Motherboard for amd athlon 64 x2 processor
Introduction
Let's get started with dual-core processors for desktop computers. In this review you will find everything about the dual-core processor from AMD: general information, performance testing, overclocking, and power consumption and heat dissipation information.Time dual core processors it has arrived. In the very near future, processors equipped with two computing cores will begin to actively penetrate into desktop computers. By the end of next year, most new PCs should be based on dual-core CPUs.
Such a strong zeal of manufacturers to introduce dual-core architectures is explained by the fact that other methods for increasing productivity have already exhausted themselves. Increasing clock frequencies is very difficult, and increasing the bus speed and cache size does not lead to tangible results.
At the same time, the improvement of the 90 nm process has reached the point where the production of giant crystals with an area of about 200 square meters. mm has become profitable. It was this fact that enabled CPU manufacturers to begin a campaign to introduce dual-core architectures.
So, today, May 9, 2005, following Intel, AMD is also previewing its dual-core processors for desktop systems. However, as in the case of dual-core Smithfield processors (Intel Pentium D and Intel Extreme Edition), we are not talking about the start of deliveries yet; they will begin a little later. IN this moment AMD is only giving us a preview of its upcoming offerings.
The line of dual-core processors from AMD is called Athlon 64 X2. This name reflects both the fact that the new dual-core CPUs have AMD64 architecture and the fact that they have two processing cores. Along with the name, processors with two cores for desktop systems also received their own logo:
The Athlon 64 X2 family at the time of its appearance on store shelves will include four processors with ratings of 4200+, 4400+, 4600+ and 4800+. These processors will be available for purchase between $500 and $1000 depending on their performance. That is, AMD places its Athlon 64 X2 line slightly higher than the usual Athlon 64.
However, before we begin to judge the consumer qualities of the new CPUs, let's take a closer look at the features of these processors.
Architecture of Athlon 64 X2
It should be noted that the implementation of dual-core in AMD processors is somewhat different from the Intel implementation. Although, like the Pentium D and Pentium Extreme Edition, the Athlon 64 X2 is essentially two Athlon 64 processors combined on a single chip, AMD's dual-core processor offers a slightly different way of communicating between the cores.The fact is that Intel's approach is to simply place two Prescott cores on one chip. With this dual-core organization, the processor does not have any special mechanisms for interaction between cores. That is, as in conventional dual-processor Xeon-based systems, the cores in Smithfield communicate (for example, to solve cache coherence problems) via the system bus. Accordingly, the system bus is divided between the processor cores and when working with memory, which leads to increased delays when accessing the memory of both cores simultaneously.
AMD engineers foresaw the possibility of creating multi-core processors at the development stage of the AMD64 architecture. Thanks to this, some bottlenecks were overcome in the dual-core Athlon 64 X2. Firstly, not all resources are duplicated in new AMD processors. Although each of the Athlon 64 X2 cores has its own set of execution units and a dedicated second-level cache, the memory controller and Hyper-Transport bus controller for both cores are common. The interaction of each core with shared resources is carried out through a special Crossbar switch and a System Request Queue. The interaction of cores with each other is also organized at the same level, thanks to which issues of cache coherence are resolved without additional load on the system bus and memory bus.
Thus, the only thing bottleneck, available in the Athlon 64 X2 architecture, is a memory subsystem bandwidth of 6.4 GB per second, which is divided between the processor cores. However, next year AMD plans to switch to using faster types of memory, in particular dual-channel DDR2-667 SDRAM. This step should have a positive effect on increasing the performance of dual-core CPUs.
The lack of support for modern high-bandwidth memory types in the new dual-core processors is explained by the fact that AMD primarily sought to maintain compatibility of the Athlon 64 X2 with existing platforms. As a result, these processors can be used in the same motherboards as regular Athlon 64. Therefore, Athlon 64 X2 has a Socket 939 package, a dual-channel memory controller with support for DDR400 SDRAM and operates with a HyperTransport bus with a frequency of up to 1 GHz. Thanks to this, the only thing required for modern Socket 939 motherboards to support dual-core AMD CPUs is a BIOS update. In this regard, it should be separately noted that, fortunately, AMD engineers managed to fit into the previously established framework and power consumption of Athlon 64 X2.
Thus, in terms of compatibility with existing infrastructure, dual-core processors from AMD turned out to be better than competing Intel products. Smithfield is only compatible with the new i955X and NVIDIA nFroce4 (Intel Edition) chipsets, and also places increased demands on the power converter motherboard.
The Athlon 64 X2 processors are based on cores codenamed Toledo and Manchester stepping E, that is, in terms of their functionality (except for the ability to process two computational threads simultaneously), the new CPUs are similar to the Athlon 64 based on cores San Diego and Venice. Thus, Athlon 64 X2 supports the SSE3 instruction set and also has an improved memory controller. Among the features of the Athlon 64 X2 memory controller, we should mention the ability to use different DIMM modules in different channels (up to installing modules of different sizes in both memory channels) and the ability to work with four double-sided DIMMs in DDR400 mode.
Athlon 64 X2 (Toledo) processors, containing two cores with a second level cache of 1 MB per core, consist of approximately 233.2 million transistors and have an area of about 199 square meters. mm. Thus, as one would expect, the die and complexity of a dual-core processor turns out to be approximately twice the die of the corresponding single-core CPU.
Athlon 64 X2 line
The Athlon 64 X2 processor line includes four CPU models with ratings of 4800+, 4600+, 4400+ and 4200+. They can be based on kernels codenamed Toledo and Manchester. The differences between them are the size of the L2 cache. Processors codenamed Toledo, which have ratings of 4800+ and 4400+, have two L2 caches (for each core) with a capacity of 1 MB. CPUs codenamed Manchester have half the cache memory: twice 512 KB each.The frequencies of dual-core AMD processors are quite high and are equal to 2.2 or 2.4 GHz. That is, the clock speed of the older model of the dual-core AMD processor corresponds to the frequency of the older processor in the Athlon 64 line. This means that even in applications that do not support multithreading, the Athlon 64 X2 will be able to demonstrate a very good level of performance.
As for the electrical and thermal characteristics, despite the fairly high frequencies of the Athlon 64 X2, they differ little from the corresponding characteristics of single-core CPUs. The maximum heat dissipation of the new processors with two cores is 110 W versus 89 W for conventional Athlon 64, and the supply current has increased to 80A versus 57.4A. However, if we compare the electrical characteristics of the Athlon 64 X2 with the specifications of the Athlon 64 FX-55, the increase in maximum heat dissipation will be only 6W, and the maximum current will not change at all. Thus, we can say that the Athlon 64 X2 processors place approximately the same requirements on the motherboard power converter as the Athlon 64 FX-55.
The complete characteristics of the Athlon 64 X2 processor line are as follows:
It should be noted that AMD is positioning the Athlon 64 X2 as a completely independent line that meets its own goals. Processors of this family are intended for that group of advanced users for whom the ability to use several resource-intensive applications simultaneously is important, or who use digital content creation applications in their daily work, most of which effectively support multi-threading. That is, the Athlon 64 X2 seems to be a kind of analogue of the Athlon 64 FX, but not for players, but for enthusiasts who use PCs for work.
At the same time, the release of Athlon 64 X2 does not cancel the existence of the remaining lines: Athlon 64 FX, Athlon 64 and Sempron. All of them will continue to coexist peacefully in the market.
But, it should be separately noted that the Athlon 64 X2 and Athlon 64 lines have a unified rating system. This means that Athlon 64 processors with ratings higher than 4000+ will not appear on the market. At the same time, the Athlon 64 FX family of single-core processors will continue to develop as these CPUs are in demand by gamers.
The prices of the Athlon 64 X2 are such that, judging by them, this line can be considered a further development of the regular Athlon 64. In fact, it is so. As the older Athlon 64 models move into the mid-priced category, the top models in this line will be replaced by the Athlon 64 X2.
The Athlon 64 X2 processors are expected to go on sale in June. AMD's suggested retail prices are as follows:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ - $1001;
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ - $803;
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ - $581;
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ - $537.
Athlon 64 X2 4800+: first acquaintance
We managed to get a sample of the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ processor for testing, which is the senior model in the line of dual-core CPUs from AMD. This processor in its own way appearance turned out to be very similar to his ancestors. In fact, it differs from the usual Athlon 64 FX and Athlon 64 for Socket 939 only in markings.
Although the Athlon 64 X2 is a typical Socket 939 processor that should be compatible with most motherboards with a 939-pin processor socket, it is currently difficult to work with many motherboards due to the lack of necessary BIOS support. The only one motherboard, on which this CPU was able to work in dual-core mode in our laboratory, turned out to be ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe, for which there is a special technological BIOS with support for Athlon 64 X2. However, it is obvious that with the advent of dual-core AMD processors in wide sales, this drawback will be eliminated.
It should be noted that without the necessary support from the BIOS, the Athlon 64 X2 in any motherboard works perfectly in single-core mode. That is, without updated firmware, our Athlon 64 X2 4800+ worked like an Athlon 64 4000+.
The popular CPU-Z utility still provides incomplete information about the Athlon 64 X2, although it recognizes it:
Even though CPU-Z detects two cores, all cache information displayed relates to only one of the CPU cores.
Before testing the performance of the resulting processor, we first decided to examine its thermal and electrical characteristics. To begin with, we compared the temperature of the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ with the temperature of other Socket 939 processors. For these experiments we used a single air cooler AVC Z7U7414001; The processors were warmed up using the S&M 1.6.0 utility, which turned out to be compatible with the dual-core Athlon 64 X2.
At rest, the temperature of the Athlon 64 X2 is slightly higher than the temperature of Athlon 64 processors based on the Venice core. However, despite having two cores, this CPU is no hotter than single-core processors produced using the 130 nm process technology. Moreover, the same picture is observed at maximum CPU load. The temperature of the Athlon 64 X2 at 100% load is lower than the temperature of the Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX, which use 130 nm cores. Thus, thanks to the lower supply voltage and the use of the revision E core, AMD engineers really managed to achieve acceptable heat dissipation of their dual-core processors.
When examining the power consumption of the Athlon 64 X2, we decided to compare it not only with the corresponding characteristics of single-core Socket 939 CPUs, but also with the power consumption of older Intel processors.
Surprising as it may seem, the power consumption of the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ is lower than the power consumption of the Athlon 64 FX-55. This is explained by the fact that the Athlon 64 FX-55 is based on an old 130 nm core, so there is nothing strange about it. The main conclusion is different: those motherboards that were compatible with the Athlon 64 FX-55 are capable (in terms of power converter power) of supporting new dual-core AMD processors. That is, AMD is absolutely right when it says that all the infrastructure necessary to implement the Athlon 64 X2 is almost ready.
Naturally, we did not miss the opportunity to test the overclocking potential of the Athlon 64 X2 4800+. Unfortunately, the technological BIOS for ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe, which supports Athlon 64 X2, does not allow you to change either the CPU voltage or its multiplier. Therefore, overclocking experiments were performed at the standard voltage for the processor by increasing the frequency of the clock generator.
During the experiments, we were able to increase the clock generator frequency to 225 MHz, while the processor continued to maintain its ability to operate stable. That is, as a result of overclocking, we were able to raise the frequency of the new dual-core CPU from AMD to 2.7 GHz.
So, when overclocking, the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ allowed us to increase its frequency by 12.5%, which, in our opinion, is not so bad for a dual-core CPU. At least, we can say that the frequency potential of the Toledo core is close to the potential of other revision E cores: San Diego, Venice and Palermo. So the result achieved during overclocking gives us hope for the appearance of even faster processors in the Athlon 64 X2 family before the introduction of the next technological process.
How we tested
As part of this testing, we compared the performance of the dual-core Athlon 64 X2 4800+ processor with the performance of older processors with single-core architecture. That is, the Athlon 64 X2's competitors are the Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX, Pentium 4 and Pentium 4 Extreme Edition.Unfortunately, today we cannot present a comparison of the new dual-core processor from AMD with a competing solution from Intel, a CPU codenamed Smithfield. However, our test results will be supplemented with results from the Pentium D and Pentium Extreme Edition in the very near future, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, several systems took part in testing, which consisted of the following set of components:
Processors:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ (Socket 939, 2.4 GHz, 2 x 1024KB L2, core revision E6 - Toledo);
AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 (Socket 939, 2.6 GHz, 1024KB L2, core revision CG - Clawhammer);
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ (Socket 939, 2.4 GHz, 1024KB L2, core revision CG - Clawhammer);
AMD Athlon 64 3800+ (Socket 939, 2.4 GHz, 512KB L2, core revision E3 - Venice);
Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.73 GHz (LGA775, 3.73 GHz, 2MB L2);
Intel Pentium 4 660 (LGA775, 3.6 GHz, 2MB L2);
Intel Pentium 4 570 (LGA775, 3.8 GHz, 1MB L2);
Motherboards:
ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe (Socket 939, NVIDIA nForce4 SLI);
NVIDIA C19 CRB Demo Board (LGA775, nForce4 SLI (Intel Edition)).
