Serious Sam 2
- Author: Croteam
- DirectX Class: 8.1
- Pixel and Vertex Shaders: No
- Other: Uses OpenGL, supports quad pass multitexture and game applied aniso
Much like the X2 result, our OpenGL DX8.1 class test shows that brute force wins initially, but a more efficient approach to applying IQ using the hardware wins out in the end. Again, there's not much in it eventually, no more than a few percent at best. A final win though for the ATI boards, with the ASUS showing the speed it should.
In other DX9 games such as TW2004, Halo and titles such as the advanced DX8.1 class entrant, Max Payne 2, none of the three cards on test were obviously slow as I played them. TW2004 can seriously hurt performance on all the top three cards on test, at some IQ settings and resolutions. We're inclined to give the DX9 title nod to the Radeon's, ShaderMark 2.0 seems to bear that out (no explicit results though). It's all beginning to boil down to just how well NVIDIA's new shader optimiser in 52.16 can work, to cancel out the hardware disadvantage it has in many render situations. Only 4 vertex processors available when NV38 switches to 4x2 mode does hurt at times.
A quick look at noise and overclocking, then a conclusion.
