ATI Radeon 5770 & 5750 Review - Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2 is the classic first person shooter. It is a DX9 title. At this point DX9 doesn't really tax graphics hardware with any of its "features," and any benchmarking comes down to a pushing raw pixels. Half-Life 2 does not like the extra video RAM provided by 2GB cards, and does not like the Eyefinity6 in CFX.

The Source Engine is no match for the 5700 series. Widescreen resolutions produce results in excess of 120fps on the 5770, and 90fps+ with the 5750. Both cards post 30fps+ at 5760x1200, at max settings for Episode 2.

Given the DX9 nature of the title, the Episode 2 iteration of the Source engine is not shader-dependant. At widescreen the engine responds better to raw clock speed, and the 5770 actually performs better than the 5830. If you are a fan of games based on the Source engine (HL2, Team Fortress 2, and the Left4Dead series), the 5700-series (and the 5770 in particular) provides an exceptional return on your investment.

Hitting 60fps

Widescreen - Both cards double the 60fps goal in widescreen.

Eyefinity - Both cards break the 60fps ceiling on Lost Coast, and average 45fps on Episode 2.