Futuremark's 3DMark06 is very nearly an outdated benchmark at this point, although it remains one of the world's most popular and often downloaded. Supporting DirectX 9.0c and advanced Shader Model 2.0 and 3.0 tests, 3DMark06 runs at a default 1280x1024 resolution, so even video cards and monitors that are several years old can use it. However when using this benchmark to compare modern hardware it is important to remember that scores will be affected to a greater extent by CPU processing power rather than GPU capability. This is reflected in our test results, where we see only a small amount of difference between the XFX GTS 250 and our comparison GTX 260 card.
Futuremark's latest 3DMark benchmark Vantage, is more heavily dependent on raw graphical processing power. Requiring DirectX 10, and thus Windows Vista, in order to run, Vantage takes advantage of advanced Shader Model 4.0 in its GPU tests. While still running at a low 1280x1024 resolution at the Performance level default, Vantage takes advantage of new texture filtering and physics processing capabilities in modern graphics cards. Here we see that the GTX 260 easily outdistances the GTS 250 by a wide margin. As we are using unapproved Forceware drivers, and PPU was not disabled, PhysX processing does enhance both cards scores.
Now let's see how the GTS 250 fares in some popular games.