GTX 285 vs 8800 GTX SLI in Crysis

[Kemo]

I have benchmarks for those who are looking for this comparison using Crysis Benchmark Tool. All results shown here are from the 3rd run in the loop to ensure all caches are warm and textures loaded for a pure framerate benchmark.

8800GTX SLI 624/1462/1057 1680x1050 4xAA
Min FPS: 28.90, Max FPS: 58.44, Average FPS: 48.16

with Vsync and Triplebuffering (d3d9_triplebuffering=1)
Min FPS: 33.36, Max FPS: 58.89, Average FPS: 48.37

GTX285 666/1512/1242 1680x1050 4xAA
Min FPS: 32.86, Max FPS: 61.13, Average FPS: 47.91

with Vsync and Triplebuffering (d3d9_triplebuffering=1)
Min FPS: 32.24, Max FPS: 59.82, Average FPS: 47.85


So now I am debating whether or not to return this 285 and hold out until the next wave. SLI gave me problems along with higher framerates. Problems such as microstuttering, texture glitching and HEAT. Ever since I started using the 285 my case became an A/C. I payed $343 for the 285, $650 and $250 for the 8800GTXs. After four generations one would think the 285 would outperform two 8800GTX by a considerable margin. I guess not.

[Ancient76]

After four generations one would think the 285 would outperform two 8800GTX by a considerable margin. I guess not.

You're kidding :) GTX 285 is practically doubled G80.

[Kemo]

the numbers don't lie, friend. I was expecting a major increase from G80 to G100. I returned the 285 anyways cuz i'm going to wait for some brand new tech. I went from a geforce 5950 ultra, 7800 GT, to 8800 GTX. Every upgrade was a substantial increase in performance. Now I figured the 285 would crush 2 8800s being that it had more memory and more bandwidth.

[$n][pErMan]

Wow... crazy man. My GTX285 blew my single 8800GTX out of the water.

[jimmyjames123]

Well let's see. You spent $900 on two 8800 GTX's over the last 2-3 years, and admitted that they give you problems with microstuttering/glitches/heat, and you are upset that a $343 GTX 285 doesn't have higher framerate with one game? Okaaaayyy :D

The mere fact that the GTX 285 is a single gpu and call pull comparable framerate to two prior gen high end GPU's in SLI is an advantage in and of itself, since there is no multi-gpu related problems like you described above.

Getting 2x higher performance from one high end card to another in a 2-3 year timeframe is expected. Comparing a single GPU to two in SLI is always an apples to oranges comparison because of the issues with multi gpu.

[SilentMercury]

I was about to order me a couple o' 285's for $350 a piece to replace my 8800GTX's, but after reading this I am not so sure it would be worth it.

[Sazar]

I was about to order me a couple o' 285's for $350 a piece to replace my 8800GTX's, but after reading this I am not so sure it would be worth it.

2 would be worth it. 1 may not be as per kemo's tests.

[SilentMercury]

2 would be worth it. 1 may not be as per kemo's tests.

Rock'n'roll.

[SilentMercury]

I run games at 1920*1200 so maybe I'll have better results.

[walterman]

The GTX 285 has 2-3x times the shading power of the 8800GTX, but, the bandwidth is only a 60-80% higher. That's why your results with the GTX285 are roughly 2x times faster than with the 8800GTX SLI system. The bandwidth is not scaling properly with the shading power, and we are getting bigger & bigger screens, and wanting to use higher levels of AA/AF.

I expect to see a huge increase in the framerate with the GT300, if it pairs GDDR5 with the 512bit bus, or at least with that 7GHz GDDR5 memory. In this last case, Nvidia might be lowering the number of ROP units from 32 to 16, and this could be a bad thing if they do not enhance them, or raise their clocks significantly.

I think that your scores with the GTX285 should be higher than with the 8800GTX SLI.

Check my results: http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=127124

Crysis DX10 VH -> No AA: 93% / MSAA 4x: 80% / CSAA 16xQ: 120%

Overall -> No AA: 75% / MSAA 4x: 85% / CSAA 16xQ: 118% / SSAA 2x: 99% / Combined 16xS: 247%

Hope this helps :)

[Kemo]

Im not saying the GTX285 is not a good upgrade from 8800GTX SLI, the framerate was smoother and more stable, however not enough to warrant a purchase for $343. I wanted to get this benchmark out there so people could get an idea before going out and buying the 285. Im all about waiting for future generations. I told myself after these results to wait until my 8800s could not handle games at a playable (30fps+) framerate. As for lost money, you lose money as soon as you buy a video card like an automobile. That's understood as soon as I sign the line and hit accept.

