Tesbed:

Motherboard:
EVGA 680i SLI (Supplied by EVGA)

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo 6800 Extreme edition (Supplied by Intel)

Memory:
OCZ FlexXLC PC2 9200 5-5-5-18  (Supplied by OCZ)
        during testing CL5-5-5-15-CR2T 1066MHz at 2.2V

PSU:
OCZ Silencer 750 Quad Black (Supplied by OCZ)

Hard disk:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB SATA (Supplied by Seagate)

CPU-Cooler:
Freezer 7 Pro (Supplied by Artic Cooling)

Case Fans:
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 12 PWM
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 8 PWM

Futuremark



 Gainward GTX 280 beats HD 4870 by 21%.

 

Games


We don’t know how ATI managed to perform so badly in Company of Heroes, but the GTX 280 performed up to 90% faster. We tried our luck with new Radeon beta drivers, but the result refused to budge.



Call of Juarez managed to cleanse our mouth from the bitter taste left by ATI’s previous result, and we see ATI winning here by up to 12%.

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We tested Crysis at high detail settings and both cards ran nicely. We scored 50 fps at 1600x1200. At the same resolution Gainward ran 16% faster and scored 58 fps.



In F.E.A.R., increasing the resolution resulted in HD 4870’s performance gradually dropping, so GTX 280 wins with a 24% better result.



Similar to the previous test, Gainward GTX 280 shows its muscle on the highest resolution, and this time it wins by 24%.



At 16x12 with AA and AF on, GTX 280 ran 24% faster, but at 2048x1536 that advantage dropped to 13%.



Resolutions such as 2048x1536, won’t be an easy task for Radeon cards, but setting dropping down to 1600x1200 will result in pleasant gaming. Gainward GTX 280 scores a playable framerate at all the resolutions and runs up to 20% faster than Radeon HD 4870.

Conclusion

It’s not hard to see that Gainward GTX 280 performs better than the HD 4870. Up until yesterday, we’d never recommend it to anyone, but now that the prices were adjusted and GTX 280 cards are available for €399, we’re already thinking about it.

The real question is whether you need a card that’s faster than the Radeon HD 4870, but if you do – then look no further than Gainward GTX 280. Its cooler a bit too loud for our taste, but the card will run stable and put its 1400 million transistors to good use. VP2 video engine means that you can enjoy HD video, and it will power down if your integrated graphics core can handle the job.

If you've got a 24-inch screen, or if you're really luck and have something even bigger, this is the card to consider. Having said that, bare in mind that the upcoming R700, Radeon HD 4870 X2 could end up even faster.

So, at the new €399 price, this card is something you might want to check out. Gainward did a good job with the reference card, but as with all reference cards, a little overclocking would do no harm.