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Review: ATI Radeon X700 XT 128 MB PCIe
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Far
Cry benchmark numbers
are generated by repeated playings of the Research map, which
consists of an good mix of beach, jungle, and interior settings
found throughout the game’s various levels. Fraps is
used to record performance as the same path is taken through
the map during each test and all in-game options were configured
for their highest settings (water at ultra high).
The X700 XT hung tough again,
keeping the frame rate at a playable number throughout testing.
While the X800 XT scores considerably higher its greater fill-rate
and bandwidth doesn’t allow it to outperform the slower
card as much as one might expect.
Call
of Duty is the second
title SimHQ uses testing OpenGL rather than the D3D API. Scores
were derived from the Dawnville demo using the in-game timedemo
utility to capture performance. The “com_maxfps”
console command was also used to lift the default frame rate
cap of 85.
Games built upon the aging Quake 3
engine aren’t much of a challenge to new hardware these
days, even for mainstream budget cards, and the X700 pulls
triple digit frame rates even at 1600x1200. It obviously begins
hitting its fill-rate limits at the higher resolution as the
frame rate drops considerably lower than the X800’s score.
NASCAR
Racing 2003 Season was
tested using SimHQ’s in-house replay, which consists
of a crowded Daytona track with the camera view set to Earnhardt’s
cockpit. All graphics options were placed at their highest
settings.
This particular title proves once
again that its performance is entirely dependent upon the
speed of the CPU it’s running on. SimHQ is looking to
retire NR2003 from its benchmark suite in the near future
and replace it with SimBin's GTR.
Valve’s
Video Stress Test is a
utility now included with the new Source engine-based version
of Counter-Strike. The Video Stress test itself is a fly-by
of a relatively small custom level and is designed to show
off numerous graphical effects rendered through the heavy
use of various shaders.
While the X800 loses roughly
a third of its frame rate as the resolutions were increased,
the X700 drops by more than half. One has to wonder if the
128 MB of on-board RAM was inadequate for the frame buffer
size and textures the test requires. Regardless, the card
still managed a solid frame rate of 57 at 1600x1200.
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