Notebookcheck Logo

AMD Radeon RX 480 Review - The fastest Polaris desktop card at launch

Performance for everyone. Polaris is AMD's solution for the high-revenue segment of dedicated entry-level and mainstream graphics cards. We review the top model Radeon RX 480 in the reference design and evaluate the improvements from the architecture as well as the much smaller 14 nm manufacturing process.

According to AMD, 84 % of gamers buy graphics card in the range between $100-300 USD. This is also the segment where AMD shows its first graphics cards based on 3D transistors (14 nm FinFET at Global Foundries). The first GPU is the top model of the Polaris lineup with the designation Radeon RX 480 and is based on the Polaris 10 chip. It has the code name Ellesmere (Canadian island). It has 2304 shaders and should therefore represent the full configuration of the chip. Thanks to a TDP of 150 Watts, it can be operated with just one 6-pin power plug and would, in theory, also be suited for notebooks (as a rival for the GTX 980).

Specifications Radeon RX 480 Radeon RX 470 Radeon RX 460
Chip Polaris 10 Polaris 10 Polaris 11
Shader / Compute Units 2304/36 2048/32 896/14
Texture Units 144 128? 64
L2 Cache 2 MB ? 1 MB
TFLOPS >5 >4 >2
Memory Bus 256-bit 256-bit 128-bit
Power (Watts) 150 (1x6-pin) ? (1x6-pin) ? (none)

Radeon RX 400 Series

Radeon RX 480 2304 @ 1.12 - 1.27 GHz256 Bit @ 8000 MHz
Radeon RX 470 (Desktop) compare 2048 @ 0.93 - 1.21 GHz256 Bit @ 6600 MHz
Radeon RX 470 (Laptop) compare 2048 @ 0.93 - 1.21 GHz256 Bit @ 7000 MHz
Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) compare 896 @ 1.09 - 1.2 GHz128 Bit @ 7000 MHz
CodenamePolaris 10 Ellesmere
ArchitecturePolaris
Pipelines2304 - unified
Core Speed1120 - 1266 (Boost) MHz
Memory Speed8000 MHz
Memory Bus Width256 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR5
Max. Amount of Memory8 GB
Shared Memoryno
APIDirectX 12, OpenGL Vulkan
Power Consumption150 Watt
technology14 nm
FeaturesDisplayPort 1.3 HBR / 1.4 HDR Ready, HDMI 2.0b, AMD FreeSync
Date of Announcement29.06.2016
v1.22
log 09. 00:28:25

#0 no ids found in url (should be separated by "_") +0s ... 0s

#1 not redirecting to Ajax server +0s ... 0s

#2 did not recreate cache, as it is less than 5 days old! Created at Wed, 07 Jun 2023 11:14:20 +0200 +0.001s ... 0.001s

#3 start showIntegratedCPUs +0.055s ... 0.057s

#4 return log +0.021s ... 0.078s

Polaris

Polaris is AMD's first architecture manufactured in a 14 nm FinFET process. It is the 4th generation GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture and offers the following improvements according to AMD:

  • Enhanced geometry engines
  • Improved shader efficiency (up to 15 % per CU at RX 480 vs. R9 290)
  • LiquidVR API support with "Variable Resolution Rendering"
  • Improved memory controller and Delta Color Compression (DCC) with full 2/4/8:1 support
  • Doubled Level 2 cache
  • Shader Instruction Pre-Fetch and improved buffering
  • Improved Asynchronous Compute
  • AMD TrueAudio Next (calculated via shader)
  • H.265 Main 10 decode and 4K60 HEVC encode
  • HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.3 HBR (5K60 with a single cable) / 1.4 HDR with HDCP 2.2
  • HDR display support

These improvements are supposed to increase the performance per Watt up to the factor 2.8x (RX 470 vs. R9 270X).

Our test system for the following benchmarks consists of the following components:

Intel Core i7-4790K (not overclocked), 16 GB DDR3, Asus ZU97-Deluxe, Asus PB287Q 4K monitor, Intel SSD 530 (240 GB, system), OCZ Trion 100 SSD (480 GB, benchmarks), Windows 10 64-bit with all updates as of mid June. As a driver we used the press release of the 16.6.2 (pre launch of the card). The 16.7.2 should boost performance by around 3% according to Computerbase.

Synthetic Benchmarks

We use the synthetic benchmarks from Futuremark's 3DMark series as well as the products from Ungine to test the graphics performance. However, the results should be handled carefully, because all manufacturers optimize their GPUs and drivers for the 3DMarks in particular.

On average, the new Radeon RX 480 is ahead of the GeForce GTX 970 (-6 %) and Radeon R9 290X (-5 %) in our benchmarks, but is usually behind the GTX 980 (Notebook) (6-11 % faster) and R9 390X (4 % faster). The RX 480 can even just beat the GTX 980 in the old 3DMark 11 Graphics subscore, but the Unigine Heaven 4.0 performance is pretty weak in return.

The new Geforce GTX 1080 (Pascal) is – as expected – out of reach and manages an impressive advantage of 86 % on average.