Memory:
1024MB DDR400 SDRAM (Corsair CMX512-3200XLPRO, 2 x 512MB, 2-2-2-10);
1024MB DDR2-667 SDRAM (Corsair CM2X512A-5400UL, 2 x 512MB, 4-4-4-12).
Graphics card:- PowerColor RADEON X800 XT (PCI-E x16).
Disk subsystem:- Maxtor MaXLine III 250GB (SATA150).
Operating system: - Microsoft Windows XP SP2.
Performance
Office workTo study performance in office applications, we used the SYSmark 2004 and Business Winstone 2004 tests.
The Business Winstone 2004 test simulates user work in common applications: Microsoft Access 2002, Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft FrontPage 2002, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Project 2002, Microsoft Word 2002, Norton AntiVirus Professional Edition 2003 and WinZip 8.1. The result obtained is quite logical: all these applications do not use multi-threading, and therefore the Athlon 64 X2 is only slightly faster than its single-core counterpart, the Athlon 64 4000+. The slight advantage is explained more by the improved memory controller of the Toledo core, rather than by the presence of a second core.
However, in everyday office work, several applications are often running simultaneously. How effective dual-core AMD processors are in this case is shown below.
In this case, the speed of work in Microsoft Outlook is measured and Internet Explorer, while in background files are being copied. However, as the diagram below shows, copying files is not such a difficult task and the dual-core architecture does not provide any benefit here.
This test is a little more complicated. Here, files are archived using Winzip in the background while the user works in Excel and Word in the foreground. And in this case, we get a very tangible dividend from dual-core technology. The Athlon 64 X2 4800+, operating at 2.4 GHz, outperforms not only the Athlon 64 4000+, but also the single-core Athlon 64 FX-55 with a frequency of 2.6 GHz.
As the tasks running in the background become more complex, the benefits of dual-core architecture begin to emerge more and more. In this case, the user's work in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Access, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft FrontPage and WinZip is simulated, while anti-virus scanning occurs in the background. In this test, running applications are able to properly load both cores of the Athlon 64 X2, the result of which is not long in coming. A dual-core processor solves tasks one and a half times faster than a similar single-core processor.
Here we simulate the work of a user receiving a letter in Outlook 2002, which contains a set of documents in a zip archive. While the received files are scanned for viruses using VirusScan 7.0, the user views the e-mail and makes notes in Outlook calendar. The user then browses the corporate website and some documents using Internet Explorer 6.0.
This user operation model involves the use of multi-threading, so the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ demonstrates higher performance than single-core processors from AMD and Intel. Note that Pentium 4 processors with “virtual” multi-threading Hyper-Threading technology cannot boast as high performance as the Athlon 64 X2, which has two real independent processor cores.
In this benchmark, a hypothetical user edits text in Word 2002 and also uses Dragon NaturallySpeaking 6 to convert the audio file to Text Document. The finished document is converted into pdf format with using Acrobat 5.0.5. Then, using the generated document, a presentation is created in PowerPoint 2002. And in this case, the Athlon 64 X2 again comes out on top.
Here the work model is as follows: the user opens a database in Access 2002 and runs a series of queries. Documents are archived using WinZip 8.1. The query results are exported to Excel 2002, and a chart is built based on them. Although in this case the positive effect of dual-core is also present, processors of the Pentium 4 family cope with this work somewhat faster.
In general, the following can be said regarding the justification of using dual-core processors in office applications. These types of applications themselves are rarely optimized for multi-threaded workloads. Therefore, it is difficult to gain benefits when working in one specific application on a dual-core processor. However, if the work model is such that some of the resource-intensive tasks are performed in the background, then processors with two cores can provide a very noticeable increase in performance.
Digital Content Creation
In this section, we will again use the comprehensive tests of SYSmark 2004 and Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004.
The benchmark simulates work in the following applications: Adobe Photoshop 7.0.1, Adobe Premiere 6.50, Macromedia Director MX 9.0, Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 6.1, Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9 Version 9.00.00.2980, NewTek LightWave 3D 7.5b, Steinberg WaveLab 4.0f. Since most applications designed for creating and processing digital content support multi-threading, the Athlon 64 X2 4800+'s success in this test is not at all surprising. Moreover, we note that the advantage of this dual-core CPU manifests itself even when parallel operation in several applications is not used.
When multiple applications are running simultaneously, dual-core processors are capable of delivering even more impressive results. For example, in this test, an image is rendered into a bmp file in the 3ds max 5.1 package, and, at the same time, the user prepares web pages in Dreamweaver MX. The user then renders in vector graphic format 3D animation.
In this case, we simulate the work of a user in Premiere 6.5, who creates a video clip from several other videos in raw format and separate audio tracks. While waiting for the operation to complete, the user also prepares an image in Photoshop 7.01, modifying the existing image and saving it to disk. After completing the creation of the video, the user edits it and adds special effects in After Effects 5.5.
And again we see a gigantic advantage of the dual-core architecture from AMD over both the regular Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX, and over the Pentium 4 with “virtual” multi-core Hyper-Threading technology.
And here is another manifestation of the triumph of AMD’s dual-core architecture. Its reasons are the same as in the previous case. They lie in the work model used. Here, a hypothetical user will unzip the website content from a zip file while using Flash MX to open the exported 3D vector graphics movie. The user then modifies it to include other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final video with special effects is compressed with using Windows Media Encoder 9 for broadcasting over the Internet. The created website is then built in Dreamweaver MX, and in parallel the system is scanned for viruses using VirusScan 7.0.
Thus, it must be recognized that for applications that work with digital content, a dual-core architecture is very beneficial. Almost any task of this type can effectively load both CPU cores simultaneously, which leads to a significant increase in system speed.
PCMark04, 3DMark 2001 SE, 3DMark05
Separately, we decided to look at the speed of the Athlon 64 X2 in popular synthetic benchmarks from FutureMark.
As we have repeatedly noted before, the PCMark04 test is optimized for multi-threaded systems. That is why Pentium 4 processors with Hyper-Threading technology showed better results in it than CPUs of the Athlon 64 family. However, now the situation has changed. The two real cores in the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ put this processor at the top of the chart.
Graphics tests of the 3DMark family do not support multithreading in any form. Therefore, the results of the Athlon 64 X2 differ little from those of the regular Athlon 64 with a frequency of 2.4 GHz. The slight advantage over the Athlon 64 4000+ is explained by the presence of an improved memory controller in the Toledo core, and over the Athlon 64 3800+ - by a large amount of cache memory.
However, 3DMark05 includes a couple of tests that can use multithreading. These are CPU tests. In these benchmarks, the central processor is charged with software emulation of vertex shaders, and, in addition, the second thread calculates the physics of the game environment.
The results are quite natural. If an application is able to use two cores, then dual-core processors are much faster than single-core processors.
Gaming applications
Unfortunately, modern gaming applications do not support multithreading. Despite the fact that the technology of “virtual” multi-core Hyper-Threading appeared a long time ago, game developers are in no hurry to divide the calculations performed by the game engine into several threads. And the point, most likely, is not that it’s difficult to do this for games. Apparently, the increase in the computing capabilities of the processor for games is not so important, since the main load in tasks of this type falls on the video card.
However, the appearance of dual-core CPUs on the market gives some hope that game manufacturers will begin to load the central processor with calculations more. The result of this could be the emergence of a new generation of games with advanced artificial intelligence and realistic physics.
In the meantime, there is no point in using dual-core CPUs in gaming systems. Therefore, by the way, AMD is not going to stop developing its line of processors aimed specifically at gamers, the Athlon 64 FX. These processors are characterized by higher frequencies and the presence of a single computing core.
Information compression
Unfortunately, WinRAR does not support multithreading, so the result of the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ is practically no different from the result of the regular Athlon 64 4000+.
However, there are archivers that can effectively use dual cores. For example, 7zip. When tested there, the results of the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ fully justify the cost of this processor.
Audio and video encoding
Until recently, the popular mp3 codec Lame did not support multithreading. However, the newly released version 3.97 alpha 2 corrected this drawback. As a result, Pentium 4 processors began to encode audio faster than the Athlon 64, and the Athlon 64 X2 4800+, although ahead of its single-core counterparts, is still somewhat behind the older models of the Pentium 4 family and Pentium 4 Extreme Edition.
Although the Mainconcept codec can use two processing cores, the speed of the Athlon 64 X2 is not much higher than the performance demonstrated by its single-core counterparts. Moreover, this advantage is partly explained not only by the dual-core architecture, but also by support for SSE3 commands, as well as an improved memory controller. As a result, Pentium 4 with one core in Mainconcept are noticeably faster than Athlon 64 X2 4800+.
When encoding MPEG-4 with the popular DiVX codec, the picture is completely different. The Athlon 64 X2, thanks to the presence of a second core, receives a good increase in speed, which allows it to outperform even older Pentium 4 models.
The XviD codec also supports multithreading, but adding a second core in this case gives a much smaller increase in speed than in the DiVX episode.
Obviously, Windows Media Encoder is the best optimized codec for multi-core architectures. For example, the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ can encode using this codec 1.7 times faster than a single-core Athlon 64 4000+ running at the same clock speed. As a result, talking about any kind of competition between single-core and dual-core processors in WME is simply pointless.
Like digital content processing applications, the vast majority of codecs have long been optimized for Hyper-Threading. As a result, dual-core processors, which allow two computational threads to be executed simultaneously, perform encoding faster than single-core processors. That is, the use of systems with a CPU with two cores for encoding audio and video content is quite justified.
Editing images and videos
Adobe's popular video processing and image editing products are well optimized for multiprocessor systems and Hyper-Threading. Therefore, in Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere, the dual-core processor from AMD demonstrates extremely high performance, significantly exceeding the performance of not only the Athlon 64 FX-55, but also the Pentium 4 processors that are faster in tasks of this class.
Text recognising
A fairly popular program for optical text recognition, ABBYY Finereader, although it is optimized for processors with Hyper-Threading technology, works with only one thread on the Athlon 64 X2. There is an obvious mistake by programmers who detect the possibility of parallelizing calculations by the name of the processor.
Unfortunately, similar examples of incorrect programming still occur today. Let's hope that today the number of applications like ABBYY Finereader is minimal, and in the near future their number will be reduced to zero.
Mathematical calculations
Strange as it may seem, the popular mathematical packages MATLAB and Mathematica in the operating room version Windows systems XP does not support multithreading. Therefore, in these tasks the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ performs approximately on the same level as the Athlon 64 4000+, surpassing it only due to a better optimized memory controller.
But many mathematical modeling tasks make it possible to organize parallelization of calculations, which gives a good performance increase when using dual-core CPUs. This is confirmed by the ScienceMark test.
3D rendering
Final rendering is a task that can be easily and efficiently parallelized. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that using an Athlon 64 X2 processor equipped with two computing cores when working in 3ds max allows you to get a very good increase in performance.
A similar picture is observed in Lightwave. Thus, the use of dual-core processors in final rendering is no less beneficial than in image and video processing applications.
General impressions
Before formulating general conclusions based on the results of our testing, a few words should be said about what was left behind the scenes. Namely, about the comfort of using systems equipped with dual-core processors. The fact is that in a system with one single-core processor, for example, an Athlon 64, only one computational thread can be executed at any given time. This means that if several applications are running on the system at the same time, the OC scheduler is forced to switch processor resources between tasks with great frequency.Due to the fact that modern processors are very fast, switching between tasks usually remains invisible to the user. However, there are also applications that are difficult to interrupt to transfer CPU time to other tasks in the queue. In this case, the operating system begins to slow down, which often causes irritation for the person sitting at the computer. Also, it is often possible to observe a situation where an application, having taken away processor resources, “freezes”, and such an application can be very difficult to remove from execution, since it does not give up processor resources even to the operating system scheduler.
Such problems arise in systems equipped with dual-core processors much less frequently. The fact is that processors with two cores are capable of simultaneously executing two computational threads; accordingly, for the functioning of the scheduler, there are twice as many free resources that can be divided between running applications. In fact, in order for work on a system with a dual-core processor to become uncomfortable, there must be a simultaneous intersection of two processes trying to seize undivided use of all CPU resources.
In conclusion, we decided to conduct a small experiment showing how the parallel execution of a large number of resource-intensive applications affects the performance of a system with a single-core and dual-core processor. To do this, we measured the number of fps in Half-Life 2, running several copies of the WinRAR archiver in the background.
