Q1 2004 Vendor Graphics Card Roundup

Test Setup

Rather than benchmarking with the FX51 we had been using, we decided to switch over to a more mainstream (but still very fast) Athlon 64 3400+ platform. We are trying to standardize our benchmarking components in order to keep our numbers comparable between articles. This setup is another step closer to our goals of standardization.

Performance Test Configuration
Processor(s):	AMD Athlon 64 3400+
Motherboard:	FIC K8-800T (VIA K8T800 Chipset)
RAM:	2 x 512Mb OCZ 3500 Platinum Ltd
Hard Drive:	Seagate 120GB 7200RPM PATA (8MB Buffer)
Operating System:	Windows XP Professional SP1
Video Drivers:	ATI CATALYST 4.1 NVIDIA ForceWare 53.03

This is the first graphics review that we've done with the new ATI drivers. As a side note, we didn't see any major performance gains in anything, though there were slight improvements in some OpenGL games. We haven't done an in-depth study on the driver yet, and if there is anything interesting or exciting that pops up, we'll be sure to write about it. In addition, all overclocking is performed using Powerstrip (even though some vendors include their own overclocking tools).

And now the moment we've all been waiting for: the performance tests.