When The Tech Report first conducted their review of the RX 470 they saw benchmark behaviour very different from any other GPU in that family but could not figure out what it was and resolve it before the mob arrived with pitchforks and torches demanding they publish or die.
As it turns out there was indeed something rotten in benchmark; incredibly high DPC on the test machine. Investigation determined the culprit to be the beta BIOS on their ASRock Z170 Extreme7+, specifically the BIOS which allowed you to overclock locked Intel CPUs. They have just released their new findings along with a look at LatencyMon and DPC in general. Take a look at the new benchmarks and information about DPC, but also absorb the consequences of demanding articles arrive picoseconds after the NDA expires; if there is a delay in publishing there might just be a damn good reason why.
"We retested our RX 470 to account for this issue, and we also updated our review with DirectX 12 benchmarks for Rise of the Tomb Raider and Hitman, plus full OpenGL and Vulkan benchmarks for Doom."
Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:
- AMD & NVIDIA GPU VR Performance in Trials on Tatooine @ [H]ard|OCP
- AMD's Radeon RX 460 @ The Tech Report
- 18-Way GPU Linux Benchmarks, Including The Radeon RX 460 & RX 470 On Open-Source @ Phoronix
- ASUS Radeon RX 460 STRIX OC 4 GB @ techPowerUp
- MSI RX 470 Gaming X 8G @ Kiguru
- MSI GTX 1060 6GB Gaming X @ Kitguru
- MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming Z @ Modders-Inc
- Nvidia Titan X (Pascal) Extended Overclock Guide @ Guru of 3D
- Nvidia Titan X @ Kitguru
- MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming Z 8G Review @HiTech Legion
- Zotac GTX 1080 AMP! Edition 8 GB @ techPowerUp
It’s best to always check the
It’s best to always check the BIOS version(Motherboard and GPU card) when benchmarking, and maybe all the benchmarking software suites need to automatically check this vital information and display it in any of the benchmarks’ screen display modes. I’d like to see some form of time-stamp/verification like information attached to any benchmark’s generated graphical charts with such information included like BIOS version, CPU version/CPU stepping number, Ditto for GPUs, and other vital information with a stamped validation number on every generated graphical benchmark chart.
This is a greenhorn mistake and it must be very embarrassing for that to ever be happen! It’s better to always keep a clipboard with a testing/benchmarking system configuration check list handy each and every time when benchmarking is done before publishing to any large readership.
Didn’t the GTX 1080 and 1070
Didn’t the GTX 1080 and 1070 thought us that when for a month the GTX forums were lit up and several other tech forums
It wasn’t until a month later when Nvidia issues a Hot Fix driver which the Game Ready driver didn’t have until 3 weeks later.
Certain combo and settings will amplify the DPC so its best to keep an eye on it.
Pascal had some drivers to
Pascal had some drivers to lessen the affect, not sure about maxwell
Most sites have started
Most sites have started including Vulkan numbers and stopped running Hitman only at DX11. They can’t keep throwing excuses to their readers about why they keep following Nvidia’s review guides.
Most sites do not want to
Most sites do not want to annoy nvidia (for obvious reasons) and will go out of their way to make sure they are happy.
I just hope that the Linux OS
I just hope that the Linux OS Laptop OEM’s can get out from under Intel’s and Nvidia’s clutches and I can get a Zen/Polaris Linux OS based OEM laptop before 2020. I think that AMD should consider some form of partnership with some Linux OS based laptop OEM and get some more affordable Linux OS based laptop options out there. What AMD need is less dependence on the consumer market and more of the HPC/Server/Workstation market with Zen and Zen/Vega so AMD does not have to worry about any Laptop OEM sales, and can maybe brand its own line of Linux OS based Laptop SKUs. It’s not like the laptop market has ever really been serious about giving AMD a fair shake, so why not try and get more of the server/HPC/Workstation market and have plenty of revenues to not be dependent on only the consumer markets.
AMD is doing OK with the consumer GPU market, but AMD needs that pro GPU HPC/Server/Workstation business for the higher revenues that it produces and that market needs more GPU accelerator competition. Zen/Vega should get more of the professional business and get AMD more revenues to attract more of the Linux OS OEM Laptop market that will become very profitable the closer to 2020 it gets.
Linux OS based Laptops and Steam Machines with Steam OS(Debian) and the Vulkan Graphics API will definitely get my dollars provided there will be plenty of Zen/Polaris and Zen/Vega options out there before 2020, so consumers can have some M$/Intel/Nvidia free PC/laptop options.
only half the gamers have
only half the gamers have Windows 10, so these sites want to service the readers who are stuck with dx11
What about Vulkan on Windows,
What about Vulkan on Windows, I’ll bet that M$ would be not so happy if any websites where to start doing any windows 7/8.1 Vulkan benchmarks. The Nvidia review “Guide” should give any PC/laptop user a good indication of just how unhealthy and monopolistic the PC/laptop market is and has been for over 2 decades. Hopefully AMD will have some great success in the Server/HPC/Workstation market, and maybe pick up Apple as an x86 customer for some custom Zen/Polaris MacBook design wins, to allow for AMD to offer more of its low cost better graphics solutions Price/Performance wise to the non Apple PC market compared to Intel/Nvidia.
With there being no sources of any windows 7/8.1 and Vulkan benchmarks, the only real hope is for more Linux/Vulkan success and a larger chunk of the PC/Laptop gaming market going to Steam OS(Debian)/Other Linux OS builds. There appears to be more Vulkan/Linux benchmarking going on and no windows 7/8.1/Vulkan benchmarks at all.
It appears that there will have to be a total switch to getting any online benchmarks done with windows 7/8.1 and Vulkan by readers having to abandon the traditionally windows only/M$ focused/dependent enthusiasts websites and trying to find any online sites that support a more end user focused gaming/online news/benchmarking system that supports both Linux/Vulkan and Windows 7/8.1/Vulkan benchmarking for those that will not ever accept windows 10’s beyond overreaching EULA that gives M$ a console like control over the end user’s PC/Laptop hardware, and a very invasive intrusion into the windows 10 end user’s privacy, in addition to way too much ad content baked into the OS and UWP app ecosystem.
Because the DX11 codepath
Because the DX11 codepath poofed out of existence once DX12 was released, right? It couldn’t possibly be that the thousands of games that use/used it are, maybe, still relevant to people playing said games?
No need to artificially exclude a benchmark because one vendor doesn’t perform as well in it.
I have to say that it has
I have to say that it has taken PCper a while to stop suckling off the Nvidia tit and face reality. No surprises why Allyn Malventano bags AMD. And is only too happy to take unmarked envelopes from Nvidia. The PCper team has at least one rotten apple.
“We decided to go ahead and
“We decided to go ahead and publish them anyway after doing some extended troubleshooting without seeing any improvement.”
Extended troubleshooting?! Tossing the card on another rig would have proven the GPU is working as expected compared to the new rig’s results.
OMFG i had haunting DPC
OMFG i had haunting DPC problems all throughout haswell. even bios updates didnt help me, i ended up having to turn off all C-states in BIOS and then running a custom DPC timer app. ugh. i dont wish this on my worst enemy.