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S3 Linux Driver Outperforms Its Windows Twin In Nexuiz

Posted by timothy on from the battle-of-the-benchmarks dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Chrome Center has done some benchmarks with the proprietary S3 Chrome 400/500 Driver on Linux and Windows. They compared Nexuiz frame rates on a Phenom II system with a S3 430 GT — the surprising result: The Linux driver outperforms its Windows equivalent, offering frame rates about twice as high on average. The question now: Is the Linux driver that good or the Windows driver that bad?"

14 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. Only Minimum framereat changes by BigBuckHunter · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What is curious is that only the minimum framerate seems to change (which bumps up the average). The max remains the same, which may indicate that the benchmark is CPU bound.

    BBH

    1. Re:Only Minimum framereat changes by JorDan+Clock · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No, the max remains the same because the hardware remains the same. The maximum framerates are from the hardware being pushed to its limit in this particular benchmark.

      What I'm interested in is a timeline of the benchmark. I want to see how long each run stays are maximum and minimum. I'm curious as to how consistent the framerates are for either OS.

    2. Re:Only Minimum framereat changes by Workaphobia · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Nexuiz is notoriously unoptomized in its model vertex count and perhaps other areas. I wouldn't be surprised if it's CPU bound in ways that other games aren't.

      --
      Evidently, the key to understanding recursion is to begin by understanding recursion. The rest is easy.
    3. Re:Only Minimum framereat changes by GMFTatsujin · · Score: 4, Funny

      I thought it was the song that remains the same.

      I must be getting old.

  2. I would say the latter... by Fallen+Kell · · Score: 2, Insightful
    The windows driver is just that bad. It probably has tons of bloat and previous artifacts from older video drivers that were simply copy/pasted into the new one, with many obsolete functions, while the linux version was recently written from scratch and does not have that issue.

    Oh FP?

    --
    We were all warned a long time ago that MS products sucked, remember the Magic 8 Ball said, "Outlook not so good"
  3. Graphic features? by FadedTimes · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Perhaps the windows driver has some graphic features enabled and the linux one does not (like trlinear filtering, shaders, etc). Not enough tech output to make a good conclusion.
    way back in Quake 3 days I thought Linux was running Quake3 faster than Windows on my nvidia card, only to realize the linux driver did not have one of the graphics features turned on, which caused it to run faster with the same in game settings.

  4. Other reasons by Dogun · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There should be benchmarks for how other cards perform as well. It could just be Nexuiz isn't performant under load on windows.

  5. Vista by mrphoton · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I note that the tests were done using windows vista. I wonder if this could have anything to do with the encrypted video path.

    1. Re:Vista by rusl · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Why wouldn't it be DRM related? I don't know anything technical about this DRM and I am an anti-DRM zealot. ...And, it seems logical that no matter how well executed, DRM is an extra step on something (video output) that should logically imply some sort of cost for that extra step and if this is a very competitive field why shouldn't DRM have an impact?

      Dogun just says that other cards should be compared which seems not to have anything to do with DRM... Unless this is the only card with DRM or something?

      Seriously, I'd like to know because I'll admit I have no idea. How does the DRM impact things?

      --
      Stupidity is its own reward.
    2. Re:Vista by drsmithy · · Score: 2, Informative

      Why wouldn't it be DRM related? I don't know anything technical about this DRM and I am an anti-DRM zealot. ...And, it seems logical that no matter how well executed, DRM is an extra step on something (video output) that should logically imply some sort of cost for that extra step and if this is a very competitive field why shouldn't DRM have an impact?

      Because the DRM is only active if you are playing back DRM-encumbered media with a DRM-capable player. I think it's reasonably safe to assume that neither of those conditions apply in this situation.

      Seriously, I'd like to know because I'll admit I have no idea. How does the DRM impact things?

      If you don't have DRM-encumbered media, it doesn't.

    3. Re:Vista by drsmithy · · Score: 2, Informative

      I note that the tests were done using windows vista. I wonder if this could have anything to do with the encrypted video path.

      Only if this Nexuiz thing enables the Protected Path. Do you seriously think it does ?

  6. Re:About Nexuiz by coolsnowmen · · Score: 2, Informative

    Nexuiz (2.4.2) plays like UT, a fast paced FPS. It is my favorite free linux game (not that anyone elses favorite is worse, but this one is mine).

    The new version (svn) adds many features like teams and CTF, a better scoreboard, and is also much prettier (updated textures).

  7. yet another by Bizzeh · · Score: 3, Insightful

    yet another meaningless statistic of "Program X runs better on System Y because driver Z is faster on said system"..

    --
    portfolio
  8. Obligatory bad car analogy by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    The S3 drivers for Windows and Linux are like a Ferrari and Lamborghini. Pretty close by themselves. But the Ferrari (Windows driver) is hitched to a trailer loaded with a backhoe (Windows).

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.