Professional Affair: OpenGL Graphics Cards Compete

SPECapc Solidworks 99 Benchmark

The second application benchmark suite is from SPEC. This organization also offers the synthetic benchmark Viewperf. All of the following results are not frame rates but refer to a reference machine equipped with a Pentium II 300 and the Permedia 2 graphics processor.

The Solidworks 99 benchmark includes different tests for CPU, I/O and graphics subsystem. We only used the three graphics tests. The scenes have up to 276000 polygons. According to the SPECap specifications the models reflect the typical construction work of a Solidworks user. The benchmarks hardly contain any textures. Instead it generates complex production facilities like an assembly line with simple shadings (for example Gouraud Shading) and lighting effects.

Bottom Case uses relatively simple scenes without any graphical frills. The Fire GL 1 Pro achieves a relatively high scoring of 3.8 on the Pentium III platform.

As soon as the models get more complex the performance of the Fire GL 1 Pro collapses. The Quadro on the Gloria II flexes its muscles again - but it hardly can loose the GVX210 or the GVX1. 3DLabs needs to update its drivers. The results on the Athlon platform could be better.

If the transparency effects are switched on, Athlon's capabilities improve a little. Nevertheless the order remains the same as in the previous test: Gloria II, Oxygen GVX210 and GVX1.