Gaming Benchmarks (Cont.)

Let's continue with the next games we have selected, being Doom3 and Quake 4. Both games which are very popular amongst gamers and that will give a good idea on the performance delivered by the Gainward BLISS 8400 GS graphics accelerator. This time we have two games the OpenGL technology as 3D engine. This has some impact on the performance and gaming experience with these games. The goal of the OpenGL technology is to provide stunning gaming experience with awesome looking visual graphics and physics. So, load em up, and start your 3D engines...

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 - E6700 2.66GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon HD 2400 PRO	BLISS 8400 GS
No AA/-- AF	28.8 fps	30.8 fps
2x AA/-- AF	17.7 fps	20.0 fps
4x AA/-- AF	13.0 fps	14.1 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

Having turned the page, we are now looking at the OpenGL technology and the game that comes to mind will still be Doom 3 from id Software. 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 BLISS 8400 GS video card which delivers higher results. And okay, it is only a minor difference it does still proof that NVIDIA's hardware is more optimized for the OpenGL technology. But make no mistake ATI is catching up real fast and not that far behind. Both cards are very well matched and do deliver excellent visual image quality.

Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6700 2.66GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon HD 2400 PRO	BLISS 8400 GS
No AA/No AF	19.7 fps	21.1 fps
2x AA/4x AF	12.5 fps	13.4 fps
4x AA/8x AF	8.8 fps	8.1 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

Going one step further and raising the bar for the higher resolutions we see that the GeForce 8400 GS is still in favor but it is becoming an even more close battle. In the end the Radeon HD 2400 PRO does do a little bit better when we raise the anti-aliasing levels. It isn't much but still it does mean that the ATI hardware is a bit less falling behind when extra visual features are getting enabled. Just to note that those of you interested in the widescreen variant of the resolution being 1680x1050 will get similar frame rates as we have reported. So yes, you could use the widescreen but don't expect to see much difference. We would certainly stick to the lower resolutions as that improves the fame play experience.

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 it into 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 - E6700 2.66GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon HD 2400 PRO	BLISS 8400 GS
No AA/-- AF	34.3 fps	33.3 fps
2x AA/-- AF	22.7 fps	22.6 fps
4x AA/-- AF	17.4 fps	17.3 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. However the results are now very tight, with very minor difference in reported frame rates. And yes, this time the Radeon HD 2400 PRO does just a bit better, but we can somehow neglect the difference and treat these cards as equals. It does however mean that the OpenGL gaming is no longer just the playground of NVIDIA as we saw in the past, but that ATI has closed the gap. In the end that is very good news for us, the end user of the graphics cards.

Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6700 2.66GHz - 2GB RAM
	Radeon HD 2400 PRO	BLISS 8400 GS
No AA/No AF	25.1 fps	23.9 fps
2x AA/4x AF	16.3 fps	15.3 fps
4x AA/8x AF	12.4 fps	9.7 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 8400 GS accelerator from Gainward. It shows that ATI is now in front with the BLISS 8400 GS edition following very closely. Again we can somehow explain this with the somehow superior hardware from ATI which has over twice as much available stream processors to render the visual sceneries. To that extend it means that NVIDIA can deliver similar gaming experience with less, which leaves quite some potential open fro NVIDIA to use. In the end if you can doe the same with less it means you are better positions overall.