Gaming Benchmarks

As we saw the synthetic benchmark results, the next logical step is to dive into the real gaming performance of the Sparkle GeForce 8600 GTS edition video card. As reference we will use a default Radeon X1950 PRO setup to check the performance differences. Each setup is going to run each game at different resolution settings using a variety of anti-aliasing 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 8600 GTS	BLISS 8600 GTS GS
No AA/No AF	106.80 fps	113.96 fps
2x AA/4x AF	84.02 fps	90.01 fps
4x AA/8x AF	71.57 fps	80.12 fps
SM3.0/HDR	60.71 fps	65.20 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 and it does provide some great features and nice visual effects. Both cards perform somehow on par, which shouldn't come as a surprise as they feature the same graphics core with the only difference being the clock settings. The BLISS 8600 GTS Golden Sample does show to be the better part by delivering better gaming performance. 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. By enabling the HDR function, we notice a drop in performance from both cards.

Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 8600 GTS	BLISS 8600 GTS GS
4x AA/8x AF	48.43 fps	54.13 fps
SM3.0/HDR	43.05 fps	46.39 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.
Gaming Results - 2560x1600 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 8600 GTS	BLISS 8600 GTS GS
4x AA/8x AF	18.84 fps	22.86 fps
SM3.0/HDR	20.67 fps	22.14 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

The game is on and high resolutions, meaning High Definition are the new hype around the gaming community. That means we couldn't stay behind neither. And indeed NVIDIA has done quite some marketing around the HD gaming experience and in particularly linked with the GeForce 8800 series. And what about the little brother, the GeForce 8600 GTS powered by the G84 core? Well it does support the High Definition experience but it does come a bit short at those super high resolutions. If you really want to enjoy the super resolutions, then Gainward has as well the GeForce 8800 series to choose from. In the end we were quite impressed by the image clarity and quality, which has improved a lot over the previous series of graphics cards.

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
	GeForce 8600 GTS	BLISS 8600 GTS GS
No AA/No AF	111.2 fps	117.8 fps
2x AA/-- AF	78.6 fps	85.3 fps
4x AA/-- AF	53.8 fps	60.0 fps
8x AF/-- AF	34.2 fps	39.7 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

Another one that is already going a long way but still is considered a very good reference in terms of OpenGL gaming performance. We notice that the reported frame rates are in favor of the Gainward BLISS 8600 GTS Golden Sample system. The GeForce 8600 GTS has a very good basis, and by unlocking the G84 a bit further with higher clock settings it shows it has more than what the reference is offering. We must admit that the G84 is very impressive and does allow a decent amount of overclocking. The only point that is critical is the memory bandwidth which is scrutinized by having only a 128-bit memory interface. We would encourage NVIDIA to start gearing up for a 256-bit interface on their mid-range products as it would certainly bring a nice performance boost.

Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 8600 GTS	BLISS 8600 GTS GS
4x AA/-- AF	38.7 fps	42.4 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.
Gaming Results - 2560x1600 - E6300 2.80GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 8600 GTS	BLISS 8600 GTS GS
4x AA/-- AF	17.3 fps	19.8 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

When looking upon the HD gaming results, it shows a similar performance. The reference GeForce 8600 GTS edition from Sparkle is less fast at normal operation and with anti-aliasing at higher resolutions. Once again Gainward has gone one step further to provide a pre-overclocked version at launch next to the standard edition. This gives the choice to the user, to either go for a pre-overclocked or a reference version knowing that the warranty is the same for both versions, although linked with the initial settings by Gainward. If you are in favor of the OpenGL games, mainly coming from id Software then don't think twice and just go for a NVIDIA based graphics card. On the mid-range market the Golden Sample edition from Gainward is certainly one to go for, offering superior performance and image quality.