NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 Review: Retaking The Performance Crown
by Ryan Smith on March 22, 2012 9:00 AM ESTThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Prior to the launch of our new benchmark suite, we wanted to include The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which is easily the most popular RPG of 2011. However as any Skyrim player can tell you, Skyrim’s performance is CPU-bound to a ridiculous degree. With the release of the 1.4 patch and the high resolution texture pack this has finally been relieved to the point where GPUs once again matter, particularly when we’re working with high resolutions and less than high-end GPUs. As such, we're now including it in our test suite.
Skyrim presents us with an interesting scenario. At anything less than 2560 we’re CPU limited well before we’re GPU limited, and yet even though we’re CPU limited NVIDIA manages to take a clear lead while the 680 still finds room to push to the top. For whatever the reason NVIDIA would appear to have significantly less driver overhead here, or at the very least a CPU limited Skyrim interacts with NVIDIA’s drivers better than it does AMD’s.
In any case 2560 does move away from being CPU limited, but it’s not entirely clear whether the difference we’re seeing here is solely due to GPU performance, or if we’re still CPU limited in some fashion. Regardless of the reason the GTX 680 has a 10% lead on the 7970 here.
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chizow - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
Did not see OC results listed anywhere, will they be added to this article or an addendum/supplement later?Ryan Smith - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
It will be added to this article. We may also do a separate pipeline article, but everything will be added here for future reference.SlyNine - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
Adaptive v-sync, is that like tripple buffering? never heard of it but it sounds interesting.iwod - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
In those high res test it seems it is seriously limited by bandwidth. If you could get 7Ghz GDDR5 or MemoryCube i guess it would have performed MUCH better.I think we finally got back to basic. What GPU is all about. Graphics. We have been spending too much time doing GPGPU which only benefits a VERY small percentage of the consumer market.
PeteRoy - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
Unfortunately there is no game that can benefit from the power this card has to give.We are in 2012 and the PC gaming graphic level is stuck in the year 2007 with Crysis as the last game to push the limits of video cards.
Since 2006 when the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 took over the gaming industry all games are made for these consoles therefore all games have the graphic technology of DirectX 9.
Battlefield 3 in the end of 2011 still doesn't look as good as Crysis from 2007.
Sabresiberian - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
YOU have no use for this card because you are clearly playing Tetris at 1024x768. Other people have much higher resolutions and play much more demanding games.Some of them even - GASP! - run more than one monitor. Imagine that.
;)
CeriseCogburn - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
I agree. The 7970 isn't doing it for me @ 19x12 w SB@4800x4. MOAR.SlyNine - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
Crysis 2 will full DX11 plus texture pack tottaly tears my 5870 a new one. unless these cards are now pumping out 3x the FPS than the performance is needed.Ahnilated - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
I waited all this time hoping the GTX680's would be an awesome card to upgrade from my GTX480's that I run in SLI. Well I am very disappointed now. I guess I continue waiting.Pessimism - Thursday, March 22, 2012 - link
Do not forget that NVIDIA knowingly and willingly peddled defective chips to multiple large vendors. The real question is whether they have mastered the art of producing chips that will remain bonded to the product they are powering, and whether they will turn to slag once reaching normal operating temperatures.