Gaming Benchmarks

As we saw the synthetic benchmark results, the next logical step is to dive into the real gaming performance of the Point of View GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB video card. As reference we will use an ATI Radeon X1950 PRO graphics 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.

id Software 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
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/-- AF	108.7 fps	108.3 fps
2x AA/-- AF	95.6 fps	76.8 fps
4x AA/-- AF	70.4 fps	53.7 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

And here we are with the first actual gaming experience using the GeForce 8600 GTS provided by Point of View. In fact Doom 3 is already going a long way but is still considered a very good reference in terms of OpenGL gaming performance. We notice that the reported frame rates are in favor of the Radeon X1950 PRO video card which delivers high results. On the other hand, the GeForce 8600 GTS shows that it has quite a lot of processing power, although trailing behind much faster when antialiasing is enabled. A bit normal when you look at the actual processing capabilities that both card would match each other, but when the extra image features are enabled it all comes down to the memory interface which is in favor of the Radeon X1950 PRO accelerator.

Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/-- AF	N/A	62.7 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.
Gaming Results - 2560x1600 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/-- AF	N/A	30.6 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

Going one step further and going for the higher resolutions we can see that the GeForce 8600 GTS is capable of supporting the Extreme HD gaming experience but with an impact to the performance. When we would enable the extra features like antialiasing and anisotropic filtering the GeForce 8600 GTS is dropping in performance, which is somehow natural. On the information from NVIDIA around the HD resolutions, it is clearly mentioned that the GeForce 8600 series are intended to support up to a resolution of 1680x1050 which is the introduction resolution for the Extreme HD gaming.

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 engine 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
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/No AF	116.03 fps	106.31 fps
2x AA/4x AF	99.77 fps	83.99 fps
4x AA/8x AF	85.85 fps	71.45 fps
SM3.0/HDR	86.36 fps	60.63 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

Well yeah we still like the hang of it with Far Cry, it just keeps amazing us this game with very nice visual graphics and stunning game play. Besides that it is an excellent game to checkout the performance of a graphics card. Similarly to the previous game, we can see that the GeForce 8600 GTS is doing well but not up to speed related to the Radeon X1950 PRO which delivers a better gaming performance. Once again the frame rates do drop a bit faster when the antialiasing is enabled, due to the greater textures to be processed and the memory bandwidth requirements. In that aspect the GeForce 8600 GTS has to do it with only a 128-bit memory interface.

Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/No AF	N/A	80.51 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.
Gaming Results - 2560x1600 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/No AF	N/A	40.49 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

Again we did some limited testing for the higher resolutions, included as well the most extreme HD gaming resolution. Once again we can see that the G84 architecture and design can support the 2560x1600 resolution with a lower performance. Once again, NVIDIA does support all HD widescreen resolutions but lists as optimal resolution for the GeForce 8600 GTS a resolution of 1680x1050 during gaming. Of course if you really want to fully enjoy the HD gaming at the maximum resolution then it would be best to opt for the GeForce 8800 series.