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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Anonymous - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
I would like to see it vs the other ATI cards vs nvidias, tho I guess the 5600s would be okay to add in, but the 9600XT vs the 9600Lite, 900 and 9600 Pro, 9700/Pro as well at the 9800SE at last would be good so we can see which cards is right for us.Anonymous - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
I think I'll go enjoy the day in sunny Palm Spings also ,Cmon Brandy lets go for a walk...Anonymous - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
#6 if the card does not perform better than the 9700NP why include the ProCrystalBay - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
Naw Anand, that is a perfect solution, as far as cards and suites.Bay - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
Anand,It was suggested elsewhere that the 9600XT may perform better than the 9700 Pro, so it would be quite interesting to see if this suggestion holds true, so perhaps you could include a 9700 Pro instead of a 9700 in the review (despite the 9700 Pro being more expensive than the 9600XT).
Personally, I also wouldn't use the 5600 non-Ultra either, as it may be redundant since you already have a 5600 Ultra in the review. Moreover, using a top-performing card such as the 9800XT may also be useful as a benchmark to see how the 9600XT stacks up compared to the "best".
Anonymous - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
Mr. Lai Shimpi,Could you please tell me the three most important hardware components to consider when purchasing a new computer gaming system part by part?
In my opinion it would be an upgradable motherboard, the processor and upgradable case?
My max to spend is around 800$ but I want this system to be really fast. So the graphics card ram and the rest I can wait till I find a good deal. Thanks
RaynorWolfcastle - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
Anand, would it be possible to have an 8500 or 9100 or 9200 in (some of) the tests?That would be great as I'm sure many users still have 8500-generation products and will be looking to upgrade to the ATI 9XXX series or nVidia's FX series. It would also be interesting to see how nVidia's Ti series and ATI's 8500 compare in next-gen games.
BTW, great work on the fall video card round up so far!
aNom - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
Guess I should add opinion on the cpu.Why not use what gamers in this price range use, either a Barton 2500+ or P4 2.4 and then overclock?
aNom - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
I would like to see the 9500 Pro added into the mix. There are many people out there who are still debating which to buy when their local shop carries both.Anonymous - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - link
#1. Its nice to solicit opinions, but you'll piss the ati fanbois off no matter what you do. :)#2 I'd like to see you include one high end card, the 9800Pro or 9800XT just as reference.