Gaming Benchmarks

As we saw the synthetic benchmark results, the next logical step is to dive into the real gaming performance of the NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT 512MB video card. As reference we will use a NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT card to see the performance differences. Each card is going to run each game at 1280x1024 settings using a variety of AntiAliasing and Anisotropic Filtering 3D effects. So in effect we are stuffing both cards in the same system, using the same settings and spending some time playing games and performing tests on the following game titles, let's check what we got.

UbiSoft Far Cry

Who doesn't know the game Far Cry? You should at least have heard about it... It's the game that came out right before Half-Life 2, Doom 3 and so on and set some new standards in gaming experience. Without a doubt, Far Cry was the most advanced graphics seen in any PC game. Everything in this game looks amazing, and the level of verisimilitude is unprecedented. Far Cry isn't just a stunning technical accomplishment. It's quite possibly the best single-player first-person shooter experience for the PC since Half-Life. Since Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 came out Far Cry had to share the welt on de gaming market.

Gaming Results - 1280x1024 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 7900 GT	GeForce 7950 GT
No AA/No AF	125.04 fps	126.88 fps
2x AA/4x AF	108.84 fps	110.18 fps
4x AA/8x AF	83.33 fps	98.08 fps
SM3.0/HDR	68.94 fps	73.56 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

As you might know already, I am quite a fan of Far Cry and it keeps amazing me with the game play. Beside from that it is one excellent game to checkout the performance of a graphics card. Both cards perform somehow on par, although when AntiAliasing comes into the picture the GeForce 7900 GT is trailing a bit behind. Far Cry is also a game where you can enable HDR. This comes in handy as it adds more complexity and processing towards the video accelerator. The NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT definitely has the edge when HDR is enabled and performs noticeably better.

idSoftware Doom 3

Next on our list of favorite games is Doom 3 developed by id Software. Doom 3 is quite possibly the best-looking game ever, thanks to the brand-new 3D graphics engine used to generate its convincingly lifelike, densely atmospheric, and surprisingly expansive environments. At the same time, when you look past the spectacular appearance, you'll find a conventional, derivative shooter. Doom 3 is essentially a remake of the original Doom, though series fans will find reimagined versions of almost every monster from both previous versions in the new sequel.

Gaming Results - 1280x1024 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 7900 GT	GeForce 7950 GT
No AA	130.5 fps	150.9 fps
2x AA	104.9 fps	123.5 fps
4x AA	73.1 fps	86.0 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

When looking at the game play results we noticed that the reported frame rates are a bit in favor of the GeForce 7900 GT. Although the GeForce 7950 GT delivers quite high frame rates from the start and when applying the AntiAliasing feature the real power of the G71 chip surfaces. The NVIDIA based cards do very well when it comes to OpenGL performance, and does keep on working to stay on top. And although both cards use the same G71 core, the GeForce 7950 GT steers it with a bit extra voltage to higher performance levels. So if you are in favor of games based upon the 3D engine from id Software then don't think twice and just go for NVIDIA. And the GeForce 7950 GT does quite well considering its price tag.