Max Payne 2 @ 1024x768

We used Fraps again, and ran in a repeatable route around the level, firing our gun at designated areas, and using bullet time to go through a couple of doors. Our game settings were at maximum quality, using hardware D3D acceleration.

At 4xAA/8xAF, the game was actually quite playable. It didn't feel choppy, and the experience was just as smooth as no AA.

Max Payne 2 @ 1280x1024

Things were different at 1280x1024. Both ATI cards were playable, but things got noticably choppy in the more intense fights, making me think I hit Bullet Time by mistake. Though the FX5700 Ultra did much better than the FX5600 Ultra, at 4xAA/8xAF on both that card and the 9600 Pro, the game was unplayable, even a simple task such as running in a straight line didn't feel right.

Splinter Cell

We used the Beyond3D demo, and ran the cards through the gamut. There are problems with AA, so we'll only be presenting no AA results.

Preferably, you'll want to play at 1024x768, as you lose about 20fps when moving up to 1280x1024. It's worth pointing out that the FX5700 Ultra does a lot better with Splinter Cell than the FX5600 did. The HIS Excalibur 9600 XT Turbo, as expected, finishes on top, but it's interesting to see how much better it does at 12x10 in comparison to the 9600 Pro. The faster core and 650MHz ram appears to make the difference.

Call of Duty @ 1024x768

The latest WWII shooter uses a heavily modified Quake 3 engine. We ran the benchmark using our own custom timedemo of our guys Scott and Brook trying to kill each other.

Call of Duty @ 1280x1024

In Call of Duty, we see a reversal on the FX5700 Ultra's part by taking the majority of the tests here. Granted, we're talking about less than 1FPS in most cases, but it looks like the FX5700 Ultra is tuned for Q3 based games.