Conclusion

What did we learn from today’s test session? Against my expectations, a fast platform with a Core i7 processor will come in handy for a GeForce GTX 295 graphics card in order to increase gaming performance. On the other hand, you should be aware that there are games and modes in which speed is limited by the graphics subsystem only. Particularly, these are Devil May Cry 4, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, Crysis, Far Cry 2 and the synthetic 3DMark Vantage. Considering that such cards are bought with the purpose of playing games at high settings and high resolutions, the role of the CPU becomes insignificant. As for the GeForce GTX 285, it is about 40% slower than the dual-processor GeForce GTX 295 and is a less CPU-dependent graphics card.

Then, I have also found out that the new platform with a Core i7 processor and fast memory is ahead of the Core 2 Quad platform in most of my tests at the default CPU frequencies as well as when both are overclocked to 4GHz. The Core i7 enjoys an impressive 35-40% advantage when not limited by the graphics card. The tests suggest that the new platform is worth the investment, and you can even hope for further performance benefits from SMT technology in the future. Well, Intel surely thought through every aspect of the launch of the new platform in the current economical situation. I guess I’ve offered enough data for owners of GeForce GTX 295 cards to make up their mind as to whether to replace the platform and overclock it for higher speed.

There is little I can say about the graphics cards I used for the tests. Both products from XFX are clones of the reference samples with sufficient accessories including a copy of Far Cry 2. The GeForce GTX 285 has a quieter cooler but the GeForce GTX 295 showed better overclockability. The single-processor model consumes less power, costs less, and is free from the drawbacks of the AFR rendering mode, but the dual-processor card is beyond competition if you are looking for maximum performance without compromises.