There are some reviews where it is unnecessary to disclose individual game settings that were used for benchmarking. For example, a single statement from the reviewer is sufficient if all of the games tested were configured to their highest quality settings. On the other hand, there are some reviews where it makes sense to document in-game settings.
Documenting in-game settings allows the reader to compare the performance of their system using the same settings that were used in the test system. By using consistent settings, the reader gains confidence that their results are what they should be.
Unreal Tournament 3 Demo
It was important to document the in-game settings in this review due to the increasing demands that newer games are placing on systems. For example, graphics settings in older games like Doom 3 and Far Cry can be at their highest quality and will perform exceptionally well with the MSI NX8800GT. Yet there were a few games where a medium quality setting was used in order to obtain acceptable performance. Even with medium settings, the overall graphics quality in today's games can surpass the quality offered by last generations top graphics engines.
In-game settings are listed in alphabetical order by game and span over the next couple of pages.
The settings used to test performance in BioShock, Company of Heroes, Crysis, Dark Messiah, and Doom 3 are provided on this page. Maximum quality settings were used in BioShock, Company of Heroes and Doom 3 although the video quality was set to high instead of ultra. Crysis was tested with medium and high settings. All in-game settings in Dark Messiah were at their maximum quality with the exception of texture detail, which was set to high instead of very high.
Screenshots of each game were also taken while the MSI NX8800GT was being tested. Click on the smaller image to view the corresponding full-size 1680x1050 resolution image. The frame rate appears in the upper right corner.
