce GTX 260. Its closest equivalent is a pair of GeForce 8800 GTs running in SLI. Here it’s a neck-and-neck race, with the 8800 GT SLI combo winning some benchmarks, and the GTX 260 taking home the performance crown in others. Considering its slimmer $400 price tag, this card is the easier upgrade to stomach given its performance. In fact, it’s the board we’d buy if we were plunking down the cash for a graphics upgrade today. This board ran circles around the 9800 GTX in our testing, and only costs about $100 more. Look at it from another perspective, the GTX 260 gets you 80-85% of the performance of the flagship GTX 280 for $250 less. NVIDIA’s got to stick to that $400 MSRP though in order for this equation to work.
Looking at the paper specs of both GPUs though, we have a feeling some of you are probably unimpressed with the new GTX 200s. Keep in mind however that subsequent driver releases are bound to deliver more performance, the numbers we’re presenting today are only the baseline and should go up from here. Also keep in mind that this GPU has features that are supposed to make it more appealing for computing applications: NVIDIA didn’t add double-precision floating point units for games for instance.
It’s the computing applications that have us most excited about the potential for GeForce GTX 200, and the rest of NVIDIA’s GeForce 8/9 series GPUs as well for that matter. We’re still in awe of the Photoshop demonstration.
Another ray of hope that we see for the GeForce GTX 200s is overclocking. If you missed our OC’ing results, you may want to flip back to the previous page and check them out. We were able to hit some pretty impressive OCs with our cards. Clearly TSMC’s got their 65-nm process down, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see NVIDIA’s board partners come out with some highly exotic GTX 260 and 280 cards in the near future.
AMD will soon be responding with their own counter to NVIDIA in the form of their RV770 and R700 GPUs. RV770 will tackle the space occupied by the 9800 GTX and GTX 260, while AMD’s dual-GPU R700 is going after NVIDIA’s flagship GTX 280. It will be interesting to see how these chips compare to NVIDIA’s GeForce lineup, but one ace in the hole NVIDIA will certainly have over AMD for now at least will be CUDA and PhysX. Meanwhile, AMD of course has DirectX 10.1 going for them. Who comes out on top will likely come down to price, performance, and drivers, and we can’t wait to see how things shake out.
Elemental: Fallen Enchantress Preview Elemental: Fallen Enchantress is a standalone expansion pack and follow-up to developer Stardock's previous game in the series, subtitled War of Magic. That 4X strategy game was highly-anticipated and slated to compete with games such as Sid Meier's Civilization V for your turn-based strategy play-time, but was released in an incredibly broken and unfinished state that it never fully recovered from. Lead designer Brad Wardell apologized profusely to fans and set out with his team to go back to the drawing board and try again.
Almost two years later, the result of that proverbial mulligan is currently undergoing closed beta testing. In today's article, Will reports his thoughts on how Fallen Enchantress is shaping up, and will tell you whether or not you should be keeping an eye on it as it nears release later this year.
The Elder Scrolls Online Details Leak - Should Fans Be Excited? The Elder Scrolls Online, long rumored to be in development, was officially announced yesterday. Still in development at Zenimax Online Studios, this MMO aims to combine traditional genre mechanics with the spirit and sensibilities, not to mention setting and lore, of the immensely popular series of single-player RPGs. Though the game is set for a full unveiling in the next issue of Game Informer magazine, what appears to be the entire cover story article has been leaked to the interwebs already. In today's article, you'll find summary and analysis of all the alleged details, as well as feast your eyes on the very first screenshots and concept art from the game. Of course, the burning question now is, should you be excited?
ANNO 2070 Review
The year is 2070. The majority of life on Earth was devastated when global sea levels surged after the melting of the polar ice caps. Swaths of previously habitable land are now deep underwater, and sovereign nations are a relic of the past. But there is still hope...
This city-building RTS/simulation game from Ubisoft tasks you with re-colonizing what little land areas are left on the planet following a global warming apocalypse. Does it have what it takes to be worthy of your time and money, or should it be cast out to sea with the rest of civilization? Find out in today's review!
Hear that? It's the sound of the largest computer chip manufacturer in the world churning out new processors to power your gaming rig. This week, Intel is launching their next generation of Core CPUs, code-named Ivy Bridge. Like last year's Sandy Bridge chips, they're low-power, quad-core powerhouses that also feature integrated graphics processors. Want to find out more? Maybe check out a whole bunch of performance benchmarks on both the CPU and graphics sides of things? Well you can, in today's review!
Intel Z77 Chipset & DZ77GA-70K Motherboard Overview
Looking forward to those new Ivy Bridge CPUs? In anticipation of their release later this month, Intel has already unveiled the new Series 7 chipsets designed especially to take advantage of what will be the 3rd-generation of Core processors. In today's article, we take a look at the architecture of the enthusiast variant, the Z77, and how it's used in the Intel Desktop Extreme DZ77GA-70K motherboard. Even if you're not particularly interested in the motherboard itself, you'll probably want to see some of the new features that come along with it, so read on!
Mass Effect 3 PC Review
This latest release from EA/BioWare is the final entry in their trilogy of sci-fi action RPGs, putting you in a dire situation: rally the troops to save Earth at all costs. There was a lot of hype surrounding the final act of what has been a vast and highly-customizable story-telling experience, and the reception among many hardcore fans has been less than stellar. Even people that haven't played the game have probably heard about all the nerd rage going on over Mass Effect 3's ending...
If you want to cut through all the crap and find out whether or not the rest of ME3 is worth playing, come check out Will's spoiler-free take on the first blockbuster game release of 2012.
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!
Power and Overclocking
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