Overclocking Extravaganza: GTX 275's Complex Characteristics
by Derek Wilson on June 4, 2009 5:35 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Final Words
When it comes to overclocking, NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 275 is a capable part. Other people out there have gotten higher core speeds than we did but we achieved a very high shader clock. Our memory speed was also decent. And with this test the overclocked GTX 275 shows it can compete with an overclocked Radeon HD 4890: the GTX 275 never trailed NVIDIA's own GTX 285 while the Radeon HD 4890 fell behind in a couple instances.
At the same time, while the 4890 doesn't always lead the GTX 285, when the 4890 does lead it also typically leads the fully overclocked GTX 275 as well. These parts trade blows, and it is difficult to say that one is hands down better than the other. It really depends on the game and what you need out of the hardware.
We did find the AMD hardware easier to quickly and efficiently tweak. Some of that may have to do with the fact that we only had two sliders to worry about, but the built in stress test is a nice plus. Of course, NVIDIA automatically tests the clocks when you try and set them, but it seemed like it would sometimes arbitrarily decide not to let us set a clock speed we had set before. Setting three different clocks can give us more control over the overclocking process, but that can be tough when we still don't know exactly the best way to balance these.
Our suggestion is to start with the core and get it as high as you can. After that, crank up your shader. Last would be memory. But you will definitely want to make sure you've got all three turned up at least a little to get the amplifying benefit these hardware resources have on each other.
Those hoping we would definitively recommend either NVIDIA or AMD for overclocking will be disappointed, as this just isn't the blowout necessary for that. Both camps have pluses and minuses, and readers should take that into account when making a purchasing decision. Additionally, we do want to stress that every retail card is different; there may be some AMD parts that can overclock higher than the one we tested, and there may be NVIDIA hardware that can achieve better results as well.
Regardless of what else comes into play, overclocking looks good on both the Radeon HD 4890 and the GeForce GTX 275.
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balancedthinking - Thursday, June 4, 2009 - link
Actually, you can save as much as 40W(!)idle when you underclock a 4890/4870. The important part is to underlcock the GDDR5 which automatically adjusts voltage too.http://www.computerbase.de/news/hardware/grafikkar...">http://www.computerbase.de/news/hardwar...ten/ati/...
7Enigma - Friday, June 5, 2009 - link
Anyway you could translate the 4870 portion? Babelfish is not working for me for some reason....jeramhyde - Thursday, June 4, 2009 - link
great article thanks :-) good work with the graphs and setting it out in an easy to follow way :-)my housemate just got a gtx275 today, so we'll be trying those overclocks tonight :-)
nvalhalla - Thursday, June 4, 2009 - link
Alright, I just spent the last 10 minutes looking for a 900 shader 4980 before I realized you meant a 900MHz 4890. It's wrong in every graph.DerekWilson - Thursday, June 4, 2009 - link
It's not wrong, it's just noted in a different way.like I say (702 core) for the GTX 275 with a 702MHz core clock, i say (900 core) for a 4890 with a 900MHz core clock.
I'm sorry for the confusion, but it the graphs were already so crowded that I wanted to save space as much as I could.
nvalhalla - Thursday, June 4, 2009 - link
no, you're not getting me. It's listed as a 4980, not a 4890. I thought it was a new card, the "NEXT TIER" if you will. The 900 I thought might be a reference to the number of SP. Once I realized you just transposed the numbers, I got the 900 was MHz.DerekWilson - Thursday, June 4, 2009 - link
oooooooooooohhhhhhhhh ... okay ... that's a fun typo. I can't really do search and replace on these graphs either. I'll try and get it cleaned up as soon as I can.thanks for clarifying.
walp - Thursday, June 4, 2009 - link
Very nice article as always! :)GTX275 and 4890 is really evenly matched in every different way(Price, performance, overclocking performance etc) except for the fact that 4890 can be used with the 19$ Accelero S1:
http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&...">http://translate.google.com/translate?p...mp;sl=sv...
, which makes it totally quiet and cool. Just watch those VRM-temperatures and you will be just fine!
This is the main reason why I chosed the 4890 over GTX275, and the fact that I had a CF-compatible motherboard.
By the way, why didnt you include the 4890 (1\1.2)GHz idle power draw? Or is it just a little type-o? :)
Request: GTX275 SLI vs 4890 CF (And overclocking bonanza! :)))))
\walp
SiliconDoc - Monday, June 22, 2009 - link
I can't help but use google and check the very first site that comes up:http://www.techspot.com/review/164-radeon-4890-vs-...">http://www.techspot.com/review/164-radeon-4890-vs-...
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and the GTX275 beats the TAR out of the 4890 !!!
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I guess derek has once again used some biased bench or the special from the manufacturer 4890, and then downclocked the GTX275 to boot.
WHAT A CROCK !
SiliconDoc - Saturday, June 6, 2009 - link
It's hilarious - the extravaganza overclock they do here for Nvidia can't even match the stock timings of a common EVGA.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
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core 713 derek weakness red rooster nvidia hate 703
So what AT has done here is put the 4890 max overclocked in their other article against a low end stock gtx275, then in their extravaganza overclock gtx275 they put up a pathetic overclock that is BEATEN BY An EVGA gtx275 as it arrives !
Worse yet, they jammed their ati 4890 maxxxxx overclocks in for comparison !
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How to be a completely biased load of crap by Derek and AT :
max overclock your ati 4890 and put stock gtx275's against it
weak overclock your gtx275 and put maxx overclock 4890's against it
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ROFLMAO - I HAVE TO LUAGH IT'S SO BLATANT AND PATHETIC.
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cocka doodle doooo ! cocka doodle dooo ! red rooster central.