ATI Radeon X800XL 512MB & Catalyst 5.6 Driver Update
Splinter Cell
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 Splinter Cell |
Splinter Cell's version 1.2 patch includes three prerecorded demos and incorporates a previously unavailable benchmarking tool. The demos included with the patch are somewhat limited by CPU performance, however, so we opted for the custom "Oil Rig" demo created by the folks at Beyond 3D to test with this game. Beyond 3D's demo is targeted squarely at Pixel Shader performance. Shaders are used to render realistic-looking ocean water surrounding an oil rig in the demo, as well as simulating a night vision effect for a brief period. Take note that anti-aliasing doesn't work with Splinter Cell in its current state. Due to this fact, we do not have any AA scores listed in the graphs below. |
Neither the additional 256MB of on-board RAM, nor the Catalyst v5.6 drivers had a measurable impact on performance in Splinter Cell. With this game, at both resolutions, the 512MB Radeon X800 XL performed at essentially the same level as its 256MB counterpart, and the Catalyst v5.6 drivers had a negligible impact on performance.
