Review GeForce GTX 485M SLI vs. Radeon HD 6970M CF

This comparison was made possible by the German notebook supplier Schenker, who kindly made the 17.3-inch XMG U700 ULTRA available to us. This gaming leviathan, measuring 419 x 286 x 73 mm and weighing 6 kg, is based on the Clevo X7200 barebones which we have reviewed several times with other graphics combinations (see links below). Our test model was extremely generously equipped and would have set us back a hefty €4,424 (GTX 485M SLI) at the time of writing.

The test model contained Intel’s high-end X58 chipset, which included 6 GB of RAM (3x 2048 MB DDR3 RAM) and an extremely powerful desktop processor with a whole six cores, namely the Core i7-990X (3.47 - 3.73 GHz). Alongside that were two lightning-fast SSD drives, also made by Intel, with the model number X25-M (SSDSC2MH120A2K5). And there’s more: a fast (7,200 rpm) Seagate HDD (ST9750420AS) with a large 750 GB capacity was also part of the set-up. The operating system used was Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit. Power was supplied to the machine via a pair of bulky 300 Watt mains adaptors (a special ad hoc solution put together by Schenker); the series production models should be accompanied by a 600 Watt power block. The XMG U700 ULTRA is available from €1,769 on Schenker’s own website mysn.de, where it can be configured in detail to suit your individual needs.

3DMark Vantage

The GPU score of the 3DMark Vantage test is a good starting point for a comparison of graphics cards. Both the GeForce GTX 485M SLI and the Radeon HD 6970M CF did an excellent job of coping with the standard resolution setting (1280 x 1024). The SLI system has its nose in front by 12% with 23,082 points to 20,691. The rest of the dual-GPU systems follow at a respectful distance, with the GeForce GTX 470M SLI having to settle for 16,161, for example.

3DMark 11

In the most recent 3DMark 11 benchmark the Radeon HD 6970M CF climbed confidently to the top spot on the podium. As the GeForce GTX 485M SLI’s driver was apparently lacking an appropriate profile, the AMD system was almost twice as fast (5,525 points to 2,674). Luckily the 3DMark 11 is not the only DirectX 11 based benchmark; the Unigine Heaven 2.1 benchmark was able to compare the two dual-GPU systems without a problem.

Unigine Heaven 2.1

Because they have fewer tessellation units, it is difficult at the moment for AMD graphics cards to win out against Nvidia’s Fermi architecture in the Unigine Heaven 2.1 benchmark. As such it was not surprising to find that the Radeon HD 6970M CF came in behind the GeForce GTX 485M SLI. With high detail settings, normal tessellation and a resolution of 1280 x 1024, the GTX 485M SLI pulled ahead by a whole 18% (78.5 to 66.4 fps).

Call of Duty: Black Ops

With this enormously successful Black Ops game, developer Treyarch has for the first time been able to approach the quality of the spin-offs made by Call of Duty creators Infinity Ward. Visually, the first-person shooter can no longer be called cutting-edge; the Modern Warfare engine has seen better days and looks outdated in many places, despite numerous improvements. However, the advantage is that the hardware requirements are moderate and so even mid-range notebooks cope well with Black Ops. Dual-GPU systems, then, have no trouble with it whatsoever on the maximum quality settings.

We used the Cuban street fight from the first single-player mission as a benchmarking sequence, with the ‘extra’ detail level, four times anti-aliasing (AA), eight times anisotropic filtering (AF) and a 1920 x 1080 resolution. The GeForce GTX 485M SLI was a little more comfortable in Black Ops; the Radeon HD 6970M CF trailed by 8% with 110.5 fps to the GeForce’s 119.0.

Mafia 2

Mafia creators 2K Czech (formerly Illusion Softworks) worked for a whole eight years on this sequel to one of the best action games of all time. The result was a very good third-person shooter, but one which could not approach the superb original in its plot or its missions. One positive feature is the presence of an integrated benchmark. We chose the 1920 x 1080 resolution, high detail and 16x texture filtering settings.

As with Call of Duty: Black Ops, the GeForce GTX 485M SLI won out against the Radeon HD 6970M CF; 102.2 fps to 86.6 fps equates to an advantage of 18%. The GeForce GTX 470M SLI (76.6 fps) and GeForce GTX 460M SLI (66.0 fps) followed after, as you would expect.

Starcraft 2

Will legendary developers Blizzard ever release a game that isn’t a million-selling hit? We have our doubts; at any rate their highly acclaimed real-time strategy Starcraft 2 became a massive bestseller. When the screen is overrun with units in multiplayer mode or in later missions of the single-player campaigns, mid-range systems start to stutter. But not the high-end graphics cards; the introduction to the ‘For the Swarm’ challenge (1920 x 1080, ultra) was beautifully smooth on the dual-GPU systems.

The CrossFire did significantly better than the SLI here, in contrast to the previous game. The Radeon HD 6970M CF was able to overtake the GeForce GTX 485M SLI by a substantial 34% (88.6 fps to 65.9 fps). The GeForce GTX 470M SLI (50.3 fps) and GeForce GTX 460M SLI (40.8 fps) also look old compared to the Radeon HD 6970M CF.

