AMD/ATI Catalyst 8.11 Far Cry 2 Performance Increase

According to the release notes for Catalyst 8.11, for Radeon HD 3000 and 4000-series products, performance increase in Ubisoft's graphically-demanding Far Cry 2 for single-GPU is 3~10 per cent, while multi-GPU CrossFire users can expect to see gains in the region of 8-14 per cent.

I don't believe it, so I decided to try it on my system. You can find the Far Cry 2 benchmark tools in your Far Cry 2 directory, for example : "C:\Program Files\Ubisoft\Far Cry 2\bin\"
My Setup:

• Core 2 Duo E6300 @ 2.33GHz
• Gigabyte GA-965p-DS3
• 2GB Kingston Value RAM DDR2 667MHz
• Gecube Radeon HD 3850 256MB GDDR3 @ Core 730MHz/RAM 2016MHz
• Seagate 250GB SATA
• Cooler Master Real Power 450W
• Windows XP SP3
• Catalyst V8.10
• Catalyst V8.11

My Benchmark Settings:

1. Run 1 : Demo(Ranch Small), 1440x900 (75Hz), D3D9, Fixed Time Step(No), Disable Artificial Intelligence(No), Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing(None), VSync(No), Overall Quality(Optimal), Vegetation(Very High), Shading(Very High), Terrain(Very High), Geometry(Very High), Post FX(High), Texture(Very High), Shadow(Very High), Ambient(High), Hdr(Yes), Bloom(Yes), Fire(Very High), Physics(Very High), RealTrees(Very High)
2. Run 2 : Demo(Ranch Medium), 1440x900 (75Hz), D3D9, Fixed Time Step(No), Disable Artificial Intelligence(No), Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing(None), VSync(No), Overall Quality(Optimal), Vegetation(Very High), Shading(Very High), Terrain(Very High), Geometry(Very High), Post FX(High), Texture(Very High), Shadow(Very High), Ambient(High), Hdr(Yes), Bloom(Yes), Fire(Very High), Physics(Very High), RealTrees(Very High)
3. Run 3 : Demo(Ranch Long), 1440x900 (75Hz), D3D9, Fixed Time Step(No), Disable Artificial Intelligence(No), Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing(None), VSync(No), Overall Quality(Optimal), Vegetation(Very High), Shading(Very High), Terrain(Very High), Geometry(Very High), Post FX(High), Texture(Very High), Shadow(Very High), Ambient(High), Hdr(Yes), Bloom(Yes), Fire(Very High), Physics(Very High), RealTrees(Very High)

I ran it 3 times each run to make it more accurate. And here are the average results for Catalyst v8.10:





As for Catalyst v8.11 :




To calculate the percentage increase, take [(Average Framerate for 8.11/Average Framerate for 8.10)-1] X 100%.
For Run 1, the performance increase is 5.52%.
For Run 2, the performance increase is 6.67%.
For Run 3, the performance increase is 6.93%.

I guess the claim is true after all, so be a wise person a download the new Catalyst v8.11 now~

Dual-Core vs Quad-Core : The More The Better?

With the advancement of computer hardware, quad-core prices has dropped down to a level that can compete with dual-core cpu (central processing unit). The quad-core cpu that are commonly known are AMD Phenom X4, Intel Core 2 Quad and the newer Intel Core i7, while dual-core cpuhave AMD Athlon X2, Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel Pentium Dual-core. There are also tri-core cpu that manufactured by AMD call AMD Phenom X3.

When dual-core cpu was released, the hardware advertisers claimed that you can do more things in one time without bogging youe whole system down. That is true, as you can open a anti-virus scanner while surfing the web or playing games while converting movies. Now, software programmers have devised a way to make program multithreaded for dual-core or more, that is, make the program to utilize 2 cores instead of 1. This causes the software to compete for the cores, which also causes the system to bog down.

The arrival of quad-core saves the day, making software that utilizes 2-cores to run smoothly. However, at the same price point, quad-core cpu have lower GHz count compared to their dual-core siblings. Thus, it may seem that quad-core cpu sometimes outmatched by dual-core cpu when using dual-core multithread software. In software that optimizes quad-core cpu, they can beat the dual-core cpu by 50% or more.

Benchmark software such as PCmark or 3Dmark always shows that quad-core cpu obtains higher score than dual-core cpu. Thus we can safely conclude that in the same price point, quad-core should always be your choice.

Power consumption, on the other hand, is in dual-core favor. Those wishing to make a silent home-theater pc are better off with dual-core as they are more silent and less power hungry. Those wishing for performance are wise to choose quad-core cpu to make use of all it's cores.

In the end, if you wish to assemble a computer now, you are better off with quad-core as they are the future. The more is better afterall and you can do more in less time.

November PC Configuration

This time, I decided to make both RM 3k and RM 2k pc configuration. After configuring a pc for my friend, a revelation hit me that not all people can afford 3k also. With hardware prices down:

• 2k pc can play games at 1440*900 or 1280*1024 resolution with medium to high settings.
  
• 3k pc can play games at 1680*1050 with medium to high settings

So.......let's start with 2k pc :

• CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5200+ (2.7GHz) - RM 225
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM DDR2 800MHz 2GB *2 - RM 170
• Motherboard: Palit AA-780GA - RM 225
• Hard Drive:Western Digital 320GB SATA - RM 165
• GPU: Forsa 9800GT 512MB - RM 410
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM 70
• Monitor: Benq 17" G700AD - RM 405
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340 - RM 125
• PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power 460W - RM 170
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89
• Speaker: Logitech R5 2.0 - RM 49

Total : RM 2103

Now, let's see the 3k pc configuration:

• CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9550 2.2GHz - RM 490
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM 2GB DDR2 800MHz * 2 - RM170
• HDD: Western Digital 640GB SATA - RM 235
• Motherboard: Palit AA-780GA - RM 225
• Graphic Card: Palit HD4850 SUPER 512MB DDR3 - RM550
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM70
• Monitor: Benq 22" LCD (T221W) - RM 615
• Speaker: Edifier M1350 2.1 - RM 80
• PSU: HEC Ace power 480W - RM290
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340- RM 125
  
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89

Total : RM 2939

That's it. Hope the guide helps you make your pc.