AM2 Motherboards-Part 4: ATI Crossfire Xpress 3200
by Wesley Fink on August 21, 2006 7:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Gaming Performance
We tested with our recently revised group of game tests, which includes Call of Duty 2, Serious Sam 2, Half Life 2: Lost Coast, F.E.A.R, Far Cry, and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. All boards were tested with the NVIDIA 7900 GTX using NVIDIA 91.31 drivers. The ATI chipset boards were additionally tested with a single ATI X1900 XTX using the Catalyst 6.7 drivers. We are experimenting with a new benchmark for Prey to see if it is useful for motherboard comparisons. Results of the MSI K9A and ECS KA3 running the Prey Benchmark 1.1 are included in the game benchmarks.
Beginning with this review, we have upgraded our Serious Sam 2 benchmarks to more repeatable and consistent benchmarking by using the HOC Serious Sam 2 benchmark. Results with this test are not directly comparable to older SS2 test results, so we used this opportunity to upgrade our test setup to HDR. HDR is more demanding of graphics capabilities and generally yields lower FPS performance than standard SS2 tests. Since results are not comparable to earlier test results, SS2 HDR results are only reported for the MSI K9A and ECS KA3. We also have comparative results in SS2 without HDR.
Our benchmark comparisons throughout this four-part AM2 review series have used the NVIDIA 7900 GTX for comparison. We have also included results on the ATI chipset motherboards for the single ATI X1900 XTX. These ATI results are for REFERENCE ONLY and are color coded in pale gold for easy reference. With the NVIDIA 7900 GTX the MSI K9A Platinum results are in red and ECS KA3 results are in purple (to match the board).
The MSI placed at or near the top of the performance charts in all games, whether comparing 7900 GTX or 1900 XTX performance. The ECS was an average to above average performer. In Standard gaming benchmarks the MSI K9A, ASUS M2N32-SLI and Epox MF570SLI were normally always in the top half in performance. From a broader perspective, it is interesting to see that the ATI 1900 XTX and NVIDIA 7900 GTX are fairly well matched in overall performance. Each GPU has certain games in which it is best, but overall the wins and losses are well balanced on each side at standard 1280x1024 resolution with eye candy turned off.
SLI/CrossFire Gaming Performance
ATI and NVIDIA both have flagship Dual X16 solutions. SLI and CrossFire are about gaming, so dual video tests were confined to gaming benchmarks, and the test suite is heavily slanted to recent and popular titles where SLI and CrossFire make the biggest difference. All dual video testing was at 1600x1200, 4xAA/8xAF. Tests were also run with a single X1900 XTX at this same resolution. The single video high-res results on the ATI AM2 are in pale gold and the CrossFire results are in red for MSI, purple for ECS, and bright gold for ATI Reference.
You might think you are looking at results from different video cards in CrossFire/SLI performance. Here leads are larger and positions are often switched from results at standard resolution without the eye candy. Among ATI Xpress 3200 boards the MSI stood out as a top performer. For NVIDIA nForce 500 based motherboards, the ASUS and Epox were normally at or near the top of the SLI performance charts.
We tested with our recently revised group of game tests, which includes Call of Duty 2, Serious Sam 2, Half Life 2: Lost Coast, F.E.A.R, Far Cry, and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. All boards were tested with the NVIDIA 7900 GTX using NVIDIA 91.31 drivers. The ATI chipset boards were additionally tested with a single ATI X1900 XTX using the Catalyst 6.7 drivers. We are experimenting with a new benchmark for Prey to see if it is useful for motherboard comparisons. Results of the MSI K9A and ECS KA3 running the Prey Benchmark 1.1 are included in the game benchmarks.
Beginning with this review, we have upgraded our Serious Sam 2 benchmarks to more repeatable and consistent benchmarking by using the HOC Serious Sam 2 benchmark. Results with this test are not directly comparable to older SS2 test results, so we used this opportunity to upgrade our test setup to HDR. HDR is more demanding of graphics capabilities and generally yields lower FPS performance than standard SS2 tests. Since results are not comparable to earlier test results, SS2 HDR results are only reported for the MSI K9A and ECS KA3. We also have comparative results in SS2 without HDR.
Our benchmark comparisons throughout this four-part AM2 review series have used the NVIDIA 7900 GTX for comparison. We have also included results on the ATI chipset motherboards for the single ATI X1900 XTX. These ATI results are for REFERENCE ONLY and are color coded in pale gold for easy reference. With the NVIDIA 7900 GTX the MSI K9A Platinum results are in red and ECS KA3 results are in purple (to match the board).
