The second test looks like a 3D role-playing game. The scene is limited in space, but contains a lot of vegetation. The memory bandwidth is not as important here as in the previous test, while the performance of the vertex processors and the execution of complex pixel shaders become the main speed-determining factors. Notwithstanding its increased core frequency, the XFX GeForce 6600 GDDR2 with its 3 vertex processors is no match for the RADEON X700 which has 6. The XFX can only overtake the RADEON X1300 PRO, whose architecture is optimized to execute complex pixel shaders, and even leave it behind in the “eye candy” mode.

The third test doesn’t look like a scene from a game of a particular genre, but it is the most sophisticated of all 3DMark05 tests both in computational and in texture load. The expedient combination of increased GPU frequency, fast memory and 8 pixel pipelines help the XFX GeForce 6600 GDDR2 pass this test and never fall behind the RADEON X1300 PRO even in the “eye candy” mode.