As you can see, when using an Athlon 64 X2 4800+ processor in the system, performance in Half-Life 2 remains at an acceptable level much longer than in a system with a single-core, but higher-frequency Athlon 64 FX-55 processor. In fact, on a system with a single-core processor, running one background application already leads to a twofold drop in speed. As the number of tasks running in the background further increases, performance drops to obscene levels.
On a system with a dual-core processor, it is possible to maintain high performance of an application running in the foreground for much longer. Running a single copy of WinRAR goes almost unnoticed, adding more background applications, although having an impact on the foreground task, results in a much smaller performance hit. It should be noted that the drop in speed in this case is caused not so much by a lack of processor resources, but by the division of limited bandwidth memory buses between running applications. That is, unless background tasks are actively using memory, the foreground application is unlikely to respond much to increased background load.
conclusions
Today we had our first acquaintance with dual-core processors from AMD. As the tests have shown, the idea of combining two cores in one processor has demonstrated its viability in practice.Using dual-core processors in desktop systems, can significantly increase the speed of a number of applications that effectively use multithreading. Due to the fact that virtual multithreading technology, Hyper-Threading has been present in Pentium 4 family processors for a very long time, the developers software There are currently a fairly large number of programs that can benefit from dual-core CPU architecture. Thus, among the applications whose speed will be increased on dual-core processors, it should be noted utilities for video and audio encoding, 3D modeling and rendering systems, photo and video editing programs, as well as professional CAD-class graphics applications.
At the same time, there is a large amount of software that does not use multithreading or uses it extremely limitedly. Among the prominent representatives of such programs are office applications, web browsers, email clients, media players, and games. However, even when working in such applications, the dual-core CPU architecture can have a positive impact. For example, in cases where several applications are running simultaneously.
Summarizing the above, in the graph below we simply give a numerical expression of the advantage of the dual-core Athlon 64 X2 4800+ processor over the single-core Athlon 64 4000+ operating at the same frequency of 2.4 GHz.
As you can see from the graph, the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ turns out to be much faster in many applications than the older CPU in the Athlon 64 family. And, if not for the fabulously high cost of the Athlon 64 X2 4800+, exceeding $1000, then this CPU could easily be called very profitable acquisition. Moreover, in no application does it lag behind its single-core counterparts.
Considering the price of the Athlon 64 X2, it should be admitted that today these processors, along with the Athlon 64 FX, can only be another offer for wealthy enthusiasts. Those for whom it is not gaming performance that is primarily important, but speed in other applications, will pay attention to the Athlon 64 X2 line. Extreme gamers will obviously remain committed to the Athlon 64 FX.
The review of dual-core processors on our website does not end here. In the coming days, expect the second part of the epic, which will talk about dual-core CPUs from Intel.
Despite the fact that 64-bit AMD processors have been announced a long time ago, they still have not gained a significant market share in Russia, despite all their advantages. In my opinion, there are four main reasons for this.
Firstly, it was immediately announced that Socket 754 would not live long, so why invest money in a platform that was doomed to disappear from the very beginning? Secondly, AMD has taught users that its processors are cheaper than those of its competitor, but the A64 has approximate parity with Intel processors not only in performance, but also in price. Thirdly, the overclocking potential of the first copies of AMD Athlon 64 processors turned out to be small, and in the near future we will not see a transition to a new stepping with improved overclockability. And if so, then why not take the well-accelerating P4 instead of the A64, especially since their prices are comparable? Well, and finally, fourthly, despite numerous delays in the announcement of A64 processors, despite the fact that by the time of the announcement the vast majority of manufacturers had already had samples of motherboards ready for a long time, it turned out that the chipsets were far from ideal, and the boards for Athlon 64 leaves much to be desired.
The NVIDIA nForce 3 150 chipset failed to repeat the success of its predecessor, nForce2, the best of the chipsets designed for Socket A processors. Its capabilities turned out to be poorer than those of the competing chipset from VIA, the HyperTransport bus worked slower, and the ability to lock frequencies on the AGP and PCI buses during overclocking was ignored by manufacturers. The VIA K8T800 chipset was free of the first two shortcomings; however, it was initially unable to fix AGP and PCI frequencies.
A good illustration of what has been said can be the review I wrote back in January of the Gigabyte GA-K8NNXP motherboard (NVIDIA nForce3 150). That was the first time I tested the Athlon 64 processor and the motherboard for it, I learned new things myself and told you about them. I spent a lot of time studying, but in the end I was dissatisfied. The key phrase sounded like this: “...the processor worked more or less stably only at a frequency of 225 MHz at a voltage of 1.6 V” and the whole problem is in the words “more or less”. The system passed tests at 225 MHz, but could easily produce an error even at 220 MHz. Perhaps it was that the AGP/PCI frequencies were too high or the BIOS version was too crude, because soon I tested a motherboard based on the VIA K8T800 chipset and it behaved just as unintelligibly. A rare case - I tested the device, but did not write a report about it.
Now, fortunately, the situation is beginning to change for the better. Boards and processors for Socket 939 have already appeared on sale, the cost of 64-bit AMD processors is decreasing, and for Socket 754 we are promised inexpensive Sempron 3100+ processors. Judging by the first reviews, processors based on the “real” Newcastle core, in contrast to the first “pseudo-NewCastle”, which were processors based on the ClawHammer core, in which half of the cache memory was disabled, overclock a little better, while the competitor, on the contrary, overclocks their processors on the hot and energy-intensive Prescott core.
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In addition to the above-mentioned reasons why the popularity of 64-bit AMD processors should inevitably increase in the near future, another one has been added - chipset manufacturers have prepared new logic sets for these processors. So, the NVIDIA nForce 3 150 chipset has been replaced by a new family of NVIDIA nForce 3 250 chipsets. If you are interested in details regarding the capabilities of the new chipset, then I recommend reading the review of the Chaintech Zenith ZNF3-250 motherboard, where they are discussed in great detail. In short, the new chipset has lost all the shortcomings of the previous one and looks very tempting.Today I propose to study the Gigabyte GA-K8NS motherboard, based on the NVIDIA nForce 3 250 chipset and designed for Socket 754 processors.
| Gigabyte GA-K8NS | |
| Chipset | NVIDIA nForce3 250 |
| Processors | Socket 754 AMD Athlon 64 |
| Memory | Type: DDR400/ 333/ 266 -184pin |
| Total capacity up to 3GB DDR memory in 3 DIMM slots | |
| Embedded Peripherals | Network chip ICS 1883 LAN PHY |
| Realtek ALC850 audio codec | |
| I/O connectors | 2 Serial ATA connectors |
| 1 FDD port | |
| 2 UDMA ATA 133/100/66 Bus Master IDE ports | |
| 2 USB 2.0/1.1 connectors (supports up to 4 ports) | |
| S/P DIF input/output connector | |
| 2 fan headers | |
| CD/AUX in | |
| 1 Gaming/Midi port | |
| Expansion slots | 1 AGP slot (8x/4x AGP 3.0 support) |
| 5 PCI slots (PCI 2.3 compatible) | |
| Back panel | PS/2 keyboard/mouse |
| 1 LPT port | |
| 1 RJ45 port | |
| 4 USB 2.0/1.1 ports | |
| 2 COM ports | |
| Audio connectors (line in, line out, microphone) | |
| Form factor | ATX (30.5 cm x 23.0 cm) |
| BIOS | 2 Mbit flash ROM, Award BIOS |
As you can see, this version of the board does without additional controllers and all its capabilities are based on the rich capabilities of the NVIDIA nForce3 250 chipset. Formally, like its predecessor, this is not a chipset, since the functionality of the north and south bridges are combined in one chip. Engineers are experimenting with the layout and this may be why the Gigabyte GA-K8NS motherboard has some unique design features. For example, I have never seen Serial-ATA connectors located above an AGP slot.
The ComputerPress testing laboratory tested seven motherboards for the AMD Athlon 64 processor to determine their performance. The testing assessed the capabilities motherboards
Introduction
the following models: ABIT KV8-MAX3 v.1.0, Albatron K8X800 ProII, ASUS K8V Deluxe rev.1.12, ECS PHOTON KV1 Deluxe v1.0, Fujitsu-Siemens Computers D1607 G11, Gigabyte GA-K8NNXP rev.1.0, Shuttle AN50R v.1.2 . We decided to devote our regular testing of motherboards to models designed to work with processors from the AMD Athlon 64 line of processors, which have rightfully attracted increased attention lately. But no matter how good a processor is, it cannot work on its own. He's like gem , requires an equally beautiful “frame” that would allow its capabilities and advantages to be fully revealed. And this difficult, but honorable role is assigned to the motherboard, the very name of which speaks of its dominant place in the overall architecture. In many ways, it is the motherboard that determines the capabilities of the computer system being created. And, as you know, the basis of any motherboard, its most important classification feature, so to speak, is the system logic chipset on which it is built. Currently, almost all chipset manufacturers have offered their solutions for working with the new Athlon 64 processors from AMD: including NVIDIA, VIA, SiS, and even ALi, which has been forgotten by many. But, despite all this diversity, today the most widely represented motherboards on the market are those built on the basis of system logic chipsets from only two manufacturers: NVIDIA (NVIDIA nForce3 150) and VIA (VIA K8T800), and Socket754 boards on VIA chipsets are the most common. But before we begin to consider the capabilities of the motherboards received for testing in our laboratory, it will be useful for the reader to briefly familiarize ourselves with the capabilities of the two above-mentioned system logic chipsets.
NVIDIA nForce3 150
Rice. 1. NVIDIA nForce3 150 chipset
Bearing in mind how successful the system logic chipsets released by NVIDIA were to work with processors of the AMD Athlon/Duron/Athlon XP family (we are, of course, talking about nForce and nForce2 chipsets), it does not seem at all surprising that it was NVIDIA became a partner of AMD to promote the new processors of the AMD Athlon 64 family to the market. What innovations implemented in the new nForce3 150 chipset did NVIDIA decide to surprise everyone this time? Here, first of all, attention is drawn to the fact that nForce3 150 is a mono-chip solution. Thus, this chipset is a single chip made using 150-nanometer technology and having a 1309-pin BallBGA package. The north and south bridges of this chipset are made here on one chip. True, in this case (for AMD 64 architecture processors), the north bridge performs much more modest functions, and by and large it is just an AGP tunnel that ensures the operation of a graphics port (AGP) that meets the requirements of the AGP 3.0 and AGP 2.0 specifications, that is capable of supporting 0.8 and 1.5 V graphics cards with 8x, 4x and 2x interfaces. In addition, it should be noted that the HyperTransport bus connecting the chipset with the processor is somewhat “narrowed” and only 8 bits are used for transmission in one direction (versus 16 bits in the other); the transmission speed of data packets is 600 MHz. In order to more effectively use the potential of the HyperTransport channel, StreamThru technology is used, which allows organizing several virtual isochronous streams for transmitting data from various devices, which increases the speed of information exchange for them due to the absence of interruptions.
As for the functions of the south bridge, their set is quite standard, and moreover, even somewhat poorer than in the case of using the MCP-T chip in the nForce and nForce2 chipsets:
Dual-channel ATA133 IDE controller;
USB host controller (one USB 2.0 host controller (Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI)) and two USB 1.1 host controllers (Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI)), supporting six USB 2.0 ports; Supports six 32-bit 33 MHz 2.3;
PCI slots
Supports one ACR slot;
Integrated sound controller;
10/100 Mbit Ethernet controller (MAC layer). IN NVIDIA nForce3 250 chipset, in addition to the mentioned capabilities, will also support the SATA interface with the ability to organize a RAID array of level 0, 1 or 0+1, and the RAID array can include all connected IDE devices, both SerialATA and ParallelATA, and in addition, a gigabit Ethernet controller (MAC) will be integrated.
VIA K8T800
Rice. 2. VIA K8T800 chipset
The VIA K8T800 system logic chipset includes two chips: an AGP tunnel, or, in the old fashioned way, a K8T800 north bridge chip, made in a 578-pin BallBGA package, and a VT8237 south bridge chip, made in a 539-pin BallBGA package.
Here it is necessary to immediately note that this two-chip solution, as always, not only provides a number of advantages, but also has its disadvantages. The disadvantages include the need to create an external data transmission channel between the north and south bridge microcircuits, which, naturally, provides lower throughput and significantly higher latency than the internal interface.
