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Benchmarking Your GPU with F.E.A.R.
ThinSkin writes "Monolith's new shooter F.E.A.R. is all fun and games, but it can also be used as a benchmark to test your GPU's performance. ExtremeTech's Jason Cross goes into detail on benchmarking your GPU with this graphically-intensive game. In addition, the article also tests the performance of high- and mid-range cards from ATI and Nvidia to see which scores top marks." It's a tough game; I had to buy a new rig.
There was a time when a game/program required an excessive amount of computing power that was a BAD thing.
I don't look at a game that requires 350W of computing to run as a "good thing". Sorry, I just don't. Any VB.NET hacker can make an inefficient bloaty game. It takes real talen to do the same with minimal requirements.
If this "F.E.A.R." game really requires a $500 graphic card to play then they can keep it. It's just a game, you'll play it and be bored within a week. Meanwhile you're still out the $500 and your computer is taking "yet more power" to run.
These peeps really ought to develop games for things like a gameboy or PSP first. Then they'd get an idea of what "optimization" means.
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
With your type of thinking we would still be playing pong just in multiple colors. There is nothing excessive about the game requirements what is excessive is the whiners about how other people spend their time and money.
There are always those who will try to guilt-trip anyone for whatever reason. Most always it boils down to money. Like people who harp about how much gasoline costs, to hummers, to millionaires buying rides to the ISS.
Enjoyment and relaxation come in many forms and how people spend THEIR money is of no real concern to me as long as it does not endanger me in the process.
Computer games are advancing the state of entertainment, attempting to bring realism to the screen. Doing so does require oodles of computer power and we have that luxury these days. People looking at the future would never imagine the power we dedicate to games but looking back 10 years the picture changes.
The amount of power expended by high end PCs is nothing to cry about. In fact it trivializes many other real wastes of power and money.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
If you've already spent that much on a system, going SLI isn't going to kill you too much. It's just another $300-$400 card. Now if you don't have a compatible motherboard and power supply, that might ramp up another $250-$350. Either way, you KNOW you wanna do it. You can't resist. Alma awaits.
... researchers have discovered that "Half-Life 2: Lost Coast" can be used to benchmark computer hardware. In fact, they also discovered that the original "Half-Life 2", as well as "Doom 3", "Farcry", and "Billy Bob's New Shooter" can all be used as benchmarks, because, incredibly, they all use the GPU, for something, sometimes.
Nothing to see here, PLEASE, IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, JUST move along.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!