3DMark
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
4841 Points ∼100% +80%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
3918 Points ∼81% +46%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
3552 Points ∼73% +32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
3033 Points ∼63% +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
2977 Points ∼61% +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
2717 Points ∼56% +1%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
2687 Points ∼56%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
2675 Points ∼55% 0%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
20268 Points ∼100% +66%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
16961 Points ∼84% +39%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
14580 Points ∼72% +20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
13286 Points ∼66% +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
12691 Points ∼63% +4%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
12389 Points ∼61% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
12186 Points ∼60%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
11998 Points ∼59% -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
11954 Points ∼59% -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
11155 Points ∼55% -8%
1280x720 Sky Diver Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
71735 Points ∼100% +90%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
55369 Points ∼77% +47%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
44731 Points ∼62% +19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
40152 Points ∼56% +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
38656 Points ∼54% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
37734 Points ∼53%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
35256 Points ∼49% -7%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
129042 Points ∼100% +79%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
98958 Points ∼77% +37%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
80439 Points ∼62% +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
75213 Points ∼58% +4%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
74351 Points ∼58% +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
74166 Points ∼57% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
72213 Points ∼56%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
71472 Points ∼55% -1%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
29443 Points ∼100% +64%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
23057 Points ∼78% +29%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
17944 Points ∼61% 0%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
17919 Points ∼61%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
17697 Points ∼60% -1%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
17543 Points ∼60% -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
17050 Points ∼58% -5%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
16355 Points ∼56% -9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
16033 Points ∼54% -11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
15071 Points ∼51% -16%
Unigine Heaven 4.0 - Extreme Preset DX11
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
137.7 fps ∼100% +109%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
110 fps ∼80% +67%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
80.5 fps ∼58% +22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
78.1 fps ∼57% +18%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
77.1 fps ∼56% +17%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
72.2 fps ∼52% +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
66.7 fps ∼48% +1%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
66 fps ∼48%
Unigine Valley 1.0 - 1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
106.9 fps ∼100% +104%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
91.1 fps ∼85% +74%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
73.5 fps ∼69% +41%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
64.2 fps ∼60% +23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
59.1 fps ∼55% +13%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
52.3 fps ∼49%

Legend

 
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3, AMD Radeon R9 390X,
 
MSI GamingDock Intel Core i7-4870HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970,
 
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon R9 Fury, Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Tri-X OC Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon R9 290X, Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
Desktop PC Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
 
Notebookcheck Desktop PC Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, Crucial MX100 256 GB
 
Schenker XMG U716 Intel Core i7-6700, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
 
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000

Gaming Benchmarks

The general gaming performance is obviously more important. During this test, we checked the performance of the RX 480 with 34 games and numerous settings. The average results in 1920 x 1080 and maximum settings as well as 4K with high settings are on par with the R9 290X, and slightly ahead of the GTX 970 (-2 %, but inside the MSI Gaming Dock and less benchmarks). The R9 390X is 5 % faster, while the GTX 980 about 5-15 % faster depending on the device (desktop or notebook). The Radeon R9 Fury (Pro) manages 17 % more frames per second on average (it is particularly faster in 4K).

The RX 480 performs excellent in the targeted Full-HD resolution and manages smooth frame rates in all tested games. Only Anno 2205 and XCOM 2 are on the limit, but high frame rates are not that important here.

The GTX 980 is actually beaten in some titles in Full-HD (Dragon Age Inquisition, GTA V, Rainbow Six Siege, Black Ops 3, Hitman 2016, and Overwatch), but it also manages a significant lead in other games (Rise of the Tomb Raider +25 %, Fallout 4 +19 %, Mad Max +16 %). It is 7 % faster on average.

