{"id":16776,"date":"2010-04-04T03:36:04","date_gmt":"2010-04-04T02:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=16776"},"modified":"2010-05-02T22:18:16","modified_gmt":"2010-05-02T21:18:16","slug":"catalyst-10-3-performance-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/catalyst-10-3-performance-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Catalyst 10-3 Performance Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p align=\"center\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16782\" title=\"Catalyst 10-3 Performance Analysis\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/catalyst-10-3-performance-analysis.PNG?resize=500%2C150\" alt=\"Catalyst 10-3 Performance Analysis\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/catalyst-10-3-performance-analysis.PNG?resize=500%2C150 500w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/catalyst-10-3-performance-analysis-300x90.PNG 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In continuing what we started with the <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=15705\" target=\"_blank\">Catalyst 10-2 Performance Analysis<\/a>, today we look at what has taken place since then. Since the Catalyst 10.2 driver was released, we have seen both the Catalyst 10.3a preview driver and the Catalyst 10-3 WHQL driver.<\/p>\n<p>For this article, I aim to use 15 benchmarks consisting of 12 games and 3 synthetic benchmarks to show the performance differences among these 3 driver iterations. The testing will span across the Radeon HD 4000 series (represented by the HD 4870 1GB) and the Radeon HD 5000 series (represented by the HD 5830).<\/p>\n<p>Both 3DMark benches are run at their default settings while all the games, with the addition of the Heaven 2.0 benchmark, are run at 1920&#215;1200 and 1680&#215;1050 resolutions with maxed out in-game settings plus 4xAA and 16xAF.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get to the test bench and the results.<\/p>\n<p><!--pagetitle:Introduction--><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle:Test Configuration--><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Test Configuration<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">Hardware:<\/span><\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" width=\"547\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"149\"><strong>CPU:<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"398\" valign=\"top\">Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S @ 3.85GHz (453&#215;8.5)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"149\"><strong>CPU Cooler:<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"398\" valign=\"top\">Cooler Master V10*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"149\"><strong>Motherboard:<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"398\" valign=\"top\">ASUS P5E Deluxe X48 (Rampage Formula BIOS)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"149\"><strong>Hard Disk:<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"398\" valign=\"top\">Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB (ST3500418AS)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"149\"><strong>Memory:<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"398\" valign=\"top\">G.SKILL 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-1000 PQ<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"149\"><strong>Video Cards:<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"398\" valign=\"top\"><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=16565\" target=\"_blank\">AMD Radeon HD 5830 1GB<\/a> (reference clocks: 800\/1000)<br \/>\nSapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB (reference clocks: 750\/900)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"149\"><strong>Display:<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"398\" valign=\"top\"><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=15004\" target=\"_blank\">24\u201d Gateway FHD2401 LCD<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"149\"><strong>Power Supply:<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"398\" valign=\"top\">Cooler Master UCP (Ultimate Circuit Protection) 1100W*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"149\"><strong>Chassis:<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"398\" valign=\"top\"><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=13135\" target=\"_blank\">CM Storm Sniper \u2013 Black Edition \u2013 Mesh Version<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><em>* \u2013 supplied by Cooler Master.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">Software:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>ATI Catalyst 10.2, 10.3a and 10.3; highest quality mip-mapping set in the driver, Catalyst AI set to \u201cStandard\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate; very latest updates<\/li>\n<li>All games are patched to their latest versions.<\/li>\n<li>vsync is off in the control panel and is never set in-game.<\/li>\n<li>4xAA enabled in all games and \u201cforced\u201d in Catalyst Control Center for<em> UT3<\/em>, except for\u00a0<em>DiRT 2<\/em> where 8xAA is used; all in-game settings for all games at \u201cmaximum\u201d or \u201cultra\u201d with 16xAF always applied<\/li>\n<li>All results show average frame rates except as noted.<\/li>\n<li>Highest quality sound (stereo) used in all games.<\/li>\n<li>Windows 7, all DX10 titles were run under DX10 render paths<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">The Benchmarks:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>3DMark 06<\/li>\n<li>3DMark Vantage<\/li>\n<li>Far Cry 2<\/li>\n<li>Crysis<\/li>\n<li>F.E.A.R.<\/li>\n<li>Unreal Tournament 3<\/li>\n<li>World In Conflict<\/li>\n<li>Call of Juarez<\/li>\n<li>X3: Terran Conflict<\/li>\n<li>ARMA 2<\/li>\n<li>BattleForge<\/li>\n<li>DiRT 2<\/li>\n<li>S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat<\/li>\n<li>Resident Evil 5<\/li>\n<li>Heaven 2.0 (Unigine)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle:Benchmark Results--><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Benchmark Results<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Here are the charts comparing performance across the three ATI drivers released in the last two months, 10.2, 10.3a and 10.3. The benchmarks are self explanatory with average frame rates (or scores) compared directly to each other. Wins are in bold and if there is a tie, both results are bolded.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16845\" title=\"Catalyst 10-3 Performance Analysis\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Catalyst-10-3-Performance-Analysis.PNG?resize=550%2C1223\" alt=\"Catalyst 10-3 Performance Analysis\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Catalyst-10-3-Performance-Analysis.PNG?resize=550%2C1223 550w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Catalyst-10-3-Performance-Analysis-460x1024.PNG 460w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>With the benchmark results out of the way, let us conclude.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle:Conclusion--><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>At this point, it is safe to conclude that the Catalyst 10.3a driver is where you want to be for Radeon performance. With significant improvements over 10.2 in the HD 4000 series, we see this driver take charge and show itself approved. What was surprising is that in many titles we see the final 10.3 driver falling short of its preview counterpart, the 10.3a; this was disappointing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18071\" title=\"HD 5830 with 10-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/5830with102.PNG?resize=527%2C196\" alt=\"5830with102\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/5830with102.PNG?resize=527%2C196 527w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/5830with102-300x111.PNG 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 527px) 100vw, 527px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The above image serves to show that the newly-released HD 5830 is not supported in the Catalyst 10.2 driver set. Comparisons with the 10.3a and the 10.3 show more or less give-and-take performance. The 10.3 marginally took 9 of the 15 benchmarks. <em>World in Conflict<\/em> was a draw right across, while the others were either split on the resolution used or fell in favour of the 10.3a. When 10.3a won, it was usually by a considerable margin, still giving it the advantage.<\/p>\n<p>Without a widespread representation, it is hard to say if this behaviour will continue across the rest of the 5000 series but the HD 5830 should be a good basis on which to draw such a conclusion. I would suggest that you make your driver choice based on the games you play as there is no clear cut winner as with the 4000 series.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom Line: Catalyst 10.3a is the best performing ATI driver set at the moment.<\/p>\n<p>Check back later this month as we look to analyze the performance of Catalyst 10.4 versus the 10.3 drivers. Until then, happy gaming!<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Leon Hyman<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>Senior Editor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=16776\"><img decoding=\"async\" align=top title=\"Author: Leon Hyman\" src=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Cat-10-3-Performance-Analysis.PNG\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":18071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7814,5],"tags":[3335,3336,72,3337,73,147,3164,3333,3332,3334,148,1799,3187,149,3338,238],"class_list":["post-16776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-articles","category-gaming","tag-4000-series","tag-5000-series","tag-amd","tag-analysis","tag-ati","tag-catalyst","tag-catalyst-10-2","tag-catalyst-10-3","tag-catalyst-10-3a","tag-catalyst-10-4","tag-driver","tag-hd-4870","tag-hd-5830","tag-performance","tag-performance-analysis","tag-radeon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}