Western Digital, WDC WD740GD, 'Raptor' 74.5GB HDD, 10,000RPM
Western Digital WD2000JB 200GB HDD, 7200RPM
NVIDIA 7800GTX / 2-6800GTs in SLI
NVIDIA ForceWare Graphics Driver, Version (WHQL) 77.77
FSP 500W Blue Storm power supply
ViewSonic P225 22-inch CRT monitor
32-Bit Color / 75Hz Refresh Rate @ 1600X1200
Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 2
Microsoft DirectX 9.0c
Tests were performed using Test Setup Specifications as identified above. All
tests were performed twice, once with the EVGA 133-K8-NF41-AX NVIDIA fitted with
the 7800GTX (default clocks, GPU: 430 MHz, Memory: 1.2 GHz) as a single card
arrangement, and a second time for evaluating the SLI performance of the
motherboard using two 6800 GTs (default clocks, GPU: 350 MHz, Memory: 1.0 GHz).
Default settings were used throughout the tests and benchmarks except where
otherwise noted. Tables, graphs, and other performance data were blocked
together where possible to show the comparative performance deviations between
the two configurations. Benchmarks where ran a minimum of three times to obtain
average performance values.
PERFORMANCE AT DEFAULT SETTINGS
This motherboard reads the Hyper Transport (HTT) bus at slightly over the 200 MHz specification coming in at 200.9 MHz. This places the default speed of the AMD 3700+ processor at 2210.2 MHz as shown below by CPU-Z. Memory clocks are identified as 2-2-2-5, divider @ 1:1 ratio, and running in dual channel. The DRAM command rate is identified as 1T in the Bios.
CPU-Z Reports
All in all a good AMD performance setup and at this point with the EVGA
133-K8-NF4-AX doing its part. In the CPU screen the 'voltage' is incorrect and
should show around 1.4 volts. The default 'voltage' reading should show about
1.4 volts and is correctly shown in the Bios.
This particular 3700+ AMD processor is the San Diego, 90 nm process, and has
shown to clock to speeds of around 2.7GHz with forced air cooling. In this
review the processor will take a back seat to the motherboard and will be run at
default clock speeds of 2.2 GHz except for a brief stint in the Overclocking
section.
Other than the 133-K8-NF43's capabilities, emphasis will be placed on
specific performance relationships with the single card and dual card (SLI)
configurations. With PCI-E gaining momentum in popularity I thought it might be
of benefit to some to see how these 'setups' perform in comparison on this
motherboard. I have already identified this motherboard as following closely to
NVIDIA's reference design as most SLI motherboards on the current market do.
Most, however, have a few more on-board options or extras. This does not
necessarily make them better or faster it just makes them more expensive and
maybe more appealing to some. It seems most 'gamers' are generally satisfied if
the just the basics of speed and stability are met with a few extras thrown in
to support these qualifications. From the Motherboard and Layout sections a few
extras have been identified. Anyway, this is my personal take on the subject and
that is what I am going to be looking for in the following benches.
