Test Setup

Our GPU test rig uses Intel's Z170 platform. Specifically, we use the Asus ROG Maximus VIII Hero Alpha paired with an Intel Core i7-6700K. With four cores and eight threads via HyperThreading, the CPU ensures even the most multi-threaded games won't be bottlenecked, and we've overclocked it to 4.5GHz as well with a base clock of 100MHz, a multiplier of 45, and a vcore of 1.28V, further alleviating CPU bottlenecks. The CPU is paired with 16GB (4 x 4GB) of Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 clocked at 3,000MHz and cooled by a Corsair Hydro Series H100i GTX.

The rig is powered by the Corsair AX1500i, which has enough wattage and 8-pin PCIe power connectors to deal with any multi-GPU set-up we care to throw at it. It's all housed inside a Corsair Graphite Series 760T, which is spacious enough for any card. The final component is an OCZ Vector 180 960GB SSD, giving us plenty of space for game installs.

Our results come from a mix of built-in benchmarks and custom, manually played sections, depending on the game. All benchmarks are repeated at least three times to ensure consistency. We test at 1,920 x 1,080 (1080p) and 2,560 x 1,440 (1440p), as well as at 3,840 x 2,160 (4K) with higher end cards. The operating system is an up-to-date copy of Windows 10 64-bit.

Test System

• CPU Intel Core i7-6700K at 4.5GHz (45 x 100MHz)
  
• Motherboard Asus ROG Maximus VIII Hero Alpha
  
• Memory 4 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2,800MHz DDR4 (at 3,000MHz)
  
• PSU Corsair AX1500i
  
• SSD OCZ Vector 180 960GB
  
• Case Corsair Graphite Series 760T
  
• CPU cooler Corsair Hydro Series H100i GTX
  
• Operating system Windows 10 64-bit

AMD Graphics Cards

• Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ 8GB - 1,411MHz GPU, 8Gbps GDDR5 (Radeon Software Crimson 17.5.1)

• AMD Radeon R9 Fury X 4GB - 1,050MHz GPU, 1Gbps HBM (Radeon Software Crimson 17.2.1)

Nvidia Graphics Cards

• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Lightning Z 11GB - 1,582MHz GPU (1,695MHz boost), 11.1Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 384.73)

• Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Super JetStream 11GB - 1,556MHz GPU (1,670MHz boost), 11Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 382.53)

• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11G 11GB - 1,544MHz GPU (1,657MHz boost), 11Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 382.05)

• Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 11Gbps 8GB - 1,709MHz (1,848MHz boost), 11Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 382.05)