Gaming Benchmarks (Cont.)

Since we are having fun playing with the Gainward BLISS 7950 GT Golden Sample video card, it was only logic to include some extra game titles. Since F.E.A.R. has the possibility to be run as a benchmark, we just downloaded the multiplayer demo version and took it for a spin. And next to that we also opted for Prey, a newer title but also based on the enhanced 3D engine used by Doom 3. So again we meet an OpenGL based 3D engine set against a DirectX supporting 3D engine. Yeah, you got that right; both have their strengths and extensive processing features. Either way both technologies have one purpose, to bring you the best looking games you can think of...and more!

Monolith F.E.A.R.

To finish of our gaming performance we couldn't just leave F.E.A.R. out of our real gaming experience results. F.E.A.R. is a shooter that captures the sensation of being in wild and desperate firefights like no other game before it, and it's an incredible, kinetic, almost exhausting experience from start to finish. More than that, though, is the fact that it's also one of the most atmospheric and creepy games ever made, as well as one of the most intense shooters that you'll play this year. It has been developed by Monolith, using their 3D gaming engine for rendering the scenery. To this end they created an entirely new physics system built upon technology from Havok and a renderer built around the concepts of materials, shaders and meshes.

Gaming Results - 1280x980 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 7950 GT			BLISS 7950 GT GS
	Min	Avg	Max	Min	Avg	Max
No AA/No AF	37 fps	59 fps	115 fps	41 fps	62 fps	123 fps
2x AA/4x AF	28 fps	47 fps	84 fps	31 fps	49 fps	93 fps
4x AA/8x AF	22 fps	37 fps	70 fps	22 fps	39 fps	71 fps

What is fear...? Well that is one thing you can find out while playing F.E.A.R. which stands for First Encounter Assault Recon. There are two things which make F.E.A.R. stand out from the crowd, a gimmicky but genuinely fun twist and amazing graphics. Performance wise the reference GeForce 7950 GT is clearly the lacking that extra notch of performance when it comes to raw gaming power. The GeForce 7950 GT can't keep up from the start, but closes the gab a bit when AntiAliasing and Anisotropic Filtering are enabled. With stunning performance, excellent game play and outstanding image quality the Gainward Golden Sample edition shows that the game is on once again. Gainward has done what it planned to do and that was to optimize their GeForce 7950 GT version to be even better and show off stunning game play. Well, they have succeeded so far...

Human Head Prey

And last but not the least, Prey tells the story of Tommy, a Cherokee garage mechanic stuck on a reservation going nowhere. Abducted along with his people to a menacing mothership orbiting Earth, he sets out to save himself and his girlfriend and eventually his planet. In Prey, players enter a living spaceship which enslaves alien races and devours humans for lunch. A unique twist on the first person shooter genre, Prey features such innovations as the ability to walk on walls, manipulate gravity and perform a spirit walk by leaving your physical body behind. Designed by Human Head (under direction of 3D Realms), the game Prey features full online support for up to eight players, and utilizing the game's play innovations for unique multiplayer experiences.

Gaming Results - 1280x1024 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 7950 GT	BLISS 7950 GT GS
No AA/No AF	98.1 fps	103.8 fps
2x AA/4x AF	83.3 fps	88.9 fps
4x AA/8x AF	67.7 fps	71.2 fps

With Prey falling within the same range of Doom 3, due to being build upon the same 3D engine it comes as no surprise that the new Gainward BLISS 7950 GT Golden Sample edition outperforms the reference NVIDIA accelerator. The game play is outstanding with excellent image quality. The gaming experience is somehow similar to Doom 3, but it does deliver just that little extra. With Prey we have the ability to enabled both AntiAliasing and Anisotropic Filtering which adds some extra complexity and processing for the graphics processor. And by all means the BLISS 7950 GT Golden Sample does all that smoothly. When looking at the game play, this is certainly in favor of Gainward's Golden Sample edition. Once again, we have to say that Gainward brings just that little extra that a true gamer is looking for!