Hardware

Game Benchmarks

Our game benchmark suite consists of both old and new games, and provides a well-rounded look at potential gaming on both the AMD and Intel platforms. The 1024x768 and 1280x1024 resolutions also represent the standard LCD settings for an entry-level system, and the point where most gamers will be looking to hit. The detail settings also fit in perfectly with real-world usage, as entry-level buyers may jack Quake 3 or UT 2004 to the hilt, but are not going to expect to run a game like F.E.A.R. with anything but the basic features.

Quake 3 Arena Performance

Quake 3: Arena may be getting a little old when it comes to gaming benchmarks, but its old school design not only rewards pure horsepower, but also allows the entry-level AMD and Intel systems a bit more legroom. An older game like Quake 3 is also prime material for a lower-end system, as users customarily go back a generation or two in order to find games that will run silky smooth. Quake 3 testing is performed with High Quality settings, using release 1.30 and its standard "demo Four".

Naturally, the Quake 3 framerates are fairly high, with the Athlon 64 X2 + GeForce 6150 LE system pumping out over 100 fps at 1024x768, and taking the performance crown at 1280x1024. The Core 2 Duo + Intel G965 Express system is well back at the initial resolution, but makes up ground quickly at 1280x1024.

Unreal Tournament 2004 Performance

Unreal Tournament 2004 is the current version of the popular UT series, and yet another serious test for entry-level PC hardware. For this benchmark, we've used a GUI interface with the following options and settings: 3 Botmatch maps, 12 players and medium detail graphics.

Unreal Tournament raises the stakes from Quake 3, and the lower framerates attest to the greater demands. The Athlon 64 X2 + GeForce 6150 LE system manages just over 58 fps at 1024x768 and just under 40 fps at 1280x1024, finishing ahead of the Intel system at both resolutions. However, just as in Quake 3, the overall results at 1280x1024 are very close.

FarCry Performance

FarCry is a first-person shooter that takes our graphics testing to the next level. Instead of darkness and confined spaces, FarCry places you outdoors, on bright sandy beaches, jungles or even on the water itself. This game gives our entry-level systems a different kind of a stress test, and even now, FarCry ranks up there with the very toughest 3D game benchmarks. For this test, we use a custom game demo and set detail levels at minimum.

FarCry follows right along with the overall trend, and again shows the Athlon 64 X2 + GeForce 6150 LE platform taking it to the Core 2 Duo + Intel G965 Express system at both resolutions. But once again, the 1280x1024 results are a lot closer than the scores taken at 1024x768.

F.E.A.R. Performance

F.E.A.R. is one of the newer additions to our game benchmark suite, and it features jaw-dropping graphics and a physics engine that can bring any system to its knees. The game even includes a wide selection of System and Video settings, along with an in-game testing module to keep things 100% comparable. In this case, as we are dealing with onboard graphics performance, we have set the system and physics settings to low, while dropping the graphics to minimum, and attempting to mimic real-world usage.

This actually results in playable framerates in F.E.A.R., and the 46 fps posted by the Athlon 64 X2 + GeForce 6150 LE system is a lot better than we envisioned. The AMD platform again takes the performance crown at both resolutions, but as we have come to expect, the scores at 1280x1024 drop closer together.

Company of Heroes Performance

Company of Heroes is yet another new addition to our benchmark suite, and it offers one of the most demanding benchmark environments ever. CoH is a WW2 real-time strategy game, which again provides us with a nice change of pace from the usual FPS benchmark. We use the game's built-in performance test for all of our benchmarking. In order to properly emulate performance on an entry-level system, all in-game detail settings have been dropped to low and high-end settings disabled.

So far, it's been a clean sweep for the Athlon 64 X2 + GeForce 6150 LE system, so naturally, Company of Heroes has to come along and break up the streak. The Intel platform posts the top scores at both resolutions, and even though neither system produces playable framerates, the Intel G965 Express does offer the fastest CoH performance.

Prey Performance

Prey is a serious first-person shooter from Human Head Studios and 3D Realms that uses a heavily modified version of the DOOM 3 engine. You take the role of Earth's savior in an all-out war against some very nasty alien invaders, all within a Matrix-like experience, and with some of the best computer game graphics you'll ever see. Even though details settings have been dropped to low, our Prey benchmark is also a very serious game test that can push any system to its limits.

Unfortunately, the Prey benchmark results are about as far from playable as you can get. Sure, the Athlon 64 X2 + GeForce 6150 LE system holds the top scores, but a high water mark of 6.4 fps is hardly worth celebrating. This benchmark also shows that no matter how low you drop the detail settings, some games will always remain out of reach for a system with integrated graphics.