Benchmark Results: Games, AMD And Nvidia
All games are run three times with full details enabled at a resolution of 1920x1080.
AMD
The performance of Doom 3 in Ubuntu 11.10 is significantly higher than Windows 7. The placing is reversed in Prey, as Windows establishes a 14-frame lead over Oneiric Ocelot. Ubuntu fights back in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars with a 30 FPS advantage.
Nvidia
With the Nvidia card installed, Windows outperforms Ubuntu in Doom 3 by about 35 FPS. The frame rates are higher in Prey compared to AMD's board, but Windows holds onto its lead over Ubuntu. Performance in Quake Wars drops with the GTX 260, but Ubuntu maintains its victory over Windows by roughly the same margins seen on AMD's Radeon HD 4870.
The results in native commercial 3D games are a draw. Ubuntu takes Quake Wars, Windows takes Prey, and Dooms 3 hands Linux a win with the AMD card installed, while Windows 7 favors the Nvidia board. The big surprise is how much better Ubuntu scores with the Radeon.
Overall, though, the fact that we're using three relatively ancient titles to test both operating environments is most telling. Linux is still not a viable platform for gaming, even if we are able to convey a rough idea of 3D performance in it. As a result, our benchmarks are largely academic.