More gaming benchmarks are listed at the end of this article. They are continuously maintained and upgraded.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
121 (108min - 131max) fps ∼100% +72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
95 (86min - 103max) fps ∼79% +35%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
81.3 (74min - 86max) fps ∼67% +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
76.4 (69min) fps ∼63% +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
72 fps ∼60% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
70.3 (66min - 75max) fps ∼58%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
65.9 (53min - 73max) fps ∼54% -6%
3840x2160 High Preset AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
47 (44min - 50max) fps ∼100% +85%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
38.3 (35min - 42max) fps ∼81% +51%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
31.5 (23min - 35max) fps ∼67% +24%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
28.6 (26min - 31max) fps ∼61% +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
28.3 (26min) fps ∼60% +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
26.1 (24min - 28max) fps ∼56% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
25.4 (23min - 27max) fps ∼54%
Overwatch
1920x1080 Epic (Render Scale 100 %) AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
196 (164min - 231max) fps ∼100% +41%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
154 (129min - 183max) fps ∼79% +11%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
139 fps ∼71%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
121 (94min - 147max) fps ∼62% -13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
117 (97min) fps ∼60% -16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
107 fps ∼55% -23%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
97 (78min - 117max) fps ∼49% -30%
3840x2160 High (Render Scale 100 %) AA:SM AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
104 (88min - 121max) fps ∼100% +82%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
87 (75min - 101max) fps ∼84% +53%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
77 (64min - 91max) fps ∼74% +35%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
65.4 (55min - 76max) fps ∼63% +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
62.3 (53min) fps ∼60% +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
58.2 (50min - 68max) fps ∼56% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
57 fps ∼55%
Doom
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
137 (112min - 191max) fps ∼100% +71%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
127 (107min - 163max) fps ∼93% +59%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
97.5 (82min) fps ∼71% +22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
96 (81min - 122max) fps ∼70% +20%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
83 (67min - 125max) fps ∼61% +4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
80 (68min - 109max) fps ∼58%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
56.5 fps ∼100% +88%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
46 (41min - 60max) fps ∼81% +53%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
38.2 (33min - 51max) fps ∼68% +27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
34.4 (30min) fps ∼61% +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
34.3 (30min - 44max) fps ∼61% +14%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
30 (25min - 39max) fps ∼53%
Need for Speed 2016
1920x1080 Ultra / On AA:T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
104 (64min - 148max) fps ∼100% +52%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
90 (63min - 117max) fps ∼87% +32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
74.6 (55min) fps ∼72% +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
70 (53min - 81max) fps ∼67% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
68.4 (48min - 84max) fps ∼66%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
68.3 (42min - 87max) fps ∼66% 0%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
61 (43min - 81max) fps ∼59% -11%
3840x2160 High / On AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
61 (47min - 75max) fps ∼100% +93%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
48 (37min - 58max) fps ∼79% +52%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
40.3 (34min - 48max) fps ∼66% +28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
34 (27min) fps ∼56% +8%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
32.5 (27min - 40max) fps ∼53% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
31.6 (26min - 38max) fps ∼52%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
31 (23min - 39max) fps ∼51% -2%
Hitman 2016
1920x1080 Ultra / On AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
78 (61min - 96max) fps ∼100% +27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
70 (50min - 87max) fps ∼90% +14%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
61.5 (35min - 77max) fps ∼79%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
58.7 (44min - 72max) fps ∼75% -5%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
61 (45min - 86max) fps ∼78% -1%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
59.2 (48min - 62max) fps ∼76% -4%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
58 (43min - 71max) fps ∼74% -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
57.8 (41min) fps ∼74% -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
52 fps ∼67% -15%
3840x2160 High / On AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
42 (34min - 53max) fps ∼100% +44%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
38.9 (26min - 46max) fps ∼93% +34%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
37.7 (26min - 46max) fps ∼90% +30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
32.6 (24min - 42max) fps ∼78% +12%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
32.5 (26min - 38max) fps ∼77% +12%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
29.1 (23min - 34max) fps ∼69%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28.1 (22min - 33max) fps ∼67% -3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
26.2 (19min) fps ∼62% -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
23 fps ∼55% -21%
The Division
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
95 (55min - 125max) fps ∼100% +65%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
76 (46min - 103max) fps ∼80% +32%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
61 (37min - 93max) fps ∼64% +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
57.7 (32min) fps ∼61% 0%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
57.5 (39min - 77max) fps ∼61%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
55 fps ∼58% -4%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
50.7 (32min - 73max) fps ∼53% -12%
3840x2160 High Preset AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
48.5 (19min - 65max) fps ∼100% +71%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
39.8 (14min - 51max) fps ∼82% +40%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
34.5 (19min - 51max) fps ∼71% +21%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
29.9 (13min - 41max) fps ∼62% +5%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28.4 (12min - 38max) fps ∼59%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
27.7 (10min) fps ∼57% -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
27 fps ∼56% -5%
Far Cry Primal
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
106 (80min - 125max) fps ∼100% +80%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
83 (66min - 101max) fps ∼78% +41%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
68 (52min - 83max) fps ∼64% +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
63 (49min) fps ∼59% +7%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
59 (47min - 76max) fps ∼56%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
57 (46min - 73max) fps ∼54% -3%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
49 (46min - 53max) fps ∼100% +75%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
40 (37min - 44max) fps ∼82% +43%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
37 (33min - 42max) fps ∼76% +32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
29 (27min) fps ∼59% +4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28 (26min - 31max) fps ∼57%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
27 (25min - 30max) fps ∼55% -4%
XCOM 2
1920x1080 Maximum Preset (8xMSAA instead of FXAA) AA:8xMS AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
48 (43min - 52max) fps ∼100% +78%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
41.2 (37min - 45max) fps ∼86% +53%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
34.3 (29min - 38max) fps ∼71% +28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
31.3 (28min) fps ∼65% +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
27.3 (24min - 30max) fps ∼57% +1%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
26.9 (25min - 29max) fps ∼56%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
30.4 (27min - 34max) fps ∼100% +87%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
25 (24min - 28max) fps ∼82% +53%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
22 (19min - 24max) fps ∼72% +35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
18.7 (17min) fps ∼62% +15%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
16.3 (15min - 18max) fps ∼54%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
15.9 (14min - 18max) fps ∼52% -2%
Rise of the Tomb Raider
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
50 fps ∼100% +87%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
47.8 (43min - 54max) fps ∼96% +79%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
40.6 (36min - 46max) fps ∼81% +52%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
32.4 (29min - 37max) fps ∼65% +21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
27.9 (25min) fps ∼56% +4%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
27.2 (23min - 31max) fps ∼54% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
26.7 (22min - 30max) fps ∼53%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
24.5 (21min - 28max) fps ∼49% -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
25.3 (22min - 30max) fps ∼51% -5%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
112 (105min - 124max) fps ∼100% +96%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
112 (105min) fps ∼100% +96%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
112 fps ∼100% +96%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
88 (81min - 95max) fps ∼79% +54%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
71.3 (64min) fps ∼64% +25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
60.2 (54min - 67max) fps ∼54% +6%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
57 (46min - 66max) fps ∼51% 0%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
57 (49min - 65max) fps ∼51%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
50.5 (47min - 55max) fps ∼45% -11%
Just Cause 3
