Synthetic Benchmarks

We start of the benchmark analysis by going through the different benchmark suites coming from Futuremark, and the discontinued AquaMark3 program. These will provide a good indication on the game play of today's games. First we will start with 3DMark03, followed by 3DMark05 and 3DMark06, then last but not least AquaMark3. I will reboot each time for each of the four synthetic API's used and leave all processes running in the background.

GeForce 6800 GT	3DMark03 Score
350/1000MHz (Ref)	11345
GeForce 7800 GS SC	3DMark03 Score
375/1200MHz (Ref)	11565
460/1350MHz (SuperClock)	13383
460/1400MHz (1.4ns)	13445
490/1450MHz (Overclock)	14083

We started the synthetic analysis by making a spin with 3DMark03 which is build around the DirectX 9.0 specifications. To compare our results we have used a GeForce 6800 GT as reference and used the GeForce 7800 GS in different configurations. The e-GeForce 7800 GS CO SuperClock clocks down some excellent scores.

GeForce 6800 GT	3DMark05 Score
350/1000MHz (Ref)	4908
GeForce 7800 GS SC	3DMark05 Score
375/1200MHz (Ref)	5412
460/1350MHz (SuperClock)	6046
460/1400MHz (1.4ns)	6062
490/1450MHz (Overclock)	6271

Next on our list is 3DMark05, it is the first benchmark to require a DirectX 9.0 compliant hardware with support for Pixel Shaders 2.0 or higher! Since the GeForce 6 series all NVIDIA cards feature Shader Model 3.0, which is better then the minimum requirements. What needs to be set is that as of 3DMark05, the graphics processing capabilities are really making the difference on the benchmarks scores. So it doesn't come as a surprise that the GeForce 7800 GS does much better in comparison to the GeForce 6800 GT.

GeForce 6800 GT	3DMark06 Score
350/1000MHz (Ref)	2376
GeForce 7800 GS SC	3DMark06 Score
375/1200MHz (Ref)	2753
460/1350MHz (SuperClock)	3213
460/1400MHz (1.4ns)	3219
490/1450MHz (Overclock)	3384

And last but not the least; we have 3DMark06 which was only released at the beginning of this year. 3DMark06 tests include all new HDR/SM3.0 graphics tests, SM2.0 graphics tests, AI and physics driven single and multiple cores or processor CPU tests and a collection of comprehensive feature tests to reliably measure next generation gaming performance today. Again we notice that the GeForce 7800 GS takes the lead. And with the extra boost in clock rates, the SuperClock does make it all worth while.

GeForce 6800 GT	AquaMark3 Score
350/1000MHz (Ref)	57785
GeForce 7800 GS SC	AquaMark3 Score
375/1200MHz (Ref)	60348
460/1350MHz (SuperClock)	62960
460/1400MHz (1.4ns)	62992
490/1450MHz (Overclock)	63596

To finish of the synthetic analysis, AquaMark3 was used to give a final impression on the difference between the GeForce 6800 GT and the new GeForce 7800 GS series. The SuperClock edition just nails down a top score for an AGP based system.