Synthetic Benchmarks

To provide you some of the performance figures of the NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 we have been able to use one of the first systems that were custom build. Due to the time constrains we have focused our performance analysis runs towards the Futuremark benchmark suites. These will however provide a good indication on the game play of today's popular games. Let's check out the details on the system that was provided for our benchmark figures.

System Specifications

• AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 3.0GHz Dual Core Processor
• MSI K8N Diamond Plus (nForce4 SLI X16) Mainboard
• 2GB Corsair TWINX Dual Channel Memory
• NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX (Single/SLI)
• NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 (Single/Quad SLI)
• Western Digital 150GB Raptor (10.000rpm) Hard Disk
• PC Power and Cooling 850W (SLI Ready) Power Supply
• Apple 30" (2560x1600) LCD Cinema Display

The system specifications changed just a bit since we took a look at the GeForce 7900 GX2 and some tweaking has been done to have some more raw power to feed the SLI setup. Once again we had an Apple 30" Cinema LCD display available.

Benchmark Results - 1280x768 (0x/0x)- 2GB RAM
GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB	3DMark03 Score
650/1600MHz (Ref - Single)	23273
650/1600MHz (Ref - SLI)	36851
GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB	3DMark03 Score
500/1200MHz (Ref - Single)	30614
500/1200MHz (Ref - Quad SLI)	34522

We are starting with the already older, but well known 3DMark03 benchmark suite released by Futuremark. This benchmark suite will give a rough performance indication, but is somehow a bit outdated and is quite processor depending. The faster the CPU, the better the results. We had the chance to compare the performance of the GeForce 7950 GX2 with the GeForce 7900 GTX video card. A single GX2 card does come close towards the GeForce 7900 GTX in SLI configuration.

Benchmark Results - 2560x1600 (4x/8x)- 2GB RAM
GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB	3DMark03 Score
650/1600MHz (Ref - Single)	4034
650/1600MHz (Ref - SLI)	7787
GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB	3DMark03 Score
500/1200MHz (Ref - Single)	6285
500/1200MHz (Ref - Quad SLI)	9873

The real deal is when we go to the higher resolutions, what NVIDIA is calling the experience of Extreme High Definition (XHD). The key benefits are the ultra-high resolution widescreen modes which deliver the highest picture quality available on any consumer platform. To get a clear view on all this we used the Apple 30" Cinema display with the screen resolution set at 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 meant for, crushing all performance scores with the GeForce 7950 GX2.

Benchmark Results - 1280x768 (0x/0x)- 2GB RAM
GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB	3DMark05 Score
650/1600MHz (Ref - Single)	11101
650/1600MHz (Ref - SLI)	15594
GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB	3DMark05 Score
500/1200MHz (Ref - Single)	14210
500/1200MHz (Ref - Quad SLI)	14133

And what about 3DMark05? This benchmarks suite has been released at the beginning of last year and has become very popular for providing performance figures. It was the first benchmark that requires fully DirectX 9.0 compliant hardware. Looking at the figures delivered we find that the GeForce 7950 GX2 can almost outperform the GeForce 7900 GTX, although when using two GX2 cards in a Quad SLI configuration the results are quite disappointing. A singe GeForce 7950 GX2 seems the best way to go on 3DMark05 for some reason.

Benchmark Results - 2560x1600 (4x/8x)- 2GB RAM
GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB	3DMark05 Score
650/1600MHz (Ref - Single)	3801
650/1600MHz (Ref - SLI)	6935
GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB	3DMark05 Score
500/1200MHz (Ref - Single)	5405
500/1200MHz (Ref - Quad SLI)	6949

Taking up the screen resolution to the levels that are more up to the GeForce 7950 GX2 design we can see that 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 again not really up to its performance as the GTX SLI setup is just as fast. It does make you wonder what is going on with 3DMark05 and Quad SLI. I guess the lack of Shader Model 3.0 support on 3DMark05 will have something to do with it...

Benchmark Results - 1280x800 (0x/0x)- 2GB RAM
GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB	3DMark06 Score
650/1600MHz (Ref - Single)	6812
650/1600MHz (Ref - SLI)	10197
GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB	3DMark06 Score
500/1200MHz (Ref - Single)	8932
500/1200MHz (Ref - Quad SLI)	9305

Of course there is a new version out since this year of this popular benchmark suite, which is called 3DMark06. Futuremark has adjusted and recoded their previous version to meet the high gaming standards of today and future games. 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. If we check the performance delivered than the GeForce 7950 GX2 is the fastest single solution. Although when pairing up two cards for SLI operation, the GeForce 7900 GTX is clearly in favor.

Benchmark Results - 2560x1600 (0x/8x)- 2GB RAM
GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB	3DMark06 Score
650/1600MHz (Ref - Single)	2603
650/1600MHz (Ref - SLI)	4629
GeForce 7950 GX2 1GB	3DMark06 Score
500/1200MHz (Ref - Single)	3754
500/1200MHz (Ref - Quad SLI)	5347

Going one step further and really stepping up the ladder to what the GeForce 7950 GX2 has been designed for initially, the extreme high resolutions. We have been lucky once again to use the Apple 30" Cinema display and to experience cinematic resolutions during our limited benchmark session. Again the GX2 comes out on top, and when applying the SLI feature again the GX2 show its real colors and stays unbeatable. Of course we don't speak anymore about SLI in this case, but about Quad SLI by bundling the power of two GeForce 7950 GX2 cards. This shows that for real power freaks there is a nice future led by NVIDIA with their Quad SLI technology.