Finally, we arrive at our last benchmark. This time around, it's a relatively new game that we have not previously played with in our lab. Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory is an extremely shader- and effect-heavy DirectX 9 game which supports a number of advanced rendering techniques to improve visuals. It can be run in both shader model 1.1 and shader model 3.0 modes, and for that reason we have provided two sets of graphs. Shader model 1.1 is relatively flat in terms of what it supports, but when using shader model 3.0, we have the option of toggling HDR lighting, high-quality soft shadows, tone mapping, and (as previously discussed) parallax mapping. Shader model 3.0 tests were performed with every option turned on, as we are not interested in the performance hit of various permutations of options, but rather the performance levels we can attain with the 7800 GTX in a game that makes good use of most of its new features.

Once again, the 6800 GT SLI pair has an edge over the 7800 GTX, but not by a significant amount. The X850 XT PE places third, and the 6800 Ultra (sigh) last. The very last result puts the 7800 GTX and X850 XT PE squarely on top of each other.

Though the X850 XT PE is present on the legend, you will not find its results on this graph: ATI's current generation of GPUs does not support shader model 3.0 -- you will have to wait for the R520 for that. It's important to mention here that since the previous 6800 generation does not support parallax mapping, they have a performance advantage in this case over the 7800 GTX. That said, the 7800 GTX with its parallax mapping still manages to creep very closely behind the 6800 GT SLI pair. The lonely 6800 Ultra doesn't hold a torch to either of the two other contestants.