System setup and notes
Basic setup
- Intel Pentium 4 3.2GHz 800FSB CPU
- EPoX 4PDA2+ i865PE Springdale motherboard
- 2 x 256MB Corsair XMS3500 memory run at 2-6-2-2 @ DDR400
- Intel reference cooler
- IBM 41.5GB Hard drive
- Pioneer 105 DVD/RW
- 420w Samcheer PSU
- Samsung 181T 18.1" TFT
- Hansol 920D 19" flat CRT for 1600x1200x32 tests
Video Cards used
- Tyan Tachyon G9800 Pro-M 128MB (380/680)
- ATi Radeon 9700 Pro 128MB (325/620)
- Gainward GeForce FX 5900 Ultra 256MB (450/850)
- Tyan Tachyon G9600 Pro 128MB (400/600)
- NVIDIA reference GeForce FX 5600 Ultra rev. 2 (400/800)
Software
- Windows XP Professional Build 2600.xpclient.010817-1148
It's a kind of midrange-to-high-end comparison here. Midrange performance from both major camps is highlighted by the Radeon 9600 PRO and GeForce FX 5600 Ultra rev 2. ATi has two runners in the high-end spectrum; the 9700 PRO and the Tyan Tachyon 9800 PRO-M. NVIDIA retort with its powerhouse FX 5900 Ultra, supplied by Gainward. Benchmarks will be conducted at 1024x768x32 and 1600x1200x32. We'll first examine standard 1024x768x32 benchmarks and then re-run it at the same resolution but with 4x antialiasing and 8x anisotropic filtering. The 16x12 test is run solely with I.Q applied; making it a brute of a benchmark.
Nothing untoward to report during installation. The Tyan Tachyon monitor was switched off during benchmarks and fan speed was set to maximum. The card ran benchmarks without crashing or artifact. 2D was subjectively excellent. As promised, we'll be introducing a clutch of DX9 and advanced OGL benchmarks very shortly. Benchmarks were run on three occasions and the top and bottom results were discarded. We'll discuss how it fared with respect to overclocking on a separate page.
