Our testing methods
Our test system was configured like so:
| Processor | Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz |
| Front-side bus | HT 16-bit/800MHz downstream HT 16-bit/800MHz upstream |
| Motherboard | Abit KV8-MAX3 |
| North bridge | VIA K8T800 |
| South bridge | VIA VT8237 |
| Chipset driver | VIA Hyperion 4.53 |
| Memory size | 1024MB (2 DIMMs) |
| Memory type | Corsair XMS3500 DDR SDRAM at 400MHz and 2-7-3-3 timings |
| Graphics | GeForce 6800 GT 256MB |
| Graphics driver | ForceWare 61.77 |
| Storage | Western Digital WD360GD 10,000RPM Serial ATA hard drive |
| Operating System | Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 and DirectX 9.0c |
We used this CS: Source demo for testing. The game was tested with CS: Source's high-quality and "5 speaker" audio settings. Because my ancient SoundBlaster Live! only supports four-channel audio, it was tested with CS: Source's "4 speaker" audio setting. I've marked the Live!'s results with an asterisk to highlight this difference.
The test systems' Windows desktop was set at 1280x1024 in 32-bit color at a 75Hz screen refresh rate. Vertical refresh sync (vsync) was disabled for all tests.
If you have questions about our methods, hit our forums to talk with us about them.
