X-bit labs

ATI Introduces DirectX 9 and PCI Express to Value Graphics Market: PowerColor X300SE Graphics Card Review (page 9)

Category: Video

by Alexey Stepin

[ 10/20/2004 | 04:34 PM ]

Highly Anticipated DirectX 9 Game 1

Even the beta version of this game we’re all looking forward to play soon is heavy with pixel shaders, so the memory bus doesn’t play a big role, as in other tests. The speed of execution of pixel shaders depends mostly on the GPU clock rate, so the gap between the PowerColor X300 SE and the RADEON X300 is small. It is even eliminated by overclocking the PowerColor card.

The same thing happens on the second level of the game, since there are too many complex shaders here, although the texture and geometrical loads are much lower.

Highly Anticipated DirectX 9 Game 2

The second beta version of this upcoming game is simple, without any complex pixel shaders. The main performance-determining factors are the fill rate and the geometry processing speed. It’s more or less all right with the PowerColor X300 SE’s geometrical performance, but its fill rate is limited by the narrow graphics memory bus. Overclocking doesn’t practically help both in the pure speed mode and in the eye candy one.

It’s the same on the Escape Run level, since the scene we have written on it only has somewhat more complex geometry than the Danger scene.