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New GPU Testing Methodology Puts Multi-GPU Solutions In Question
Vigile writes "A big shift in the way graphics cards and gaming performance are tested has been occurring over the last few months, with many review sites now using frame times rather than just average frame rates to compare products. Another unique testing methodology called Frame Rating has been started by PC Perspective that uses video capture equipment capable of recording uncompressed high resolution output direct from the graphics card, a colored bar overlay system and post-processing on that recorded video to evaluate performance as it is seen by the end user. The benefit is that there is literally no software interference between the data points and what the user sees, making it is as close to an 'experience metric' as any developed. Interestingly, multi-GPU solutions like SLI and CrossFire have very different results when viewed in this light, with AMD's offering clearly presenting a poorer, and more stuttery, animation."
As an owner of a Crossfire setup, it's obviously not a 2x improvement over a single card; however, it's also a marked improvement over a single card. When I first set up this rig (August), I had problems with micro-stutter.* Now, though, after AMD's newer drivers and manually limiting games to 59 FPS, I don't see it anymore; games appear smooth as silk.
At a mathematical level, it may not be a perfect solution, but at a perceptual level, I am perfectly satisfied with my purchase. With that said, buying two mid-line cards instead of one high-end card isn't a good choice. Only buy two (or more) cards if you're going high-end.
*I was initially very disappointed with the Radeons. That's no longer the case, but I will probably still go nVidia the next time I upgrade, which hopefully won't be for years.
If you can't convince them, convict them.
99th percentile frame times. That gives you a realistic minimum framerate, discarding most outliers (many games, particularly those using UE3, tend to have a few very choppy frames right on level load, that don't really affect performance).
Haha, I'm at less than 1:1 electricity to bitcoin ratio after ~5 months.
Kill-A-Watt says I've used approx $68.23 of electricity at 11.5 cents per kWh. Bitcoins currently trade at 1 to $30 and I've got 2.2 bitcoins. The Radeon 6770 was (and still is) ~$110.
Additional factors to consider:
-The bitcoin machine is also my daily workstation so if it were running headless and otherwise unused it would have probably done better in the electricity used category.
-It makes a damn fine space heater and I've enjoyed it immensely this winter.
-My focus in this project was to learn hands-on about scientific computing applications and it's been great for that.
In conclusion: as a business it would have been a flop, partially because I haven't optimized the setup for that application. As a learning opportunity and 200 watt heater it's been phenomenal.