Gaming Benchmarks (Re-Cont.)

You thought it was finished...didn't you? Well, since we had some extra time and really enjoyed playing with the Gainward GeForce GTX 260 video card, it was only logic to include some extra gaming results. And this time we really need to opt for some games that can take advantage of the DirectX 10 application program interface. So to also be able to show the difference with the performance depending on the operating system we are going again for Crysis and Unreal Tournament 3. Both games are following the DirectX 10 technology outlined by Microsoft, with each having their very own 3D gaming engine for rendering the different gaming sceneries. The goal of each 3D engine is to provide stunning gaming experience with awesome looking visual graphics and physics. So time to sit back and get ready to unleash these games, and show the goodies...

Electronic Arts Crysis

And yes of course we couldn't miss out on Crysis, which is the successor of Far Cry using the redone Crytek CryEngine 2 real-time gaming engine. The artificial intelligence in Crysis also aims to be realistic and believable. Enemy soldiers constantly employ tactical maneuvers, they work as squads, hide and ambush amongst the scenery, and adapt to changing environments and conditions. Crysis is an alien invasion game set in the year 2020. An archeological team on a remote Pacific island is captured by an invasion force of North Koreans, and your US special forces team is dispatched to investigate and rescue these scientists. Clad in high-tech nanosuits capable of boosting your strength, speed, and armor, as well as cloaking you temporarily to the enemy, you're parachuted into a tropical paradise that's crawling with intelligent enemies and something else that's tearing both the North Koreans and US forces to shreds.

Gaming Results - 1280x1024 - E6700 3.00GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 9800 GX2	GeForce GTX 260
No AA/No AF	41.06 fps	33.66 fps
2x AA/4x AF	27.70 fps	27.32 fps
4x AA/8x AF	24.42 fps	23.75 fps
8x AA/16x AF	10.54 fps	15.27 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.
Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6700 3.00GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 9800 GX2	GeForce GTX 260
No AA/No AF	27.36 fps	22.19 fps
2x AA/4x AF	13.29 fps	17.24 fps
4x AA/8x AF	10.58 fps	14.97 fps
8x AA/16x AF	N/A	10.15 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

Phew, what a difference. We really hate to say this but why would anyone want to go for Windows Vista? If you are just focusing on the Crysis frame rates, then we would just drop Vista right this instance and keep in using our good old Windows XP operating system. But the frame rates are not the only aspect to consider since the most important part is really the visual quality. And on that point there is really no denying that Vista with DirectX 10 is just better in all aspects. Well you just have to see it for yourself, but we can really go from our experience who have been quite addicted to Windows XP, though we have to recognize that Vista is bringing some great added value to the gaming table. The GeForce 9800 GX2 is more heavily impacted by a large drop in performance once the anti-aliasing is enabled, while the Gainward GeForce GTX 260 version is less scrutinized.

Gaming Results - 2560x1600 - E6700 3.00GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 9800 GX2	GeForce GTX 260
No AA/No AF	2.13 fps	10.58 fps
2x AA/4x AF	N/A	8.06 fps
4x AA/8x AF	N/A	4.21 fps
8x AA/16x AF	N/A	N/A
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

We are somehow disappointed with the high definition gaming of both graphics cards when we are playing with Crysis. Frankly speaking we couldn't believe that the combination of Vista and the GeForce 9800 GX2 version would just become a no show, though the all new GeForce GTX 260 does a bit better. It doesn't really help much these results to promote a switch to Windows Vista, but of course we are not using the greatest Intel processor neither, though an Intel Core 2 Duo running at 3.0GHz is not bad at all. Shall we just forget about Crysis for the moment at least when you would be thinking about enjoying some high definition gaming experience? We would think so and would rather go on and see if a different 3D game engine which is build upon the same DirectX 10 technology can turn the tables. In the end we have to conclude that Crysis is a quite heavy game title with high requirements on the system specification, but also on the graphics card itself.

Epic Games Unreal Tournament 3

At the same time the titles which are coming from Epic Games are always head on and surely Unreal games are always highly anticipated. The Necris invasion has begun, and your clan was one of the first to be slaughtered. Head to the front lines and join this epic battle to defend humanity while taking your revenge. As such Unreal Tournament 3 marks the return of the premiere tournament style first person shooter. Unreal Tournament 3 unleashes the full power of Unreal engine 3, taking the graphics, game play, and challenge to a whole new level. Players are engaged in intense and hyper real battles with other human players online or against incredibly realistic Unreal artificial intelligence. Over two dozen weapons and vehicles have been upgraded and enhanced for maximum killing potential. Similar to the previous entries of the series, the game is primarily an online multiplayer title offering several game modes.

Gaming Results - 1280x1024 - E6700 3.00GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 9800 GX2	GeForce GTX 260
No AA/No AF	127.7 fps	139.0 fps
2x AA/4x AF	125.9 fps	137.8 fps
4x AA/8x AF	124.0 fps	136.7 fps
8x AA/16x AF	122.8 fps	135.6 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.
Gaming Results - 1600x1200 - E6700 3.00GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 9800 GX2	GeForce GTX 260
No AA/No AF	126.0 fps	134.1 fps
2x AA/4x AF	123.2 fps	133.3 fps
4x AA/8x AF	121.7 fps	132.4 fps
8x AA/16x AF	119.7 fps	131.2 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

What a relief to see that Unreal Tournament 3 isn't going down the same patch as Crysis and that the new Unreal engine is either better designed or is just less feature extensive and able to run much smoother. Now we can't deny that there is as well a drop in performance when using Windows Vista, but it is certainly acceptable. There is a great similarity with the previous results, though this time the GeForce 9800 GX2 isn't the one being on top of things. We clearly see, even when we increase the display resolution that the true power of the GeForce GTX 260 from Gainward is outrunning the former champion. There is however also another point to mention which is linked to the image quality and visual effects, where we find it very difficult to see the difference when looking back on the DirectX 9.0c experience. From our perception, the visual sceneries are slightly better with Windows Vista.

Gaming Results - 2560x1600 - E6700 3.00GHz - 2GB RAM
	GeForce 9800 GX2	GeForce GTX 260
No AA/No AF	92.1 fps	79.8 fps
2x AA/4x AF	91.3 fps	78.3 fps
4x AA/8x AF	90.6 fps	76.1 fps
8x AA/16x AF	89.0 fps	75.2 fps
Results Interpretation: Higher index values are better.

Once again we also turn up the volume, euh we mean the resolution and end up with the high definition settings to run through the gaming benchmark. Here we can't really complain at all as the results are almost identical between both operating systems and we can draw the same conclusion. That means that the GeForce 9800 GX2 edition is the way to do if you really want to enjoy the high definition gaming experience, though the single GPU based GeForce GTX 260 isn't far behind. The version from Gainward is an excellent card that ran through all our games without any glitch or stability issues with excellent driver support. We can once again stand by the words from Gainward, and have an experience beyond our senses. On that point we can't really add much as that is just what you get with the GeForce GTX 260 edition from Gainward, and we can only image what the GeForce GTX 280 would do!