This is simply a copy of the reference card tested before. 

Note that the cooler takes two slots, that is why you shouldn't count on the first PCI slot.

The cooler is pretty big and consists of a turbine that takes air from outside, drives it through the heatsink and lets it out into the PC case. Since air doesn't change its direction inside the cooler, such system is relatively quiet (though it's incomparable to the FlowFX).

Have a look at the package and accessories. 
 

Testbed and drivers

Testbed: 

• Pentium 4 3200 MHz based computer:
• Intel Pentium 4 3200 MHz CPU;
• DFI LANParty Pro875 (i875P) mainboard; 
• 1024 MB DDR SDRAM; 
• Seagate Barracuda IV 40GB HDD; 
• Windows XP SP1; DirectX 9.0a;
• ViewSonic P810 (21") and ViewSonic P817 (21") monitors.
• NVIDIA drivers v52.70.

VSync off, S3TC off in applications. 

Cards used for comparison:

• ATI RADEON 9800 XT(412/365 (730) MHz, 256 MB DDR, driver 6.396).
• Hercules 3D Prophet 9800 XT (RADEON 9800 XT, 445-432/365 (730) MHz, 256 MB DDR, driver 6.396).
• NVIDIA GeForce Fx 5950 Ultra (475/475 (950) MHz, 256 MB DDR, driver 52.16).

One of the aims today is to compare performance on the drivers v52.16 and v52.70. Note that the driver version 52.70 has the same settings as the v52.16.

When overclocked, the card reached 530/1060 MHz. The card is bundled with the V-Tuner but this version doesn't support the FX5950. 

Test results

Before we start examining 2D quality, I should say there are no complete techniques for objective 2D quality estimation because: 

1. 2D quality much depends on certain samples for almost all modern 3D accelerators; 
2. Besides videocards, 2D quality depends on monitors and cables; 
3. Moreover, certain monitors might not work properly with certain video cards. 

With the ViewSonic P817 monitor and BNC Bargo cable the card showed excellent quality at the following resolutions and clock speeds:

Test results: performance

Conventional signs: ANISO 8xP - Anisotropic 8x Performance (earlier it was called Balanced), ANISO 8xQ - Anisotropic 8x Quality, ANISO 16xQ - Anisotropic 16x Quality. 

NVIDIA's optimization policy changes the things and we do not know anymore if there are applications where NVIDIA's anisotropy works to its full capacity. That is why we consider that it's correct to compare ANISO 16xQ (ATI) to ANISO 8xQ (NV). Both have their strong and weak points, but in general they compensate each other. 

Test applications: 

• Return to Castle Wolfenstein (MultiPlayer) (id Software/Activision) - OpenGL, multitexturing, ixbt0703-demo, test settings - maximum, S3TC OFF, the configurations can be downloaded from here 
• Serious Sam: The Second Encounter v.1.05 (Croteam/GodGames) - OpenGL, multitexturing, ixbt0703 demo, test settings: quality, S3TC OFF 
• Quake3 Arena v.1.17 (id Software/Activision) - OpenGL, multitexturing, ixbt0703 demo, test settings - maximum: detailing level - High, texture detailing level - #4, S3TC OFF, smoothness of curves is much increased through variables r_subdivisions "1" and r_lodCurveError "30000" (at default r_lodCurveError is 250 !), the configurations can be downloaded from here 
• Unreal Tournament 2003 v.2225 (Digital Extreme/Epic Games) - Direct3D, Vertex Shaders, Hardware T&L, Dot3, cube texturing, default quality 
• Code Creatures Benchmark Pro (CodeCult) - the game that demonstrates card's operation in DirectX 8.1, Shaders, HW T&L. 
• Unreal II: The Awakening (Legend Ent./Epic Games) - Direct3D, Vertex Shaders, Hardware T&L, Dot3, cube texturing, default quality 
• RightMark 3D v.0.4 (one of the test scenes) - DirectX 8.1, Dot3, cube texturing, shadow buffers, vertex and pixel shaders (1.1, 1.4).   
• Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness v.49 (Core Design/Eldos Software) - DirectX 9.0, three demo scenes, maximum quality, Depth of Fields PS20 off. The settings are equal for all the cards tested.

If you need patch 49 which is not easy to find and the demo benchmarks let me know by email. 

