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 Radeon 9000 Pro against the NVIDIA competition using version 1.30 and the included demo Four. Quake 3 benchmarks were run with the default High Quality setting, as well as ramping up the detail levels to maximum in our special MAX setting.
At the High Quality detail setting, we see the Radeon 9000 Pro taking a lead over the NVIDIA value cards at the lower resolutions, but once we move to 1280x1024, it falls back. The 1600x1200 results also show the Radeon 9000 Pro behind all but the GeForce4 MX 440, but the scores are still extremely close to that of a GeForce3 Ti 200.
When we increase the detail options to Quake 3 MAX levels, the ATI Radeon 9000 Pro does surprisingly better than in the previous High Quality benchmarking. In fact, the Radeon 9000 Pro outperforms both the GeForce4 MX 440 and GeForce3 Ti 200 and gives the MX 460 a good run for its money. The higher performance numbers relative to the Quake 3 detail levels is quite interesting and definitely requires some additional testing with more resource-hungry 3D games.
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter is a great sequel in the popular franchise and the benchmark portion is even better than the original. This new game not only puts the pressure on new 3D cards (especially at higher resolutions) but provides some excellent in-game demos in wide open spaces with tons of enemies. For our specific tests, we have used the Elephant Atrium demo to determine potential framerates, using the 32-bit mode.
The Serious Sam 2 32-bit results really show off the performance attributes of the Radeon 9000 Pro, as the card now powers ahead of its usual NVIDIA competition and makes a good run at the GeForce3 Ti 500. Check out the framerate discrepancies between the two GeForce4 MX boards and the Radeon 9000 Pro, which points out one inherent benefit to having a bit more Direct3D juice under the hood.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is another Quake engine game, but with some notable differences. The basic game engine may be the same, but the graphics, gameplay and the stress it puts on a 3D card are very different. Until Doom III appears, RtCW is the next best way to determine high-end Quake engine performance. We have employed the Checkpoint MP demo for our testing, using the default High Quality settings.
ATI video cards have always performed exceptionally well in Return to Castle Wolfenstein benchmarking, and the Radeon 9000 Pro certainly carries on that proud tradition. In this particular test, the Radeon 9000 Pro steams past all of the low and mid-range NVIDIA cards and settles in right behind the GeForce4 Ti 4200.
