SPECviewperf 10 – Multisample Testing
SPECviewperf 10

SPECviewperf tests FSAA performance by running its standard test suite several times, setting the FSAA feature of the graphics card being tested to all possible FSAA sample values. If a graphics card supports up to 16 samples – supporting 16, 8, 4, and 2 samples – the test would run five times, running tests for 16, 8, 4, 2, and no samples.

The test is run with no FSAA enabled so that a baseline test result can be produced. The goal of the test is to determine what performance penalty, if any, enabling FSAA with a given sample rate incurs. During the individual tests, screen shots are captured. This allows the tester to review the effects that FSAA is having on the rendered image. It is important to note that as FSAA is altering the image, there is no way to automatically validate pixel accuracy of the images rendered. It is up to the tester to evaluate the individual image captures to determine if the FSAA-produced images for a given sample size are visually pleasing to the user. As mentioned earlier, a subjective evaluation is necessary as individual preference for the FSAA results plays a part with respect to the aesthetic quality of the images produced.

If the FSAA test produces a score that is within 10 percent of the non-FSAA score, under SPECviewperf 10 rules that score will be considered valid for the specific sample rate. If a SPECviewperf test score for a particular test is 20.0, for example, and the same test score with FSAA enabled with a sample of 8 produces 19.5, the official results will be listed as 20.0 with FSAA up to a sample of 8 enabled. Sample rates may affect individual tests differently with respect to performance, so each test will include the best FSAA sample rate score within the 10-percent threshold. If no sample rate falls within the 10-percent threshold, the test score will indicate that no FSAA sample rate achieved the performance threshold for this test.


AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 80

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 81

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 82

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 83

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 84

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 85

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 86

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 87

Again we see that in some cases all three of the new FirePro cards are performing at about the same levels while in other benchmarks, Maya for example, The V7800 and V5800 show similar performance and scaling levels. 

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 88

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 89

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 90

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 91

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 92

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 93

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 94

AMD FirePro V7800 and V4800 Professional Graphics Review - Graphics Cards 95

Throughout all of these results the blue bar of the V4800 seems to be sticking awfully close to the V5800’s green line indicating much less of a performance delta than we would have expected.

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