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Synthetic Benchmarks (Cont.) Well we had the chance to update some things on the custom build system, and we ran some extra benchmarks to see the performance enhancements. This time the system specifications had been altered just a bit and some tweaking had been done to have some more raw power to feed the NVIDIA SLI setup. Next to that a new LCD display has been made available, an Apple 30" Cinema display. Quite some changes, with some extra power behind we could once again runs some of our favorite benchmarks suites. Again we fired up the system with the boosted AMD dual core procesor and took it for a spin. So let's see how this beast can handle the complex graphical processing needs.
| Benchmark Results - 1024x768 (0x/0x) - 1GB RAM | | GeForce 7900 GTX (Single) | 3DMark03 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 23154 | | GeForce 7900 GTX (SLI) | 3DMark03 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 36731 | |
| GeForce 7900 GX2 (Single) | 3DMark03 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 30441 | | GeForce 7900 GX2 (Quad SLI) | 3DMark03 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 34316 |
Again the starting point is the well know 3DMark03 suite and we had the chance to really compare the performance of the GeForce 7900 GX2 with the GeForce 7900 GTX video card. A single GX2 card does come close towards the GeForce 7900 GXT in SLI configuration. A bit disappointing however is the Quad SLI performance which can't seem to beat the SLI setup of only two GTX's. | Benchmark Results - 2560x1600 (4x/8x) - 1GB RAM | | GeForce 7900 GTX (Single) | 3DMark03 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 3949 | | GeForce 7900 GTX (SLI) | 3DMark03 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 7613 | |
| GeForce 7900 GX2 (Single) | 3DMark03 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 6108 | | GeForce 7900 GX2 (Quad SLI) | 3DMark03 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 9715 |
The real deal comes to show when we go for the screen resolution that was intended for the GeForce 7900 GX2, namely the native Apple 30" Cinema resolution of 2560x1600. This is where the GX2 clearly pulls away from the GTX. And when Quad SLI comes into the picture it does what it was went for, crushing the all performance figures. The GeForce 7900 GTX does still stand his own, merely due to the higher clock rates. A GeForce 7900 GX2 clocked similarly to the GTX should definitely be the way to go.
| Benchmark Results - 1024x768 (0x/0x) - 1GB RAM | | GeForce 7900 GTX (Single) | 3DMark05 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 11052 | | GeForce 7900 GTX (SLI) | 3DMark05 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 15514 | |
| GeForce 7900 GX2 (Single) | 3DMark05 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 14101 | | GeForce 7900 GX2 (Quad SLI) | 3DMark05 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 13662 |
And what about 3DMark05? Well again a bit less spectacular, although the GeForce 7900 GX2 does quite well compared to the GTX in single and dual-GPU configuration. But when going further and looking at the Quad SLI performance it is quite strange to get a lower score. Even the single GX2 can beat the Quad SLI config. It does make you wonder what is going on with 3DMark05 and Quad SLI... | Benchmark Results - 2560x1600 (4x/8x)- 1GB RAM | | GeForce 7900 GTX (Single) | 3DMark05 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 3666 | | GeForce 7900 GTX (SLI) | 3DMark05 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 6805 | |
| GeForce 7900 GX2 (Single) | 3DMark05 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 5295 | | GeForce 7900 GX2 (Quad SLI) | 3DMark05 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 6815 |
Again we move up the stakes and set the resolutions towards the real value of our Apple 30" LCD Cinema display. The results are impressive to say the least, the GeForce 7900 GTX is quite a performer but the GX2 can beat it once again. Although the Quad SLI is once again not really up to its performance as the GTX SLI setup is just as fast.
| Benchmark Results - 1280x800 (0x/0x) - 1GB RAM | | GeForce 7900 GTX (Single) | 3DMark06 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 6773 | | GeForce 7900 GTX (SLI) | 3DMark06 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 10138 | |
| GeForce 7900 GX2 (Single) | 3DMark06 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 8906 | | GeForce 7900 GX2 (Quad SLI) | 3DMark06 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 9243 |
And last but not least we have arrived to the performance figures deducted by 3DMark06. With this benchmark suite we see the introduction of HDR and Shader Model 3.0, two very interesting technologies to provide stunning 3D gaming experience. When looking at the performance figures the GeForce 7900 GTX the one to beat and the GX2 is quite capable. When going for Quad SLI, you should really focus on going for a higher screen resolution to take advantage of this technology. | Benchmark Results - 2560x1600 (0x/8x)- 1GB RAM | | GeForce 7900 GTX (Single) | 3DMark06 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 2580 | | GeForce 7900 GTX (SLI) | 3DMark06 Score | | 650/1600MHz (Ref) | 4586 | |
| GeForce 7900 GX2 (Single) | 3DMark06 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 3731 | | GeForce 7900 GX2 (Quad SLI) | 3DMark06 Score | | 500/1210MHz (Ref) | 5320 |
So we find ourselves again at the resolution that counts, and we can see that this really makes a difference. The Apple 30" Cinema display really come to shove and the GTX and GX2 graphics cards do come in handy. When applying the SLI interaction, the GeForce 7900 GTX is clearly showing of its great potential toward future games. And if you want to go even further, the GeForce 7900 GX2 is just what you need. Bringing two GX2 cards together for Quad SLI will lead to the higher score we have seen so far. We have one remark to add on the benchmark analysis which has to do with HDR and AntiAliasing. The NVIDIA cards will not let you run HDR with AntiAliasing enabled. 
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