Written By:
Date Posted: April 19, 2002

3D Mark 2001 SE

A well known synthetic benchmark, we use it here for our Direct3D tests, as there aren't really many Direct3D benchmark programs I like that much. Add to the fact that you can compare yourself with other users add to it's value.

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As with our previous benchmarks, 640x480 and 800x600 have been dropped. We chose the default settings, as well as test the AntiAliasing performance, including nvidia's new 4XS mode.

At 1024x768, this is the closest we've came to 10 000 3D Marks. Obviously, with a bit of tweaking, that number would have been attainable. It's about 15% behind, but the Radeon 8500 shows that it's still a contender for Direct 3D. I'm not really sure why the PNY kept scoring about 4% lower than the Visiontek, but that was the best I was able to manage out of it.

The Radeon maintains it's lead over the Ti500, but it pales in comparison to the Ti4600 scores. Keeping a 10% lead over the Radeon, the Xtasy is proving itself to be the current Direct3D champ.

By this point, we separate the dudes from the dudettes. At 1600x1200, we're seeing 3D Mark scores by the Ti4600 very close to the scores of the Ti500 and Radeon at 1280x1024. Take this as you will, but as we said before, 1600x1200 gaming is very possible now.

AntiAliasing has always been the thorn in a video card's side. Although there is a loss in performance, at 2xAA, we're still keeping above 8000 3D Marks. The Radeon 8500 isn't too far behind, but the Ti500 is faltering.

Going up 4xAA, we see a huge performance hit across the boards. The Ti4600 still does very well, when compared to the Ti500. A testament to nVidia's improvement to the architecture.

Dropping the Radeon 8500, we selected Quincunx AA via the Windows video control panel. Quincunx was nVidia's baby afterall, so we removed ATi's card from the equation. Comparing the Ti500 to the Ti4600, ...well, the benchmarks speak for themselves. I mentioned in my GeForce 3 review, and I want to point it out again. Quincunx isn't really all that nice. Actual gameplay felt jittery, and the image quality was more washed out than the other modes of AntiAliasing.

nVidia has been pimping their 4XS AA. It promises better image quality, as it samples pixels a little differently, and although the end result is a better picture, it hits the framerates very hard. Like we said, only Direct3D is supported at this time.

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