The MSI placed at or near the top of the performance charts in all games, whether comparing 7900 GTX or 1900 XTX performance. The ECS was an average to above average performer. In Standard gaming benchmarks the MSI K9A, ASUS M2N32-SLI and Epox MF570SLI were normally always in the top half in performance. From a broader perspective, it is interesting to see that the ATI 1900 XTX and NVIDIA 7900 GTX are fairly well matched in overall performance. Each GPU has certain games in which it is best, but overall the wins and losses are well balanced on each side at standard 1280x1024 resolution with eye candy turned off.
SLI/CrossFire Gaming Performance
ATI and NVIDIA both have flagship Dual X16 solutions. SLI and CrossFire are about gaming, so dual video tests were confined to gaming benchmarks, and the test suite is heavily slanted to recent and popular titles where SLI and CrossFire make the biggest difference. All dual video testing was at 1600x1200, 4xAA/8xAF. Tests were also run with a single X1900 XTX at this same resolution. The single video high-res results on the ATI AM2 are in pale gold and the CrossFire results are in red for MSI, purple for ECS, and bright gold for ATI Reference.
You might think you are looking at results from different video cards in CrossFire/SLI performance. Here leads are larger and positions are often switched from results at standard resolution without the eye candy. Among ATI Xpress 3200 boards the MSI stood out as a top performer. For NVIDIA nForce 500 based motherboards, the ASUS and Epox were normally at or near the top of the SLI performance charts.
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Wesley Fink - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
We plan to test the Abit, but we have not yet received the board.yyrkoon - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
Good to hear :)mendocinosummit - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
Sweet. I was hoping that was the case.Wesley Fink - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
It's not the end of the AM2 board testing. We fully expect great RD580 boards from DFI and Asus. However, after testing 9 AM2 boards in-depth it was time to assess where we were.goinginstyle - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
Finally a review that does not have Conroe plastered all over it. I have the ECS RD480 board based upon an earlier review of it here. The board has performed well and is stable as a rock. Do you think you maybe have a bad board or is it really as bad as it was described? I was looking forward to going to AM2 with a cheap X3800x2 but did not want a nvidia solution since I already have crossfire. Will there be other RD580 boards from Asus or DFI or maybe someone like Abit?I was excited about this board after reading the review at HardOcp where it received an editors award. Your comment "we have to wonder how ECS could manage to produce such a mediocre motherboard." is completely opposite of the other review. But after reading both reviews again I noticed your test results were very consistent when compared to the other boards that were not reviewed in that article. Looking at the results I have to wonder what board they tested.
Just a few questions if you have time. What would cause the cold boot issue? Does the board have the SB600 or SB460 as listed in the chart. How is the performance of the jmicron chipset? I can not find any test results with it and it seems like everyone is using it now. Thanks for providing some very useful AMD information as they still exist even after Conroe.
Wesley Fink - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
The ECS has the SB600. ECS included literature that stated the soutn bridge was SB460, but we took off the heatsink and looked. It is definitely an SB600. We will change the ECS spec chart.The cold boot issues can be poor power regulation, the board's boot sequence, or even just a poor BIOS. It IS possible it might be corrected in the furure with a BIOS update, but there are plenty of other AM2 boards that work well today and cost about the same or less.
We noticed in the other website review you reference that they made a passing mention of the missing CAS adjustment, but they still gave it an Editors choice. They also noted the very poor overclocking, but still gave the ECS an Editors Choice. I'm sorry, but we don't give Editors Choice awards to the worse overclocker of 9 competing AM2 boards that does not even offer CAS adjustments.
allnighter - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
...work comp, win2k+explorerPatrese - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
Great review, I only missed Oblivion results. I'd like to see more Anantech reviews about motherboards directed to other audiences, like HTPCs, for instance. There are a lot of motherboards directed to that segment, like the Asus M2NPV-VM, and I think it would be great to see a review as detailed as you generally do for the entusiast boards. A MicroATX roundup would be perfect... :)Wesley Fink - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
A few HTPC motherboard reviews are already in process. You will be seeing these from Gary Key in the near future.jackylman - Monday, August 21, 2006 - link
I'd really love to see some hardcore Sempron undervolting on those reviews. (hint,hint)