|
We used
Croteam's Serious Sam: The Second Encounter for our last set
of benchmarks. We configured the game to use OpenGL
(this is one of the few games that can use either DirectX or
OpenGL) and ran a series of tests using the built-in "Little
Trouble" demo. To ensure the playing field was
level, we used Beyond3D's "Extreme Quality" script which
maxes out the texture and filtering quality with all of the
cards being tested.
|
|
|
Head-to-Head / Performance
With Serious Sam: TSE |
|
Lots of Guns, Action and Explosions! |
|
The Serious Sam results were a
mixed bag. At 1024x768, the GeForce FX cards performed
within 1% of each other, outpacing the Radeon 9800 Pro by
about 9%. The scales tipped in favor of the Radeon
9800 Pro at 1600x1200, however. At the higher
resolution, the GeForce FX cards again performed
similarly, but the Radeon 9800 Pro pulled ahead by about 8%.
So, what do all the numbers tell us? Well, the Radeon
9800 Pro is clearly the victor. It won 17 of the
head-to-head tests versus 6 for the GeForce FX 5900s.
The Radeon 9800 Pro was also able to complete 4 more tests
(OpenGL with 6X AA) than the FX. Choosing between the
Leadtek and Abit cards is impossible though. They both
had their share of victories, but none of the performance
deltas were significant. Underneath the fancy coolers,
they are essentially the same card.
|
|
|
Overclocking With The Leadtek & Abit GeForce FX
5900s |
|
Fast
= Good | Faster = Better! |
|
We installed CooBits and raised
the core and memory clock speeds on both of the cards until
we started to see visual anomalies on-screen during our
benchmarks. With its extra large heatsink and exhaust
system, we expected the Siluro to really shine in the
overclocking department. It didn't let us down, but
the Leadtek A350 wasn't about to lay down and hand a victory
to Abit. Both of the cards we're looking at today had
the same default core and memory clock speeds (400MHz /
850MHz). We were able to push the Siluro FX 5900 OTES
up to 486MHz for the core, with the memory at 964MHz.
The A350 went a step further, hitting overclocked core and
memory speeds of 491MHz and 970MHz. The performance
increases realized by overclocking these cards are
represented in the graph above.
Leadtek WinFast A350 TDH
MyViVo
We intended to compare GPU
temperatures while these cards were overclocked, but
unfortunately we could not. For some reason, the
temperature tab within NVIDIA's drivers was not available
with the Abit Siluro FX 5900 OTES. The screen capture
above was taken after approximately 30 minutes of
benchmarking with the overclocked Leadtek A350. As you
can see, the GPU core temperature never got even close the
140°C slowdown threshold.
The Leadtek WinFast A350 TDH
MyViVo and the Abit FX 5900 OTES performed at identical
levels and had the same image quality. So, to pick a winner
we have to focus on their prices, features, overclockability
and bundles. Unfortunately for Abit, the Leadtek card
sweeps all four categories. The A350 TDH MyViVo is
available on-line for $355 US. The Abit FX 5900 OTES
is currently selling for $375. Both of these cards
have similar features and have custom cooling solutions, but
the A350 has the added benefit of ViVo capabilities.
The Leadtek card also has the more complete bundle, that
included two full version games, video editing software
and it overclocked a bit higher too. When all was said and
done, the Leadtek A350 TDH MyViVo was clearly the victor of
this shoot-out. Abit makes one heck of a video card,
but the Siluro FX 5900 OTES needs a price drop and a beefed
up bundle to hang with Leadtek's offering. Both of
these cards play second fiddle to the Radeon 9800 Pro,
however. The Radeon 9800 Pro won the majority of
benchmarks and is available for about $320. If I was
spending my money today, it'd be on a Radeon 9800 Pro, but
the NVIDIA fans out there will be happy with either of the
5900s we looked at today. Based on its competitive
price and feature set, we're giving the Leadtek WinFast A350
TDH MyViVo a HotHardware Heat Meter rating of
8.
The Abit Siluro FX 5900 OTES has innovative cooling but was
overshadowed by the A350. We're giving it a
7.5 on the Heat Meter...
Leadtek WinFast A350 TDH
MyViVo
Abit Siluro FX 5900 OTES
There are a ton of folks just like you in HotHardware's PC
Hardware Forum...Go There Now!
|
