3Dmark2001 SE measures video card performance simulating DirectX 8.1 games. It is very effective software for evaluating the performance from previous-generation games, programmed using DirectX 8. In this software we run six tests. We run the software in three resolutions, 1024x768x32, 1280x1024x32 and 1600x1200x32, first without antialiasing and with no frame buffer, then we put the antialiasing at 4 samples and the frame buffer at triple-buffering. This improves the video quality but lowers the performance. We were willing to see how much performance we lost by putting the VGA to run at the maximum possible image quality. It is important to notice that ATI chips can run at 6x antialiasing. Since nVidia chips cannot run at this configuration, we had to use 4x antialiasing to use a configuration that is valid to all video cards included in our bechmarks, allowing direct comparison between them.

You may be asking yourself why we added an old program in a review of a latest generation video card. To us, it is as important to know the performance of a video card with the latest games as it is to know its performance in an older game. That’s why we kept this software in our methodology.

At a resolution of 1024x768 without any image quality enhancement, MSI GeForce 7800 GTX was 3.85% faster than its rival, XFX GeForce 7800 GTX, 8.90% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 17.33% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 22.24% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 51.24% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT, 54.67% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600 and 74.24% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI was beaten only by Radeon X850 XT P.E., which was 5.24% faster.

When we activated the dynamic overclocking mode of GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI, it was a little bit slower. We’d like to remind you that MSI GeForce 7800 GTX rival, the XFX GeForce 7800 GTX, comes overclocked from factory (450 MHz for processor and 1.25 GHz for memory, while the model from MSI runs at 430 MHz for processor and 1.2 GHz for memory).

With this feature enabled, MSI GeForce 7800 GTX was 3.02% faster than its rival, the XFX GeForce 7800 GTX, 8.02% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 16.38% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 21.26% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 50.02% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT, 53.42% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600 and 72.83% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI, with dynamic overclocking mode active was beaten only by Radeon X850 XT P.E., which was 6.10% faster.

At a resolution of 1280x1024 without any image quality enhancement, GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI was 9.00% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 27.83% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 29.95% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 76.23% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600, 78.25% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT and 112.16% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

GeForce 7800 MSI achieved performance similar to XFX GeForce 7800 GTX.

GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI was beaten only by Radeon X850 XT P.E., which was 3.84% faster.

When we activated the dynamic overclocking mode of GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI, it was 9.15% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 28.00% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 28.00% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 76.47% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600, 78.49% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT and 112.45% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

The performance of the GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI with dynamic overclocking mode active was similar to the GeForce 7800 GTX model from XFX.

GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI with dynamic overclocking mode active was also beaten by Radeon X850 XT P.E., which was 3.70% faster.

At a resolution of 1600x1200 without any image quality enhancement, GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI achieved a performance similar to Radeon X850 XT P.E. and was 13.13% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 38.66% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 49.03% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 109.60% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600, 133.58% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT and 182.18% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

GeForce 7800 MSI achieved performance similar to XFX GeForce 7800 GTX.

When we activated the dynamic overclocking mode of GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI, it also achieved performance similar to Radeon X850 XT P.E. and was 13.32% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 38.89% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 49.28% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 109.96% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600, 133.98% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT and 182.66% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

The performance of the GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI with dynamic overclocking mode active was similar to the GeForce 7800 GTX model from XFX.

At a resolution of 1024x768 enabling image quality enhancements, GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI was 11.76% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 21.99% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 40.87% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 97.65% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT, 115.14% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600 and 133.96% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI was beaten by Radeon X850 XT P.E. and XFX GeForce 7800 GTX, which was, respectively, 6.22% and 3.20% faster.

When we activated the dynamic overclocking mode of GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI, it achieved performance similar to Radeon X850 XT P.E. and XFX GeForce 7800 GTX and it was 15.47% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 26.05% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 45.55% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 104.22% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT, 122.29% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600 and 141.73% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

At a resolution of 1280x1024 enabling image quality enhancements, GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI was 13.25% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 38.47% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 63.25% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 147.58% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT, 183.02% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600 and 197.48% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

GeForce 7800 GTX from XFX was beaten only by Radeon X850 XT P.E., which was 7.75% faster.

GeForce 7800 MSI achieved performance similar to XFX GeForce 7800 GTX.

When we activated the dynamic overclocking mode of GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI, it achieved performance similar to its rival, the XFX GeForce 7800 GTX, and it was 16.73% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 42.72% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 68.27% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 155.18% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT, 191.72% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600 and 206.62% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

With dynamic overclocking mode active the GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI was beaten only by Radeon X850 XT P.E., which was 4.54% faster.

At a resolution of 1280x1024 enabling image quality enhancements, GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI was 29.87% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 62.47% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 132.05% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 331.76% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600, 379.31% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT and 489.49% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.

GeForce 7800 GTX from XFX was beaten only by Radeon X850 XT P.E., which was 6.10% faster.

GeForce 7800 MSI achieved performance similar to XFX GeForce 7800 GTX.

When we activated the dynamic overclocking mode of GeForce 7800 GTX from MSI, it achieved performance similar to Radeon X850 XT P.E. and XFX GeForce 7800 GTX and it was 35.54% faster than nVidia GeForce 6800 GT, 69.57% faster than Sapphire Radeon X700 Pro, 142.19% faster than XFX GeForce 6600 GT, 350.62% faster than Albatron GeForce 6600, 400.25% faster than ATI Radeon X600 XT and 515.23% faster than Sapphire Radeon X600 Pro.