Test system and software suite

So before we begin I'd like to tell you a little about the testing methodology. We will perform our tests within a baseline of single GPU and multi-GPU performance.

As such, for NVIDIA we'll test with a GeForce GTX 285 and GeForce GTX 295 (dual-GPUs).  For NVIDIA we'll use the ForceWare 190.38 WHQL driver in both Windows Vista and Windows 7.

On ATI's side we test the ATI Radeon HD 4890 and obviously the still going strong Radeon HD 4870 X2 (dual-GPUs). For ATI we'll use Catalyst 9.7 in both operating systems as well.

To be 100% objective we test on the very same test PC with the very same settings.

Here is where we begin the benchmark portion of this article, but first let me show you our test system plus the software we used.

• ASUS X58 ROG edition Rampage II Extreme
• Core i7 965 @ 3750 MHz (3.6 + Turbo mode)
• BFG GeForce GTX 285 OCX
• MSI Radeon HD 4890 OC
• 6144 MB (3x 2048 MB) DDR3 1800 MHz Corsair @ 1500 MHz CAS8
• 1200 Watt BFG PSU
• Corsair P128 Solid State Disk (x2)
• Windows 7 Professional (RTM)
• Windows Vista 64-bit SP2
• DirectX 9/10/11 End User Runtime
• NVIDIA GeForce 190.38 WHQL
• ATI Catalyst 9.7 WHQL

Software benchmark suite

• Far Cry 2
• Anno 1404: Dawn of Discovery
• Fallout 3
• Call of Duty 5: World at War
• Crysis WARHEAD
• 3DMark Vantage
• Tom Clancy HAWX

Alright, that being said... let's start up the tests and see if Windows 7 is as good as Windows Vista performance wise.