The Witcher 3 GTX 960 vs R9 280/285/280X Benchmark Frame-Rate Test
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Two cut-scenes and a run through Novigrad City on horseback analysed using four different mainstream GPUs. We're running The Witcher 3 on high settings here with all post-processing effects enabled and HairWorks turned off.
The GTX 960 is the winner in this category. It is marginally faster overall than the R9 280X and R9 285, and has fewer latency spikes in frame-time (most noticeable in Novigrad City). Looking to improve your frame-rate? Shadows and foliage should be your first port of call after turning off HairWorks. HBAO+ added a 5fps hit on the R9 280 vs standard SSAO, so that's worth a look too.
Benchmarked on 1.03. We retested with 1.04 and found it was no faster in these scenes (we benched with HairWorks off).
Here are the benchmarks (low/avg):
GTX 960 - 36.0/47.3
R9 280 - 29.0/40.9
R9 285 - 34.0/46.1
R9 280X - 33.0/45.6
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