For our next batch of tests we
used the synthetic DirectX 8 benchmark from MadOnion (now
Futuremark), 3DMark2001 SE (Build 330). The "MaxFX" gaming engine, from Remedy's very popular Max
Payne, is used to simulate actual in-game environments.
3DMark2001 makes use of DirectX 8
Pixel and Vertex shaders, and if you've ever looked at
3DMark2001's detailed results, you'll know
that this benchmark is broken up into groups of "High" and "Low" quality
tests. The final score is generated by taking the
results of these
tests and adding them together using this formula:
When set to 1024x768, the Maya
II and Tachyon were again able to outpace the GeForce 4
Ti4600 by about 12%, and just like in the Unreal tests, with
Anti-Aliasing enabled the RADEONs destroyed the GF4.
At 1600x1200 the performance deltas are even more
pronounced. With Anti-Aliasing disabled the Maya II
and Tachyon were about 25% faster than the GF4, but with AA
enabled they pull ahead by more than 150%! As
expected, because they are clocked at the exact same levels
by default, the two RADEON cards performed within a few
points of one another.
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Comanche 4 - DirectX 8.1 Performance
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Shader Goodness |
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Next up, we have Novalogic's
Combat Helicopter simulator, Comanche 4. Comanche 4
also uses DirectX8 Pixel and Vertex shaders, and is a useful
tool for testing overall system performance. This
benchmark is very CPU dependant, so don't be turned off by
what look like relative low frame rates.
Both the Maya II and Tachyon
managed to eclipse the GF4 Ti4600 at every resolution.
What is interesting to note is that the RADEON 9700s were
completely CPU limited all the way up to 1600x1200, when AA
and Anisotropic filtering were disabled. With 4XAA
enabled, the RADEONs outperformed the Ti4600 between 20% and
100%. Again, both the Maya II and Tachyon performed
similarly, with a slight edge going to the Tachyon in every
test thus far.
Serious Sam & Quake 3
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