3840x2160 High / On AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
62 (56min - 67max) fps ∼100% +90%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
48 (42min - 52max) fps ∼77% +47%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
36.6 (33min) fps ∼59% +12%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
36.3 (33min - 41max) fps ∼59% +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
33.5 (27min - 36max) fps ∼54% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
32.6 (26min - 37max) fps ∼53%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
31.2 fps ∼50% -4%
1920x1080 Very High / On AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
122 (104min - 139max) fps ∼100% +49%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
103 (92min - 116max) fps ∼84% +26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
84.2 (75min) fps ∼69% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
82 (72min - 96max) fps ∼67%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
80 (72min - 90max) fps ∼66% -2%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
59 (47min - 73max) fps ∼48% -28%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
48.6 fps ∼40% -41%
Rainbow Six Siege
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
208 fps ∼100% +64%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
164 (108min - 231max) fps ∼79% +29%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
127 (86min - 188max) fps ∼61%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
120 fps ∼58% -6%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
117 (77min - 186max) fps ∼56% -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
107.6 (67min) fps ∼52% -15%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
107.6 fps ∼52% -15%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:T AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
82 fps ∼100% +69%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
67 (50min - 95max) fps ∼82% +38%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
62 (47min - 76max) fps ∼76% +28%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
54 fps ∼66% +12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
50.1 (35min) fps ∼61% +4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
48.4 (38min - 59max) fps ∼59%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
44.8 fps ∼55% -7%
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:4x MSAA + FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
57 (47min - 66max) fps ∼100% +96%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
46.3 (39min - 53max) fps ∼81% +59%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
33.5 (27min) fps ∼59% +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
32.3 fps ∼57% +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
32 (26min - 39max) fps ∼56% +10%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
29.1 (23min - 34max) fps ∼51%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
28.3 (23min - 34max) fps ∼50% -3%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
25.6 fps ∼45% -12%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
5 (3min - 8max) fps ∼9% -83%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
47.3 (44min - 51max) fps ∼100% +85%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
37.4 (35min - 41max) fps ∼79% +46%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
31.5 (29min - 37max) fps ∼67% +23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
28.2 fps ∼60% +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
27.6 (26min) fps ∼58% +8%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
26.7 fps ∼56% +4%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
26.2 (23min - 31max) fps ∼55% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
25.6 (23min - 29max) fps ∼54%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
25.2 (23min - 28max) fps ∼53% -2%
Star Wars Battlefront
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
171 (155min - 198max) fps ∼100% +71%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
134 (118min - 156max) fps ∼78% +34%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
119 (100min - 137max) fps ∼70% +19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
104.1 (89min) fps ∼61% +4%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
104 (92min - 123max) fps ∼61% +4%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
104 fps ∼61% +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
102.1 fps ∼60% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
100 (90min - 119max) fps ∼58%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
94 (78min - 113max) fps ∼55% -6%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
67 (58min - 79max) fps ∼100% +74%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
53 (46min - 64max) fps ∼79% +38%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
50 (43min - 60max) fps ∼75% +30%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
43.4 (36min - 51max) fps ∼65% +13%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
42.5 fps ∼63% +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
40.4 (35min) fps ∼60% +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
39.6 fps ∼59% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
38.5 (34min - 46max) fps ∼57%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
34.7 (30min - 42max) fps ∼52% -10%
Fallout 4
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
129 (104min - 176max) fps ∼100% +91%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
106 (86min - 132max) fps ∼82% +57%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
80 (66min - 98max) fps ∼62% +18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
78 fps ∼60% +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
73 (59min - 94max) fps ∼57% +8%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
72.8 fps ∼56% +8%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
67.6 (52min - 86max) fps ∼52%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
64 (51min - 80max) fps ∼50% -5%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:T AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
54 (42min - 66max) fps ∼100% +90%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
46 (37min - 56max) fps ∼85% +62%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
38.7 (30min - 49max) fps ∼72% +36%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
33.7 fps ∼62% +19%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
33.3 fps ∼62% +17%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
31.6 (25min - 37max) fps ∼59% +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
30 (24min - 37max) fps ∼56% +6%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28.4 (21min - 36max) fps ∼53%
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
1920x1080 Extra / On AA:T2x SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
150 (126min - 177max) fps ∼100% +60%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
117 (100min - 140max) fps ∼78% +24%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
94 (82min - 111max) fps ∼63%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
88.3 fps ∼59% -6%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
86.7 fps ∼58% -8%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
76 (66min - 103max) fps ∼51% -19%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
67 (64min - 103max) fps ∼45% -29%
3840x2160 High / On AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
58 (50min - 67max) fps ∼100% +65%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
47.5 (41min - 55max) fps ∼82% +35%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
37 fps ∼64% +5%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
36.4 (30min - 44max) fps ∼63% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
35.2 (31min - 41max) fps ∼61%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
34.2 fps ∼59% -3%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
31.1 (25min - 38max) fps ∼54% -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
29.7 (25min - 34max) fps ∼51% -16%
Anno 2205
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
59 (56min - 63max) fps ∼100% +106%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
43.9 (40min - 47max) fps ∼74% +53%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
33 (31min - 35max) fps ∼56% +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
30.7 fps ∼52% +7%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28.7 (25min - 31max) fps ∼49%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
27.7 fps ∼47% -3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
27.7 (35min - 30max) fps ∼47% -3%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
26 (23min - 29max) fps ∼44% -9%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
67 (64min - 70max) fps ∼100% +157%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
52.2 (49min - 55max) fps ∼78% +100%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
34.3 (32min - 36max) fps ∼51% +31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
34.1 fps ∼51% +31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
34.1 (32min - 36max) fps ∼51% +31%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
29.3 fps ∼44% +12%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
26.9 (25min - 29max) fps ∼40% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
26.1 (23min - 28max) fps ∼39%
World of Warships
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:High FX AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
162 (101min - 246max) fps ∼100%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
162 (99min - 261max) fps ∼100%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
153 (95min - 217max) fps ∼94%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
134 (85min - 168max) fps ∼83%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
130 (79min - 179max) fps ∼80%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
124.1 fps ∼77%
3840 x 2160 Very High Preset AA:High FX AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
109 (81min - 150max) fps ∼100% +109%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
87 (64min - 132max) fps ∼80% +67%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
64 (50min - 82max) fps ∼59% +23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
58.6 (43min - 89max) fps ∼54% +12%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
57.9 (44min - 75max) fps ∼53% +11%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
56.1 fps ∼51% +7%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
52.2 (40min - 75max) fps ∼48%
Mad Max
1920x1080 Very High Preset AF:12x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
215 (196min - 232max) fps ∼100% +81%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
180 fps ∼84% +51%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
144 (127min - 158max) fps ∼67% +21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
136.6 fps ∼64% +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
125 fps ∼58% +5%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
119 (103min - 131max) fps ∼55% 0%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
