Video cards

FarCry Performance

FarCry is a hot first-person shooter that takes in-game graphics to the next level, although in a different direction than DOOM 3. Instead of darkness and confined spaces, FarCry can place you outdoors, on bright sandy beaches, jungles or even on the water itself. This game gives our video cards a different kind of a stress test, and rest assured that FarCry ranks up there with the very toughest 3D game benchmarks. FarCry is an interesting benchmark, as it combines old school performance requirements with hot new features such as support for SM 3.0. For this test, we are using the full retail version updated to version 1.4, along with a new custom demo file.

The updated patches enable SM3.0 support for FarCry, and this makes it an excellent test of current feature sets and performance. FarCry is a game that offers some level of graphics impact even at standard 1280x1024 detail settings, and can really put the screws to our reference cards at higher resolutions and detail levels. Our initial FarCry benchmarking at standard details places the ASUS EAX1950PRO 256MB in very good company, on par with the GeForce 7900 GS at 1280x1024, and outperforming the GeForce 7900 GT at 1600x1200.

FarCry AA and AF Performance

When FarCry is upgraded to higher detail 4X AA and 8X AF settings, the exact same trends are present, and overall, the ASUS EAX1950PRO 256MB outperforms the GeForce 7900 GS at both resolutions.

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. Our Prey benchmark is also very serious business, with a hardcore demo and shader details set to high.

The Prey benchmark results are very similar to what we saw in FarCry, and we have the ASUS EAX1950PRO 256MB posting higher scores than the GeForce 7900 GS and even pushing the GeForce 7900 GT.

Prey AA and AF Performance

The addition of AA and AF details to the mix does nothing to change the overall performance trends, and once again, the ASUS EAX1950PRO 256MB manages to outperform the GeForce 7900 GS at both 1280x1024 and 1600x1200 resolutions.