 
• HALO: Combat Evolved (Microsoft) - Direct3D, Vertex/Pixel Shaders 1.1/2.0, Hardware T&L, high quality

 
• Half-Life2 (Valve/Sierra) - DirectX 9.0, two different demo (ixbt07 and coast). Tested in anisotropic filtering mode and in the heavy mode with AA and anisotropy enabled.

 
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell v.1.2b (UbiSoft) - Direct3D, Vertex/Pixel Shaders 1.1/2.0, Hardware T&L, Very High quality; demo 1_1_2_Tbilisi

 

Attention! Since this is a leaked beta version, we won't take into account the cards' scores obtained in this test.

Let me remind you that we are going to compare the ForceWare driver 52.16 and 52.70. The Gigabyte GeForce FX 5950 Ultra will be compared with the Hercules 3D Prophet 9800 XT as it's the fastest RADEON 9800 XT based card for today. Both cards have adequate prices. 
 

Quake3 Arena

Light modes without AA and anisotropy: on the 52.70 the performance is lower and the FX5950U loses to its competitor.

AA enabled: the card wins in 1024x768 but loses in 1600x1200.

Anisotropy enabled: the card is just slightly outscores its competitor.

AA & anisotropy enabled: there are both victories and defeats but on average it's a draw game.
 
 

Serious Sam: The Second Encounter

Light modes without AA and anisotropy: the leadership is not convincing.

AA enabled: the scores are noticeably higher.

Anisotropy enabled: the breakaway of the FX5950 is not great again.

AA & anisotropy enabled: the FX5950U wins at the expanse of AA.
 
 

Return to Castle Wolfenstein (Multiplayer)

Light modes without AA and anisotropy: the card falls a little behind.

AA enabled: the same

Anisotropy enabled: the FX5950U loses again

AA & anisotropy enabled: defeat.

The card is less speedy on the 52.70 compared to the 52.16. Probably, they have finally corrected the artefact of lighting of some objects.
 
 

Code Creatures

Light modes without AA and anisotropy: parity

AA enabled: FX5950U keeps the lead

Anisotropy enabled: the victory turns into a defeat.

AA & anisotropy enabled: parity.
 
 

Unreal Tournament 2003

Light modes without AA and anisotropy: it falls a little behind, though generally it looks like parity.

AA enabled: the card looks even worse.

Anisotropy enabled: the FX5950U loses again

AA & anisotropy enabled: defeat.
 
 

Unreal II: The Awakening

Light modes without AA and anisotropy: defeat

AA enabled: the same

Anisotropy enabled: the same

AA & anisotropy enabled: fiasco.
 
 

RightMark 3D

Well, the test uses a lot of shaders, and the Hercules R9800XT easily wins.
 
 

TR:AoD, Paris5_4 DEMO

The shaders again help the RADEON 9800 XT gain the leadership.
 
 

TR:AoD, Paris1c DEMO

The same.
 
 

TR:AoD, Paris2g DEMO

This scene uses much fewer shaders, that is why the NV38 comes very close to the 9800XT.
 
 

HALO: Combat Evolved

Light modes without AA and anisotropy: the card is a bit behind its competitor.

This game doesn't support AA.

Anisotropy enabled: the Hercules R9800XT is far ahead!
 
 

Half-Life2 (beta): ixbt07 demo

Since the game is unfinished, the data obtained are not analyzed.
 
 

Half-Life2 (beta): coast demo

Splinter Cell

Light modes without AA and anisotropy: parity

AA doesn't work here. 

Anisotropy enabled: the Hercules RADEON 9800 XT keeps the lead.
 

Conclusion

The performance doesn't speed up with the driver version 52.70, sometimes it even falls down; however, the developers removed the bug in the RtCW.

As to the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra card, this is just a reference solution: it wins and loses right the same way. In the shader tests the NVIDIA card mostly loses the battle. The price will be a determining factor! If it's $70-80 cheaper than the top RADEON 9800 XT, the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra can be a success (but remember that the cooler is pretty bulky and not that quiet). 

The experience shows that such boxes will be further used for Gigabyte's own cards. I don't know how they are going to look and what features they are going to have. It looks similar to the situation with the GeForce FX 5900 Ultra based cards from Leadtek and MSI as the first lots also contained only reference cards. Only the next lots contained the two-cooler cards from Leadtek and bright red MSI's cards with copper sun-like coolers.

In our 3Digest you can find full comparison characteristics for video cards of this and other classes.
 
 

 

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