119 (106min - 130max) fps ∼55%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
116.4 fps ∼54% -2%
3840x2160 High Preset AF:6x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
77 (72min - 88max) fps ∼100% +87%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
65 fps ∼84% +58%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
55 (51min - 61max) fps ∼71% +34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
48.1 fps ∼62% +17%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
47.3 (44min - 53max) fps ∼61% +15%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
46 fps ∼60% +12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
44 fps ∼57% +7%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
41.1 (37min - 47max) fps ∼53%
Metal Gear Solid V - 3840x2160 High / On
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
60 (59min - 61max) fps ∼100% +39%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
57 (54min - 61max) fps ∼95% +32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
50.8 fps ∼85% +18%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
48.8 fps ∼81% +13%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
46.8 (44min - 50max) fps ∼78% +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
46 (44min - 48max) fps ∼77% +7%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
43.1 (41min - 45max) fps ∼72%
Dirt Rally
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
137 (118min - 166max) fps ∼100% +67%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
135 (98min - 177max) fps ∼99% +65%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
97.4 (78min - 119max) fps ∼71% +19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
97 fps ∼71% +18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
97 (80min - 124max) fps ∼71% +18%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
94 (60min - 113max) fps ∼69% +15%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
93.5 fps ∼68% +14%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
82 (68min - 116max) fps ∼60%
3840x2160 High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
143 (113min - 186max) fps ∼100% +123%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
126 (99min - 154max) fps ∼88% +97%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
109 (88min - 139max) fps ∼76% +70%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
84.2 fps ∼59% +32%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
81 (53min - 104max) fps ∼57% +27%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
75.2 (64min - 98max) fps ∼53% +18%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
71.2 fps ∼50% +11%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
64 (53min - 78max) fps ∼45%
The Witcher 3
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
76.4 (64min - 85max) fps ∼100% +74%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
59.3 (51min - 67max) fps ∼78% +35%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
45.5 (39min - 51max) fps ∼60% +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
44.3 fps ∼58% +1%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
43.9 (40min - 49max) fps ∼57%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
42.2 (36min - 49max) fps ∼55% -4%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
40.8 fps ∼53% -7%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
29 (25min - 32max) fps ∼38% -34%
3840x2160 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
55 fps ∼100% +102%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
44 (39min - 49max) fps ∼80% +62%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
35.9 (32min - 39max) fps ∼65% +32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
30.1 fps ∼55% +11%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
29.1 fps ∼53% +7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
29.1 (24min - 33max) fps ∼53% +7%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
28.4 (22min - 32max) fps ∼52% +4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
27.2 (25min - 30max) fps ∼49%
GTA V
1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
80 (32min - 158max) fps ∼100% +75%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
68 (33min - 153max) fps ∼85% +49%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
51 fps ∼64% +12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
47.7 fps ∼60% +5%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
45.6 fps ∼57%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
41 (20min - 80max) fps ∼51% -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
39.8 fps ∼50% -13%
3840x2160 High/On (Advanced Graphics Off) AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
79 fps ∼100% +126%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
71.2 (11.6min - 170max) fps ∼90% +104%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
59.8 fps ∼76% +71%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
51.8 (22min - 129max) fps ∼66% +48%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
51.4 fps ∼65% +47%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
46.6 fps ∼59% +34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
41.3 fps ∼52% +18%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
34.9 fps ∼44%
Battlefield Hardline
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (DX11)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
154.9 fps ∼100% +35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
129.1 fps ∼83% +12%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
128.2 fps ∼83% +11%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
122 (112min - 134max) fps ∼79% +6%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
115 fps ∼74%
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality (DX11) AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
116 (109min - 122max) fps ∼100% +35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
99 fps ∼85% +15%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
92.2 fps ∼79% +7%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
86 fps ∼74%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
84 (74min - 92max) fps ∼72% -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
78.4 fps ∼68% -9%
Dragon Age: Inquisition - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality AA:2x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
118 (97min) fps ∼100% +84%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
100 (76min) fps ∼85% +56%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
67.9 fps ∼58% +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
67.4 (51min) fps ∼57% +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
65.4 fps ∼55% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
64.1 (48.5min) fps ∼54%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
53.9 (44.4min) fps ∼46% -16%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
60 (52min) fps ∼51% -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
54.2 fps ∼46% -15%
Alien: Isolation - 1920x1080 Ultra, On, Shadow Map 2048, HDAO AA:2x SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
221 fps ∼100% +81%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
137 fps ∼62% +12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
134.4 fps ∼61% +10%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
122 fps ∼55%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
112.9 fps ∼51% -7%
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset (HD Package)
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
103 (65min - 146max) fps ∼100% +23%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
94.5 fps ∼92% +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
91.4 fps ∼89% +9%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
84 (57min - 123max) fps ∼82%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
80 (52min - 125max) fps ∼78% -5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
76.9 fps ∼75% -8%
Battlefield 4
3840x2160 High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
90 fps ∼100% +115%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
70 (63min - 84max) fps ∼78% +67%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
56 (49min - 65max) fps ∼62% +34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
52.5 fps ∼58% +25%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
49.9 fps ∼55% +19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
47.6 (43min - 57max) fps ∼53% +14%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
46.6 (41min - 54max) fps ∼52% +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
43 fps ∼48% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
41.9 (38min - 50max) fps ∼47%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
176 (159min - 201max) fps ∼100% +115%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
136 (125min - 164max) fps ∼77% +66%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
101 (92min - 122max) fps ∼57% +23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
99.6 fps ∼57% +21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
94 (86min - 114max) fps ∼53% +15%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
89.7 fps ∼51% +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
83.2 fps ∼47% +1%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
82 (67min - 101max) fps ∼47%
Metro: Last Light - 1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
140 fps ∼100% +75%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
119 fps ∼85% +49%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
92.3 fps ∼66% +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
90 fps ∼64% +13%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
89 fps ∼64% +11%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
82.7 fps ∼59% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
80 (43min - 143max) fps ∼57%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
77.6 fps ∼55% -3%
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
181 fps ∼100% +65%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
160 fps ∼88% +45%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
121.4 fps ∼67% +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
118 fps ∼65% +7%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
112.4 fps ∼62% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
110 (20min - 177max) fps ∼61%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
107.6 fps ∼59% -2%
Crysis 3 - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:2xSM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
100 (83min - 155max) fps ∼100% +90%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
81 (65min - 127max) fps ∼81% +54%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
64.5 (51min - 95max) fps ∼65% +23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
60.7 fps ∼61% +15%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
56.1 fps ∼56% +7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
55 fps ∼55% +5%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
52.6 (45min - 73max) fps ∼53%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
50.6 fps ∼51% -4%

