Gaming Performance

TweakTown strives to provide our readers with a reasonable expectation of what they can expect in terms of real-world performance in our gaming tests. Instead of testing all systems and titles at, say, 1280x768 with 4xAA and comparing framerates, we determine a particular system's maximum playable settings and report those settings along with the resultant framerates.

Even though this makes direct comparison between systems a bit more difficult, we feel it best reflects how the typical gamer uses a system. Most players aren't interested in getting framerates in the 100s at 1280x768 if the title is still playable at 1680x1050.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Using Arkham Asylum's built-in benchmarking tool (included in Patch 1.1), we achieved maximum playable settings at 1920x1080 with 8xAA and "Very High" performance settings. Gaming at 16xAA produced unsatisfactory framerates.

Frame rates were as follows. 48 max, 27 min, with an average of 36.

Far Cry 2

We ran Far Cry 2 with all the settings maxed out at 1920x1080, 8xAA, and Ultra High detail level.

It averaged 60 fps, with a high of 116 and a low of 29.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

At 1920x1080, the FX6803 delivered an average of 34 fps, with a maximum of 53 and a minimum of 28.

BioShock

The system cranked out an average of 120, with a max of 178 and min of 66 at 1920x1080 and Very High detail level.

For an in-depth review of the capabilities of the ATI HD 5850, see here.