PAGE INDEX
Testing & Results
Testing Methodology
The Microsoft DirectX-11 graphics API is native to the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System, and will be the primary OS for our test platform. DX11 is also available as a Microsoft Update for the Windows Vista OS, so our test results apply to both versions of the operating system. All of the tests in this review were run with DX11 graphics.
While a lot of gamers use the 1680×1050 desktop resolution, 1920×1080 is rapidly becoming the most popular. Because it is the more demanding of the two, I ran all of my tests at a resolution of 1920×1080. You can expect slightly better frame rates if you are using 1680×1050, but the difference probably won’t be dramatic.
I used a combination of synthetic and video game benchmark tests in this article to illustrate relative performance among graphics solutions. Our benchmark frame rate results are not intended to represent real-world graphics performance, as this experience would change based on supporting hardware and the perception of individuals playing the video game.
Test System
- Motherboards: ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+, ASUS A88X Pro, Biostar HiFi Z87W, Biostar HiFi Z77X
- Processor: AMD A10-7850K ($185), AMD A10-6800K ($140), Intel Core i5-4670 ($220), Intel Core i3-3220 ($125)
- System Memory: 8GB AMD Radeon DDR3 2400MHz
- Disk Drive: Seagate 1TB SSHD ST1000LM014
- PSU: Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W 80-Plus Certified
- Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Compute Benchmarks
- AIDA 64
- SiSoft Sandra 2014
- PCMark 8
DirectX-11 Benchmark Applications
Synthetic Benchmarks
- 3DMark
- Firestrike, Cloudgate, Ice Storm
- 3DMark11
- “Performance” settings (1280×720)
- Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0
- Tesselation, Low Settings
Gaming Benchmarks
- Tomb Raider
- Normal Settings
- Bioshock Infinite
- Low Settings
- Battlefield 4
- Normal Settings
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