Quake 3: Arena Performance

Quake 3 is the de facto 3D game benchmark here at Sharky Extreme, and due to its highly repeatable results, it is still one of the most popular methods of comparing different video cards. In this test suite we match up the video cards using version 1.30 and the included demo Four. Quake 3 benchmarks were run with the default High Quality options and the in-game detail levels ramped to maximum in our MAX setting.

Quake 3 may be an older game, but it still scales extremely well, and is an excellent judge of old-school performance. The ASUS Radeon 9600XT/TVD posts some nice numbers in Quake 3, and although the GeForce FX 5700 Ultra does take the top spot, both the general Catalyst and Smart Doctor II OD scores show a noticeable increase over the Radeon 9600 Pro.

Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Performance

Along with the standard Return to Castle Wolfenstein benchmarking, we're also offering results for the more recent Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory game. The setup is the same as Quake 3, with 1280x1024 resolution, and in-game detail settings at maximum. We have used a custom demo taken from the Railgun game area, along with plenty of MP participants. This is one tough demo test, so expect the framerates to sink below those of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and give our video cards a much tougher workload.

Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory follows along with the same trends as the Quake 3 results, and once again the GeForce FX 5700 Ultra takes a noticeable lead, while the ASUS Radeon 9600XT/TVD again proves it's a high-performance card for an ATI mid-range model.

Comanche 4 Performance

The Comanche 4 benchmark from Novalogic gives us an opportunity to use an actual flight sim for 3D video testing. This is a different game engine that we've ever used before, so don't be put off by the relatively low framerates. Just like the high fps of Quake 3, a card's relative position is the most important factor. These tests were run in 32-bit mode, with sound disabled.

The Comanche 4 benchmark testing is always tight contest, and here the ASUS Radeon 9600XT/TVD goes head-to-head against the GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, and comes out pretty close at standard testing. The anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering results favor the NVIDIA side, but the Radeon 9600XT does make short work of the standard GeForce FX 5700.