Benchmark Results: Far Cry 2
We’re at a point where you can stack the latest graphics processors three and four high, enabling performance that is nearly processor-bound at the highest resolutions. The question seems to be: what to do with all of that graphics muscle? We’re seeing AMD and Nvidia use some of it for general-purpose processing through tools like AMD’s Video Converter and Badaboom.
GeForce 3D Vision is yet another use of any extra graphics horsepower you might have over and above the accepted 60 frame per second (FPS) threshold. By no means does the technology come for free—two images are being generated (one each for the left and right eye), so it’s only natural that measured frame rates take a corresponding hit.
The fact that frame rates are almost evenly halved is a good sign that the software enabling 3D Vision isn’t gobbling up a ton of performance through overhead.
Now, it’s important to understand that the “experience” in Far Cry 2 is still that of a game running at 30 frames per second (FPS) with 4x anti-aliasing (AA) enabled at 1680x1050. The 63 FPS with stereo disabled turns into a pair of 28 FPS images. At that speed, the game is playable, but the slowdown is certainly perceptible.
Let’s look at just a couple more game tests to see how consistent these results really are.
