So of course everyone has been asking for benchmarks of the Radeon 9600XT, and next week we'll be able to provide you with them. Right now we're in the early formulation stages of the review and I wanted to get some feedback from you all in terms of what you'd like to see included.
Keep in mind that we'll be using our new test suite of around 20 benchmarks, so we have to watch what we include in order for there to be enough time to physically publish this thing by next week.
The first question is resolution; since we're talking about cards in the $100 - $200 range and not the top of the line stuff, is testing only at 1024x768 ok? Frame rates at 1600x1200 with these cards aren't exactly playable, so I figured 10x7 tests should be fine. We'd also probably throw in AA/AF tests at the same res, which will also help stress the card.
The next question is what cards do we include? Here's what I'm planning on doing right now:
ATI Radeon 9600XT
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro
ATI Radeon 9700
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 Ultra
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600
I'd like to stick to 6 cards simply because of the plethora of benchmarks we're running on them (6 cards * 20 benchmarks * 2 tests per benchmark = 240 tests). Anything you'd like to see added? Removed? I can't guarantee that we'll get it in there but I'd like to hear your opinions.
Finally we have to ask what platform we should test on. For this to be simply a video card test we should test on the fastest platform available (Athlon 64 FX 51), however whenever we do something like that we usually get complaints that the system isn't realistic enough and we should test on a cheaper platform. Our reasoning for going with the highest performing CPU is to remove the CPU as a bottleneck and truly figure out which video card is the fastest, but there is still much to be said about using a more reasonably priced test bed. My inclination right now is to use the Athlon 64 FX as the test platform and do a CPU scaling comparison later, but if we get enough requests to switch platforms I will. I don't think including a second platform would be feasible for this review simply because of the short time period we have to get all the testing done.
As always, your comments are much appreciated and even more desired. So let me know :)
I haven't been getting much sleep lately so I'm thinking a nice 5 or 10 minute nap may be in order before lunch.
Enjoy the day folks, take care.
Keep in mind that we'll be using our new test suite of around 20 benchmarks, so we have to watch what we include in order for there to be enough time to physically publish this thing by next week.
The first question is resolution; since we're talking about cards in the $100 - $200 range and not the top of the line stuff, is testing only at 1024x768 ok? Frame rates at 1600x1200 with these cards aren't exactly playable, so I figured 10x7 tests should be fine. We'd also probably throw in AA/AF tests at the same res, which will also help stress the card.
The next question is what cards do we include? Here's what I'm planning on doing right now:
ATI Radeon 9600XT
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro
ATI Radeon 9700
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 Ultra
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600
NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4600
I'd like to stick to 6 cards simply because of the plethora of benchmarks we're running on them (6 cards * 20 benchmarks * 2 tests per benchmark = 240 tests). Anything you'd like to see added? Removed? I can't guarantee that we'll get it in there but I'd like to hear your opinions.
Finally we have to ask what platform we should test on. For this to be simply a video card test we should test on the fastest platform available (Athlon 64 FX 51), however whenever we do something like that we usually get complaints that the system isn't realistic enough and we should test on a cheaper platform. Our reasoning for going with the highest performing CPU is to remove the CPU as a bottleneck and truly figure out which video card is the fastest, but there is still much to be said about using a more reasonably priced test bed. My inclination right now is to use the Athlon 64 FX as the test platform and do a CPU scaling comparison later, but if we get enough requests to switch platforms I will. I don't think including a second platform would be feasible for this review simply because of the short time period we have to get all the testing done.
As always, your comments are much appreciated and even more desired. So let me know :)
I haven't been getting much sleep lately so I'm thinking a nice 5 or 10 minute nap may be in order before lunch.
Enjoy the day folks, take care.
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edplayer - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
Can you test it at 2 resolutions? 1024x768 and 1152x864 (or 1280x960). And I think it should be tested on a Barton cpu (2500+ oc'd to 2.2GHz) as that is currently the best performance/price cpu out (this card is anticipated to be one of the better performance/price cards)BenSkywalker - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
For boards, I would suggest dropping the 5600 non Ultra and the Ti4600 and using the Ti4200 and R8500 instead. For people thinking about upgrading to the 9600XT, it is more likely that they would have one of those boards.For processor, I would say something in the XP2500/P4 2.4GHZ would be better suited for a review of mid level parts. Most people who pick up mid range graphics cards don't spend ~$600 or more on a processor and mobo.
nla - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
9800SE is as expensive as a 9600XT (200 bucks) so this card MUST be included in the review :)Anonymous - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
I also would like to see one high end card, such as a 9800 Pro or XT, as a reference point.It could replace the Ti4600 imo.
Anonymous - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
Please test as much DX9 benchmarks as you can.I would also like to see these cards in the benchmark if possible.
ATI:
9800XT
9500 pro
9500
9600
9600se
9100
Nvidia
5900 ultra
GF4mx440
Anonymous - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
Do some PROPER IQ testing and not that shit on those 9800XT/NV38 tests. Or go and get some sleep and let someone write the review who knows what the hell they are doing.Anonymous - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
It doesn't matter what games you use, as long as those games:A) push the card hard enuf so that the CPU isn't the bottleneck
B) use features on the card like Pixel and Vertex Shaders of various versions so that I can tell how well it perform on modern and future games.
C) aren't coded with any one particular IHV in mind.
If I want a review of 20 or so games, then I'll go read game reviews - so how about a review of the card itself?
Anonymous - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
Another idea would be to have a FPS/$ chart comparing the cards you end up testing.Unoid - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
A lot of current 9600 pro owners would like to see how well the xt overclocks. Also I'd like to know the stock vgpu and vmem voltages. ( to comapre to 9600 pro) A lot of poeple don't mind modding/ocing their 9600 pro and if there isn't muchdiff in overclocking of either then a pro would be better/cheaper choice.If you wanna know where to take volt readings check volt mod section of my site. Also Please e-mail me high res front and back pics of the card you're reviewing.
Http://unoid.net/9600pro/
Anonymous - Friday, October 10, 2003 - link
I say at the 9800xt to show if the difference in price justifies the cost. If possible use the Asus version since Atacom.com is selling it now for $580