Test: Company of Heroes, Far Cry
Test System Specifications
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 (2.66GHz) LGA775
- x2 1024MB Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB PC2-6400 Module(s)
- ASUS P5K Deluxe (Intel P35)
- OCZ GameXStream (700 watt)
- Seagate 250GB 7200RPM (Serial ATA II)
- ASUS GeForce 8600 GTS (256MB)
- VisionTek Radeon HD 2600XT (512MB)
Software
- Microsoft Windows XP Pro (SP2)
- Intel System Driver (8.4.0.1016)
- Nvidia Forceware (162.18)
- ATI Catalyst (7.8)
The Company of Heroes performance is somewhat similar on either card when using maximum quality settings although we always saw the Radeon HD trailing the GeForce by a few FPS. At 1024x768 the 8600 GTS was just 3fps faster, while a similar margin was also seen at 1920x1200. Using maximum visual settings both cards delivered perfectly playable performance at 1280x1024, while the 1600x1200 performance of the 8600 GTS was passable, the HD 2600XT performance was far more choppy.
Far Cry is a classic first person shooter and as you can see both the GeForce 8600 GTS and Radeon HD 2600XT managed to deliver playable performance at 1600x1200, though the 8600 GTS was some 25% faster overall. The Nvidia powered board seems to deliver more raw power, at 1920x1200 the 8600 GTS was able to deliver perfectly playable performance, while the HD 2600XT was a little too laggy for our liking.