Gaming Benchmarks (Cont.)

Let's continue with the next games we have selected, being Quake 4 and X³: Reunion. Both games are very popular amongst gamers and that will give a good idea on the performance delivered by the Point of View GeForce 8600 GTS graphics card. Again we have one game using the DirectX and the other using the OpenGL technology. This will have some impact on the performance and gaming experience in these games. The goal of each technology is to provide stunning gaming experience with awesome looking visual graphics and physics.

Raven Software Quake 4

As we want to have a good mix of games, we just had to give Quake 4 a spot in the gaming analysis. Quake 4 is based upon id Software's revolutionary Doom 3 technology. Furthermore, Quake 4 wasn't actually developed by id Software internally; it instead outsourced game development to the capable minds at Raven Software, who have turned in a fantastic looking game with a great single-player campaign. The multiplayer function, however, is underwhelming. Quake was among the first PC shooters to let you take your multiplayer matches onto the Internet, and over the years, the series has become synonymous with great technology and exciting multiplayer.

Gaming Results - 1280x1024 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/-- AF	132.8 fps	100.8 fps
2x AA/-- AF	120.9 fps	78.9 fps
4x AA/-- AF	98.4 fps	65.0 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

When looking at the Quake 4 gaming results we can see that these follow the same logic as we have encountered with Doom 3. Since both games are using the same 3D engine developed by id Software it doesn't come as a surprise. The GeForce 8600 GTS is delivering some good results considering the processing capabilities of the G84 chip powering this graphics card. On the other hand it can't really keep up with the Radeon X1950 PRO, and falls behind a bit faster while we enable some extra graphical settings and enhancements. Although we have to state that the image quality delivered by the GeForce 8600 GTS is superior, which is an added value to the gaming experience.

Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/-- AF	N/A	73.4 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	38.7 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

Looking upon the figures with the widescreen HD resolution, we can draw a similar conclusion. Going for the higher resolutions does impact the overall gaming performance. It does show that the maximum HD gaming resolution might just be asking a bit too much from the GeForce 8600 GTS accelerator. But it is nice to see that a mid-range graphics card is able to support these widescreen resolutions. The main drawback of the GeForce 8600 series is all about the memory interface which is kept at only 128-bit, where we would have liked to see a 256-bit interface for smoother game scene rendering.

EgoSoft X³: Reunion

Following up on our gaming overview, we use one of the newer games which goes by the name, X³: Reunion. This is a sequel to the award winning X²: The Threat game. Quite some extensive development has gone into the X³ engine, making use of DirectX 9.0 technology, to create dramatic visual effects and stunningly realistic starships. Coupled with the massively enhanced artificial life system, X³: Reunion will present players with an ever changing, evolving universe; where a player's action really can shape the future of the universe. Newcomers will enjoy the additions to the already graphically impressive, almost living X³ Universe, while veterans can expect new construction options and an improved physics model.

Gaming Results - 1280x1024 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/No AF	79.487 fps	59.837 fps
2x AA/4x AF	70.864 fps	50.226 fps
4x AA/8x AF	66.359 fps	45.451 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

No difference really with X³: Reunion, a DirectX based game which does favor the ATI technology. This doesn't come as a surprise as it is known from our previous benchmarks runs to perform better with ATI hardware than toward the NVIDIA technology. So the Radeon X1950 PRO shows superior results throughout the complete comparison. However, when putting things in perspective the GeForce 8600 GTS is able to handle the game quite well and showing slightly better graphical image quality. So it surely shows the potential of the G84 chip, the main potential lies with the support for DirectX 10 games.

Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon X1950 PRO	GeForce 8600 GTS
No AA/No AF	N/A	48.597 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	28.182 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

And to end our gaming overview we included as well some higher resolutions to show the impact on the performance and frame rates delivered by the GeForce 8600 GTS accelerator from Point of View. When analyzing these results against the architecture of the G84 core used on the GeForce 8600 series, we can see that HD gaming is certainly possible but not at the full extend. When you want to fully enjoy the Extreme HD gaming and actually bought a 30" LCD display, then we do recommend stepping up the ladder and go for the GeForce 8800 series. Of course if you are interesting in the base widescreen gaming, then by all means the GeForce 8600 series are the way to go.