Half Life 2 GPU Roundup Part 2 - Mainstream DX8/DX9 Battle

Let’s go for a Drive

Our second demo comes from the d2_coast_05 level, which starts off with the Half Life 2 buggy.  After hopping in the buggy we take a spirited drive down the high way, (poorly) avoiding enemies as well as abandoned cars.  There is some exchange of fire towards the end of the demo, and overall the demo is fairly short. 

This demo offers a good idea of general outdoor performance in Half Life 2 where elements such as water are not involved.  There are a handful of explosions that take place while the buggy’s machine gun ignites a flammable barrel that also stress the GPU a bit.  With the absence of water, the flashlight or any reflective surfaces, we find ourselves with a demo that is far less shader bound than our first benchmark, but just as important since not all areas of Half Life 2 are going to be incredibly shader bound.

The standings don’t really change that much in our at_coast_05 demo, those users who bought Radeon 9600XTs in anticipation of Half Life 2 a year ago made a very wise purchasing decision.  Then again, those who bought Radeon 9700 Pros two years ago are still reaping the benefits of their investment today – hang on to that card!

The FX 5900XT continues to do horrendously in DX9 mode.

Running in DX8 mode things change dramatically, the 5900XT is now in the top three, performing almost as well as the 9600XT.  The GeForce4 Ti 4600 continues to hide its age very well, even outperforming newer offerings.