Game tests
3DMark03 generates an aggregate game score derived from four separate game tests ranging from the DirectX 7-class "Wings of Fury" test to the "Mother Nature" test, which requires DirectX 9.

Overall, ATI's Radeon 9700 and 9500 Pro own 3DMark03's game tests. Let's take a look at the individual game scores to see why they're so far ahead.

Even NVIDIA's dated GeForce4 MX 460 can run 3DMark03's "Wings of Fury" game test, but the card is woefully slow. ATI's Radeon 9700 Pro takes the crown in this test, followed by the Radeon 9500 Pro, which just barely stays ahead of NVIDIA's GeForce4 Ti 4600.

The "Battle of Proxycon" game test requires pixel shaders, which disqualifies the GeForce4 MX. ATI's Radeon 9700 Pro takes the top spot again, followed by the Radeon 9500 Pro in second, and NVIDIA's GeForce4 Ti 4600 in a distant third place.

In the "Troll's Lair" game test, we see much of the same. Not even the mighty Radeon 9700 Pro can achieve 30 frames per second at 1024x768 in this scene.

3DMark03's "Mother Nature" game test requires Pixel Shader 2.0 support, so only ATI's Radeon 9700 and 9500 Pro can complete the test. As you might expect, the Radeon 9700 Pro is the faster of the two.