NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT - G92 Takes Flight
Test Setup And 3DMark 06
HOW WE CONFIGURED THE TEST SYSTEMS: We tested all of the graphics cards used in this article on either an Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI motherboard (NVIDIA GPUs) or an Asus P5E3 Deluxe (ATI GPUs) powered by a Core 2 Extreme QX6850 quad-core processor and 2GB of low-latency Corsair RAM. The first thing we did when configuring the test systems was enter their BIOS and set all values to their "optimized" default settings. Then we manually configured the memory timings and disabled any integrated peripherals that wouldn't be put to use. The hard drive was then formatted, and Windows Vista Ultimate and the latest DX10 update was installed. When the installation was complete, we then installed the latest chipset drivers available, and installed all of the other drivers necessary for the rest of our components. Auto-Updating and System Restore were also disabled and the hard drive was defragmented.
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Video Cards - Memory - Audio - Hard Drive - |
Hardware Used: |
OS - DirectX - Video Drivers - Synthetic (DX) - DirectX - DirectX - DirectX - DirectX - DirectX - OpenGL - |
Relevant Software: Windows Vista Ultimate DirectX 10 NVIDIA Forceware v169.1 ATI Catalyst v7.10 Benchmarks Used: 3DMark06 v1.0.2 World In Conflict - DX10 Lost Planet - DX10 Bioshock - DX10 Half Life 2: Episode 2* Enemy Territory: Quake Wars* * - Custom Test (HH Exclusive demo) |
Performance Comparisons with 3DMark06 v1.0.2
Details: www.futuremark.com/products/3dmark06
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3DMark06 3DMark06 is the most recent addition to the 3DMark franchise. This version differs from 3Dmark05 in a number of ways, and includes not only Shader Model 2.0 tests, but Shader Model 3.0 and HDR tests as well. Some of the assets from 3DMark05 have been re-used, but the scenes are now rendered with much more geometric detail and the shader complexity is vastly increased as well. Max shader length in 3DMark05 was 96 instructions, while 3DMark06 ups that number to 512. 3DMark06 also employs much more lighting and there is extensive use of soft shadows. With 3DMark06, Futuremark has also updated how the final score is tabulated. In this latest version of the benchmark, SM 2.0 and HDR / SM3.0 tests are weighted and the CPU score is factored into the final tally as well.
If we look at the individual Shader Model 2.0 and Shader Model 3.0 / HDR tests built into 3DMark06, we see that the new GeForce 8800 GT offers significantly stronger performance than the GTS and Radeon HD 2900 XT in the Shader Model 2.0 test. In the SM 3.0 test, the 8800 GT finished just behind the 2900 XT, however.
The GeForce 8800 GT's strong performance in the Shader Model 2.0 test propel it to the head of the pack according to 3DMark06's overall score.
In a multi-GPU configuration, the new GeForce 8800 GT performs well ahead of a pair of GeForce 8800 GTS card and right on par with a Radeon HD 2900 XT CrossFire configuration. We've also thrown in the result from a single 8800 GTX, to show you how a pair of these relatively inexpensive GTs compares to the more expensive GTX.
