Half-Life 2 performance was measured using a custom demo that was created at AnandTech. The demo was recorded on level c17_12 and is close to a worst-case scenario in regards to performance. The demo is processor limited to a certain point as significant increases in performance from SLI do not appear until 4X AA at 1920x1440 and 8XS AA at 1280x960. SLI provided an average increase of 28%, which is commendable considering the circumstances.

Half-Life 2

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A batch file was used to run each benchmark, which contained a command line to execute a timedemo using the settings specified.

hl2.exe -novid -nosound -width 1024 -height 768 -refresh 75
+r_fastzreject 1 +r_waterforcereflectentities 1 +mat_trilinear 1
+mat_antialias 4 +mat_forceaniso 8 +timedemoquit at_c17_12

All in-game graphics settings were at their maximum level, including water detail, which was set to reflect all.

Half-Life 2 Graphics Settings

Gamma correct AA and supersampling transparency AA were also enabled, which offer image quality improvements that are illustrated in the comparison following the benchmark results.

Half-Life 2 Performance

The following JavaScript applet demonstrates quality of the 4X and 8XS antialiasing modes that are available on the GeForce 7800 GTX. Also demonstrated are the effects of the new antialiasing features of the GeForce 7800 GTX, which consist of gamma corrected antialiasing (GC) and supersampling transparency adaptive antialiasing (SSTA). Comparisons to the new SLI antialiasing modes (8XSLI and 16XSLI) are also provided.

Antialiasing Quality

No Antialiasing - 4X Antialiasing - 8XS Antialiasing

4X Antialiasing w/GC & SSTA - 8XS Antialiasing w/GC & SSTA

8XSLI Antialiasing - 8XSLI Antialiasing w/SSTA

16XSLI Antialiasing - 16XSLI Antialiasing w/SSTA

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