Performance Test Configuration: 2.8E vs 2.8C

Frankly, our first tests were designed to be an unfair comparison. Since the Intel 865G is used for comparisons of the on-board graphics later in the review, we compared the 2.8E and 2.8C on the RS350 Reference Board and a top-performing Intel 875P motherboard. We think you will find the performance results very interesting.

 Performance Test Configuration
Processor(s): Intel 2.8E Prescott (Retail)
Intel 2.8C Northwood (Retail)
RAM: 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3500 Platinum Ltd OR
2 x 512MB Mushkin PC3500 Level II
Hard Drive(s): Seagate 120GB 7200RPM (8Mb buffer)
Video AGP & IDE Bus Master Drivers: ATI Platform Driver 8.01 Beta
Intel Chipset Drivers
Video Card(s): ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB (AGP 8X)
Video Drivers: ATI Catalyst 4.4
Operating System(s): Windows XP Professional SP1
Motherboards: ATI 9100 IGP PRO Reference Board
Asus P4C800-E (i875)

All benchmarks were run on both boards with our current standard ATI 9800 PRO 128MB video card. We also used our standard Winbond BH5 DIMMs for testing, which provided another disadvantage for the ATI RS350, since the fastest stable timings that we could achieve on the RS350 were 2-2-3-5 compared to 2-2-2-5 on the Asus P4C800-E.

As is our normal test procedure, AGP Aperture was set to 128MB with Fast Write enabled. Resolution in all benchmarks is 1024x768x32.

Since all new tests were run to compare performance of the 2.8E and 2.8C, we included PCMark2004 from FutureMark in our comparison. We have been running PCMark2004 on all recent motherboard tests to establish a database to include PCMark 2004 in future motherboard and system tests.

Comparing Northwood and Prescott 2.8E vs 2.8C: DirectX 8/OpenGL Gaming Performance
Comments Locked

24 Comments

View All Comments

  • Wesley Fink - Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - link

    My apologies. The chart was supplied by ATI and shows a Clock Speed of 300 and a Ramdac of 400.
  • SocrPlyr - Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - link

    The comparison sheet on page 10 definately has 400MHz for the RAMDAC...
    it is a picture, and pictures don't lie :)

    Josh
  • Wesley Fink - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - link

    The comparison sheet on page 10 states the Ramdac speed is 300MHz, exactly what was stated when the review was published. Where is the comparison sheet that states 400 for the Ramdac speed?
  • quanta - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - link

    Are you sure the RAMDAC on 9100 IGP Pro is really 400MHz? The ATI site says it is 300MHz, but the comparison sheet in your site says 400MHz.
  • gofor55 - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - link

    Does anybody know whether 9100IGP Pro will run ATI's Multimedia Center 9.0 and EazyShare. This might be just the ticket for a low cost multimedia PC for living room and bedroom to view PVR captures from a networked media server.
  • Pumpkinierre - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - link

    So Wesley any indications in that ATI note as to how they optimise for Prescott?
  • Wesley Fink - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - link

    ATI confirmed SATA RAID was present on RS350, not AOpen. Must have been a petit mal . . .
  • Wesley Fink - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - link

    #12 -
    AOpen has confirmed that RS350 DOES support SATA RAID 0,1. We confiormed SATA RAID works fine with a pair of WD Raptors in a stripe.

    The review will be updated to correct the SATA information.
  • Kai920 - Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - link

    #14 - Very well said.

    I like how IGPs keep improving --say goodbye to Intel Extreme Graphics 2 and onboard GF4MX. The IGP may very well be a major decision in my future purchases, if not the next.
  • Wesley Fink - Monday, May 3, 2004 - link

    #12 -
    Asute of you to catch the Sata RAID in the diagram. Unfortunately the diagram also shows IXP 300 when the board had an IXP 320.

    We have asked ATI for clarification on whether SATA RAID is an option. They are all in Barcelona, Spain for the big X800 kick-0ff tomorrow, so we might not have an answer for a few days.

    #10 -
    As for the comment about mfg suck-up, GET REAL. Mfgs HOPE they will get a good review from us because we are honest, but more often than not mfgs complain we are too negative in pointing out failings with their product. That means we probably have it about right.

    #4 - If you bothered to read the review you would have found the MAIN message was the RS350 competes very well with Intel AS A CHIPSET, which SHOULD be of interest to you. The other news was that Prescott optimizations make Prescott a better performer than Northwood on the new chips. Yes, we coverd Integrated Graphics, because it mattered, but that was not the main point. It wasn't a slow news day - the NDA expired at 6AM today, as the X800 NDA expires tomorrow. The RS350 is a damn good chipset or I wouldn't have bothered.

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now