Battlefield 2
We tested both Battlefield 2 and Quake 4 by using FRAPS and playing through a portion of the game manually. For these games, we played through five 90-second gaming sessions per config and captured average and low frame rates for each. The average frames per second number is the mean of the average frame rates from all five sessions. We also chose to report the median of the low frame rates from all five sessions, in order to rule out outliers. Finally, we've included an extra graph that tracks average frame rates over the length of our 90-second gaming session. We found that these methods gave us reasonably consistent results.

In Battlefield 2, the X-Fi cards were run with the game's Creative X-Fi audio renderer and ultra high sound quality. The X-Fi renderer doesn't work with the ALC850, so it was run with the game's hardware renderer. Using the hardware renderer for the ALC850 also dropped the in-game sound quality setting from ultra high to high quality. EAX was enabled for all configurations.

Battlefield 2's video quality options were set to their highest values throughout, with the exception of antialiasing, which was disabled.

So much for Battlefield 2's use of X-RAM. Although the Fatal1ty manages slightly higher average and median low frame rates in the Strike at Karkand level, it's a little behind the XtremeMusic in the Dalian Plant level. The Fatal1ty doesn't appear to maintain smoother frame rates over the length of our 90-second test, either.

At least both X-Fis offer higher average and low frame rates than the ALC850. The ALC850 also doesn't sound nearly as good, offering fewer simultaneous sounds, duller playback, and numerous positional miscues.