3D Performance Results

Once we completed our CPU test suite, we took some time to play some games with the TPU community to get an overall feel for gaming on the Z68A-GD65 (G3). After a couple of days we settled in to complete our 3D benchmarking, feeling confident that the MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) was going to put on a good show. Let's take a look at what numbers the board provided.

3DMark11

Once we ran 3DMark11, we were very surprised, with the very best numbers yet offered by the MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3), and we think the "G3" moniker might have something to do with it.

Civilization 5

Our first real-world 3D performance test comes in the form of Civilization 5, using the included benchmark. We let the game recommend us settings, and then disabled V-SYNC and AA to eliminate bottlenecks introduced by the GPU itself. We weren't disappointed in the MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3), as it managed to duplicate average numbers given by the boards we've looked at earlier. The Civilization 5 benchmark does serve to show that everything is working as it should, as any deviations from the average numbers here indicates a problem, and the MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) showed no issues.

F1 2010

Our second real-world 3D performance test comes from Code Masters, in the form of the "F1 2010" included benchmark. We let the game recommend us settings, which included 8xAA with our newly added HD 6950 2 GB from Sapphire. Again we find the numbers a bit higher than what we expected, just slightly below the top two P67-based numbers, but third place, and best in its platform says something.