Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 v AMD Radeon R9 290X: Crysis 3 Performance
This tricky title saw the GTX 980 take the lead at 1080p: its 58fps minimum was a whole twenty frames ahead of the R9 290X, and its 73fps average was eleven frames better than the cheaper card.
AMD’s hardware closed the gap when we ran the same tests at 1440p. The R9 290X’s 36fps minimum was only two frames behind the more expensive GTX 980, and the R9 290X averaged a fine 42fps – four frames behind its rival. That R9 290X result is also twelve frames better than the GTX 970 could manage.
Our 4K tests are evidence that you still need two beefy GPUs in a PC to play all games at 3,840 x 2,160. The R9 290X and GTX 980X couldn’t get beyond a 15fps minimum, and the GTX 980’s 23fps average is just too slow.
Both of these cards can play Crysis 3 at 1080p and 1440p, and neither can handle the game at 4K – at its very highest detail settings. The GTX 980 is the victor, though, with better benchmark results in every test.
WINNER: Nvidia
Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 v AMD Radeon R9 29X: Batman: Arkham Origins Performance
This is the easiest game in our selection of benchmark titles, so we’ve skipped 1080p entirely for our results graphs – with averages of 143fps and 152fps from the R9 290X and GTX 980, it’s safe to assume that neither card will struggle with Batman’s latest adventure.
These two cards also proved adept at 1440p. The R9 290X averaged 92fps with a slick 53fps minimum, and the GTX 980 was even better – in those tests it scored 105fps and 60fps.
Both cards handled 4K gaming. The GTX 980 led the way with minimum and average results of 45fps and 61fps, but the R9 290X didn’t flinch thanks to results of 31fps and 44fps.
The GTX 980 takes the victory, again, and the R9 290X didn’t just fall behind when compared to Nvidia’s flagship – it couldn’t hack it when compared to the GTX 970, either. This is the first test where AMD’s card has fallen behind both Nvidia GPUs.
WINNER: Nvidia
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
