by Rob Williams on September 18, 2014 in Graphics & Displays
NVIDIA’s next-gen GeForce series is here, and it brings with it a slew of new features and enhancements worth knowing about. Based on Maxwell, the GTX 900 series delivers much-improved performance-per-watt, with the GTX 980 in particular performing better than the 780 Ti – but with a TDP of 85W less. You read that right. Let’s dig in.
For about as long as GPU-accelerated games have existed, an ideal performance target has been 60 frames-per-second. Owing thanks to this is the standard 60Hz monitor, which delivers its best result when the framerate matches its refresh rate. To make sure the monitor’s refresh rate and game’s framerate keep aligned, to avoid visible tearing, VSync should be enabled.
While I believe our Best Playable results will appeal to any gamer, they could especially prove useful to those intrigued by livingroom gaming or console replacements. The goal here is simple: With each game, the graphics settings are tweaked to deliver the best possible detail while keeping us as close to 60 FPS on average as possible.
Because our Metro Last Light and Total War: SHOGUN 2 tests are timedemos, and because this kind of testing is time-consuming, I am sticking to six out of the eight games I test with for inclusion here.
|
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag |
|
Minimum |
Average |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
51 |
60 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti |
52 |
61 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
AMD Radeon R9 290X |
51 |
61 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
Both AMD’s Radeon R9 290X and NVIDIA’s last-gen top-end GTX 780 Ti were able to handle Black Flag at the settings we use in our apples-to-apples comparisons, but because the GTX 980 offered a bit more oomph, I decided to test out HBAO+ and soft shadow modes. When all said and done, I was able to go with the High mode for each, while hitting exactly 60 FPS on average.
|
Battlefield 4 |
|
Minimum |
Average |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
47 |
63 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti |
43 |
62 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
AMD Radeon R9 290X |
43 |
60 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
Both the 290X and 780 Ti had to see their anti-aliasing dropped slightly in order to attain 60 FPS on average, but with the GTX 980, not only could 4xAA be retained (an Ultra preset), but so too could the higher-end HBAO mode (versus SSAO).
|
Crysis 3 |
|
Minimum |
Average |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
44 |
65 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti |
42 |
66 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
AMD Radeon R9 290X |
41 |
61 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
The GTX 980 once again shows the other two cards just what it’s made of. Instead of sticking to the same settings I use for normal benchmarking, this card managed higher texture and object detail while delivering well over 60 FPS.
|
GRID 2 |
|
Minimum |
Average |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
69 |
88 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti |
73 |
83 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
AMD Radeon R9 290X |
67 |
76 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
In truth, 8xMSAA could have been enabled for any one of these configurations, but I’d argue that it’d be a bit pointless. The performance on all three of the cards is outstanding, and when not even the minimum dips below 60 FPS, that’s a very good thing.
|
Sleeping Dogs |
|
Minimum |
Average |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
65 |
78 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti |
54 |
71 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
AMD Radeon R9 290X |
59 |
70 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
Like the lowbie cards, the GTX 980 stuck to our regular benchmark settings, which includes the mid-range anti-aliasing setting. The top-end AA setting was a no go, as it’s hardcore enough to bring us from a comfortable 78 FPS to about 55 FPS.
|
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist |
|
Minimum |
Average |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 |
50 |
60 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti |
58 |
71 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
AMD Radeon R9 290X |
54 |
65 |
Graphics Settings & Ingame Screenshot Resolution: 2560×1440 |
For the first time in a Best Playable result, I’ve enabled NVIDIA’s TXAA with Blacklist. To use that and keep a truly playable framerate, 2x had to be used, and with that, we’ve managed to keep the 60 FPS we fight so hard to retain.