System Setup
Hardware
- AOpen Aeolus GeForceFX 5950 Ultra, 256MB, AGP8X, NV38
- ASUS Radeon 9800XT/TVD, 256MB, AGP8X, R360
- ATI Radeon 9600XT, 128MB, AGP8X, RV360
- NVIDIA GeForceFX 5700 Ultra, 128MB, AGP8X, NV36
- Intel Pentium 4 3.0 'C', 15 x 200MHz, 512KB L2, HyperThreading
- EPoX EP-4PDA2+, Intel i865PE (Springdale-PE), Socket 478, dual DDR400
- Corsair XMS3200LLPT, 2 x 256MB, 2-2-2-5
- Enermax 431W PSU
- Swiftech MCX478
- Seagate Barracuda ATA IV 80GB
Software
- Windows XP Professional w/SP1 and current Windows Update patches (as of 14/10/03)
- ATI CATALYST 3.8
- Detonator FX 52.16
- Intel Chipset Driver 5.00.1012
- DirectX 9.0a Runtime
- 3DMark 2001SE v330
- 3DMark03 v330
- Aquamark 3
- Serious Sam 2 (SDC demo, Extreme addon)
- Unreal Tournament 2003 Retail (HEXUS custom demo)
- X2: The Threat Rolling Demo
- Tiger Woods 2004 (HEXUS custom best shot)
A slight change in the test suite today, marking the further evolution of the applications we use to benchmark graphics cards. Out go GunMetal 2 and Quake 3, the first quite useless, the second losing its grip on being a graphics card benchmark and retiring to good use as a system benchmark, in comes Tiger Woods 2004. Don't worry, we're working on a Call Of Duty benchmark to help the Quake3 engine represent, yo. If that doesn't work out, we'll shoehorn in a stock MOH:AA or Wolfenstein Enemy Territory test in due course instead. But for today, no Q3 engine goodness I'm afraid. Tiger Woods 2004 is a card slapping DirectX 9.0 title that really eats up performance when aniso filtering and antialiasing are applied. It's simple to benchmark using Fraps too.
Here's the driver setting used for the base 1024x768 tests. If the application provides its own AF and AA controls, we endeavour to use them, otherwise it's forced using the sliders in the following shot (4xAA and 8xAF and Quality mode).
On to the graphs.