Legend

 
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3, AMD Radeon R9 390X,
 
MSI GamingDock Intel Core i7-4870HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970,
 
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon R9 Fury, Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Tri-X OC Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon R9 290X, Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
Desktop PC Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
 
Notebookcheck Desktop PC Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, Crucial MX100 256 GB
 
Schenker XMG U716 Intel Core i7-6700, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
 
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000

Gaming Smoothness

According to AMD, the RX 480 was also optimized for lower latency on every frame rendered. Nvidia was always slightly better in this respect. We can see some drops in our test with "The Division", but they are still acceptable at 25.6 ms (1 %).

FPS in the demanding The Division. 99 % are above 39 fps, so there was no stuttering at an average 47 fps.
FPS in the demanding The Division. 99 % are above 39 fps, so there was no stuttering at an average 47 fps.
AMD specs: Far Cry 4 frame times
AMD specs: Far Cry 4 frame times
AMD specs: Doom frame times
AMD specs: Doom frame times
AMD specs: The Witcher 3 frame times
AMD specs: The Witcher 3 frame times
AMD specs: Fallout 4 frame times
AMD specs: Fallout 4 frame times
AMD specs: Tomb Raider 2560x1440 Very High (very memory-heavy) - frame times 8 GB vs 4 GB
AMD specs: Tomb Raider 2560x1440 Very High (very memory-heavy) - frame times 8 GB vs 4 GB

Performance under Load / Throttling

3DMark Fire Strike Stress Test, hardly any performance drops over the test period
3DMark Fire Strike Stress Test, hardly any performance drops over the test period

With modern Boost and Turbo features, it is obviously very important how long the graphics card can maintain its performance. Sustained load for multiple hours is not uncommon when you play games. The reference design of the RX 480 leaves a very good impression in this respect. The frame rate did not drop in our test with "The Witcher 3", and the clocks varied between 1226 and 1250 MHz. The GPU temperature leveled off at 80 °C, which is not critical. The performance also dropped by just 0.5 % in the 3DMark Fire Strike Stress Test (20 runs), and the internal temperatures are once again at 80 °C. However, we only saw 1266 MHz at the start, and it was later reduced to 930 MHz.

