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Nvidia 3D Vision Vs. AMD HD3D: 18 Games, Evaluated

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It’s about time that someone performed a meaningful comparison of 3D-enabled games using Nvidia’s 3D Vision and AMD’s HD3D. We put 18 different titles under the microscope to determine which technology gives you the most playability, most often.

F1 2010

AMD HD3D and the TriDef Ignition Driver:

Good 3D result with Virtual 3D mode

We found that the default F1 2010 TriDef Ignition profile wasn't as good as the default profile with Virtual 3D mode

The default TriDef Ignition profile works well. However, shadows seem muted, you can't access Virtual 3D mode, and the frame rate is a little choppy.

Because of these problems, we swapped the F1 2010 profile out in favor of the generic one and used Virtual 3D mode. This proves to be the better solution, as visuals are great and the frame rate is vastly improved. Unfortunately it's not perfect due to some anomalies caused by the depth buffer, but this isn't noticeable while driving.

Nvidia 3D Vision:

Good 3D result with lowered details

The screenshot looks good, but during actual game play Nvidia's 3D Vision often displays distracting artifacts

3D Vision suffers from shadow, post-processing, and smoke/dust anomalies in F1 2010. The post-process problems are fixed by stepping down from Ultra-High to High detail settings, and shadows must be turned off using the Ultra-Low option. Dust and smoke can be fixed by lowering the particles setting, but we find that it's better to leave it on, as the distraction is minimal.

The loss of shadows doesn't hurt this game much. It looks very good in 3D, but there are still a couple of lighting anomalies that pop up.

112 Comments Comment from the forums
  • renick 29 September 2011 11:21
    nvidia 3d vision is best in all............
    Reply
  • Kamab 29 September 2011 12:10
    Except for the ones where it's not recommended. Good thing I have one on this rig! Now I just got to shell out some cash for some 3D Tech.
    Reply
  • the_krasno 29 September 2011 12:27
    3D is over hyped in my opinion, it will be some more time before games can correctly exploit it.
    Reply
  • falchard 29 September 2011 13:11
    Everytime nVidia pushes out a proprietary format they shoot themselves in the foot. They just can't make it marketable with such a low market share. You need something like Microsofts 90% market share to think about making a closed standard.
    Anyone notice the bevel on the Samsung model. That beautiful for multi-monitor.
    Reply
  • Scanlia 29 September 2011 15:25
    Great comprehensive review! Loved it.
    Reply
  • alyoshka 29 September 2011 15:56
    Nice one, and really long awaited.
    Reply
  • 29 September 2011 16:41
    i tried Tridef in EVE online, absolutely stunning. :)
    Reply
  • SteelCity1981 29 September 2011 16:43
    During preliminary testing, we noticed that a decent Phenom II X4 had some trouble providing smooth frame rates, and mid-level graphics cards were cut down to their knees

    Time for Bulldozer!!!
    Reply
  • assassin123 29 September 2011 17:00
    i loved it great review keep it up
    Reply
  • RazberyBandit 29 September 2011 17:35
    Would it kill Tom's to use high-resolution pop-up pics? It's nearly impossible to discern any differences in detail or artifacts when comparing such low-resolution images. C'mon...1024 x 317? Seriously?
    Reply