The X2 - The Threat Demo is a tough gaming benchmark that takes the form of a rolling demo. It may be technically DirectX 8 in design, but its high-end 3D support and features make this a serious test for current 3D games, and not far removed from our DirectX 9 benchmarking. Once started, the X2 demo displays various game scenes, and incorporates the space-sim aspects of the game into a test run that can really separate the high-end hardware from the pack.
Our X2 Demo benchmarking matches Comanche 4 in separating the performance levels by the chipset. The MSI and ASUS i875P boards take their customary position in the performance lead, followed by the mid-range i875P boards and the Soyo i865PE and ASUS i848P taking up the rear. The ASUS i865PE board and its MAM feature doesn't seem to impact the X2 Demo that much, and it falls back, just a hair below the performance of the i875P boards.
Code Creatures is a synthetic 3D benchmark that provides us with yet another angle in any system performance comparison. This is a high-end 3D benchmark that also requires DirectX 8 hardware, and is a good barometer for potential DirectX 8 game performance.
The Code Creatures Total score is produced by multiple testing at different resolutions, which tends to equalize the scores somewhat. We've still got the usual suspects at the top, followed by the ASUS P4P800 Deluxe and the rest of the i875P boards. The chart does look a bit strange with the ASUS P4P800S-E Deluxe placing so high, but keep in mind that only 2 points separate 5th from 7th place.
The 3DMark 2003 benchmark is a great way to present DirectX 9 gaming performance, assuming the video card is kept consistent between platforms. And not only does it offer a view at potential DirectX 9 gaming performance, but FutureMark has also included a specific CPU Test that was lacking in previous versions. As in all of our game tests, this benchmark was performed at the standard 1024x768x32 resolution and color depth.
The overall 3DMark 2003 test scores are quite interesting, as this benchmark presents a pretty fair estimation of DX9 performance. It's no surprise to see ASUS and MSI sitting on top, but the i875P seems to have an inherent advantage in this benchmark, as the ASUS MAM-powered i865PE board falls down the chart a bit.
RSS feed
