Not Just a Speed Demon: MSI GeForce3 TI 500 Pro-VTG Review
By Joel Hruska :
January 23, 2002
Max Payne: 1024x768x32, All Details Max
| Card | Score |
| MSI Pro-VTG | 58 |
| GeForce3 | 51 |
| RADEON 8500 | 50.5 |
Because Max Payne's benchmark mode relies on user input to stop the test rather than an automatic shut-off point, it introduces a small level of human error that must be corrected for. All tests were run three times and averaged.
In Max Payne we see the GF3 TI 500 pull ahead again by about 13% over the original GF3. We were curious whether or not the Radeon 8500 would pull ahead of the GF 3 Ti 500-the "Lobby" test in 3DMark 2001 is built on the same engine as Max Payne and the R8500 had demonstrated tremendous potential there. But it ended up slightly trailing the legacy GeForce3, though only by half a frame.
Serious Sam: "Valley of the Kings" Demo, 1024x768x32, Quality Settings
| Card | Score |
| MSI Pro-VTG | 127 |
| GeForce3 | 114 |
| RADEON 8500 | 117 |
Serious Sam is a relatively recent game that appears poised to replace Quake 3: Arena as the OpenGL benchmark of choice. Serious Sam is a fast-paced first-person shooter with an emphasis on gorgeous visuals, huge open spaces (populated with hundreds of enemies) and lightning fast gameplay. In this benchmark we see the same story repeated again. The reference board is running about 11% slower than the MSI Pro-VTG, with the Radeon cutting that gap to about 5%.
