Performance in RPG

Hellgate: London

The game is very sensitive to the amount of graphics memory. The GeForce 9800 GTX and GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB have the same amount and behave similarly as the consequence. The only exception is the 1920x1200 mode where the new card is about 19% ahead although this doesn’t make that display resolution much more comfortable to play at. The resolution of 1280x1024 pixels is still the optimal one for top-end single-chip graphics cards in this game unless you disable FSAA and reduce the level of detail.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

The game loses much of its visual appeal without HDR. Although some gamers argue that point, we think TES IV looks best with enabled FP HDR and test it in this mode.

The GeForce 9800 GTX wins every resolution, sometimes even outperforming the GeForce 9800 GX2. However, its practical advantage over the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is rather small. At least, it is surely not worth the extra $50-100.