Synthetic Benchmarks (Cont.)

Yeah, we figured that the PowerColor Radeon X1950 XTX sample didn't really deserve the CPU it should get to deliver its true power. So after tweaking a bit the system, we overclocked our Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 to 2.56GHz (7 x 366MHz), which is actually a gain of about 700MHz. No overclocking was done with the Radeon X1950 XTX, so we left it at default speeds of 650MHz core and 2GHz memory. This way you can get an idea on the impact of going for a stronger processor and which gain in performance you can expect. Once again we will use the available Futuremark and AquaMark 3 benchmarks suites to record the performance figures.

Benchmark Results - 1280x1024 - E6300 2.56GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 7900 GT 256MB	3DMark03 Score
0x AA/Optimal	450/1320MHz (Ref - Single)	15049
4x AA/16x AF	450/1320MHz (Ref - Single)	8929
	Radeon X1950 XTX 512MB	3DMark03 Score
0x AA/Optimal	650/2000MHz (Ref - Single)	17307
4x AA/16x AF	650/2000MHz (Ref - Single)	13014

Having pushed our Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 processor to some higher performance levels, by running at about 2.56GHz we reran our 3DMark03 benchmark to see the impact on the results. Once again the NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT was used as a reference point towards the performance figures derived from the PowerColor Radeon X1950 XTX graphics card. And now the Radeon X1950 XTX takes the lead and with the extra power of the overclocked Intel Conroe, it has made quite a difference against the initial results. This proves clearly that 3DMark03 is depending on the CPU for getting top notch performance delivered by the graphics accelerator.

Benchmark Results - 1280x1024 - E6300 2.56GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 7900 GT 256MB	3DMark05 Score
0x AA/Optimal	450/1320MHz (Ref - Single)	7063
4x AA/16x AF	450/1320MHz (Ref - Single)	5745
	Radeon X1950 XTX 512MB	3DMark05 Score
0x AA/Optimal	650/2000MHz (Ref - Single)	11356
4x AA/16x AF	650/2000MHz (Ref - Single)	9509

Our next run was done using 3DMark05, which is more interesting as it is the first benchmark suite that requires DirectX 9.0 compliant hardware. And what a difference, by having unlocked some extra raw power from the Intel Core 2 Duo processor the Radeon X1950 XTX does show to be the clear winner on this benchmark suite. It leaves the GeForce 7900 GT behind by a big margin and still has some potential to do better. I guess an Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 would be the way to go, but not all can afford this quit expensive processor.

Benchmark Results - 1280x1024 - E6300 2.56GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 7900 GT 256MB	3DMark06 Score
0x AA/Optimal	450/1320MHz (Ref - Single)	4300
4x AA/16x AF	450/1320MHz (Ref - Single)	N/A
	Radeon X1950 XTX 512MB	3DMark06 Score
0x AA/Optimal	650/2000MHz (Ref - Single)	6225
4x AA/16x AF	650/2000MHz (Ref - Single)	5168

Continuing our synthetic analysis, we also ran 3DMark06 once again with the overclocked Intel Conroe at 2.56GHz. No surprises though, the PowerColor Radeon X1950 XTX remains on top and delivers stunning performance figures. The extra processing power coming from the overclocked Core 2 Duo processor is a bit less significant, but it shows still that a high-end graphics card really does need a powerful central processor to deliver the performance it was meant for. Again the GeForce 7900 GT does well, but isn't a match for the Radeon X1950 XTX graphics accelerator.

Benchmark Results - 1280x1024 - E6300 2.56GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 7900 GT 256MB	AquaMark3 Score
0x AA/4x AF	450/1320MHz (Ref - Single)	101445
4x AA/16x AF	450/1320MHz (Ref - Single)	78911
	Radeon X1950 XTX 512MB	AquaMark3 Score
0x AA/4x AF	650/2000MHz (Ref - Single)	108058
4x AA/16x AF	650/2000MHz (Ref - Single)	96845

And finally we have gotten the AquaMark 3 updated performance figures. This time the GeForce 7900 GT has to recognize that it is no longer the faster card. With the overclocked Intel Conroe running at 2.56GHz delivering a greater processing throughput towards the video card, it becomes clear that the Radeon X1950 XTX is the way to go. The GeForce 7900 GT might have reached its limits which can't be said about the Radeon X1950 XTX graphics card. Clearly the Radeon X1950 XTX has more processing potential left within its reach...