Testing (continued):
Devil May Cry:
Devil May Cry's built-in DirectX 10 benchmark was the next test used to compare the three cards on hand. The benchmark runs through four scenes from the game and provides results for each one in terms of the average frame rate values achieved (higher is better for all results). With a resolution of 1280x1024, 8x anti-aliasing, and high settings, we see that the TOP 9600GT comes in just behind the HD3850, and both of these cards trail the HD3870 by a decent margin.
PT Boats - Knights of the Sea:
PT Boats - Knights of the Sea is another game that includes a DirectX 10 benchmark. Results are provided in terms of minimum, maximum, and average frame rates (higher is better for all results), and for testing purposes it was run at a resolution of 1280x1024 and with 4x anti-aliasing. In a somewhat dramatic turn of events from what was seen in the first two tests, the TOP 9600GT surges to a commanding victory in this test.
Company of Heroes - Opposing Fronts:
Company of Heroes - Opposing Fronts is a World War II themed 3D game that also includes a DirectX 10 capable benchmark. With the settings on high, a resolution of 1280x1024, and with 4x anti-aliasing, it was executed on all three cards. Results in terms of minimum, maximum, and average frame rate values are provided (higher is better for all results). When considering the maximum and average values, the cards seem quite ebenly matched, but the TOP 9600GT hits a much lower minimum frame rate value which could be annoying even if it happened just briefly.