The south bridge of the chipset VIA VT8237 meets the highest requirements for a modern south bridge, providing motherboard developers with the entire necessary set of integrated devices that allow them to implement an impressive list of basic functionality. So, this microcircuit has:
Integrated 100 Mbit Ethernet Controller (MAC);
Dual-channel IDE controller that supports IDE devices with ATA33/66/100/133 or ATAPI interface;
SATA controller that supports the operation of two SATA 1.0 ports and the SATALite interface, which allows, when using an additional controller with the SATALite interface, to support the operation of two more SATA ports and, using V-RAID technology, organize them (only when connecting four drives) into a RAID-level array 0+1;
V-RAID controller that allows you to organize SATA drives into a RAID array of levels 0, 1 or 0+1 (the latter mode is only possible when four SATA devices are connected);
Supports eight USB 2.0 ports;
AC’97 digital controller with support for VinyI Audio technology;
ACPI power management support;
LPC (Low Pin Count) interface support;
Supports six 32-bit 33 MHz PCI 2.3 slots.
Testing methodology
To conduct testing, we used the following test bench configuration:
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2 GHz);
Memory: 2x256 MB PC 3500 Kingstone KHX3500 in DDR400 mode;
Video card: ASUS Radeon 9800XT with ATI CATALYST 3.9 video driver;
HDD: IBM IC35L080AVVA07-0 (80 GB, 7200 rpm).
Testing was carried out under the control of the operating room Microsoft systems Windows XP Service Pack 1. In addition, installed latest versions driver update packages for the chipsets on which the motherboards were based: for VIA K8T800 - VIA Service Pack 4.51v (VIAHyperion4in1 4.51v), and for NVIDIA nForce3 150 - a set of drivers version 3.13. For each tested motherboard, the latest BIOS firmware version was used at the time of testing. At the same time, all settings of the basic I/O system that allowed any overclocking of the system were disabled. During the tests, we used both synthetic tests that evaluate the performance of individual subsystems of a personal computer, and test packages that evaluate the overall performance of the system when working with office, multimedia, gaming and professional applications. graphic applications.
For a detailed analysis of the operation of the processor subsystem and memory subsystem, we used such synthetic tests as: CPU BenchMark, MultiMedia CPU BenchMark and Memory BenchMark from the SiSoft Sandra 2004 package, CPU RightMark 2.0, Molecular Dynamics Benchmark and MemBench, included in the ScienceMark 2.0 test utility, and also the test utility Cache Burst 32. This selection of tests allows you to comprehensively evaluate the operation of the subsystems under study:
SiSoft Sandra 2004 CPU Arithmetic Benchmark allows you to evaluate the performance of arithmetic calculations and floating point operations in comparison with other reference computer systems;
The SiSoft Sandra 2004 CPU Multi-Media Benchmark allows you to evaluate system performance when working with multimedia data using SIMD instruction sets supported by the processor in comparison with other reference computer systems;
The SiSoft Sandra 2004 Memory Bandwidth Benchmark test allows you to determine the bandwidth of the memory subsystem (processor-chipset-memory combination) when performing integer and floating-point operations in comparison with other reference computer systems;
ScienceMark 2.0 Molecular Dynamics Benchmark allows you to evaluate system performance when performing complex computing tasks. Thus, during this test, the time required to calculate the thermodynamic model of the argon atom is determined;
ScienceMark 2.0 MemBench and Cache Burst 32 allow you to determine the maximum memory bus bandwidth (both main and processor cache), as well as the latency (latency) of the memory subsystem.
The MadOnion PCMark2004 utility was used as a complex synthetic test, which checks the capabilities of almost all computer subsystems and ultimately produces a general result that allows one to judge the performance of the system as a whole.
Performance when working with office applications and applications used to create Internet content was assessed based on the results of the Office Productivity and Internet Content Creation tests from the SySMark 2002 test package, Content Creation Winstone 2003 v.1.0 and Business Winstone 2002 v.1.0.1, Content Creation Winstone 2004 v.1.0 and Business Winstone 2004 v.1.0. The need to use such a large set of such tests is associated with the desire to most objectively evaluate the performance of computer systems built on the basis of the motherboards we study. Therefore, we tried to balance the set of tests by including in the testing program both the not-so-favorite AMD package SySMark 2002, and the popular VeriTest package, which includes the Content Creation Winstone 2003 v.1.0 and Business Winstone 2002 v.1.0.1 tests, and an updated new version of this package, which includes the Content Creation Winstone 2004 v.1.0 and Business Winstone 2004 v.1.0 tests (you can read about the new version of the VeriTest package in the article “A new standard for assessing PC performance” in No. 1'2004). Working with professional graphics applications was assessed using the SPECviewPerf v7.1.1 test utility, which includes a number of subtests that emulate loading a computer system when working with professional MCAD (Mechanical Computer Aided Design) and DCC (Digital Content Creation) OpenGL applications. The capabilities of personal computers built on the basis of the tested motherboard models for 3D gaming applications were assessed using the MadOnion 3DMark 2001SE (build 330) and FutureMark 3DMark 2003 (build 340) test packages; in this case, the test was carried out both using hardware rendering and software rendering. In addition, to evaluate the performance of motherboards in modern games
tests of popular games were used, such as: Comanche 4, Unreal Tournament 2003, Quake III Arena, Serious Sam: Second Encounter, Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Also during testing, the time for archiving a reference file (installation directory of the MadOnion SYSmark 2002 test distribution kit) with the WinRar 3.2 archiver (using default settings), the time for converting a reference wav file into an mp3 file (MPEG1 Layer III) was assessed, for which the AudioGrabber utility was used v1.82 with the Lame 3.93.1 codec, as well as a reference MPEG2 file to an MPEG4 file using the VirtualDub1.5.10 utility and the DivX Pro 5.1.1 codec.
To assess the capabilities of motherboards, we have derived a number of integral indicators:
Integral performance indicator - to evaluate the performance of tested motherboards;
Integral quality indicator - to evaluate both the performance and functionality of motherboards;
Indicator "quality/price".
The need to introduce these indicators is caused by the desire to compare boards not only by individual characteristics and test results, but also as a whole, that is, integrally.
To determine the integral performance indicator, all tests were divided into a number of categories in accordance with the type of tasks performed during a particular test utility. Each category of tests was assigned its own weighting coefficient in accordance with the significance of the tasks performed; Moreover, within the category, each test also received its own weighting coefficient. Note that these weights reflect our subjective assessment of the significance of the tests used. When determining the integral performance indicator, the results obtained during the execution of synthetic tests were not taken into account. Thus, the integral performance indicator was obtained by adding the normalized test results summed up by category, taking into account the weighting coefficients given in Table. 1 .
In addition, we introduced a correction factor, which was supposed to level out the effect of deviations in the FSB frequency from the nominal value determined by the relevant specifications.
, Where
integral performance indicator;
normalized value of the i-th test j-th category;
weighting coefficient of the i-th test of the j-th category;
weight coefficient j-th categories;
correction factor.
The integral quality indicator, in addition to the results we obtained during testing, also takes into account functionality motherboards, the evaluation system of which is given in table. 2.
Thus, the value of the integral quality indicator is defined as the product of the normalized value of the integral performance indicator (taking into account the correction factor) by the normalized value of the functionality coefficient:
, where normalized assessment of functionality.
The “quality/price” indicator was defined as the ratio of the normalized values of the integral indicator of quality and price:
Where C normalized price.
Editor's Choice
Based on the test results, winners were determined in three categories:
1. “Performance” motherboard that showed the best integrated performance indicator.
2. “Quality” motherboard with the best integral quality indicator.
3. “Best buy” motherboard with best ratio"quality/price".
The best integral performance indicator based on the results of our tests is the motherboard Gigabyte GA-K8NNXP rev.1.0.
In our opinion, the motherboard has the best integrated quality indicator ABIT KV8-MAX3 v.1.0.
The motherboard received the Editor's Choice in the "Best Buy" category ASUS K8V Deluxe.
Test participants
ABIT KV8-MAX3 v.1.0
CPU socket
Memory subsystem
Maximum volume: 2 GB.
Chipset
Expansion slots
Disk subsystem
A dual-channel SATA controller that allows you to connect two drives with a SATA 1.0 interface and organize them into a RAID level 0 or 1 array.
Silicon Image SiI3114A four-channel SerialATA controller (supports the operation of four devices with the SerialATA 1.0 (ATA150) interface, allowing them to be organized into a RAID array of 0.1 or 0+1 levels).
8 USB 2.0 ports
Net
Gigabit PCI Ethernet controller 3Com 3C940
Sound
I/O controller
Winbond W83697HF
IEEE 1394 controller TI TSB43AB23, supporting three IEEE 1394a ports;
Output panel
Sound 5 (line-in, microphone, front (left and right) speaker connector, rear (left and right) speaker connector, and center speaker and subwoofer connector);
IEEE 13941;
S/PDIF input 1 (optical);
Design features
Form factor ATX.
Dimensions 30.5 x 24.4 cm.
The number of connectors for connecting cooling fans is 4 (one is occupied by the cooling fan of the VIA K8T800 chip).
Indicators:
LED1 (5VSB) indicates that the board is receiving voltage from the power supply;
LED2 (VCC) indicates system power is on.
Additional connectors:
Connector for connecting two IEEE 1394a ports.
FSB frequency (CPU FSB Clock) - from 200 to 300 MHz in 1 MHz steps.
CPU core voltage ( CPU Core Voltage) - nominal + from 0 to +350 mV.
The supply voltage of DIMM slots (DDR Voltage) is from 2.5 to 3.2 V in increments of 0.05 V.
AGP slot supply voltage (AGP VDDR Voltage) - 1.5; 1.55; 1.6; 1.65 V.
HyperTransport bus supply voltage (HyperTransport Voltage) - from 1.2 to 1.4 V.
Comment: BIOS settings provide the ability to set default system operating parameters; in this case, the FSB frequency is set to a slightly higher value (for the Default setting, the FSB frequency is set to 204 MHz, which corresponds to the actual processor clock frequency of 2043.1 MHz).
General remarks
The KV8-MAX3 v.1.0 motherboard implements a number of proprietary ABIT Engineered technologies from ABIT, such as:
ABIT mGuru hardware and software complex, built on the basis of the capabilities of the proprietary mGuru processor, which allows you to combine control functions of a number of ABIT Engineered technologies through a convenient, intuitive graphical interface.
Technologies brought together under the mGuru umbrella include the following:
ABIT EQ allows you to diagnose PC operation by monitoring the main operating parameters of the system, such as supply voltage and temperature at control points and cooling fan speed.
ABIT FanEQ provides a tool for intelligently controlling the rotation speed of cooling fans based on the specified mode (Normal, Quiet or Cool). ABIT OC Guru a convenient utility that allows you to perform overclocking directly in the Windows environment, eliminating the need to make changes directly to the menu.
BIOS Setup
ABIT FlashMenu utility that allows you to update the BIOS firmware in a Windows environment.
ABIT AudioEQ intelligent audio configuration and settings utility.
ABIT BlackBox helps, through the ABIT technical support service, to resolve problems that arise during operation.
ABIT SoftMenu technology that provides the broadest opportunities for system overclocking;
ABIT OTES proprietary cooling system (Outside Thermal Exhaust System), which allows you to create optimal operating temperature conditions for the “hottest” elements of the VRM block, which, according to the manufacturer, ensures greater stability of the supply voltage.
With nominal support for AMD Cool’n’Quiet technology in this mode, the board is extremely unstable (BIOS rel. 1.07).
Albatron K8X800 ProII
CPU socket
Memory subsystem
Number of DIMM slots: 3 DIMM slots (for PC3200 only 2 slots are provided).
Maximum capacity: 3 GB (for PC3200 - 2 GB).
Chipset
VIA K8T800 (VIA K8T800 + VIA VT8237).
Expansion slots
Graphics slot: AGP 8x slot (AGP 3.0);
PCI slots: six 32-bit 33 MHz PCI slots.
Disk subsystem
Features of the VIA VT8237 south bridge:
Dual-channel IDE controller that supports up to 4 devices with ATA 33/66/100 or ATAPI interface;
A dual-channel SATA controller that allows you to connect two drives with a SATA 1.0 interface and organize them into RAID levels 0 or 1.
8 USB 2.0 ports
Net
Sound
Eight-channel PCI audio controller VIA Envy24PT (VT1720) + AC’97 audio codec VIA VT1616
I/O controller
Winbond W83697HF
Additional integrated devices
IEEE 1394 controller VIA VT6307, supporting two IEEE 1394a ports.
Output panel
COM port 1;
LPT port 1;
PS/2 2 (mouse and keyboard);
Sound 6 (line-in, microphone, front (left and right) speaker connector, left and right surround speaker connector (for 7.1 sound), rear (left and right) surround speaker connector (for audio 7.1), as well as a connector for connecting the central speaker and subwoofer);
Design features
Form factor ATX.
Dimensions 30.5 x 24.4 cm.
Power indicator LED1.
