Gigabyte X800 Pro Review - Testing: SpecviewPerf 7.1.1, Doom 3, HL2 Video Test, CS Source Beta
(Page 7 of 8 )
SpecviewPerf 7.1.1 (OpenGL)
This test is for you workstation junkies who do 3D modeling. Neither the X800 Pro or 6800 are workstation cards - but if you read up on some modding articles you'll find that they do have the potential.
Each card has its wins and losses in SpecviewPerf. Performance boils down to the card and how its drivers send function calls through hardware or software, as well as how they deal with anti-aliasing of wireframe models, clip regions and planes, overlays, logic operations and so on. Workstation calls are rarely used in games and often NVIDIA and ATI will make use of software paths in their gaming video cards.
Doom 3 (OpenGL)
We know that the 6800s perform extremely well in Doom 3. NVIDIA made it a key priority that their new line of graphics accelerators be the best for id software's latest release. Just how much better is the 6800 over the X800 Pro in Doom 3? The base test (timedemo demo1) was run at 1024x768 medium quality, and further tests were run at 1280x1024 medium quality, 1280x1024 high quality, and 1280x1024 ultra quality.
The 6800 at 1280x1024 ultra quality is only 2 FPS slower than the X800 Pro at 1024x768 medium quality. This is obviously not good for the X800 Pro. While the 6800 is great at 1280x1024 high quality with a 55 average FPS, the X800 Pro is only an acceptable 34.5 average FPS at the same setting. The 6800 is definitely the better Doom 3 performer. But I guess we sort of expected that.
Half-Life 2 Video Test (DirectX 9.0)
Half-Life 2 has almost arrived, with preloading well under way through the Steam network. Meanwhile, the HL2 video test is available through the CS Source beta which Valve has given to CS Condition Zero owners and people who have a HL2 coupon. The video test should be a good indication of performance under the HL2 engine.
While the 6800 dominates Doom 3, the X800 Pro clearly dominates the HL2 video test. It's impossible to say if these numbers will hold true or not for Half-Life 2.
CS Source Beta (DirectX 9.0)
Since the X800 Pro dominated the HL2 video test, we should expect the same in Counter-Strike Source that uses the HL2 engine, right?
Wrong. The 6800 is actually faster. The test consists of a demo that I recorded in a 20 player pub on de_dust. I replayed the demo under each video card with FRAPS recording framerate. It is really strange to see the X800 Pro beat the 6800 so much in the HL2 video test, but then perform a little bit slower than the 6800 in CS Source.
Next: Overclocking and Conclusion >>
More Video Cards Articles
More By KaoMAN
