Click for Universal Drive Adapters!
A Click shows your site support to my Sponsors
Click for Universal Drive Adapters!
 |
|||||||||
Review date: 10/18/98 | |||||||||
|
| |||||||||
|
| |||||||||
| Applications/General use comments | |||||||||
|
In addition to benchmarks, the PowerForce G3/400MHz ZIF card produced the fastest times I've seen in applications as well. . Tests were run using Bryce 2, Infini-D 4.01, and After Effects 3.1. Photoshop 5 tests using PSBench are shown on a separate page linked below.
| |||||||||
| Infini-D Tests | |||||||||
|
I used the same Infini-D 4.0 tutorial file rendering test as I've done in past reviews using the 'chapter 7 completed' scene. Rendering quality was set to Ray Trace, medium anti-aliasing, shadows on, patch detail low. The table below shows the results of the PowerForce G3 ZIF 400MHz upgrade and several other CPU cards/systems at various speeds for comparison. Infini-D was allocated 40MB of RAM for the tests.
As the graph above shows, Infini-D performance with the ZIF upgrade was the best I've seen so far.
| |||||||||
| Bryce 2 Tests | |||||||||
I also ran tests in Bryce 2, using the samples scenes in the KAI folder called "Magical Knight I" and "Alexandria II". Again I show the times other G3 CPU cards/systems took for those same scenes. Bryce 2 was left at the default memory allocation of 16980k, antialiasing was on.
| |||||||||
| After Effects 3.1 Tests: | |||||||||
|
The following is a chart showing the time to render a special effects movie in AE. Times with several other systems/upgrade cards are also shown: 
| |||||||||
| Photoshop Tests: | |||||||||
|
I also ran a complete PS5Bench (21 filter test) series. The results at 400MHz have been added to my PS5Bench Results page which lists Mach 5, Apple G3 and other systems as well. If time permits, I'll run tests at 433MHz as well.
| |||||||||
| Unreal TimeDemo Tests | |||||||||
|
Surprisingly at 800x600 with a Voodoo II 8MB Game Wizaard card Unreal showed only appx. 1 FPS boost in the Timedemo tests (High Quality ini file) between the 333MHz G3 and 433MHz G3. See out Unreal Tips and Tricks page for more info on Timedemo and the Unreal FPS Toolkit that has the test INI files. The scores for the timedemo intro castle flyby at 800x600 are shown below:
Remember this test was running our HQ (Highest Quality) INI file and at 800x600 - not the 1.5x less demanding (Fill Rate) 640x480 mode. I do not show LQ (Low Quality) framerates because LQ mode is so horrible looking results are meaningless really (you'd never want to run that mode, esp. with a Voodoo2 card). Gamers looking for a boost in Unreal should start with a 3Dfx card. A Voodoo II at 800x600 is stunning in Unreal (see my Game Wizard Review). See the Unreal Tips and Tricks page for tons of Video card and CPU performance comparisons in Unreal.
| |||||||||
|
Since applications performance exceeded every previous system score, I rated this category a 10. | |||||||||
|
The next page describes the software cache control supplied with the card. Or you may use the links below to jump to a specific page. | |||||||||
|
| |||||||||
|
Intro | Benchmarks
| Appl. Tests | Software/Controls
| Documentation | Specifications | Summary
- or - | |||||||||
Copyright © Mike, 1998. All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies. Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use. | |||||||||