DOOM 3 is a game that needs no introduction, and continues in a long line of id Software Quake and DOOM first-person shooters. This latest installment is one serious 3D game test, including some of the highest-end graphics yet seen on the PC. It is also a different type of game benchmark, especially compared to Quake 3, and it has an almost total reliance on the 3D video card for high-end framerate results. This limits its use in certain system or CPU testing, but makes DOOM 3 a killer 3D video card benchmark.
DOOM 3 is one of the newer game benchmarks, and it will be interesting to see how the powerful Radeon X1900 XT 512MB card fares, especially with a game known for its preference for NVIDIA-based video cards. In a bit of a surprise, the Radeon X1900 XT 512MB powered by the GeForce 7900 GT 256MB to take first place at both 1280x1024 and 1600x1200 resolutions. This is very impressive, and ATI's high-end video cards continue to make inroads against the NVIDIA GeForce 7900-based models. The performance gap between the various cards is also quite pronounced, as DOOM 3 puts more stress on the GPU than older games.
The DOOM 3 benchmark scores with 4X AA and 8X AF detail settings really highlight some of the architectural advantages of the Radeon X1900 XT. The framerates are noticeably higher than the GeForce 7900 GT 256MB, and the ATI card is in an entirely different performance class.
Half-Life 2 is another in a long line of serious first-person shooters from Valve, and the game has really taken FPS graphics to the next level. This is a great opportunity to really push our graphics cards to the limit, as well as providing a point-counterpoint to DOOM 3. As with DOOM 3, there is also some CPU-reliance present in the scores, but in terms of relative performance, we still find the top-performing cards breaking away from the pack.
While DOOM 3 shows a preference for many NVIDIA cards, so too does Half-Life 2 provide the same kind of performance jump for ATI video cards. The Radeon X1900 XT 512MB naturally posts the highest overall scores and even the Radeon X 1800 XL is a very impressive performer, finishing in second place.
When we increase detail levels to 4X anti-aliasing and 8X anisotropic filtering, we see some differences in the overall scores. The Radeon X1900 XT 512MB is still the top dog, but now the GeForce 7900 GT 256MB slides into second, leaving the Radeon X1800 XL in the figurative dust.
