[citation][nom]jcknouse[/nom]Fantastic work, Chris. Simply awesome. I really, really, really enjoyed that analysis.Something I need to ask tho:Is the GTX280 a dual processor VDA, like the Radeon 4870X2? If not, wouldn't you expect significant gains of 2 GPUs over 1?Also...Wouldn't you expect to see even a small decline in performance (possibly miniscule/negligible...but still present) simply because running 2 individual VDAs in 2 PCI-E x16 2.0 slots requires work to be sorted between two physical devices (handling going over the SLi interface), whereas using the Radeon 4870x2 work is sent to and split on-card?I'd really be interested in seeing a performance difference between 2 4870s and 1 4870x2 with the same catalyst version, and latest firmware.Also, I am quite shocked at the nVidia suffering. I've been an nVidia customer for years. I am going to have to look at going ATI Crossfire if I build a new AM3 gaming platform later this year.This is one of the reasons I value Tom's so much...articles like this.Thank you again, Chris. This was invaluable to me both technically as well as a consumer looking for the best bang for my buck, even tho my budget isn't limited.[/citation]
jck,
The GTX 280 is a single-GPU chip--the 295 would be the next logical step up for testing, if I had one in-house. As a result, I tested the two Radeon HD 4870 512s, which are single-GPU cards as well, and found a common graphics bottleneck on those cards, indicating that the GTX 280's bottleneck on Core i7 is something other than pure GPU muscle. I hope that answers your question, and thanks for your commentary!