[davidm71]

I went to a single 285 after having two 8800gtx's in SLI and I must say I definitely feel the difference. For instance even though my average FarCry2 bench went from 33 to 40 fps with the sli on the 8800's I can only say that there has got to be a cpu limitation in some cases. Other games play much much smoother. The minimum fps must be higher than it was before. Imagine what two 285's can do?

So try playing Crysis a little instead of benching and you'll see the difference...

[blackwaves_2000]

Core2Duo E8400 @ 3.6Ghz(400x9)
evga 680i LT SLI (T1 Version)
Corsair XMS 2x1GB 4-4-4-12 DDR2 800Mhz
eVGA+nVidia 8800 GTX SLI
Corsair 750W PSU

2GB of DDR2 @ 800MHZ, C2D (who cares what speed), and 680i board???

Come on man, you're looking to get crazy performance out of just a video card upgrade. Have looked at the rest of your system lately??? You could have gotten a lot more out of that GTX285 with PCIe 2.0, maybe some DDR3 ram, and an i7, possibly a 64-bit operating system. Even one of these upgrades would get you further. Try updating more of your system to keep up with you video card. You just put a V8 ZR1 LS9 in a Cavalier(and was upset)... yea it will fit, but the rest of the car can't even keep up with the engine.

Be more honest with yourself...you really don't rate to put out a review on BRAND new video card installing it in a 2 year old system, okay i'll give you 1.25yrs old cause you have a 45nm C2D chip....

[grimreefer]

well, you get hardware h264 decoding with the gtx285.

im surprised you experienced stuttering, it should be nonexistant with just 2 graphics cards with a good amount of ram on them.

2x8800gtx's are really nice though for gaming. on the other hand, the gtx 285 isnt exactly super expensive. do whatever you want.

[XMAN52373]

Im not saying the GTX285 is not a good upgrade from 8800GTX SLI, the framerate was smoother and more stable, however not enough to warrant a purchase for $343. I wanted to get this benchmark out there so people could get an idea before going out and buying the 285. Im all about waiting for future generations. I told myself after these results to wait until my 8800s could not handle games at a playable (30fps+) framerate. As for lost money, you lose money as soon as you buy a video card like an automobile. That's understood as soon as I sign the line and hit accept.

Dude, you could have sold both your GTXs with a good chance of recuoping all your monies back from having bought the GTX285 while doing something at the same time. Giving you a better game play experience, less heat and less power usage while doing it. I'd have kept the GTX285 and sold the 2 GTXs myself.

[Kemo]

"After four generations one would think the 285 would outperform two 8800GTX by a considerable margin. I guess not."

I am not bashing the 285. I just started this thread because I think that the 285 is not a HUGE jump from 8800GTX SLI. HUGE as in going from lets say, a 7800GT to 285. Thats a HUGE jump and definitely worth it. Yes, I did notice a bit smoother gameplay and lower temps with ALL my games, but I did not feel that the price I payed was justified by the minor improvements.

[Kowan]

Nothing wrong in keeping your current setup if you're happy with the performance.
The DX 11 cards should give the boost you hope to see with an upgrade. :)

[jcossin]

Dumb post comparing apples to oranges.

Compare 285 to 8800 GTX single card or 285 SLI to 8800 GTX SLI please! :)

[Sazar]

Dumb post comparing apples to oranges.

Compare 285 to 8800 GTX single card or 285 SLI to 8800 GTX SLI please! :)

Why is it a dumb post.

There are a number of people with SLi kits who may not be ready to upgrade and this sort of points them in the right direction.

[Logical]

Lol Wait for next gen cards and then cry when a single next gen card is similar in performance to 2 GTX285's in SLI.

Your a clever lad aren't you ?

[Kemo]

Lol Wait for next gen cards and then cry when a single next gen card is similar in performance to 2 GTX285's in SLI.

Your a clever lad aren't you ?

Actually, I am clever, since I'm not giving in to all the marketing hype thats saturating the current gen video cards. Every video review has new single cards compared to older SLIed cards. Apples, oranges, and pairs. See now, a DirectX 11 card or a 45nm GT300 chip would more likely show me the performance boost I saw going from a 7800GT to 8800GTX. Nvidia likes to release cards often to test out their products on the market and the field.

