BFG GeForce 9800 GX2 1024MB review

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15 - Game performance: 3DMark06 & S.t.a.l.k.e.r

 

Synthetic benchmarking: 3DMark 06

Literally millions and millions of benchmark results have been submitted to Futuremarks Online ResultBrowser database. It has become a point of great prestige to be the holder of the highest 3DMark score. A compelling, easy-to-use interface has made 3DMark very popular among game enthusiasts. Futuremarks latest benchmark series, 3DMark03 up-to 3DMark06, continues this tradition by providing a Microsoft DirectX 9 benchmark.

The introduction of DirectX 9 and new hardware shader technologies puts a lot of power in the hands of game developers. Increasingly realistic 3D games will be available over the next year and a half. The use of 3D graphics will become more accessible to other applications areas and even operating systems.

Now this here is exactly the reason why I am moaning about 3DMark06 so much lately. At a given point the scores just do not add up anymore. It's like you are hitting into a huge wall performance wise. There are two factors here that could influence the score. A) the resolution and B) the processor.

Apparently 3Dmark thinks that the card is as fast as a GeForce 8000 Ultra, yeah uh-huh.

So here's what I did, I ran the benchmark again, yet this time increased the resolution from 1280x1024 (default) towards 2560x1600. Wanna know the score ? -> 11267 points ;)

 

Gaming: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl

Shortly after another disaster in Chernobyl, the authorities surround the area with the Russian equivalent of the U.S. National Guard, and they begin to hear weird screams and rumblings coming from within. After a while though, most of them are returned to earlier posts. Curiosity gets the better of some people, so they sneak into the 30-kilometer area to do some good old-fashioned investigating. These people are called Stalkers, and they report back to the authorities with their findings.

The 3D engine shines in a few key areas, all crucial in shaping the game's atmosphere. It's got a huge draw distance, which leads to the palpable feeling that this is a big world. Lighting and shadowing are its other big strengths. For this benchmark we have the in-game settings at maximum (AA/AF enabled), Dynamic lighting was enabled.

Image Quality setting:

  • In-game Software Anti Aliasing enabled
  • 16x anisotropic filtering
  • Dynamic lighting enabled

We went for the game maximum quality settings, we enable everything possible, also dynamic lighting (as requested recently in our forums). S.T.A.L.K.E.R. does not support hardware anti-aliasing, yet uses a software applied method which is enabled. Recommended resolution with a 9800 GX2 .. whatever you want man .. whatever you want.

GeForce 9600GT shootout

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