Gaming
The games I normally use for testing video cards are just too VGA intensive for integrated graphics, as advanced as they’ve become. So I picked up a couple of games that could actually be played on this rig with some satisfaction. We’re still not going to see 50+ FPS, there will be some choppy moments, but it will be a much better gaming experience that you’d get with an “off the shelf” HP/Compaq/Emachines/Dell/etc.
Left4 Dead 2 is a DX9 FPS that was released late last year. Though the graphics are pretty good, it isn’t that VGA intensive at lower settings. I recorded a 90 second video at The Waterfront with FRAPS, settings were medium, no AA, 1280 x 1024.
Far Cry 2 is an FPS somewhat similar to the extremely popular Far Cry, but takes place in Africa rather than on a tropical island. Supporting both DX9 and DX10, it was released in late 2008. With DX10 I expect it to be a little more VGA intensive than Left 4 Dead 2 and may be pretty choppy with this rig. I used the “Ranch Medium” onboard benchmark, settings were medium, no AA, 1280 x 1024.