Additional connectors:
Three connectors for connecting 6 USB 2.0 ports;
BIOS overclocking capabilities
FSB frequency (CPU Host Frequency) - from 200 to 300 MHz in 1 MHz steps.
CPU core voltage (CPU Voltage) - from 0.8 to 1.9 V in steps of 0.025 V.
Supply voltage for DIMM slots (DDR Voltage) - 2.6; 2.7; 2.8 and 2.9 V.
AGP slot supply voltage (AGP Voltage) - 1.5; 1.6; 1.7 and 1.8 V.
North bridge chip supply voltage (NB Voltage) - 2.5; 2.6; 2.7 and 2.8 V.
Supply voltage of the south bridge chip (SB Voltage) - 2.5; 2.6; 2.7 and 2.8 V.
General remarks
The K8X800 ProII motherboard embodies a number of Albatron proprietary technologies, such as mirror BIOS, Watch Dog Timer and Voice Genie. The first of them, mirror BIOS technology, allows you to restore system functionality if the BIOS is damaged, for which purpose a backup ROM BIOS chip is soldered on the board, from which the damaged code is restored when the switch is in the appropriate position. Watch Dog Timer technology allows you to automatically restore default BIOS settings if the system is unable to complete POST procedures due to unsuccessful system overclocking actions. The last of the aforementioned technologies - Voice Genie - allows you not only to inform the user about problems encountered during POST procedures, but also to select the language of these voice messages (English, Chinese, Japanese or German) by setting various combinations of two switches.
If there is nominal support for AMD Cool’n’Quiet technology, the system is unstable when switching to this mode (BIOS rev.1.06).
ASUS K8V Deluxe rev.1.12
CPU socket
Memory subsystem
Memory supported: unbuffered ECC and non-ECC DDR SDRAM PC 3200 (DDR400), PC 2700 (DDR333) or PC 2100 (DDR266).
Maximum volume: 3 GB.
Chipset
VIA K8T800 (VIA K8T800 + VIA VT8237)
Expansion slots
Graphics slot: AGP 8x slot (AGP 3.0);
ASUS Wi-Fi slot for installing a proprietary module wireless communication, meeting the requirements of the IEEE 802.11 b/g standard (optional);
PCI slots: Five 32-bit 33 MHz PCI slots.
Disk subsystem
Features of the VIA VT8237 south bridge:
Dual-channel IDE controller that supports up to 4 devices with ATA 33/66/100 or ATAPI interface;
Additional IDE controllers:
IDE RAID controller Promise PDC20376 (supports two SATA1.0 ports and one ParallelATA channel (up to two ATA33/66/100/133 devices), allowing you to organize RAID arrays of levels 0, 1 or 0+1).
Number of supported USB ports
8 USB 2.0 ports
Net
3Com 3C940 Gigabit PCI Ethernet Controller
Sound
I/O controller
Winbond W83697HF
Additional integrated devices
IEEE 1394 controller VIA VT6307, supporting two IEEE 1394a ports;
Output panel
COM port 1;
LPT port 1;
PS/2 2 (mouse and keyboard);
IEEE 13941;
Design features
Form factor ATX.
Dimensions 30.5 x 24.5 cm.
Number of connectors for connecting cooling fans - 3.
Power indicator SB_PWR.
Additional connectors:
Connector for connecting a second COM port (COM2);
Connector for connecting the game port;
Two connectors for connecting 4 USB 2.0 ports;
BIOS overclocking capabilities
FSB frequency (CPU FSB Frequency) - from 200 to 300 MHz in 1 MHz steps.
The ratio of the memory bus frequency to the FSB frequency (Memclock to CPU Ratio) is 1:1; 4:3;
3:2; 5:3; 2:1.
CPU core voltage (CPU Voltage Adjust) - nominal, +0.2 V.
The AGP slot supply voltage (AGP Voltage) is 1.5 and 1.7 V.
V-Link bus supply voltage (V-Link Voltage) - 2.5 or 2.6 V.
Comment: BIOS settings provide the ability to select several system operating modes, thereby increasing PC performance. To do this, the BIOS Setup menu provides a Performance item, which allows you to select the following system operating modes:
When choosing the Turbo mode, you should keep in mind that this automatically sets more aggressive memory timings, as a result of which the system may become unstable, up to the impossibility of loading the operating system (as was the case in our case).
General remarks
The K8V Deluxe motherboard features a number of proprietary Ai (Artificial Intelligence) technologies from ASUS:
AINet technology is based on the capabilities of the 3Com 3C940 network controller integrated on the board and allows diagnostics using the VCT (Virtual Cable Tester) utility network connection and identify possible damage to the network cable.
AIBIOS technology includes three ASUS proprietary technologies that are already well known to us - CrashFreeBIOS 2, Q-Fan and POST Reporter.
In addition, this motherboard implements such proprietary ASUS technologies as:
EZ Flash, which allows you to change the BIOS firmware without loading the OS;
Instant Music, which allows you to play Audio CDs without loading the OS;
MyLogo2, which provides the ability to set your own graphical splash screen that is displayed when the system boots;
C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall), which allows you to restore BIOS settings to default values after unsuccessful settings (for example, as a result of an overclocking attempt) by simply shutting down and rebooting the system.
Despite the presence of nominal support for AMD Cool’n’Quiet technology, this technology does not actually work (BIOS version 1004).
ECS PHOTON KV1 Deluxe v1.0
CPU socket
Memory subsystem
Memory supported: unbuffered ECC and non-ECC DDR SDRAM PC 3200 (DDR400), PC 2700 (DDR333) or PC 2100 (DDR266).
Number of DIMM slots: 3 DIMM slots.
Maximum volume: 2 GB.
Chipset
VIA K8T800 (VIA K8T800 + VIA VT8237)
Expansion slots
Graphics slot: AGP 8x slot (AGP 3.0).
PCI slots: Five 32-bit 33 MHz PCI slots.
Disk subsystem
Features of the VIA VT8237 south bridge:
Dual-channel IDE controller that supports up to 4 devices with ATA 33/66/100 or ATAPI interface;
A dual-channel SATA controller that allows you to connect two drives with a SATA 1.0 interface and organize them into RAID levels 0 and 1.
Additional IDE controllers:
IDE RAID controller with SATALite interface - VIA VT6420 (supports two SATA1.0 ports and one ParallelATA channel (up to two ATA33/66/100/133 devices), allowing you to organize RAID arrays of levels 0 or 1).
Number of supported USB ports
8 USB 2.0 ports
Net
Gigabit PCI Ethernet controller Marvell 88E8001 and 10/100-megabit Ethernet controller (MAC) integrated in the VIA VT8237+ Realtek RTL8201BL south bridge chip (PHY).
Sound
I/O controller
Additional integrated devices
IEEE 1394 controller VIA VT6307, supporting two IEEE 1394a ports
Output panel
COM port 1;
LPT port 1;
PS/2 2 (mouse and keyboard);
Sound 3 (line in and out, microphone);
S/PDIF output 2 (coaxial and optical).
Design features
Form factor ATX.
Dimensions 30.5 x 24.5 cm.
Number of connectors for connecting cooling fans - 3.
Indicators:
Power indicator;
Anti-Burn LED warns of the presence of power on DIMM slots, preventing the installation and removal of memory modules when the power is on (Anti-Burn Guardian technology);
Two indicators of the AGP slot operating mode - AGP 4x and AGP 8x (AGP A.I. (Artificial intelligence) technology);
Five indicators for monitoring the performance of PCI slots (one for each slot) - Dr. technology. LED.
Color code for front panel connectors (F_PANEL).
Color illumination of the northbridge cooling fan.
Additional connectors:
Connector for connecting a second COM port (COM2);
Two connectors for connecting 4 USB 2.0 ports;
Two connectors for connecting two IEEE 1394a ports.
BIOS overclocking capabilities
FSB frequency (CPU Clock) from 200 to 302 MHz in 1 MHz steps.
Supply voltage for DIMM slots (DIMM Voltage Adjust) -2.55 to 2.7 V in steps of 0.05 V.
General remarks
The ECS KV1 Deluxe motherboard features a number of proprietary technologies that can be divided into four categories:
PHOTON GUARDIAN
In our opinion, the following technologies are of greatest interest to users:
Easy Match color coded front panel contacts for easy assembly.
My Picture allows you to change the graphical screen saver displayed on the screen when the system boots.
999 DIMM uses gold contacts in DIMM slots, which guarantees higher quality matching and synchronization when working with memory modules.
PCI Extreme provides for the installation of sound cards and cards designed for working with video, a special PCI slot (yellow), which provides improved signal quality (made possible through the use of a high-quality capacitor).
Q-Boot allows the user to select a boot device when the system starts by pressing the F11 key.
Top-Hat Flash original technology for restoring damaged BIOS code using the included backup ROM BIOS chip, which, using a special die, can be installed on top of a chip soldered on the board that stores the BIOS “firmware”.
Anti-Burn LED, AGP A.I. and Dr. LED (described above).
The ECS KV1 Deluxe motherboard fully supports AMD Cool'n'Quiet technology.
Fujitsu-Siemens Computers D1607 G11
CPU socket
Memory subsystem
Memory supported: unbuffered ECC and non-ECC DDR SDRAM PC 3200 (DDR400), PC 2700 (DDR333) or PC 2100 (DDR266).
Number of DIMM slots: 2 DIMM slots.
Maximum volume: 2 GB.
Chipset
VIA K8T800 (VIA K8T800 + VIA VT8237)
Expansion slots
Graphics slot: AGP 8x slot (AGP 3.0);
PCI slots: six 32-bit 33 MHz PCI slots;
CNR slot: one Type A slot.
Disk subsystem
Features of the VIA VT8237 south bridge:
Dual-channel IDE controller that supports up to 4 devices with ATA 33/66/100 or ATAPI interface;
A dual-channel SATA controller that allows you to connect two drives with a SATA 1.0 interface and organize them into RAID level 0 or 1 arrays.
Number of supported USB ports
8 USB 2.0 ports
Net
ADMtek AN938B 10/100Mbps PCI Ethernet Controller
Sound
I/O controller
SMSC LPC478357
Additional integrated devices
IEEE 1394 controller Agere FW 322, supporting two IEEE 1394a ports
Output panel
COM port 1;
LPT port 1;
PS/2 2 (mouse and keyboard);
Sound 3 (line in and out, microphone);
IEEE 13941;
S/PDIF output 1 (coaxial).
Design features
Form factor ATX.
Dimensions 30.5 x 24.4 cm.
Number of connectors for connecting cooling fans - 2.
Additional connectors:
Two connectors for connecting 4 USB 2.0 ports;
IEEE 1394a port connector.
BIOS overclocking capabilities
None
General remarks
This motherboard supports a number of proprietary technologies from Fujitsu-Siemens Computers, the most significant of which, in our opinion, are:
Silent Fan intelligent control of the rotation speed of cooling fans depending on temperature, carried out using a special Silent Fan Controller;
System Guard provides the ability to control the Silent Fan Controller through a utility running in a Windows environment;
Recovery BIOS technology that allows you to safely update BIOS code in a Windows environment;
Memorybird SystemLock technology to protect against unauthorized access to the system using a USB key.
With more detailed description These technologies can be found in the article “Motherboards from Fujitsu-Siemens Computers”, see CP No. 8’2003.
I would especially like to emphasize that the Fujitsu-Siemens Computers D1607 G11 motherboard fully supports AMD’s Cool’n’Quiet technology, which, together with the proprietary Silent Fan technology, provides a fairly effective silent operation of the PC.
Gigabyte K8NNXP rev.1.0
CPU socket
Memory subsystem
Memory supported: unbuffered ECC and non-ECC DDR SDRAM PC 3200 (DDR400), PC 2700 (DDR333) or PC 2100 (DDR266).
Number of DIMM slots: 3 DIMM slots.
Maximum volume: 3 GB.
Chipset
NVIDIA nForce3 150
Expansion slots
Graphics slot: AGP Pro slot (AGP 3.0);
Disk subsystem
Dual-channel IDE controller that supports up to 4 devices with ATA 33/66/100 or ATAPI interface;
Dual-channel IDE RAID controller GigaRAID IT8212F (supports up to four IDE devices with ParallelATA interface (ATA33/66/100/133), allowing you to organize RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 0+ 1 or JBOD);
Dual-channel SerialATA controller Silicon Image SiI3512A (supports the operation of two devices with the SerialATA 1.0 (ATA150) interface, allowing them to be organized into a RAID array of level 0 or 1).
