Graphics: GeForce 6, 7, 8 Compared
If we bring the GeForce 7 into the game, we can't support DirectX 10 graphics, but certainly DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3, which remains adequate at least for the next few months. Performance of the GeForce 7800 GT clearly cannot keep the pace with that of the GeForce 8, but power requirements decrease considerably: 103 W instead of 143 W means 72% of the initial system power requirements, or a 38% decrease in idle power draw. The maximum power draw under load decreases from 248 W to 184 W, which is 74% of the requirements of our GeForce 8 test system or a 35% decrease. From an energy efficiency standpoint, GeForce 8 is a horrible choice if you have a GeForce 7 class graphics card, as long as you don't need support for DirectX 10 and don't insist on maximum performance.
Finally, let's look at the GeForce 6800 GT. We were amazed to see that the GeForce 7 is faster and more energy efficient, as the GeForce 6800 GT requires more energy than the 7800 GT: 103 vs 117 W idle and 184 vs 189 W under load. We haven't looked at ATI graphics cards due to time constraints, but from what the Radeon HD 2900 has shown, ATI's DirectX 10 hardware also requires considerably more energy than its predecessors, the Radeon X1800/1900 and Radeon X850.
