Last time I checked, Atitool was not compatible with the X2...
I'm quite familiar with RT but although it's a nice power-user toy I don't really like having to rely on it and I tend to uninstall it sooner or later. :oops:
Anyway - I finally just ran a successful benchmarking session under Grid ! :)
Hurray but why does it work just now ? Will it work the same upon the next bootup ?
- In a nutshell : performance in SG is great, though framerates can get pretty low in menus, loading screens and even during the first couple seconds on track.
- Numbers and thoughts :
I used High settings, 4x MSAA, no Blur at 3840x1024. That's the settings I'm used to for using these on my "nvidia rig".
Vista32, 2 GB RAM, will test again with 4 GB as time permits.
1) Freestyle Drift, Yokohama Arena D, 5 minutes (~2 min cockpit view) + full replay.
MinFPS : 24
MaxFPS : 126
AvgFPS : 86
I stopped monitoring frequencies altogether but the difference is obvious with previous tests : framerate is very consistent, gameplay is smooth no matter the amount of smoke on screen. The card seems to struggle much less with the cockpit view than the GTX 280s (will do a proper comparison some day...).
The very first second (before coutdown) was pretty choppy, hence the low MinFPS. I pressed the Benchmark key a bit too soon I guess, so this value is of little use here. Totally pleasant gameplay experience, but I was alone on the track here.
2) Pro Muscle, 4-lap Detroit Circuit (~80% cockpit view) + full replay
MinFPS : 6
MaxFPS : 108
AvgFPS : 58
There's a point on this track where framerate constantly crawls, especially in cockpit view; that's where I got this MinFPS. It's in the 'JVC curves', probably because of the amount of tire piles and spectators to render, I'm not sure. Don't remember that on the 'nv rig'. The replay is smooth though. CPU limitation maybe ?
Other than that, this 12-car race with lots of action, debris and all went pretty well.
3) Drift Battle, 4-lap Shibuya Circuit (~50% cockpit view) + full replay
MinFPS : 40
MaxFPS : 133
AvgFPS : 72
Reflections in wet tarmac... Performance on this track is noticeably lower than everywhere else in the game, at least during the first lap. However the numbers look good : no abnormally low MinFPS here, and all in all, it felt smoother than on the GTXs - but I need proper numbers again. CPU limitation seems to play a role too : the framerate is better during replay, since there's no AI calculation or interpretation of the player's commands (I think). After a couple laps, as I was more or less on my own and switching to cockpit view, the absence of smoke and car models as well as the cramped environment allowed totally smooth gameplay. So I'm not sure it's a really good/interesting test actually...
Okay, the mix of excitment and boredom of this typical benchmarking session is over, time for me to go back to work !
I don't "trust" the card (too "moody" for my taste) but experiencing normal gameplay at last is sweet relief nonetheless :)
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