Number of supported USB ports
6 USB 2.0 ports
Net
Realtek RTL8110S Gigabit Ethernet Controller and Integrated 10/100Mbps Chipset Controller (MAC) + Realtek RTL8201BL (PHY)
Sound
I/O controller
Additional integrated devices
TI TSB43AA2 + TI TSB81BA3 combination, supporting three IEEE 1394b ports (bandwidth up to 800 MB/s)
Output panel
COM port 2;
LPT port 1;
PS/2 2 (mouse and keyboard);
Sound 3 (line in and out, microphone);
Design features
Form factor ATX.
Dimensions 30.5 x 24.4 cm.
The number of connectors for connecting cooling fans is 4 (one of them is uncontrolled - used to connect a cooling fan for the chipset chip).
Indicators:
Power indicator PWR_LED;
Indicator of voltage presence on DIMM slots RAM_LED.
Color code for front panel connectors (F_PANEL).
Additional connectors:
Connector for connecting the game port;
Two connectors for connecting 4 USB 2.0 ports;
Two connectors for connecting three IEEE 1394a ports.
BIOS overclocking capabilities
FSB frequency (CPU OverClock in MHz) - from 200 to 300 MHz in 1 MHz steps;
AGP frequency (AGP OverClock in MHz) - from 66 to 100 MHz in 1 MHz steps;
CPU core voltage (CPU Voltage Control) - from 0.8 to 1.7 V in increments of 0.025 V;
Supply voltage for DIMM slots (DDR Voltage Control) - Normal, +0.1, +0.2 and +0.3 V;
AGP slot supply voltage (VDDQ Voltage Control) - Normal, +0.1, +0.2 and +0.3 V;
HyperTransport bus supply voltage (VCC12_HT Voltage Control) - Normal, +0.1, +0.2 and +0.3 V.
Comment: when the Top Performance item is activated, the system operation settings are automatically changed to ensure higher performance; at the same time, the FSB frequency increases (in our case from 199.5 to 208 MHz).
General remarks
The Gigabyte K8NNXP motherboard supports a number of proprietary technologies from the Gigabyte Tecnology campaign:
Xpress Installation a utility that makes it extremely easy to install the drivers necessary for the board to operate;
Xpress Recovery backup and recovery technology that provides convenient and effective methods the created image of the system and its subsequent restoration;
Q-Flash technology that allows you to update the firmware without loading the OS;
K8DSP Dual Power System.
This motherboard does not support Cool'n'Quiet technology.
Shuttle AN50R v.1.2
CPU socket
Memory subsystem
Supported memory: unbuffered ECC and non-ECC DDR SDRAM PC 3200 (DDR400), PC 2700 (DDR333), PC 2100 (DDR266) or PC1600 (DDR200).
Number of DIMM slots: 3 DIMM slots.
Maximum volume: 3 GB.
Chipset
NVIDIA nForce3 150
Expansion slots
Graphics slot: AGP Pro slot (AGP 3.0);
PCI slots: 5 32-bit PCI 2.3 slots.
Disk subsystem
NVIDIA nForce3 150 features:
Dual-channel IDE controller that supports up to 4 devices with ATA 33/66/100 or ATAPI interface;
Dual-channel SerialATA controller Silicon Image SiI3112A (supports the operation of two devices with the SerialATA 1.0 (ATA150) interface, allowing them to be organized into a RAID array of level 0 or 1).
Number of supported USB ports
6 USB 2.0 ports
Net
Intel 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller
Sound
I/O controller
Additional integrated devices
IEEE 1394 controller VIA VT6306 supporting three IEEE 1394a ports
Output panel
COM port 1;
LPT port 1;
PS/2 2 (mouse and keyboard);
Sound 3 (line in and out, microphone);
IEEE 13941;
S/PDIF output 1 (optical).
Design features
Form factor ATX.
Dimensions 30.5 x 24.4 cm.
Number of connectors for connecting cooling fans - 3.
Indicators:
Power indicator 5VSB_LED;
Indicator of voltage presence on DIMM slots DIMM_LED;
HDD activity indicator HDD_LED.
Front panel connector color code (F_PANEL)
Additional connectors:
Connector for connecting an infrared module;
Connector for connecting 2 USB 2.0 ports;
Two connectors for connecting IEEE 1394a ports.
BIOS overclocking capabilities (AwardBIOS)
FSB frequency (CPU OverClock in MHz) - from 200 to 280 MHz in 1 MHz steps.
AGP frequency (AGP OverClock in MHz) - from 66 to 100 MHz in 1 MHz steps.
CPU core voltage (CPU Voltage Select) - from 0.8 to 1.7 V in steps of 0.025 V.
Supply voltage for DIMM slots (RAM Voltage Select) - Normal, 2.7; 2.8 and 2.9 V.
AGP slot supply voltage (AGP Voltage Select) - Normal, 1.6; 1.7 and 1.8 V.
Supply voltage of chipset chips (Chipset Voltage Select) - Normal, 1.7;
1.8 and 1.9 V.
General remarks
HyperTransport bus supply voltage (LDT Voltage Select) - Normal, 1.3;
1.4 and 1.5 V.
Activating AMD Cool'n'Quiet technology leads to instability (BIOS version an50s00y).
Now is the time to move on to reviewing the results of our testing (Table 3).
Based on the results of tests simulating user work with multimedia and graphic applications when creating content (VeriTest Content Creation Winstone 2004 v.1.0 (Fig. 3), VeriTest Content Creation Winstone 2003 v.1.0 (Fig. 4) and Internet Content Creation SysMark 2002 ( Fig. 5)), the leader was the ASUS K8V Deluxe motherboard, which showed the best results in the VeriTest Content Creation Winstone 2003 v.1.0 and VeriTest Content Creation Winstone 2004 v.1.0 tests, while in the Internet Content Creation SysMark 2002 test this motherboard tied first place with the Gigabyte GA-K8NNXP model.
Rice. 3. VeriTest Content Creation Winstone 2004 v.1.0 test results
Rice. 4. VeriTest Content Creation Winstone 2003 v.1.0 test results
Rice. 5. Results of Internet Content Creation SysMark 2002 and SySMark 2002 Office Productivity tests
Considering this group of tests, it should also be noted that we were unable to obtain results in the VeriTest Content Creation Winstone 2003 v.1.0 test for the motherboard ABIT boards KV8-MAX3, since this model does not have an LPT port (remember that the presence of this port is necessary to install the driver used when running the NewTek LightWave 3D application). This problem was solved only in the new Content Creation Winstone 2004 v.1.0. This was the main reason why we had to abandon taking into account the results of the VeriTest Content Creation Winstone 2003 v.1.0 test when determining the final integral indicators.
In tests that allow you to evaluate system performance when the user works with office applications (VeriTest Business Winstone 2004 v.1.0 (Fig. 6), VeriTest Business Winstone 2002 v.1.0.1 (Fig. 7) and SySMark 2002 Office Productivity (see Fig. . 5)), system ones also shone. ASUS boards K8V Deluxe and Gigabyte GA-K8NNXP, which showed the best results in the VeriTest Business Winstone 2004 v.1.0 and VeriTest Business Winstone 2002 v.1.0.1 tests, respectively, but this time they were joined by the Albatron K8X800 ProII, which was ahead of everyone in the SysMark test 2002 Office Productivity.
Rice. 6. VeriTest Business Winstone 2004 v.1.0 test results
Rice. 7. Test results VeriTest Business Winstone 2002 v.1.0.1
An assessment of the overall system performance using the MadOnion PCMark2004 utility revealed the leadership of the ABIT KV8-MAX3 motherboard (Fig. 8).
Rice. 8. MadOnion PCMark2004 test results
The ABIT KV8-MAX3 motherboard turned out to be the winner both in the debate on the speed of archiving the reference directory using the WinRar 3.2 utility (Fig. 9), and in solving the problems of converting the reference wav file into an mp3 file (MPEG1 Layer III), for which the AudioGrabber v1 utility was used .82 with Lame 3.93.1 codec (Fig. 10).
Rice. 9. Archiving with WinRar 3.2 utility
Rice. 10. Perform the tasks of converting reference video and audio files
However, when assessing the time it took to convert a reference MPEG2 file into an MPEG4 file using the VirtualDub1.5.10 utility and the DivX Pro 5.1.1 codec, the Albatron K8X800 ProII motherboard took the lead (Fig. 10), while the ABIT KV8-MAX3 and ASUS K8V Deluxe showed simply disastrous results.
Testing the capabilities of a computer system built on the basis of the motherboards under study when working with professional graphics applications, assessed based on the results of tests of the SPECviewPerf v7.1.1 package, once again confirmed the unconditional leadership of the ABIT KV8-MAX3 model (Fig. 11).
Rice. 11. SPECviewPerf v7.1.1 test results
The situation was repeated based on the results of tests conducted using popular games (Comanche 4, Unreal Tournament 2003, Quake III Arena, Serious Sam: Second Encounter, Return to Castle Wolfenstein), where the ABIT KV8-MAX3 motherboard also had no equal (Fig. . 12).
Rice. 12. Game test results
The results obtained using the MadOnion 3DMark 2001SE (build 330) and FutureMark 3DMark 2003 (build 340) test utilities somewhat shook the emerging hegemony of the ABIT KV8-MAX3 board. Thus, according to the results of the FutureMark 3DMark 2003 (build 340) test, it turned out that the Gigabyte GA-K8NNXP motherboard can demonstrate equally high CPU Score results, and with software rendering show even higher values than the ABIT model, although the latter is once again turned out to be unattainable in terms of the value of the final result of this test with full use of the capabilities of the graphics card (Fig. 13).
But the MadOnion 3DMark 2001SE (build 330) test, on the contrary, showed that the ABIT KV8-MAX3 outperformed everyone in software rendering, but lost the palm to the Fujitsu-Siemens Computers D1607 G11 model when using all the capabilities of the installed graphics card to build an image (Fig. . 14).
The results obtained through the synthetic tests we used once again indicate the absolute advantage of the ABIT KV8-MAX3 motherboard over other test participants both in terms of the maximum memory bus bandwidth (Fig. 15) and in the performance of the processor subsystem when performing operations both with integer values and with floating point numbers (Fig. 16, 17, 18).
Rice. 15. Results of memory bus bandwidth tests
Rice. 16. SiSoftSandra 2004 CPU Arithmetic Benchmark
Rice. 17. SiSoftSandra 2004 CPU Multimedia Benchmark
Rice. 18. ScienceMark 2.0 Molecular Dynamics Benchmark test results
To summarize the study of the results of our testing, let’s try to conduct a small analysis of the obtained values. First, let's look at the situation with the leaders of the Office Productivity and Internet Content Creation tests from the SySMark 2002 test package, Content Creation Winstone 2003 v.1.0 and Business Winstone 2002 v.1.0.1, Content Creation Winstone 2004 v.1.0 and Business Winstone 2004 v.1.0. Here I would like to return once again to the situation described above with the settings of the temporary parameters of the memory controller (memory timings). If we remember that the ASUS K8V Deluxe and Albatron K8X800 ProII boards, for some unknown reason, perceived the timing data “hardwired” in the SPD chip as 2.5-3-3-6, then the results obtained become quite understandable. The fact is that the more the test result will depend on the speed of random reading of data from random access memory
Now let's turn to the leader according to the results of the vast majority of tests - the ABIT KV8-MAX3 motherboard. What is the reason for the phenomenon of this specimen? It's all about the manufacturer's little trick, which is that when you select default settings in BIOS Setup for an AMD Athlon 64 processor with a clock frequency of 2000 MHz, the FSB frequency is set to 204 MHz instead of the required 200 MHz. Thus, there is a banal overclocking of the system. That's the whole formula for success (here it is necessary to make a reservation that if the BIOS firmware version is changed, the situation may become different). Note that we took into account the possibility of such a situation by introducing a correction factor, and as a result, the increase in system performance achieved by increasing the processor clock frequency by increasing the FSB frequency is compensated by this factor and does not affect the final integral performance indicator.
Concluding the discussion of the results of the performance assessment, I would like to draw attention to the results shown by the system Gigabyte boards GA-K8NNXP and Shuttle AN50R, built on the NVIDIA nForce3 150 chipset. There are a number of significant points here.
The first is that the high results shown by these motherboards in tests that require high system bus bandwidth, which uses the HyperTransport bus (8x16 bit 600 MHz), for example, such as FutureMark 3DMark 2003 when using software rendering (Score (Force software vertex shaders)) and when performing a processor test (CPU Score), indicate that the capabilities of this channel are quite sufficient even for tasks of this kind. Moreover, the use of special mechanisms implemented in the NVIDIA nForce3 150 chipset (which is most likely due to the influence of StreamThru technology) even allows it to outperform motherboards with a wider and faster HyperTransport bus, built on the VIA K8T800 chipset, in performing similar tasks.
