Inno3D GeForce 6800 Review - Testing - FFXI, SpecviewPerf 7.1.1, Doom 3
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The following three tests are new ones that we have added into the "mix." We did benchmark the 9800 XT alongside the 6800, so there are results for those two cards, but none for the FX5900XT.
Final Fantasy XI (DirectX 8.1)
FFXI is Square's entry into MMORPGs, and it has been a pretty successful entry too. I own the game, but for benchmarking purposes we ran FFXiBench2. The test relies a lot on overall system performance and a video card can make or break enjoyable game play. The benchmark program reports a score indicative of performance.
There is not much to see here. Though the scores suggest the 6800 and 9800XT perform nearly the same in FFXI, I suspect when actually playing the game the difference in performance between the two cards is greater. In the future we will try to find a repeatable section of the game which FRAPS can monitor and report framerate.
SpecviewPerf 7.1.1 (OpenGL)
This test is for graphics users who do 3D modeling and actually know what SPEC is. If this does not apply to you, then move on to the final benchmark.
UGS uses two sided lighting and clipping planes. These are typical workstation calls that found when looking through something, either using transparency or a cutaway. nVidia typically makes use of a software path for this in their game cards, because it's almost never used in those situations. Applying a "softquadro" patch to the FX would make it score much better, as QuadroFX makes use of hardware paths for these calls. The reason the Radeon does better is the drivers might be optimized for workstation apps a bit more, and be closer to the workstation version of the card in what OpenGL stuff they allow to pass through hardware.
It's the same for the other tests -- It's which calls the drivers send through hardware and which through software, as well as how they deal with anti-aliasing of wireframe models, clip regions and planes, overlays, logic operations and so on.
Now, speaking of moving on, I think it's time I follow my own advice.
Doom 3 (OpenGL)
There has been an immense amount of Doom 3 coverage on the net ranging from hardware guides and comparisons, to software tweaks and flashlight mods. The amount of hype this game has generated is phenomenal - something unlike anything I've ever seen. The game certainly lives up to the talk.
NVIDIA has really pumped up the publicity surrounding its latest 6800 series and Doom 3. Is this publicity unfounded? Or does the 6800 really excel in this game? The base test (timedemo demo1) was run at 1024x768 medium quality, but for the 6800, tests were also run at 1280x1024 medium quality, 1280x1024 high quality, and 1280x1024 ultra quality.
The publicity is true. The Inno3D 6800, a low clocked, 128MB, 12 pipe GPU, is able to deliver much better Doom 3 performance than the 9800XT. I was astounded at the 20 FPS difference between the two cards at base settings. While the 6800 has been performing better than the 9800XT in all tests, the fact that such a significant lead remains in Doom 3, arguably the most intensive 3D game on the market as we speak and obviously the most recent 3D shooter, is evidence that the latest 6800 series is no joke. 1280x1024 high quality gaming is great with the 6800 and, while ultra quality is doable shown by the 42.5 average FPS, real gaming performance is a bit more sluggish and opening doors does induce minor freezes while textures are cached. A 512MB graphics card is really necessary to play ultra quality without choppiness.
Overall, the performance of the Inno3D GeForce 6800 has been quite amazing. It truly is a step up from previous generation's top dog 9800XT and NVIDIA's "value high-end" offering FX5900XT. In future reviews we will see how the 6800 stacks up to ATI's latest X800 series. In terms of visual quality, the 61.77 drivers were top-notch. I noticed no difference in visual quality between the 6800 and the 9800XT. In the past, I remember the lighting in Need For Speed Underground being screwed up with NVIDIA cards - but that problem no longer exists and I did not spot any new ones.
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