This section describes bugs we find in games we test graphics cards with. From February 2005 on we launched the bug archive and redesigned this section.

If you find any bugs or have any comments and worthy ideas regarding this section, please email Danil Gridasov.

Contents

1. Testbed
2. Graphics cards
3. Drivers
4. Actual bugs
5. Bug Archive

Testbed

Currently graphics cards are tested in the following testbeds:

• Intel Pentium 4 3.4GHz (800 MHz FSB, HT Enabled)
• ASUS P4C800-E (Chipset i875P, AGP 8x)
• 1024MB PC3200

The software is Windows XPService Pack 2 (including updates) and DirectX 9c.

In the future we'll be keeping a log of our testbed configurations evolution.

Graphics cards

The following cards were used in making of this material:

• ATI Radeon 9600 (Sapphire Radeon 9600)
• ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (Gigabyte RADEON 9800 PRO GV-R98P128D)
• ATI Radeon X800 Pro (PowerColor RADEON X800 PRO Limited Edition)
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900 (ASUS V9950 128MB)
• NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT (Prolink PixelView GeForce 6600GT AGP)
• NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra (NVIDIA Reference)

Besides, the tests have also been run on:

• ATI Radeon 9200 (Gigabyte Radeon 9200) (until 02.2005)
• NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti4600 (NVIDIA Reference) (until 02.2005)
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 (Palit Daytona GeForce FX 5200) (until 02.2005)
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra (Albatron GeForce FX 5700 Ultra) (until 02.2005)

Bugs noticed on archived graphics cards are also archived.

Drivers

In the past month we used the following drivers for testing the graphics cards:

ATI Catalyst 5.4 (8.121)

• Official reference drivers from ATI.
• Release date: 06/09/2005.
• The only feature added in this Catalyst release was support of hardware acceleration of WMV video available for DX9 cards.
• We are totally fed up with the bug when control panel settings are sticking if Fraps is run. E.g. to force AA 4x you have to close Fraps, force AA 4x and load Fraps again. Need to force AA 6x now? Repeat the sequence!
• Catalyst Control Center still doesn't live with Agnitum Outpost Pro 2.x (all versions). When it's not locked up, it works VERY slowly.

NVIDIA ForceWare 77.72

• Official WHQL reference drivers from NVIDIA.
• Release date: 23.06.2005.
• These drivers were released together with GeForce 7800 GTX. It offers SLI mode opportunity with SLI connector, i.e. via PCIE, which is needed for GF6600 cards (non-GT!). Of obvious bugs we must mention problematic overlay gamma controls.

We run games on beta drivers just to please our interest. Bugs noticed on leaked drivers are not published in this section. But this is theoretically possible if a really interesting beta is leaked or it has been to long since the last official release.

Actual bugs

This section lists rendering or general gameplay bugs which are not fixed yet. These are checked for with every new drivers package and/or game version.

Beyond Good and Evil

• GeForce FX 5700, 5900, GeForce 6600, 6800
  Plane drop-out with v-sync turned off
• GeForce 6600, 6800
  Very slow water rendering

Chaser

• Radeon 9600, 9800, X800
  Texture noise with anisotropic filtering enabled

Command & Conquer Generals

• GeForce 6600, 6800
  Incorrect water rendering

Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour

• GeForce 6600, 6800
  Incorrect water rendering
• GeForce 6600, 6800
  Incorrect snow rendering

Enclave

• GeForce FX 5200, 5700, 5900, GeForce 6600, 6800
  Incorrect torch light rendering

FlatOut

• Radeon 9600, 9800, X800
  Texture noise with anisotropic filtering enabled

Ground Control 2

• Radeon 9600, 9800, X800
  Texture noise with anisotropic filtering enabled

Half-Life 2

• GeForce 6600, 6800
  Incorrect water rendering

Painkiller

• Radeon 9600, 9800, X800
  Texture noise with anisotropic filtering enabled

Splinter Cell

• GeForce FX 5700, 5900, GeForce 6600, 6800
  Incorrect water rendering

Bug Archive

Here we keep a list of bugs fixed in the newer game and/or drivers package versions as well as permanent bugs which are seemingly not to be fixed.

Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour

• GeForce FX 5200, 5700, 5900, GeForce 6600, 6800
  Screen garbage with AA forced and post-processing enabled.

Halo: Combat Evolved

• GeForce 6600, 6800
  Strong noise on distant water MIP levels

Painkiller

• GeForce 6800
  Plane drop-out

Splinter Cell

• GeForce 6600, 6800
  No shadows in the shadow buffers mode

Article navigation: