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November 2004 3Digest



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Monthly drivers report and popular
3D accelerators comparison

Monthly 3D Digest is the project of iXBT.com devoted to releases of new Windows XP (monthly) and Windows 9x/ME (once in 4 months) drivers for popular videocards (released from the 10th of October 2004 to the 10th of November 2004. As usual, there are many diagrams containing the information on changes in operation of videocards at change to last version drivers, and also summary diagrams of popular modern videocards performance. Traditionally we provide the best price/performance information for our 2004Digest. We also pay much attention to ingame 3D graphics quality.

It's our 54th issue of 3Digest.

November 2004

This month hasn't brought any special events in the 3D graphics card scene except for two ATI events, which shed the NDAed light on the R480/430 (RADEON X850/X800XL) as well as new mobile solutions.

This issue introduces a new benchmark that is naturally the complete Half-Life2 game.

Pity, but due to technical issues we couldn't move to a new layout this time. But as we said in the previous issue, 3Digest in its usual form will be published once in five months. Meanwhile we'll be offering a repeating cycle of 3Digest: card scalability (CPU dependency); 3Digest: additional tests for games without built-in benchmarks (2 issues); 3Digest: AA and AF examination.

CONTENTS

  1. Testbed configurations and test software
  2. Tested videocards list
  3. What's new in 3Digest
  4. Test summary diagrams and digest bottom line
  5. 3D accelerator rating calculations for the end of the month
  6. Screenshot gallery
  7. Games quality section



1. Testbed configuration



1.1. System on Athlon 64 3200+:

  • AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (L2=1024K);
  • ASUS K8V SE Deluxe motherboard on VIA K8T800;
  • 1 GB DDR SDRAM PC3200;
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80GB SATA HDD.

1.2. Pentium4 Overclocked 3200 MHz (Prescott) testbed

  • Intel Pentium4 3600 MHz CPU (225MHz x 16; L2=1024 KB, LGA775); Hyper-Threading ON
  • ABIT AA8 DuraMAX motherboard on i925X chipset;
  • 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 300MHz;
  • WD Caviar SE WD1600JD 160GB SATA HDD.

Testbeds have Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2, DirectX 9.0c installed. ViewSonic P810 (21") and IIYAMA Vision Master Pro 514 (22") monitors were used.

The list of benchmarks is here

2. Videocard list

Below is a list of graphics cards that we tested linked to respective 3Digest feature-description pages.

Drivers released by videocard manufacturers are not taken into account (unless written by GPU manufacturers) because there are very many of them and it's impossible to test them all. You can see the quality of 3D graphics produced by tested cards in our monthly updated Screenshot gallery.

Cards list:

  1. ATI RADEON 9550 128MB DDR 4ns (250/400 MHz)
  2. ATI RADEON 9550XT 128MB DDR 3.3ns (400/500 MHz)
  3. ATI RADEON 9600 SE 128MB 64bit DDR 4ns (325/400 MHz)
  4. ATI RADEON X300 SE PCX 128MB 64bit DDR 5ns (325/400 MHz)
  5. ATI RADEON X300 PCX 128MB DDR 5ns (325/400 MHz)
  6. ATI RADEON X600 PRO PCX 128MB DDR 3.3ns (400/600 MHz)
  7. ATI RADEON 9600 Pro 128MB DDR 2.8ns (400/600 MHz)
  8. ATI RADEON 9600 256MB DDR 5ns (325/400 MHz)
  9. ATI RADEON 9600 XT 128MB DDR 3.3ns (500/600 MHz)
  10. ATI RADEON X600 XT PCX 128MB DDR 2.5ns (500/760 MHz)
  11. ATI RADEON X600 XT PCX 128MB DDR 2.2ns (540/800 MHz)
  12. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB DDR 3.3ns 128bit (380/600 MHz)
  13. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB DDR 3.3ns (325/580 MHz)
  14. ATI RADEON 9800 Pro 128MB DDR 2.8ns (380/680 MHz)
  15. ATI RADEON 9800 Pro 256MB DDR 2.8ns (380/680 MHz)
  16. ATI RADEON 9800 XT 256MB DDR 2.5ns (412/730 MHz)
  17. ATI RADEON X700 PCX 256MB DDR 2.8ns (400/700 MHz)
  18. ATI RADEON X700 PRO PCX 256MB GDDR3 2.0ns (425/860 MHz)
  19. ATI RADEON X700 XT PCX 128MB GDDR3 2.0ns (475/1050 MHz)
  20. ATI RADEON X800 SE 256MB DDR3 2.0ns (425/800 MHz)
  21. ATI RADEON X800 Pro 256MB DDR3 2.0ns (475/900 MHz)
  22. ATI RADEON X800 XT PE 256MB DDR3 1.6ns (520/1120 MHz)
  23. ATI RADEON X800 XT 256MB DDR3 1.6ns (500/1000 MHz)
  24. ATI RADEON X800 XT PCX 256MB DDR3 1.6ns (500/1000 MHz)
  25. ATI RADEON X800 XT PE PCX 256MB DDR3 1.6ns (520/1120 MHz)
  26. ATI RADEON X850 XT PE PCX 256MB DDR3 1.6ns (540/1180 MHz)
  27. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB DDR 64bit 6ns (250/333 MHz)
  28. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB DDR 5ns (250/400 MHz)
  29. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 128MB DDR 3.6ns (325/550 MHz)
  30. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 XT 128MB 64bit DDR 4ns (235/400 MHz)
  31. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 XT 128MB 128bit DDR 4ns (235/400 MHz)
  32. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 LE 128MB DDR 5ns (250/400 MHz)
  33. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 128MB DDR 3.6ns (425/550 MHz)
  34. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5750 128MB DDR 3.6ns (425/500 MHz)
  35. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra 128MB DDR3 2.0ns (475/950 MHz)
  36. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900 XT 128MB DDR 2.8ns (390/700 MHz)
  37. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5900 128MB DDR 3.6ns (350/550 MHz)
  38. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 256MB DDR 2.0ns (475/950 MHz)
  39. NVIDIA GeForce 6200 128MB DDR 3.6ns (300/550 MHz)
  40. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 128MB DDR 3.6ns (300/550 MHz)
  41. NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 2.0ns (500/1000 MHz)
  42. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 128MB DDR 2.8ns (325/700 MHz)
  43. NVIDIA GeForce 6800LE 128MB DDR 2.8ns (325/700 MHz)
  44. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 256MB GDDR3 2.0ns (350/1000 MHz)
  45. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 128MB DDR 2.8ns (350/700 MHz)
  46. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 256MB DDR3 2.0ns (350/1000 MHz)
  47. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT PCX 256MB DDR3 2.0ns (350/1000 MHz)
  48. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB DDR3 1.6ns (400/1100 MHz)
  49. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra PCX 256MB DDR3 1.6ns (400/1100 MHz)
  50. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB DDR3 1.6ns (425/1100 MHz)

Archive (videocards, information on which is no longer updated)

3. November 2004 news and the current business

  • 3.1. The following drivers were released from October 10, 2004 to November 10, 2004:

    • NVIDIA ForceWare for all NVIDIA cards:

      • Windows XP: 66.93, 67.02;


    • ATI Catalyst for all ATI cards:

      • Windows XP: 6.490 (CATALYST 4.11 WHQL); 6.497 (CATALYST beta)




  • 3.2. This month we used 67.02 drivers for NVIDIA cards summaries; 6.497 drivers for ATI cards summaries.

4. Summary diagrams of graphics cards performance with the latest drivers for November 2004

We recommend you visit unofficial product support websites, if you come across any "peculiarities".

Summary graphs were compiled using all testbed results. I guess no more comments needed, readers will easily understand what is what themselves. :)

5. 3D accelerator ratings calculations for the end of the month


Anyone who wants to conduct his own rating calculations with his own values may download this Excel table (Office XP) in RAR 3.0 or ZIP format.

Prospect and usability ratings were calculated platformwise, i.e. there are two rating series.

The method of rating calculation is described here.

Calculations were conducted considering the following assumptions:

  1. Windows XP is used;
  2. Percentage of performance and quality demand ratio:
    • performance priority - 60%
    • quality priority - 40%

  3. ONLY 1600x1200@32bpp resolution was used for the prospect rating;
  4. Usability ratings are split into the 4 categories. First three imply additional expenses for system upgrade. This is considered in APG value that is +$100 for Low-End, +$250 for Middle-End, and +$500 for High-End. We believe that if a user wants to purchase a very expensive and powerful accelerator, he understands the inanity of installing it into a Low-End PC. So we separated the usability rating for different PC levels. The 4th category implies only card expenses.

  1. Athlon64 3200+ (VIA K8T800):

    Usability rating (rating from the previous 3Digest is in parentheses):

    Usability rating: card price + $500

    01. ATI RADEON X800XT PE 256MB, 525/1150 MHz
    (02)
    02. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 128MB, 350/700 MHz
    (01)
    03. ATI RADEON X800XT 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (04)
    04. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (03)
    05. ATI RADEON X800 PRO 256MB, 475/900 MHz
    (08)
    06. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 425/1100 MHz
    (05)
    07. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (07)
    08. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (06)
    09. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (09)
    10. NVIDIA GeForce 6800LE 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (10)
    11. ATI RADEON X800 SE 256MB, 425/800 MHz
    (11)
    12. ATI RADEON 9800XT 256MB, 412/730 MHz
    (12)
    13. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB, 380/680 MHz
    (14)
    14. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB, 380/680 MHz
    (13)
    15. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB, 325/590 MHz
    (15)
    16. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB 128bit, 380/600 MHz
    (18)
    17. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900XT 128MB, 390/700 MHz
    (17)
    18. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 256MB, 475/950 MHz
    (16)
    19. ATI RADEON 9600XT 128MB, 500/600 MHz
    (19)
    20. ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (20)
    21. ATI RADEON 9550XT 128MB 400/500 MHz
    (22)
    22. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra 128MB 475/950 MHz DDR3
    (21)
    23. ATI RADEON 9600 256MB, 325/400 MHz
    (24)
    24. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 128MB, 425/550 MHz
    (23)
    25. ATI RADEON 9550 128MB 250/400 MHz
    (25)
    26. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (26)
    27. ATI RADEON 9600SE 128MB 64bit, 325/400 MHz
    (28)
    28. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 128MB, 325/550 MHz
    (27)
    29. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 128bit, 235/400 MHz
    (29)
    30. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (30)
    31. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 64bit, 235/400 MHz
    (31)
    32. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 64bit, 250/333 MHz
    (32)


    Usability rating: card price + $250

    01. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 128MB, 350/700 MHz
    (01)
    02. ATI RADEON X800XT PE 256MB, 525/1150 MHz
    (04)
    03. ATI RADEON X800XT 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (06)
    04. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (03)
    05. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (02)
    06. ATI RADEON X800 PRO 256MB, 475/900 MHz
    (05)
    07. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (07)
    08. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 425/1100 MHz
    (08)
    09. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (09)
    10. NVIDIA GeForce 6800LE 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (10)
    11. ATI RADEON X800 SE 256MB, 425/800 MHz
    (11)
    12. ATI RADEON 9800XT 256MB, 412/730 MHz
    (13)
    13. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB, 380/680 MHz
    (12)
    14. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB, 380/680 MHz
    (14)
    15. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB, 325/590 MHz
    (15)
    16. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB 128bit, 380/600 MHz
    (17)
    17. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900XT 128MB, 390/700 MHz
    (16)
    18. ATI RADEON 9600XT 128MB, 500/600 MHz
    (18)
    19. ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (20)
    20. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 256MB, 475/950 MHz
    (19)
    21. ATI RADEON 9550XT 128MB 400/500 MHz
    (22)
    22. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra 128MB 475/950 MHz DDR3
    (21)
    23. ATI RADEON 9600 256MB, 325/400 MHz
    (24)
    24. ATI RADEON 9550 128MB 250/400 MHz
    (25)
    25. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 128MB, 425/550 MHz
    (23)
    26. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (27)
    27. ATI RADEON 9600SE 128MB 64bit, 325/400 MHz
    (28)
    28. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 128MB, 325/550 MHz
    (26)
    29. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 128bit, 235/400 MHz
    (30)
    30. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (29)
    31. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 64bit, 235/400 MHz
    (31)
    32. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 64bit, 250/333 MHz
    (32)


    Usability rating: card price + $100

    01. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 128MB, 350/700 MHz
    (01)
    02. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (02)
    03. ATI RADEON X800 PRO 256MB, 475/900 MHz
    (04)
    04. ATI RADEON X800XT PE 256MB, 525/1150 MHz
    (06)
    05. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (03)
    06. NVIDIA GeForce 6800LE 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (05)
    07. ATI RADEON X800XT 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (08)
    08. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (07)
    09. ATI RADEON X800 SE 256MB, 425/800 MHz
    (11)
    10. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 425/1100 MHz
    (10)
    11. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (09)
    12. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB, 325/590 MHz
    (13)
    13. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB, 380/680 MHz
    (12)
    14. ATI RADEON 9800XT 256MB, 412/730 MHz
    (15)
    15. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB, 380/680 MHz
    (14)
    16. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB 128bit, 380/600 MHz
    (17)
    17. ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (18)
    18. ATI RADEON 9550XT 128MB 400/500 MHz
    (20)
    19. ATI RADEON 9600XT 128MB, 500/600 MHz
    (19)
    20. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900XT 128MB, 390/700 MHz
    (16)
    21. ATI RADEON 9600 256MB, 325/400 MHz
    (24)
    22. ATI RADEON 9550 128MB 250/400 MHz
    (25)
    23. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 256MB, 475/950 MHz
    (21)
    24. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra 128MB 475/950 MHz DDR3
    (22)
    25. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 128MB, 425/550 MHz
    (23)
    26. ATI RADEON 9600SE 128MB 64bit, 325/400 MHz
    (28)
    27. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (27)
    28. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 128MB, 325/550 MHz
    (26)
    29. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (29)
    30. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 128bit, 235/400 MHz
    (30)
    31. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 64bit, 235/400 MHz
    (31)
    32. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 64bit, 250/333 MHz
    (32)


    Usability rating: just card price

    01. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 128MB, 350/700 MHz
    (01)
    02. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (02)
    03. NVIDIA GeForce 6800LE 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (03)
    04. ATI RADEON X800 PRO 256MB, 475/900 MHz
    (04)
    05. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB, 325/590 MHz
    (07)
    06. ATI RADEON 9550XT 128MB 400/500 MHz
    (14)
    07. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (05)
    08. ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (06)
    09. ATI RADEON X800XT PE 256MB, 525/1150 MHz
    (09)
    10. ATI RADEON X800XT 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (11)
    11. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (10)
    12. ATI RADEON X800 SE 256MB, 425/800 MHz
    (12)
    13. ATI RADEON 9550 128MB 250/400 MHz
    (19)
    14. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (13)
    15. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB, 380/680 MHz
    (08)
    16. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 425/1100 MHz
    (15)
    17. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB 128bit, 380/600 MHz
    (17)
    18. ATI RADEON 9600 256MB, 325/400 MHz
    (23)
    19. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB, 380/680 MHz
    (20)
    20. ATI RADEON 9600XT 128MB, 500/600 MHz
    (16)
    21. ATI RADEON 9800XT 256MB, 412/730 MHz
    (21)
    22. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900XT 128MB, 390/700 MHz
    (18)
    23. ATI RADEON 9600SE 128MB 64bit, 325/400 MHz
    (26)
    24. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 128MB, 425/550 MHz
    (22)
    25. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 128MB, 325/550 MHz
    (24)
    26. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra 128MB 475/950 MHz DDR3
    (25)
    27. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (27)
    28. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 256MB, 475/950 MHz
    (29)
    29. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (28)
    30. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 128bit, 235/400 MHz
    (30)
    31. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 64bit, 250/333 MHz
    (31)
    32. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 64bit, 235/400 MHz
    (32)

    Prospect rating (the previous rating is in parenthesis):

    01. ATI RADEON X800XT PE 256MB, 525/1150 MHz
    (03)
    02. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 425/1100 MHz
    (01)
    03. ATI RADEON X800XT 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (04)
    04. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (02)
    05. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (05)
    06. ATI RADEON X800 PRO 256MB, 475/900 MHz
    (08)
    07. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 128MB, 350/700 MHz
    (06)
    08. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (07)
    09. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (09)
    10. ATI RADEON X800 SE 256MB, 425/800 MHz
    (10)
    11. NVIDIA GeForce 6800LE 128MB, 325/700 MHz
    (11)
    12. ATI RADEON 9800XT 256MB, 412/730 MHz
    (12)
    13. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB, 380/680 MHz
    (13)
    14. ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB, 380/680 MHz
    (14)
    15. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB, 325/590 MHz
    (15)
    16. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 256MB, 475/950 MHz
    (16)
    17. ATI RADEON 9800 128MB 128bit, 380/600 MHz
    (17)
    18. ATI RADEON 9600XT 128MB, 500/600 MHz
    (19)
    19. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900XT 128MB, 390/700 MHz
    (18)
    20. ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (20)
    21. ATI RADEON 9550XT 128MB 400/500 MHz
    (22)
    22. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra 128MB 475/950 MHz DDR3
    (21)
    23. ATI RADEON 9600 256MB, 325/400 MHz
    (23)
    24. ATI RADEON 9550 128MB 250/400 MHz
    (25)
    25. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 128MB, 425/550 MHz
    (24)
    26. ATI RADEON 9600SE 128MB 64bit, 325/400 MHz
    (28)
    27. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (26)
    28. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 128MB, 325/550 MHz
    (27)
    29. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 128bit, 235/400 MHz
    (29)
    30. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 250/400 MHz
    (30)
    31. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT 128MB 64bit, 235/400 MHz
    (31)
    32. NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB, 64bit, 250/333 MHz
    (32)


  2. Pentium4 3600 (i925X):

    Usability rating (rating from the previous 3Digest is in parentheses):

    Usability rating: card price + $500

    01. ATI RADEON X850XT PE 256MB, 540/1180 MHz
    (--)
    02. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT PCX 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (01)
    03. ATI RADEON X800XT PCI-E 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (03)
    04. ATI RADEON X800XT PE PCI-E 256MB, 520/1120 MHz
    (04)
    05. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra PCX 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (02)
    06. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (05)
    07. ATI RADEON X700XT 128MB, 475/1050 MHz
    (06)
    08. ATI RADEON X700PRO 256MB, 425/860 MHz
    (07)
    09. ATI RADEON X700 256MB (400/700 MHz
    (08)
    10. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (09)
    11. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 540/800 MHz
    (10)
    12. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 500/760 MHz
    (11)
    13. NVIDIA GeForce 6200 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (--)
    14. ATI RADEON X600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (13)
    15. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5900 128MB, 350/550 MHz
    (12)
    16. ATI RADEON X300 128MB 325/400 MHz
    (15)
    17. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5750 128MB, 425/500 MHz
    (14)
    18. ATI RADEON X300SE 128MB 64bit 325/400 MHz
    (16)


    Usability rating: card price + $250

    01. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT PCX 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (01)
    02. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (02)
    03. ATI RADEON X800XT PCI-E 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (03)
    04. ATI RADEON X850XT PE 256MB, 540/1180 MHz
    (--)
    05. ATI RADEON X800XT PE PCI-E 256MB, 520/1120 MHz
    (06)
    06. ATI RADEON X700XT 128MB, 475/1050 MHz
    (05)
    07. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra PCX 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (04)
    08. ATI RADEON X700PRO 256MB, 425/860 MHz
    (07)
    09. ATI RADEON X700 256MB (400/700 MHz
    (08)
    10. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (09)
    11. NVIDIA GeForce 6200 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (--)
    12. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 540/800 MHz
    (10)
    13. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 500/760 MHz
    (11)
    14. ATI RADEON X600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (13)
    15. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5900 128MB, 350/550 MHz
    (12)
    16. ATI RADEON X300 128MB 325/400 MHz
    (15)
    17. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5750 128MB, 425/500 MHz
    (14)
    18. ATI RADEON X300SE 128MB 64bit 325/400 MHz
    (16)


    Usability rating: card price + $100

    01. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (01)
    02. ATI RADEON X700XT 128MB, 475/1050 MHz
    (02)
    03. ATI RADEON X700PRO 256MB, 425/860 MHz
    (09)
    04. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT PCX 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (03)
    05. ATI RADEON X800XT PCI-E 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (04)
    06. ATI RADEON X850XT PE 256MB, 540/1180 MHz
    (--)
    07. ATI RADEON X700 256MB (400/700 MHz
    (07)
    08. ATI RADEON X800XT PE PCI-E 256MB, 520/1120 MHz
    (06)
    09. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra PCX 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (05)
    10. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (08)
    11. NVIDIA GeForce 6200 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (--)
    12. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 500/760 MHz
    (10)
    13. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 540/800 MHz
    (11)
    14. ATI RADEON X600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (13)
    15. ATI RADEON X300 128MB 325/400 MHz
    (14)
    16. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5900 128MB, 350/550 MHz
    (12)
    17. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5750 128MB, 425/500 MHz
    (15)
    18. ATI RADEON X300SE 128MB 64bit 325/400 MHz
    (16)


    Usability rating: just card price

    01. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (01)
    02. ATI RADEON X700PRO 256MB, 425/860 MHz
    (06)
    03. ATI RADEON X700 256MB (400/700 MHz
    (04)
    04. ATI RADEON X700XT 128MB, 475/1050 MHz
    (02)
    05. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (03)
    06. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT PCX 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (05)
    07. ATI RADEON X800XT PCI-E 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (07)
    08. ATI RADEON X850XT PE 256MB, 540/1180 MHz
    (--)
    09. NVIDIA GeForce 6200 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (--)
    10. ATI RADEON X800XT PE PCI-E 256MB, 520/1120 MHz
    (09)
    11. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra PCX 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (08)
    12. ATI RADEON X300 128MB 325/400 MHz
    (12)
    13. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 500/760 MHz
    (10)
    14. ATI RADEON X600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (13)
    15. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 540/800 MHz
    (11)
    16. ATI RADEON X300SE 128MB 64bit 325/400 MHz
    (15)
    17. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5900 128MB, 350/550 MHz
    (14)
    18. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5750 128MB, 425/500 MHz
    (16)

    Prospect rating (the previous rating is in parenthesis):

    01. ATI RADEON X850XT PE 256MB, 540/1180 MHz
    (--)
    02. ATI RADEON X800XT PE PCI-E 256MB, 520/1120 MHz
    (02)
    03. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra PCX 256MB, 400/1100 MHz
    (01)
    04. ATI RADEON X800XT PCI-E 256MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (03)
    05. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT PCX 256MB, 350/1000 MHz
    (04)
    06. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB, 500/1000 MHz
    (05)
    07. ATI RADEON X700XT 128MB, 475/1050 MHz
    (06)
    08. ATI RADEON X700PRO 256MB, 425/860 MHz
    (07)
    09. ATI RADEON X700 256MB (400/700 MHz
    (08)
    10. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (09)
    11. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 540/800 MHz
    (10)
    12. ATI RADEON X600XT 128MB, 500/760 MHz
    (11)
    13. NVIDIA GeForce 6200 128MB, 300/550 MHz
    (--)
    14. ATI RADEON X600 PRO 128MB, 400/600 MHz
    (13)
    15. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5900 128MB, 350/550 MHz
    (12)
    16. ATI RADEON X300 128MB 325/400 MHz
    (14)
    17. NVIDIA GeForce PCX5750 128MB, 425/500 MHz
    (15)
    18. ATI RADEON X300SE 128MB 64bit 325/400 MHz
    (16)



Ingame quality



6. Games screenshot gallery

All test screenshots are compiled into a gallery where you can qualify the work of a chosen videocard. All shots were taken at the same 1024x768 resolution at the maximum quality. Screenshot gallery

7. Games artefacts gallery

Games quality section



We thank all the companies that provided us with graphics cards and other equipment for our 3Digest, including:






HIS (Peter Yueng personally)






Bench'emAll! (Alexander Kondratyuk AKA Render personally for helping us optimize our tests).


Vitaly Milov (black_nqr@yahoo.com)
Danil Gridasov (degust@ixbt.com)








and Andrey Vorobiev (anvakams@ixbt.com)




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