The Dronez OpenGL
Benchmark, developed by
Zetha Gamez, uses the
advanced shader capabilities built into the GeForce
3. There are many high poly count models and objects
in a highly detailed environment. This test also
exploits the four texture units for custom lighting
effects, combined with multi-texturing and custom glossy bump mapping with texture shaders and special
effects. Through the use of a large amount of Vertex
Programs, Zetha achieves better performance on tasks
like skinning and animation.
Let's find out what the
optimizations in the Detonator XP drivers, coupled
with the increased clock speeds of the GeForce 3 Ti
500, can do in this test.
DRONEZ:
The increased core and
memory clock speeds of the GeForce 3 Ti 500 do have
a measurable impact on performance in this test.
At every resolution, the Ti 500 was approximately
10 FPS faster than a standard GeForce 3 (a 10-12%
increase).
When running the
OpenGL based Dronez benchmark under Windows
Millennium, we see slightly different results than
we found with the
3D Mark 2001 Direct3D tests. Here, at all
but he lowest resolution (800x600), Dronez
performed much better when using Windows XP.
We feel gamers using nVidia based graphics cards
contemplating a switch to Windows XP need not
worry. nVidia's claim that their software
engineers worked closely with Microsoft to
optimize the Detonator XP drivers, appears to be
true. Although Direct3D testing showed
slightly lower performance, the OpenGL performance
seems to be a bit higher. in the case of Dronez,
about 10% higher.
There
is no denying that nVidia has once again delivered
a group of top-notch products. Although there have
been some refinements to the hardware, the real
innovation here lies within the Detonator XP
driver package. nVidia's driver team has
managed to elicit even more performance from their
hardware under both Direct3D and OpenGL, while
incorporating optimizations to accelerate the new
features in Windows XP. These software
innovations coupled with the "tweaked" GeForce 2 &
3 GPUs, comprises nVidia's new Titanium line of graphics
processors. Looking at the performance of
their flagship product, the GeForce 3 Ti 500,
enthusiasts will surely be anticipating their
arrival on retail shelves. Although we have
not fully tested the other cards in the Titanium
lineup, we're sure they'll be leaders in their
respective markets as well. Until we have
tested "retail" versions of these cards, we'll hold
off of the Heat Meter rating. For now, take
our word that nVidia is preparing to deliver more
power and performance with "Titanium".
Get in on it at the HotHardware Conference Room!
We're looking for some Fresh Meat!
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