Having paid tribute to the leaders, we nevertheless note that the difference in the performance of the motherboards we received was not so high; in such a situation, the functionality of the motherboards is of great importance when choosing a particular model. In this regard, the ABIT KV8-MAX3 motherboard deserves special attention; it not only has an impressive set of integrated devices, but also implements a number of quite interesting proprietary technologies from ABIT. It was this motherboard that received the highest rating for functionality and, as a result, became the owner of the highest value of the integral quality indicator. Although this motherboard is not without a number of disadvantages and specific features. These include the absence of COM and LPT ports, which may be a completely justified and progressive solution, however, users who still plan to use old devices with these interfaces in the future should take this fact into account. In addition, this model has problems with correct support for the AMD Cool’n’Quiet technology implemented in AMD Athlon 64 processors (remember that this technology allows you to dynamically change the clock frequency and supply voltage of the processor depending on its load). Although, in fairness, we note that most of the motherboards provided to us for testing suffer from this. The only exceptions were two models: ECS PHOTON KV1 Deluxe and Fujitsu-Siemens Computers D1607 G11, which fully support this technology AMD company. But it is likely that with the release of new BIOS versions, other motherboards will be able to correctly implement this rather useful function of AMD Athlon 64 processors.
The editors express their gratitude to the companies that provided motherboards for testing: Representative office of ABIT (www.abit.com.tw, www.abit.ru) for providing the ABIT KV8-MAX3 v.1.0 motherboard; |
The motherboard is the main board in a personal computer, the so-called foundation for building a PC, so its choice should be taken very seriously. Performance, stability and scalability depend on the motherboard, that is, further upgrade of your computer, the ability to install more powerful processor, more memory and so on.
The twenty-first century dictates its own conditions - the conditions of commodity abundance, the times of shortage are gone forever. Today, almost any computer store can offer a huge selection of products, including a large assortment of motherboards. It is quite difficult for the average consumer to understand this enormous abundance, and marketing programs and advertising slogans add even more confusion. As you know, marketing is the engine of progress, and not always what is “good” in an advertising brochure will work “well” on your PC. Making the right choice is very difficult. We hope our material will serve as a competent recommendation when choosing a motherboard.
In order to understand the issue of choosing a motherboard, you need to have some basic knowledge. Therefore, before moving on to tips and any examples, we decided to conduct a small educational program on motherboards.
Motherboard
So, we have already noted above that the motherboard is the main board of a modern PC. At the heart of any motherboard is the so-called logic set (or chipset, as you prefer). The chipset is basic set chips that determine the capabilities and architecture of the motherboard. Speaking in simple language, it is the chipset that determines which processor can be installed on the motherboard, what amount and type of RAM the motherboard will support, etc.
The chipset consists of two chips called the south and north bridges. The northbridge is essentially a communication bridge and controls the data flows of various buses. All the main buses of the computer are connected to it: processor bus, RAM bus, graphics bus, connection bus to the south bridge. The south bridge is responsible for peripheral devices and various external buses. So, it is connected to: expansion slots, USB ports, an IDE controller, additional IDE, SATA or FireWire controllers. The two-chip architecture is classic, but single-chip solutions are not excluded. Most modern logic sets are a single-chip solution, but from a technical point of view, this does not change the architecture. In this case, one chip combines the capabilities of both the south and north bridges, which, in turn, are interconnected.
A modern logic set can easily offer all the necessary capabilities: work with modern processors, support for a decent amount of RAM, several IDE channels, work with Serial ATA hard drives, 8-10 USB ports for connecting external peripheral devices. Some chipsets boast the ability to create a RAID array.
Separately, I would like to note the integrated logic sets - chipsets with a built-in graphics core. As a rule, budget motherboards are designed on such chipsets, which allow you to save money due to the built-in video card. However, you shouldn't expect miracles from such a system in terms of graphics performance. These solutions are only suitable for office work, but not for computer games and entertainment. As they say, miracles do not happen - you have to pay for everything.
As we noted above, the main capabilities of the motherboard are determined by the set of logic, however, motherboard manufacturers often use controllers and codecs from third-party manufacturers - this is especially noticeable in the segment of expensive Hi-End products. This approach allows you to expand the functionality of the motherboard. Thus, many chipsets do not support IEEE 1394, which will be very useful in a modern high-performance PC, so manufacturing companies install a separate FireWire controller. And it’s very good that a motherboard manufacturer has the ability to produce products for various market segments - thus it can satisfy the needs of even the most demanding customer. In the end, we, the ordinary consumers, win. You need a motherboard with basic capabilities - you have the opportunity to purchase an inexpensive board from a good brand, in which the daughter controllers will include network and sound (almost all modern motherboards are equipped with this set: time dictates its conditions, and this is the so-called required minimum additional controllers for modern solution). Why overpay for extra features that you will never use. A consumer who needs a dual gigabit network and additional SATA and IDE RAID controllers will choose a more expensive and, accordingly, more functional motherboard - fortunately, this option exists.
Modern additional codecs installed in motherboards, be it a SATA RAID controller or an additional network, have quite good quality and great opportunities. The exception is the sound controller, which in most cases is an AC ’97 codec. Often, the quality of the sound path suffers, however, if you do not have serious requirements for sound and you are not expected to work professionally in this direction, this solution will be more than enough. Some manufacturers have abandoned the use of AC "97 codecs, using discrete top-end solutions from previous years instead. An example is the MSI K 8 N Diamond motherboard, which uses a discrete Creative chip Sound Blaster Live 24-bit. Of course, Sound Blaster Live 24-bit is not the ultimate dream, and yet the chip is much better than any AC"97 solution. It is worth noting that such solutions are usually found in top-end expensive motherboards.
Currently, motherboards of the ATX standard (it is necessary to choose this standard, because AT is already obsolete) are produced in two formats: ATX and Mini ATX. The form factor imposes restrictions on the size of the board and, accordingly, on the number of slots located on the motherboard. A modern ATX motherboard has approximately the following set of slots: 2-4 slots for installing memory modules, one AGP or PCI Express graphics bus slot for installing a video card, 5-6 PCI bus slots or 2-3 PCI bus slots and 2-4 slots PCI Express bus for installing additional expansion cards (modem, TV tuner, network card). The choice between ATX and Mini ATX should be based on your PC requirements. Decide which additional devices will you use? Modem, network card, sound card, TV tuner? Based on this data, it will be easy to make a choice. If your PC does not require any additional expansion cards, you can safely take a Mini ATX motherboard, saving some money. We think that it is not worth explaining why a Mini ATX board costs less than a full-size ATX - everything is clear here.
It's no secret that hardware without a software component is just a pile of hardware. The motherboard is no exception; the software component of any motherboard is the basic BIOS input/output system.
At BIOS help you have the opportunity to configure various parameters of your system, for example, the speed of the memory subsystem, enable and disable various additional controllers, etc. We will not dwell on this topic in detail, because it requires a separate large material.
As you know, everything in our world is imperfect, and even the most famous and high-quality motherboard manufacturers tend to make mistakes in their products, which can be solved by a subsequent BIOS update for a particular motherboard.
Choosing a motherboard
All of the above is the necessary basic knowledge that is needed in order to delve at least a little into the issue of choosing a motherboard.
From the theoretical part of the material we move on to the direct selection of the motherboard.
In order to narrow down your choice, you need to decide on the choice of processor.
AMD platform
Currently on the market information technologies Various companies offer a wide range of AMD processors. Today, AMD occupies a leading position in the microprocessor market in Russia. We do not take into account the corporate market when discussing exclusively the home market - here AMD feels like a fish in water. Thanks to the appearance of the 64-bit Athlon 64 processors in 2003, AMD managed to remove the label of “eternally catching up with its main competitor - Intel company" For a long time, Intel could not offer a processor with a comparable architecture and price: often the Athlon 64 central processor was cheaper and more productive in certain applications (for example, in computer games) of its competitor, the Pentium 4, so many consumers, especially ordinary citizens buying PCs for home , gave/give preference to AMD products.
A feature of the AMD 64 architecture, which is used in the Athlon 64 and new Sempron (64-bit) processors, allows you to work with both 64-bit and 32-bit applications - without loss of performance and performance. In addition, Athlon 64 processors have such useful technology as Cool"n"Quiet, which allows you to reduce the clock frequency and, accordingly, the voltage on the processor, depending on the tasks being solved at the moment. The benefits of Cool"n"Quiet are obvious - typing in Word does not require such a huge amount of computing power that the Athlon 64 processor can offer, so reducing the clock frequency and voltage will have a positive effect on the heat dissipation of the processor.
Currently commercially available Athlon 64 processors are based on several cores: ClawHammer, SledgeHammer, NewCastle, Winchester, Venice and San Diego.
The Athlon 64 processor based on the ClawHammer core is obsolete, so it is not worth considering it as a purchase. There are processors based on the NewCastle core for both Socket 754 and Socket 939. The socket imposes certain differences: for example, Athlon 64 processors based on the NewCastle core for Socket 939 have a dual-channel DDR memory controller, while their counterpart for Socket 754 has only a single-channel . In addition, these processors have different Hyper-Transport bus frequencies: for the Socket 939 version it is 1 GHz, and for Socket 754 it is 800 MHz.
Processors based on the NewCastle core are manufactured using 0.13-micron technology. The clock speed of these Athlon 64 processors ranges from 2.2 to 2.4 GHz. The NewCastle core includes a 512 KB L2 cache.
The SledgeHammer core is used in the so-called Hi-End processors - Athlon FX and Athlon 64 with a rating of 4000+. The processors have a dual-channel memory controller and 1 MB of L2 cache. SledgeHammer's production technology is 0.13 microns, and the Hyper-Transport bus has a frequency of 1 GHz. The processors operate at clock speeds from 2.2 to 2.6 GHz.
Athlon 64 processors, based on Winchester, Venice and San Diego cores, are produced exclusively for Socket 939, which means they have a dual-channel memory controller and a Hyper-Transport bus frequency of 1 GHz.
The Winchester core is manufactured using 0.13-micron technology and has a 512 KB L2 cache. Clock speeds of AMD Athlon 64 processors based on the Winchester core range from 1.8 to 2.2 GHz.
Athlon 64 central processors based on the Venice core largely replicate those on the Winchester core - the same Socket 939, dual-channel DDR memory controller, Hyper-Transport bus frequency of 1 GHz, 512 KB L2 cache. However, there are a number of features: for example, processors based on the Venice core are produced using the so-called “stretched” silicon technology - Dual Stress Liner (DSL), which allows you to increase the response speed of transistors by almost a quarter. In addition, processors based on the Venice core support the SSE3 instruction set. We can confidently say that Athlon 64 processors based on the Venice core are the first AMD chips to support the SSE3 instruction set. It is also worth noting that the Venice kernel solved the problem of the memory controller, which was present in Winchester. So, when all the DIMM slots of the motherboard were filled with DDR400 memory modules, the memory controller worked as DDR333. Fortunately, this is a thing of the past, and the Athlon 64 (Venice) works without problems with a large number of memory modules. The rating of Athlon 64 processors based on the Venice core is 3000+, 3200+, 3500+ and 3800+, and, accordingly, frequencies range from 1.8 to 2.4 GHz.
The San Diego core is the newest and most advanced for single-core AMD Athlon 64 processors. In general, it is still the same Venice: dual-channel memory controller, Hyper-Transport 1 GHz, SSE3 instruction set, but the Athlon 64 processor on the San Diego core starts with a rating of 4000 + (actual clock frequency - 2.4 GHz) and has twice the cache memory (1 MB) of the second level than processors based on the Venice core.
The dual-core Athlon 64 X2 processors stand apart from the Athlon 64 processors.
The Athlon 64 X2 family includes several models with ratings of 4200+, 4400+, 4600+ and 4800+.
These processors are designed for installation in regular Socket 939 motherboards - the main thing is that the motherboard BIOS supports these processors. Dual-core Athlon 64 X2 processors, like their single-core Athlon 64 counterparts, have a dual-channel memory controller, a HyperTransport bus with a frequency of up to 1 GHz and support for the SSE3 instruction set.
AMD Athlon 64 X2 processors are based on cores codenamed Toledo and Manchester. The differences between processors lie in the amount of cache memory. Thus, processors with ratings 4800+ and 4400+ are built on a core code-named Toledo; they have two L2 caches (for each core) with a capacity of 1 MB each. Their clock speeds are 2400 MHz for the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ and 2200 MHz for the Athlon 64 X2 4400+.
AMD Athlon 64 X2 processors are positioned by AMD as solutions for creating digital content, i.e. for users who value multithreading – the ability to use several resource-intensive applications simultaneously.
Above we looked at the Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 X2 processors, which are intended for the Mainstream, Gaming and Prosumer & Digital Media segments, but do not forget about such a large-scale and budget segment, like Value - it is very popular and in demand in the Russian high-tech market.
