Benchmark Results: High Detail
If you have a GeForce 9600 GT or better and want to enjoy Dead Space at its fullest potential, the High Detail setting is the way to go. In fact, while we haven't tested a GeForce 9600 GSO, it likely falls in the same category.
Even the basic 1280x1024 resolution is a challenge for the Radeon HD 4650, although performance is playable. All of the other cards are once again averaging over 100 FPS.
Raising the resolution to 1680x1050 does bring the frame rates down, but all of the cards are still belting out over 80 FPS average, except for the Radeon HD 4650, which is scraping by with barely-playable performance.
A resolution of 1920x1200 is not a challenge at the High Detail level for any of these video cards, except for the Radeon HD 4650, which is taking a beating.
Here, at the ultra-high 2560x1600 resolution, we can see some of the contenders start to sweat. Even the GeForce 9600 GT is pulling a minimum frame rate of 25 FPS, which is quite playable but a little below the ideal 30 FPS. The Radeon HD 4830, the GeForce 8800 GT, the Radeon HD 4770, and even the Radeon 4850 are performing passably with average frame rates over 50 FPS but with minimum frame rates that are close to 30 FPS.
At this detail and resolution, only the GeForce GTS 250, the GeForce GTX 260, and the Radeon HD 4870 are truly able to take the punishment and have performance to spare. But with the small number of 30" 2560x1600 monitors out there, it's not much of an issue–especially when you consider that all of the cards are at least playable at this resolution, except the Radeon HD 4650.