Compute Performance

The Radeon RX 480 is equipped with 36 Compute Units for general calculations. AMD pushes the open CL protocol, but DirectCompute is supported as well. The performance is actually decent in LuxMark (OpenCL) and ComputeMark (DirectCompute) and a bit faster than in games. Both the GTX 980 and R9 390X are a bit slower and the advantage of the GTX 1080 is also smaller compared to the gaming benchmarks.

LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
Room GPUs-only
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
2490 Samples/s ∼100% +50%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
2327 Samples/s ∼93% +40%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
Schenker XMG U716, 6700
1893 Samples/s ∼76% +14%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
1874 Samples/s ∼75% +13%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
1661 Samples/s ∼67%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition, E3-1230 v3
1638 Samples/s ∼66% -1%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
1566 Samples/s ∼63% -6%
Sala GPUs-only
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
4708 Samples/s ∼100% +36%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
3919 Samples/s ∼83% +13%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
3468 Samples/s ∼74%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition, E3-1230 v3
3179 Samples/s ∼68% -8%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
3125 Samples/s ∼66% -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
Schenker XMG U716, 6700
3038 Samples/s ∼65% -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
3020 Samples/s ∼64% -13%
ComputeMark v2.1
1024x600 Normal, QJuliaRayTrace
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
6191 Points ∼100% +125%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
4270 Points ∼69% +55%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
Schenker XMG U716, 6700
3238 Points ∼52% +18%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
3082 Points ∼50% +12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
3027 Points ∼49% +10%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
2746 Points ∼44%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition, E3-1230 v3
2666 Points ∼43% -3%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Scalar
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
3646 Points ∼100% +44%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
3233 Points ∼89% +27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
2710 Points ∼74% +7%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition, E3-1230 v3
2625 Points ∼72% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
2539 Points ∼70%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
Schenker XMG U716, 6700
1973 Points ∼54% -22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
1829 Points ∼50% -28%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Vector
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
3284 Points ∼100% +52%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
2602 Points ∼79% +20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
2479 Points ∼75% +15%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition, E3-1230 v3
2232 Points ∼68% +3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
2162 Points ∼66%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
Schenker XMG U716, 6700
1941 Points ∼59% -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
1840 Points ∼56% -15%
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 2DTexArr
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
1758 Points ∼100% +77%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
1382 Points ∼79% +39%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
1114 Points ∼63% +12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
Schenker XMG U716, 6700
1010 Points ∼57% +2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
991 Points ∼56%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition, E3-1230 v3
978 Points ∼56% -1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
917 Points ∼52% -7%
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 3DTex
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
1860 Points ∼100% +52%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
1730 Points ∼93% +42%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
1531 Points ∼82% +25%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition, E3-1230 v3
1300 Points ∼70% +7%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
1220 Points ∼66%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
Schenker XMG U716, 6700
1038 Points ∼56% -15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
936 Points ∼50% -23%
1024x600 Normal, Score
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
16610 Points ∼100% +72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
12373 Points ∼74% +28%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
11890 Points ∼72% +23%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition, E3-1230 v3
9800 Points ∼59% +1%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
9659 Points ∼58%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
Schenker XMG U716, 6700
9200 Points ∼55% -5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
8549 Points ∼51% -11%

Overclocking

Our short attempts with the new overclocking tool "WattMan" were not overly successful. With a 5 % higher core clock, the card managed up to 1330 MHz (stable) in The Witcher 3, and the performance was around 4 % higher (Full-HD, high details). We did, however, not validate the stability of these settings with long-term testing. A 10 % increase of the core clock immediately caused a crash as soon as we accepted the setting in WattMan.

Problems

All in all, the RX 480 was very reliable during our multiple-day testing. We did encounter 3x reboots while we tested one game and some games were unexpectedly stopped. Assassin's Creed in particular did not really like pour hardware. Besides a reboot, the game crashed repeatedly. Fifa 16 is a second example and did not want to launch with Fraps (could only be activated during when the game was already launched). Otherwise, the 32 tested games ran without any issues. Overall not quite as good as the GTX 1080 we reviewed, which only had problems with Hitman but did not cause any reboots. It is still a good performance for a new architecture ahead of the official launch though.

Video Engine

DXVAChecker der Radeon RX 480
DXVAChecker der Radeon RX 480

The new video engine can actually convince in the test. A 4K video (H.264, 100 Mbps) was played at 84 fps and with 3 % CPU load in the DVXAChecker Playback benchmark. In comparison: The GTX 1080 managed 138 fps and 4 % CPU load.

The new H.265 decoder handles a 4K 10-bit video at 72 fps and 2 % CPU load.

The RX 480 does not have a PlayReady 3.0 (SL3000) certification like the GTX 1080 does. This is supposed to be possible in the future according to AMD.

