ATi RADEON XPRESS 200 Series: AMD Platform Chipsets
3DMark05 & Wolfenstein: ET
It's not an actual game, but 3DMark05's built-in CPU test is a "gaming related" DirectX metric that's useful for comparing relative performance among similarly equipped systems. This test consists of two different 3D scenes that are generated with a software renderer, which is dependant on the host CPU's performance. This means that the calculations normally reserved for your 3D accelerator are instead sent to the central processor. The number of frames generated per second in each test are used to determine the final score.
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3DMark05's CPU performance tests were the first to stress the RADEON XPRESS 200's integrated graphics processor. When using the IGP with this benchmark, the RADEON XPRESS 200 posted a score about 890 points (18.1%) lower than when a discreet graphics card was used. With a discreet card installed in the system, the RADEON XPRESS 200 scored just slightly lower than the nForce 3 Ultra systems.
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To start our actual in-game testing, we ran through a batch of time demos with the OpenGL game Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. Wolfenstein: ET is a free, standalone multiplayer game that is based on the original Return to Castle Wolfenstein that was released a few years back. It uses a heavily modified version of the Quake III engine, which makes it a very easy-to-use benchmarking tool. We ran this test at the "Fastest" setting with a low resolution of 640 X 480, using 16-bit color and textures. Running this test with a high-end graphics card at these minimal settings isolates processor and memory performance without being limited by the graphics subsystem.
Even when using the "Fastest" setting at a relatively low resolution of 640x480, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory heavily taxed the IGP, although it did almost break the 60 FPS barrier. However, with a discreet graphics card installed the RADEON XPRESS 200's performance shot way up. It was not enough of a jump to catch the nForce 3 Ultra powered systems though. The nForce3's posted framerates just a bit higher than the RADEON XPRESS 200 in this test.
