Galaxy GTX 275 Overclocked Review
Stalker Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky is the second game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. It is a stand-alone prequel to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl. The game consists of a roughly 50/50 mix of new areas and old, remodeled areas from the previous game. The X-ray graphics engine, originally used in S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl, has been updated to version 1.5 and includes DirectX 10 support. With patch 1.5.06 the game now supports DirectX 10.1 available on ATI video cards. Additionally, the AI received an overhaul to accommodate the new faction wars feature. Advancements made in version 1.5 include volumetric light (a.k.a. ‘God-rays’), volumetric smoke, volumetric fire, soft water, dynamic wet surfaces (with water streaming down the sides of surfaces), depth-of-field blur, DirectX 10 support, SSAO (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion) and more.
I used the stand-alone “official” benchmark by Clear Sky’s creators. 2xAA was used here.
As we have seen throughout our benchmarking, the GTX 275 and the HD 4890 keep on trading wins. The GTX 275 won the previous round with the Resident Evil 5, now it’s the HD 4890s turn to take the lead by about 4 FPS on average, with DX10.1 again offering some help.
