Ridiculously fast, but expensive and often
CPU-limited
The GeForce GTX 690 4GB is the uncontested
pinnacle of single graphics cards, with AMD not officially launching a
competing dual-GPU card this time. The GTX 690 4GB boasts a pair of Nvidia’s
Kepler GK104 GPUs, each with a full complement of 1,563 stream processors,
divided between four GPCs of two SMs each.
Nvidia
GeForce GTX 690 4GB
Cramming two GTX 680 2GBs onto a single PCB
has required some concessions, although they’re admittedly minor. The GTX 690
4GB makes use of Nvidia’s GPU Boost technology, automatically increasing clock
speeds as long as the GPU remains within its 300W TDP limit. In the worst case,
its core frequency will run at 915MHz (91MHz lower than that of a single GTX
680 2GB), but this is guaranteed to boost to 980MHz in most games. We’ve
observed our stock card boosting to 1,058MHz, which is close to the guaranteed
boost clock of a GTX 680 2GB.
Each GPU is also equipped with 2GB of GDDR5
memory running at 1.5GHz (6GHz effective), via a 256-bit memory interface. This
gives the card an effective memory bandwidth of 2 x 192GB/sec. Uniquely, no
Nvidia partner offers a custom PBX or custom cooler equipped version of the
card either; all GTX 690 4GBs ship with the same aluminium dual-slot cooler,
fitted on top of a 280mm-long PCB requiring a pair of 8-pin PCI-E power
connectors.
Each
GPU is also equipped with 2GB of GDDR5 memory running at 1.5GHz (6GHz
effective), via a 256-bit memory interface
With a score of 3,323 in our Unigine
benchmark, the GTX 690 4GB is close to 80 per cent faster than the GTX 680 4GB,
but then you’d expect this from the technical spec. in real-world games,
though, you’re less likely to see these huge benefits thanks to CPU
limitations; in Skyrim, the GTX 690 4GB was only 15 per cent faster than the
GTX 680 2GB at 1,920 x 1,080 with 8x AA, and only 30 per cent faster at 5,760 x
1,080 with 8x AA in the same game. There are some titles that do really see the
benefit, though, namely Battlefield 3 where the GTX 690 4GB proves to be around
80 per cent faster than the GTX 680 2GB at every resolution. Notably, however,
the GTX 690 is the only card that could play The Witcher 2 at 1,920 x 1,080
with the killer UberSampling mode enabled, and it’s also the only card that
managed playable minimum frame rates in all our test games at 5,760 x 1,600,
including Crysis 2.
Conclusion
You can’t doubt the GTX 690 4GB’s graphics
processing horsepower. Under the right circumstances, it can produce frame
rates far above any other single-PCB card. However, at a typical price of
$1341.99, the GTX 690 4GB costs more than twice as much as the costly GTX 680
2GB, without offering twice the speed. Unless you’re dead-set on gaming at
5,760 x 1,080 from a single card, you should look elsewhere.
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Details
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Price
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$1341.99
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Manufacturer:
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nvidia.com
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Rockefeller:
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Awesome performance, even at 5,760 x
1,080; great scaling over a GTX 680 2GB
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Zoidberg:
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Often CPU-limited; doesn’t always deliver
ideal SLI scaling; monstrous price
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Scores
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1920 speed:
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19/20
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2560 speed:
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19/20
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5760 speed:
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5/5
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Value:
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20/55
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