Intel 925X/915: Chipset Performance & DDR2
by Wesley Fink on June 19, 2004 3:01 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
DDR2 vs. DDR: Test Configuration
While the 925x/875 benchmarks indirectly compared DDR and DDR2, the Gigabyte 8GPNXP Duo is potentially the perfect platform for directly comparing DDR2 and DDR performance. It is an Intel 915 Socket 775 board that supports both types of memory in a dual channel configuration. First, we took a closer look to see if this design provided any performance penalty in providing support for either DDR or DDR2. One easy, but effective, way to check memory performance among boards is with a utility called "Aida 32", available as freeware from many download sites. Aida 32 has a unique memory test that measures separately read and write memory operations and then provides a composite score.Aida 32 results were compared on all the motherboards used in these benchmarks.
| Aida 32 Memory Test Results | |||
| Memory Motherboard |
Read MB/sec |
Write MB/sec |
Composite Score |
| Micron DDR2 533 Intel 925X |
5277 | 2219 | 7496 |
| Micron DDR2 533 Intel 915X |
5019 | 1898 | 6917 |
| Micron DDR2 533 Gigabyte 8GPNXP Duo |
5683 | 2087 | 7780 |
| OCZ 3200 Platinum R2 Asus P4C800-E |
4700 | 1861 | 6561 |
| OCZ 3200 Platinum R2 Gigabyte 8GPNXP Duo |
5440 | 1981 | 7421 |
It appears that the Gigabyte actually has faster DDR2 performance than either Intel motherboard. While this is very interesting and worth exploring in our future 915 roundup, it is not really important for this DDR2 and DDR comparison. The Aida 32 results clearly show that the DDR2 performance on the Gigabyte is not penalized by the dual-memory design.
Another very interesting test result, and totally unexpected, was that DDR memory actually performed faster on the Gigabyte 915 than on the Asus P4C800-E, which is noted for its very fast memory performance. This is something worth exploring in the future because it may mean 915 boards will run DDR faster than current 875/865 boards. One result is not enough to draw a conclusion, but we will explore this further in our upcoming Intel 915 motherboard roundup.
The Aida 32 results certainly indicate that the Gigabyte Duo is a valid platform for comparing DDR2 and DDR performance on the Intel 915 platform.
| Performance Test Configuration | |
| Processor(s): | Intel 540 (3.2GHz) Socket 775 |
| RAM: | 2 x 512MB Micron DDR2 533 2 x 512MB OCZ 3200XL DDR (Samsung 2-2-2-5) |
| Hard Drive(s): | Seagate 120GB 7200RPM SATA (8Mb buffer) |
| Video AGP & IDE Chipset Drivers: | Intel Chipset Driver 6.0.0.1014 |
| Video Card(s): | Gigabyte nVidia 5759 PCX |
| Video Drivers: | nVidia 61.45 Graphics Drivers |
| Operating System(s): | Windows XP Professional SP1 |
| Power Supply: | Powmax 350W |
| Motherboards: | Gigabyte 8GPNXP Duo (Intel 915X) Socket 775 |
Since comparisons of DDR and DDR2 were on the same platform with identical components, the system was configured as you might purchase a mid-range Intel 915 system. Graphics are provided by a mid-range nVidia 5750 PCIe graphics card with no need for auxiliary power, the CPU is a mid-range 3.2, and the power supply is a very common 350-watt with a 20-pin ATX connector attached to the 24-pin power socket. Our goal here is to compare 915 DDR to 915 DDR2, but the test results also provide a picture of typical performance that you can expect with a mid-range 915 system.
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nserra - Tuesday, June 22, 2004 - link
You guys are only evaluating the performance, I think it's not that important, the features yes, those are important. The P4 is crap even with hyper-x,y,z, so it wasn't a "chipset" that was going to make a miracle.I would like to see the new platform tested, IGP, Sound system, EMT64 (is it enable on LGA775 processors?), NX bit?, new power saving techniques, so new features up to test.
At least the DDR vs DDR2 comparison is a good thing.
I was hopping that DD2 would give a performance boast, since the P4 architecture relies on higher bandwidth and higher latency (the pros of RDRAM i850), but I guess not....
Bozo Galora - Monday, June 21, 2004 - link
yes he's sureRyanVM - Monday, June 21, 2004 - link
#54, Are you sure you aren't thinking of the S754/S939 dual socket mobo?tfranzese - Sunday, June 20, 2004 - link
#53, yes, there's a board that was shown at Computex that had both sockets giving the option to use one or the other.RyanVM - Sunday, June 20, 2004 - link
So, any chance that the 915 chipset can be tied to a socket 478 + Northwood? :DMarlin1975 - Sunday, June 20, 2004 - link
AMD does not really need dual ch. memory. Look at the diff. between a socket 939 and 754, it is very little for most apps. Also Dual Ch memory is not new. It was used WAY back in the day.The only reason it is back is because intel can't design a decent CPU so they have to make up for it with pricey and unneeded tech.
tfranzese - Sunday, June 20, 2004 - link
Anemone, there's really little reason you need dual-channel memory on the AMD64 platform with the memory controller being on the chip.Anemone - Sunday, June 20, 2004 - link
Anti overclocking designs in the new chipsets? Very poor choice.I will reiterate Intel performance per $ over its previous generations is pathetic. More $ required per degree of performance and the increase over last year is poor.
AMD is expensive until you get to the 754 - but perhaps I'm mistaken but I thought the industry had left single channel memory configurations behind 2 years ago. Oh wait, it's AMD, that's about their catchup period, sorry. So yes look at AMD in dual channel AMD64 chips and yes they are very pricey. So much for their argument that by providing competition they keep prices down.
Add to all that the overclocking unfriendly stuff, and while AMD comes out as better overall, the performance per $ is still not markedly better than last year, imo.
:)
Bozo Galora - Sunday, June 20, 2004 - link
"My My We are in trouble now arent we..."Yeah, I guess we might have to offer AMD a few of our (cash in the bank) billions to buy them out. I wonder if the FTC will allow that? Hmmmmm. Let's investigate.
firtol88 - Saturday, June 19, 2004 - link
My My we are in trouble now aren't we...Looks like AMD is the clear choice, unless you need a heater.