We tested the power consumption with a Watts Up? Pro power meter, using the device to record the total system power consumption at the wall socket, while we ran three sets of four runs of Crysis in DX10 at 1,920 x 1,200.
Using the data recorded by the meter we could determine the peak output, the consistent minimum and the average load over the entire run of tests.
As both ATI and Nvidia test benches are now identical Core i7 systems, we can accurately determine the apples to apples difference of what power both PCs take to run.
Power Consumption (idle)
Windows Vista Desktop (Aero Enabled)
ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 260-216 896MB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 1GB
HIS ATI Radeon HD 5850 1GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 275 896MB
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB
ATI Radeon HD 4890 1GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 295 1,792MB
ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB
ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB
124
130
131
134
134
134
149
155
172
176
184
191
0
50
100
150
200
Power at socket (W)
Power Consumption (W)
Power Consumption (peak)
3DMark06 Canyon Flight test, 1,280 x 1,024 0xAA 16xAF, Peak Power Usage
ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB
HIS ATI Radeon HD 5850 1GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 260-216 896MB
ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB
ATI Radeon HD 4890 1GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 275 896MB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 1GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 295 1,792MB
ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB
213
223
235
238
255
262
268
271
297
301
375
415
0
100
200
300
400
Power at socket (W)
Power Consumption (W)
For analysis of these and all other results, please read the Results Analysis page.