Power Consumption

Thanks to the 14 nm process, AMD can manage a significant improvement in respect of the power consumption. The idle results of our test system were not quite as convincing as the GeForce GTX 1080, but we still determined a small improvement compared to the XFX Radeon Fury Pro. Our Voltcraft VC-940 measured 77 Watts for the RX 480 with the attached 4K monitor (after a longer idle period on the desktop). The GTX 1080 managed 68 Watts in the same system. According to AMD the high idle power consumption is due to a driver bug that wont enable all power saving options in the chip. It should be fixed till launch and save approximately 1/3 power.

The consumption is obviously much lower compared to GTX 1080 under load. We measure 242 Watts under sustained load in FurMark and 247 Watts in The Witcher 3 at 58 fps. GPU-Z shows between 100 and 120 Watts for the GPU alone. The GTX 1080 resulted in 294 Watts in both tests and 109 fps in The Witcher 3. The XFX Radeon Fury Pro consumed more than 340 Watts in the same system.

Comparison values from the RX 460 test with the newest 16.8.1 AMD driver (also for the RX 480).
Comparison values from the RX 460 test with the newest 16.8.1 AMD driver (also for the RX 480).

System Noise

The AMD Radeon RX 480 is actually quite good in the noise measurements. There is basically no difference compared to the system with the integrated GPU while idling. We measured up to 46.3 dB(A) at 2176 rpm under load, while the GTX 1080 reached up to 49.4 dB(A) under load. The transistor whining of our RX 480 test sample is not as strong as the GTX 1080. Even in 3DMark Ice Storm at more than 2000 fps, we only noticed a quiet whistling sound at a distance of 20 cm. It should not be audible inside a closed case.

Frequency diagram of our test system with RX 480. Purple - system off 30.9 dB; black - idle 41 dB, green - 1500 rpm 43.6 dB; gray 2176 rpm, 46 dB (gaming); blue - maximum fan speed (manually set) 5100 rpm, 70 dB
Frequency diagram of our test system with RX 480. Purple - system off 30.9 dB; black - idle 41 dB, green - 1500 rpm 43.6 dB; gray 2176 rpm, 46 dB (gaming); blue - maximum fan speed (manually set) 5100 rpm, 70 dB
Comparison between RX 480 and GTX 970 (only GPUs), released by AMD.
Comparison between RX 480 and GTX 970 (only GPUs), released by AMD.

Heat Development

The rear of the RX 480 got really warm in the test, and we can measure up to 72 °C in our test system. The top and the sides on the other hand stay pretty cool at up to 50 °C. The reference design of the GTX 1080 did reach similarly high temperatures.

Inside the GPU, the sensors show up to 81 °C under heavy load (like The Witcher 3) – not critical at all.

Crossfire

AMD advertises two RX 480 in a Crossfire configuration as an alternative to the GTX 1080. At a lower price, they are supposed to manage a comparable performance. AMD showed Ashes of Singularity during its press conference, which managed a comparable frame rate. We unfortunately did not have a second test sample, so we could not check this claim. We are pretty sceptical about Crossfire and SLI in general though. There are often problems due to missing profiles (no performance gains) or micro stutters. The situation might be a bit better with DirectX 12 games, but we do not really expect big improvements.

Verdict

The AMD Radeon RX 480 is the first graphics card with the Polaris architecture manufactured in the new 14 nm FinFET process. Priced at 215 Euros ($199 USD without taxes) for the 4 GB version and 255 Euros ($239 USD) for the 8 GB version, they are right in the mainstream segment (roughly RRP of the R9 380), and therefore not competing with the new high-end chips GTX 1080/1070 from Nvidia. Compared to the 28 nm GPUs, the new RX 480 leaves an excellent impression. The power consumption is much lower under load and the performance is roughly on par with the GeForce GTX 970 (or slightly below the R0 390X, respectively). The 8 GB version of the RX 480 turns out to be perfectly suited for Full-HD gaming with the maximum settings. Only Anno 2205 and XCOM 2 drop below 30 fps on average. However, high frame rates are not really necessary for these games. 4K gaming is only recommended with simpler titles like Overwatch or World of Warships.

The new generation also convinces with features like HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.3/1.4 for 5K monitors, HDR support, and improved video engine. The reference card is well-built and conveniently quiet, despite the low price. We think the consumption while idling can still be improved and AMD already verified that there is a bug in the current driver that should fix that issue. Nvidia's more expensive GTX 1080 shows what is possible in this respect. The small stability issues will hopefully be fixed until the launch. 

Until Nvidia releases smaller model with the Pascal architecture, AMD's only competition are the old cards that are in the sale right now. Thanks to the improved efficiency and features, the price will have to be pretty tempting though. Until then, we can clearly recommend the RX 480. It is, however, questionable, if the 8 GB version is worth the additional price. The benefits right now are limited to a few playable settings (like Tomb Raider).

Update 14th July 2016: Added GTX 970 (MSI GamingX 4GB) benchmarks

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - 3DMark 11 + Fire Strike + Time Spy
28.5 pt (29%)
3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total +
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX +
3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 +
3DMark 06
36954 Points (51%)
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit +
Cinebench R15 OpenGL Ref. Match 64 Bit +
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex HD Onscreen C24Z16 +
GFXBench T-Rex HD Offscreen C24Z16 +
GFXBench 3.0 - GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan Offscreen
198 fps (12%)
GFXBench - GFXBench Car Chase Onscreen
52.6 fps (1%)