Testing:
The tests to be executed include a synthetic benchmark, five benchmarks integrated with 3D games, some thermal testing, and finally power consumption testing. Each card was run through the following tests, and the system was rebooted between each run.
» FutureMark 3DMark Vantage
» Devil May Cry
» PT Boats - Knights of the Sea
» Company of Heroes - Opposing Fronts
» Call of Juarez
» Track Mania Nations Forever
» Thermal Testing
» Power Consumption Testing
FutureMark 3DMark Vantage:
FutureMark's latest synthetic 3D gaming benchmark, 3DMark Vantage, was the first test executed. The complete suite of tests was executed at a resolution of 1280x1024, at high settings, and in "Performance" mode (higher is better for all results). What we see from the data below is that the GPU and total scores for the TOP 9600GT place it right in between the HD3850 and HD3870. My initial suspicion was that this would be the case, and at least one test confirms this.