AMD's Value segment is represented by budget Sempron processors.
Today on our market you can find AMD Sempron processors based on two cores - Paris and Palermo.
Processors based on the Paris core are obsolete; they are produced using a 0.13-micron technological process and are found exclusively in the Socket 754 version. These processors have a single-channel memory controller and a HyperTransport bus with a frequency of up to 800 MHz. The main difference between the budget processor Sempron (Paris) and its older brother Athlon 64 is the lack of support for AMD64 technology, i.e., despite the K8 architecture, the Sempron based on the Paris core is a 32-bit processor. In addition, the second level cache of the Sempron (Paris) processor is reduced to 256 KB compared to 512 and 1024 KB for the Athlon 64 family of processors. We do not recommend buying obsolete Sempron processors based on the Paris core - it is better to look at the Palermo core .
The Palermo core has undergone a number of changes compared to Paris. Thus, Sempron processors based on the Palermo core are produced using a 90-nm process technology.
This core has been produced for quite a long time and has a number of revisions - D and E. Revision D is morally outdated, so you should not pay attention to such processors, but you can take a closer look at the more modern and recent revision E. Sempron processors based on the Palermo rev core. E, as well as the Athlon 64 (Venice) processors, are produced using the so-called “stretched” silicon technology - Dual Stress Liner (DSL), which allows you to increase the response speed of transistors by almost a quarter. Just like its older brother Athlon 64 (Venice), processors based on the Palermo rev. E support the SSE3 instruction set. It is worth noting that the budget line of Sempron processors based on the Palermo rev. E lacks part of the L2 cache, support for 64-bit extensions and Cool’n’Quiet technology. However, Sempron (Palermo rev. E), like its older brother Athlon 64, has an NX bit. To call the loss of Cool’n’Quiet irreplaceable is more than fabulous. Undoubtedly, this is a loss for the overclocker: the absence of C" n" C means that it is impossible to lower the multiplier, and accordingly, overclocking the processor requires a slightly different approach and a high-quality motherboard.
Sempron processors for socket 939 have been produced by AMD for a long time, but until recently they were not available. The fact is that Semprons for Socket 939 are produced in relatively small quantities, so large PC manufacturers buy them. At the moment, only one Sempron processor model with a rating of 3000+ is available in Moscow stores.
The AMD Sempron processor line for Socket 939 is quite extensive and includes processors rated from 3000+ to 3400+ and L2 cache of 128 and 256 KB.
AMD Sempron processors for Socket 939 boast a full range of technologies inherent in their older brothers in the Athlon 64 line: support for the SSE3 instruction set, NX-bit and Cool"n"Quiet technologies, as well as support for 64-bit AMD64 extensions.
System logic sets
Motherboards for Athlon 64 and Sempron processors are available based on several chipsets from manufacturers such as NVIDIA, VIA, ATI, SiS and Uli.
Let's start with NVIDIA chipsets. Today, nForce chipsets of the 3rd and 4th generations appear on the motherboard market.
The nForce 3 logic set is a single-chip solution and has several modifications: 150, 150 Pro, 250, 250 Pro and Ultra. It makes sense to look towards the 250 Gb and Ultra versions, because... all the rest are already obsolete, and it will be difficult to find them on sale, although this is not excluded. So, NVIDIA nForce 3 Ultra. This set logic, unlike its older counterparts, supports the HyperTransport bus with a frequency of 1 GHz. On sale there are motherboards based on nForce 3 Ultra with both Socket 754 and Socket 939.
Motherboards based on the nForce 3 Ultra chipset boast a gigabit network controller, eight USB ports 2.0, two Serial ATA channels with the ability to create RAID arrays. AGP 8 x is used as a graphical interface. As you can see, despite its age, the capabilities of nForce 3 Ultra are still relevant today. Considering the attractive prices for motherboards based on nForce 3 Ultra, this solution would be a good choice. NVIDIA nForce 3 Ultra is worth a closer look for poor consumers who want to build an inexpensive personal computer based on Sempron and lower-end Athlon 64 processors.
The Athlon 64 x2 model 5200+ was positioned by the manufacturer as a mid-level dual-core solution based on AM2. It is with his example that the procedure for overclocking this family of devices will be outlined. Its safety margin is quite good, and if you had the appropriate components, you could get chips with indexes 6000+ or 6400+ instead.
The meaning of CPU overclocking
The AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor model 5200+ can easily be converted to a 6400+. To do this, you just need to increase its clock frequency (this is the meaning of overclocking). As a result, the final system performance will increase. But this will also increase the computer's power consumption. Therefore, not everything is so simple. Most components of a computer system must have a margin of reliability. Accordingly, the motherboard, memory modules, power supply and case must be more High Quality, this means that their cost will be higher. Also, the CPU cooling system and thermal paste must be specially selected specifically for the overclocking procedure. But it is not recommended to experiment with the standard cooling system. It is designed for a standard processor thermal package and will not cope with increased load.
Positioning
The characteristics of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor clearly indicate that it belonged to the middle segment of dual-core chips. There were also less productive solutions - 3800+ and 4000+. This First level. Well, higher in the hierarchy there were CPUs with indexes 6000+ and 6400+. The first two processor models could theoretically be overclocked and get 5200+ out of them. Well, the 5200+ itself could be modified to 3200 MHz, and due to this, get a variation of 6000+ or even 6400+. Moreover, their technical parameters were almost identical. The only thing that could change was the amount of second level cache and technological process. As a result, their performance level after overclocking was practically the same. So it turned out that at a lower cost, the end owner received a more productive system.
Chip Specifications
AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor specifications may vary significantly. After all, three modifications of it were released. The first of them was codenamed Windsor F2. It operated at a clock frequency of 2.6 GHz, had 128 KB of first-level cache and, accordingly, 2 MB of second-level cache. This semiconductor crystal was manufactured according to the standards of the 90 nm technological process, and its thermal package was equal to 89 W. At the same time, its maximum temperature could reach 70 degrees. Well, the voltage supplied to the CPU could be 1.3 V or 1.35 V.
A little later, a chip codenamed Windsor F3 appeared on sale. In this modification of the processor, the voltage changed (in this case it dropped to 1.2 V and 1.25 V, respectively), the maximum operating temperature increased to 72 degrees and the thermal package decreased to 65 W. To top it off, the technological process itself has changed - from 90 nm to 65 nm.
The last, third version of the processor was codenamed Brisbane G2. In this case, the frequency was raised by 100 MHz and was already 2.7 GHz. The voltage could be equal to 1.325 V, 1.35 V or 1.375 V. The maximum operating temperature was reduced to 68 degrees, and the thermal package, as in the previous case, was equal to 65 W. Well, the chip itself was manufactured using a more advanced 65 nm technological process.
Socket
The AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor model 5200+ was installed in the AM2 socket. Its second name is socket 940. Electrically and in terms of software, it is compatible with solutions based on AM2+. Accordingly, it is still possible to purchase a motherboard for it. But the CPU itself is quite difficult to buy. This is not surprising: the processor went on sale in 2007. Since then, three generations of devices have already changed.
Selection of motherboard
A fairly large set of motherboards based on the AM2 and AM2+ sockets supported the AMD Athlon 64 x2 5200 processor. Their characteristics were very diverse. But to make maximum overclocking of this semiconductor chip possible, it is recommended to pay attention to solutions based on the 790FX or 790X chipset. Such motherboards were more expensive than average. This is logical, since they had much better overclocking capabilities. Also, the board must be made in the ATX form factor. You can, of course, try to overclock this chip on mini-ATX solutions, but the dense arrangement of radio components on them can lead to undesirable consequences: overheating of the motherboard and central processor and their failure. As specific examples You can bring PC-AM2RD790FX from Sapphire or 790XT-G45 from MSI. Also, a worthy alternative to the previously mentioned solutions can be the M2N32-SLI Deluxe from Asus based on the nForce590SLI chipset developed by NVIDIA.
Cooling system
Overclocking an AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor is impossible without a high-quality cooling system. The cooler that comes in the boxed version of this chip is not suitable for these purposes. It is designed for a fixed thermal load. As CPU performance increases, its thermal package increases, and the standard cooling system will no longer cope. Therefore, you need to buy a more advanced one, with improved technical characteristics. We can recommend using the CNPS9700LED cooler from Zalman for these purposes. If you have it, this processor can be safely overclocked to 3100-3200 MHz. In this case, there will definitely not be any special problems with CPU overheating.
Thermal paste
Another important component to consider before AMD Athlon 64 x2 5200+ is thermal paste. After all, the chip will not operate in normal load mode, but in a state of increased performance. Accordingly, more stringent requirements are put forward for the quality of thermal paste. It should provide improved heat dissipation. For these purposes, it is recommended to replace the standard thermal paste with KPT-8, which is perfect for overclocking conditions.
Frame
The AMD Athlon 64 x2 5200 processor will run at higher temperatures during overclocking. In some cases it can rise to 55-60 degrees. To compensate for this increased temperature, a high-quality replacement of thermal paste and cooling system will not be enough. You also need a case in which air flows could circulate well, and this would provide additional cooling. That is, inside system unit There should be as much free space as possible, and this would allow the computer components to be cooled by convection. It will be even better if additional fans are installed in it.
Overclocking process
Now let's figure out how to overclock the AMD ATHLON 64 x2 processor. Let's find out this using the example of the 5200+ model. The CPU overclocking algorithm in this case will be as follows.
- When you turn on the PC, press the Delete key. After this it will open blue screen BIOS.
- Then we find the section associated with the operation of RAM and reduce the frequency of its operation to a minimum. For example, the value for DDR1 is set to 333 MHz, and we lower the frequency to 200 MHz.
- Next, save the changes made and load operating system. Then, using a toy or test program(for example, CPU-Z and Prime95) we check the performance of the PC.
- Reboot the PC again and go into the BIOS. Here we now find an item related to the operation of the PCI bus and fix its frequency. In the same place you need to fix this indicator for the graphics bus. In the first case the value should be set to 33 MHz.
- Save the settings and restart the PC. We check its functionality again.
- The next step is to reboot the system. We re-enter the BIOS. Here we find the parameter associated with the HyperTransport bus and set the system bus frequency to 400 MHz. Save the values and restart the PC. After loading the OS, we test the stability of the system.
- Then we reboot the PC and enter the BIOS again. Here you now need to go to the processor parameters section and increase the system bus frequency by 10 MHz. Save the changes and restart the computer. Checking the stability of the system. Then, gradually increasing the processor frequency, we reach the point where it stops working stably. Next, we return to the previous value and test the system again.
- Then you can try to further overclock the chip using its multiplier, which should be in the same section. At the same time, after each change to the BIOS, we save the parameters and check the functionality of the system.
If during overclocking the PC starts to freeze and it is impossible to return to previous values, then you need to reset the BIOS settings to factory settings. To do this, just find at the bottom of the motherboard, next to the battery, a jumper labeled Clear CMOS and move it for 3 seconds from pins 1 and 2 to pins 2 and 3.
Checking system stability
Not only the maximum temperature of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor can lead to unstable operation of the computer system. The reason may be due to a number of additional factors. Therefore, during the overclocking process, it is recommended to conduct a comprehensive check of the reliability of the PC. The Everest program is best suited to solve this problem. It is with its help that you can check the reliability and stability of your computer during overclocking. To do this, it is enough to run this utility after each change made and after loading the OS and check the status of the system’s hardware and software resources. If any value is outside the acceptable limits, then you need to restart the computer and return to the previous parameters, and then test everything again.
Cooling system monitoring
The temperature of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor depends on the operation of the cooling system. Therefore, after completing the overclocking procedure, it is necessary to check the stability and reliability of the cooler. For these purposes, it is best to use the SpeedFAN program. It is free and its level of functionality is sufficient. Downloading it from the Internet and installing it on your PC is not difficult. Next, we launch it and periodically, for 15-25 minutes, control the number of revolutions of the processor cooler. If this number is stable and does not decrease, then everything is fine with the CPU cooling system.
Chip temperature
The operating temperature of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor in normal mode should vary from 35 to 50 degrees. During overclocking, this range will decrease towards the last value. At a certain stage, the CPU temperature may even exceed 50 degrees, and there is nothing to worry about. The maximum permissible value is 60 ˚С, when approaching it, it is recommended to stop any experiments with overclocking. A higher temperature value can adversely affect the semiconductor chip of the processor and damage it. To take measurements during the operation, it is recommended to use the CPU-Z utility. Moreover, temperature registration must be carried out after each change made to the BIOS. You also need to maintain an interval of 15-25 minutes, during which you periodically check how hot the chip is.