Crysis DX10 VHigh GTX 295 QSLI, look at the 1680x1050 4xAA/16xAF min Framerate and you'll see why I think it's wise to wait for future gen cards if you currently have a powerful SLI setup.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2009/01/08/nvidia-geforce-gtx-295-quad-sli-review/9

[hell_of_doom227]

Actually, I am clever, since I'm not giving in to all the marketing hype thats saturating the current gen video cards. Every video review has new single cards compared to older SLIed cards. Apples, oranges, and pairs. See now, a DirectX 11 card or a 45nm GT300 chip would more likely show me the performance boost I saw going from a 7800GT to 8800GTX. Nvidia likes to release cards often to test out their products on the market and the field.

Crysis DX10 VHigh GTX 295 QSLI, look at the 1680x1050 4xAA/16xAF min Framerate and you'll see why I think it's wise to wait for future gen cards if you currently have a powerful SLI setup.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2009/01/08/nvidia-geforce-gtx-295-quad-sli-review/9

Single 280GTX runs Crysis better then 8800GTX SLI. Forget those numbers you get in benchmark, they wont give you real experience. Go and play game under GTX285 and you will see how things are smooth, and frames are consistent. When i originally got single GTX280, 8800GTX SLI was a joke in Crysis compared to.

Just the fact that single GTX285 outperforms SLI 8800GTX should tell you a lot about GTX285. I am not sure what you were expecting out of single GTX285. some magic 200FPS in Crysis?

BTW you are not clever, and get more of damn RAM. Are you kidding me only 2Gb? Crysis along with Windows utilizes just a bit more then 2Gb of RAM, and you wonder about stuttering with 8800GTX SLI setup. Seriously get more RAM, 4Gb is only ****ing $35. I bet you run Windows XP 32bit.

Overall your post here is EPIC FAIL, no good reasoning in your talk.

[Kemo]

"I am not sure what you were expecting out of single GTX285. some magic 200FPS in Crysis?"
"Overall your post here is EPIC FAIL, no good reasoning in your talk."

Reason? Trying reading and thinking before posting.

I used Vista 64bit and XP64 with 4GB of ram and the stuttering was still there. The framebuffer resides in video RAM not system RAM. So please if you want to pick a fight and give yourself a sense of being right go start a post about how right you think you are.

[Logical]

Your comparing a single current gen GPU against 2 last gen GPU's...its gonna be the same result on each generation, you speak of 8800GTX v 7800GTX, what do you think the performance figures would be like with 2 7800GTX in SLI against 1 8800GTX...hmm similar me thinks. So when you wait for your DX11 card do you think there will be that much difference between 2 GTX285's against 1 DX11 card...methinks no.

I think your trying to delude yourself into thinking waiting is best....enthusiasts dont do that, they buy the best there is now. Granted not many people can afford to do that in this day in age of recession but if you want what is best now then you have to pay for it...and 3 GTX285's in tri sli wipe the floor with 2 8800GTX's in sli.

Heres a couple of benchies with 7900GTX v single 8800GTX..sorry i couldnt find any with 7800 but 7800 and 7900 aint that much difference.

Half life 2 lost coast
http://xtreview.com/images/GeForce-8800-direct-x10/half-life-2-8800gtx-8800gts.PNG

CoD2
http://xtreview.com/images/GeForce-8800-direct-x10/call-of-dutty-2-8800gtx-8800gts.PNG

FEAR extraction point
http://xtreview.com/images/GeForce-8800-direct-x10/fear-8800gtx-8800gts.PNG

.E.A.R. Extraction Not - FSAA 4x - Anisotropic Filtering 16x
http://xtreview.com/images/GeForce-8800-direct-x10/fear-AA-8800gtx-8800gts.PNG

You see my point ? 2 last gen cards will always keep up or near enough keep up with a single current gen card....

So if it is money you are wanting to save arent you better keeping hold of your 8800 sli setup and upgrading to GTX285 SLI when the DX11 cards are out ??? I do agree that there is no need to pay huge amounts of money to upgrade to current gen if your not gaining that much but there is no sense in your methods...surely its gonna be cheaper to get GTX285 in sli than it is to buy a next gen DX11 card single and have near enough the same performance...there seems to be a lot of contradiction in your posts.

[Kemo]

I see what you're saying. I used DX11 as an example. Once again, I'm not trying to say 285 SLI or alone is crap. This thread was to inform, or a "by the way, check this out". Not to steer people in a certain direction. What card to upgrade to is entirely up to the consumer. T