Page 5 - Benchmarks
Games
With all that audio horsepower, one needs an application. I have that here. Testing methodology for games is to run through a section of each game and count frames with FRAPS. At least 3 runs were averaged to reach a final number. Since FRAPS is highly gameplay dependent, a well defined set of activities is adhered to while playing.
A new wrinkle of using 5.1 surround sound for the default test mode is now standard. This tests how well the cards (or games) support this output mode, including subjective impressions.
I compared the X-Fi Prelude to the regular X-Fi XtremeMusic, and the X-Meridian 7.1 on several different games, set to 5.1 surround, including:
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Bioshock, 1024x768, EAX on, 5.1 surround
- Battlefield 2142, 1024x768, EAX HD and software, 5.1 surround
- Half-Life2: Episode One, 1024x768, 5.1 surround
Applications used in this test:
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RMAA 6.0.5
- RM3D 2.3
- FRAPS 2.9.1, build 6682
The test machine is quite ancient, but it is functional, and if you let Valve collect statistics on your computer, it is right in the majority.
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AMD X2 3800+ S939
- Asus A8N-SLI
- 2GB DDR RAM
- nVidia 7800GT (6.14.0011.6218)
- 120GB Seagate HDD
- X-Fi Prelude (6.0.1.1281)
- X-Fi XtremeMusic (5.12.6.1187)
- X-Meridian (5.12.1.8)
- DX9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
- Windows XP Professional (all patched)
Onward and awkward.