Metro 2033

This PC game is based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s thrilling novel of the same name. Reminiscent of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in its atmosphere and style, the first-person shooter is a serious challenge even for modern hardware. Previously there was no mobile graphics card fast enough to handle the game with very high details, DirectX 11 mode and a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Even the dual-GPU notebooks we’ve tested up till now have found the benchmarking sequence (start of the single player story) a very touch nut to crack.

With the GeForce GTX 485M SLI and Radeon HD 6970M CF there is still some stuttering in places, but the average frame rates of 31.4 fps and 35.3 fps respectively are deserving of respect. The AMD system has an advantage of 12% in this game. The GeForce GTX 470M SLI and GeForce GTX 460M SLI turn out to be substantially slower; 23.0 fps and 18.5 fps are nowhere near playable.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

To stay on top during multiplayer battles, you need skill and plenty of practice but also a good refresh rate. On the maximum graphics settings, this latest Battlefield spin-off is quick to put many systems in their place. Having two graphics cards is a real boost to performance, as we saw from the opening sequence of the single player mission (boat journey up to the shore) with high details, 4x anti-aliasing and 8x texture filtering.

Bad Company 2 turned out to be a real neck-and-neck race for AMD and Nvidia. While the refresh rate for the Radeon HD 6970M CF settled at a fabulous 95.5 fps, the GeForce GTX 485M SLI achieved a marginally higher 96.8 fps. Below them came a large gap, then the comprehensively beaten GeForce GTX 470M SLI (69.2 fps) and GeForce GTX 460M SLI (56.7 fps).

Risen

Anyone who likes role-playing games with open and freely accessible worlds should enjoy Risen. This German third-person game may seem rather antiquated in many ways, but with the great atmosphere, the authentic appearance of the landscapes and the excellent character development you will quickly overlook its failings. For our benchmark we used the free demo version, roaming around the shore for several minutes directly after the start of the game.

A resolution of 1920 x 1080, with high details and 16x anisotropic filtering, was handled effortlessly by all the dual-GPU systems. Even the GeForce GTX 460M SLI (63.5 fps) and GeForce GTX 470M SLI (81.8 fps) were both perfectly suitable for monster slicing and dicing. AMD’s Radeon HD 6970M CF, once again, went some way better with 101.2 fps. The top position in Risen was taken by the GeForce GTX 485M SLI; at 109.1 fps it gave us our new value to beat.

Need for Speed: Shift

With this game, publishers EA edged the long-running Need for Speed series more in the direction of realism. This may have enhanced the quality of the series, but the familiar Need for Speed feel was almost entirely lost as a result. Talking of losing: Shift has always favoured Nvidia - comparable AMD graphics cards tend to do noticeably worse on it. We completed a simple circuit through the urban canyons of London (demo version). We used high details, 4x anti-aliasing and a resolution of 1920 x 1080 to really make the graphics cards sweat.

The Radeon HD 6970M CF was not very impressive this time. With 66.2 fps, it was overtaken by the GeForce GTX 460M SLI (81.6 fps) as well as the GeForce GTX 470M SLI (102.7 fps). And it looked a whole lot worse against the GeForce GTX 485M SLI, which managed 126.0 fps - an enormous lead of 90%.

Colin McRae: Dirt 2

The graphics on this rally simulator still look very good; it was one of the first games on the market with support for DirectX 11. Standout features are the realistic water effects and the excellent lighting. We relied on the demo’s integrated benchmark, which we ran with very high details, 4x AA and a 1920 x 1080 resolution.

The Nvidia graphics cards had the advantage in this game, much like they did in Need for Speed: Shift. While the GeForce GTX 485M SLI sat comfortably in first place with 114.3 fps, the Radeon HD 6970M CF (80.3 fps) was sandwiched between the GeForce GTX 460M SLI (75.4 fps) and GeForce GTX 470M SLI (93.0 fps).

Anno 1404

The classic city-building game Anno 1404 powerfully demonstrates to all its competitors just what is technologically possible these days in the strategy genre. Its idyllic medieval world is a wonder to behold, so much so that it is sometimes hard to concentrate on the actual events of the game. As you can see from the performance graph below, the frame rates tended to fluctuate strongly. This can be explained by the fact that the load on the system varies according to the level of zoom being used.

Our benchmark was based on the campaign mission in the free demo, consisting of a few minutes of gameplay. Even a 1920 x 1080 resolution, very high details and 4x anisotropic filtering do not cause any problems at all for modern high-end graphics cards. The Fraps tool gives a frame rate of 107.4 fps for the GeForce GTX 485M SLI, while the AMD Radeon HD 6970M CF was able to render our settings even more smoothly at 116.7 fps (+9%).

Crysis

We would have preferred to bring you the results of a Crysis 2 benchmark. However, we were soon forced to abandon this plan, as the Radeon HD 6970M CF produced massive graphics errors in this latest first-person shooter by Crytek, while the second GeForce GTX 485M SLI failed to give any improvement in performance. So although it is more than three years old, we had to turn to the game’s predecessor for results.

Very high details and a resolution of 1920 x 1080 on Crysis is an insurmountable challenge for most graphics cards (integrated benchmark). Neither the GeForce GTX 460M SLI (25.4 fps) nor the GeForce GTX 470M SLI (31.7 fps) were able to guarantee a wholly stutter-free experience. But with the GeForce GTX 485M SLI you can enjoy Crysis in its full glory (43.3 fps); and the first-person shooter ran most smoothly with the Radeon HD 6970M CF, which finished top with 49.0 fps.