PCStats Test System Specs:

processor: intel pentium 4 3.0c clock speed: 15 x 200 mhz = 3.0 ghz motherboards: gigabyte 8knxp, i875p videocard: ati radeon 9800xt ati radeon 9800 pro ati radeon 9700 pro asus radeon 9600xt msi fx5950 ultra-vtd256 msi fx5900u-vtd256 msi fx5900xt-vtd128 gigabyte gv-nv57u128d msi fx5900xt-vtd128 powercolor radeon 9600xt memory: 2x 256mb corsair twinx 3200ll hard drive: 40gb wd special ed cdrom: nec 52x cd-rom powersupply: vantec stealth 470w software setup windowsxp build 2600 intel inf 5.02.1012 catalyst 3.9 detonator 53.03 workstation benchmarks 3dmark2001se codecreatures aquamark aquamark3 gun metal 2 x2 the threat ut2003 aa test, af and aa+af test 3dmark2001se x2 the threat ut2003

3DMark2001SE	Source: FutureMark

By combining DirectX8 support with completely new graphics, it continues to provide good overall system benchmarks. 3DMark2001SE has been created in cooperation with the major 3D accelerator and processor manufacturers to provide a reliable set of diagnostic tools. The suite demonstrates 3D gaming performance by using real-world gaming technology to test a system's true performance abilities. Tests include: DirectX8 Vertex Shaders, Pixel Shaders and Point Sprites, DOT3 and Environment Mapped Bump Mapping, support for Full Scene Anti-aliasing and Texture Compression and two game tests using Ipion real-time physics.

Higher numbers denote better performance.

3DMark2001 - Benchmark Results
Video Card	3DMarks	Ranking
ATi Radeon 9800XT	19073
ATi Radeon 9800 Pro	18762
ATi Radeon 9700 Pro	17430
Asus Radeon A9600XT	13604
MSI FX5950 Ultra-VTD256	17582
MSI FX5900U-VTD256 Ultra	17274
MSI FX5900XT-VTD128	16324
Gigabyte GV-NV57U128D	15165
PowerColor Radeon 9600XT	14050
PowerColor Radeon 9600XT (542/408)	15280

The PowerColor Radeon 9600XT is not a 3DMark killer, but it does perform fairly well and is faster than the Asus Radeon 9600XT at stock speeds.

CodeCreatures	Source: CodeCult

CodeCretures requires a fully compatible DirectX 8 videocard with preferably 128 MB of RAM to store textures. Codecreatures utilizes vertex as well as pixel shaders to run their tests.

CodeCreatures - 1024x768
Video Card	FPS	Ranking
ATi Radeon 9800XT	50.1
ATi Radeon 9800 Pro	45.9
ATi Radeon 9700 Pro	39.6
Asus Radeon A9600XT	28.4
MSI FX5950 Ultra-VTD256	53.1
MSI FX5900U-VTD256 Ultra	51
MSI FX5900XT-VTD128	44.8
Gigabyte GV-NV57U128D	34.8
PowerColor Radeon 9600XT	29.2
PowerColor Radeon 9600XT (542/408)	32.4

In CodeCreatures the PowerColor Radeon 9600XT Ultra is able to outpace the Asus Radeon 9600XT just barely.

CodeCreatures - 1280x1024
Video Card	FPS	Ranking
ATi Radeon 9800XT	39.7
ATi Radeon 9800 Pro	36.5
ATi Radeon 9700 Pro	31.6
Asus Radeon A9600XT	21.8
MSI FX5950 Ultra-VTD256	42.3
MSI FX5900U-VTD256 Ultra	40.6
MSI FX5900XT-VTD128	35
Gigabyte GV-NV57U128D	25.6
PowerColor Radeon 9600XT	22.6
PowerColor Radeon 9600XT (542/408)	25.2

CodeCreatures - 1600x1200
Video Card	FPS	Ranking
ATi Radeon 9800XT	30.7
ATi Radeon 9800 Pro	28.2
ATi Radeon 9700 Pro	24.5
Asus Radeon A9600XT	16.8
MSI FX5950 Ultra-VTD256	33.5
MSI FX5900U-VTD256 Ultra	32.2
MSI FX5900XT-VTD128	27.6
Gigabyte GV-NV57U128D	19.6
PowerColor Radeon 9600XT	17.5
PowerColor Radeon 9600XT (542/408)	19.7

At higher resolutions all cards slow down, but the PowerColor Radeon 9600XT Ultra is still able to beat the Asus 9600 by a slim margin.