Testing Methodology
Comparison Motherboard Configurations |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Aorus X399 Gaming 7 |
MSI X399 Gaming Pro Carbon AC |
Asus Xenith Xtreme
|
MSI X299 PLUS
|
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| Reviewed Price | £335 |
£325 |
£480 |
£260 |
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| Firmware Version | F3d |
7B09v15 |
0503 |
E7A93IMS.12Z |
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| Chipset | AMD X399 |
Intel X299 |
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| CPU | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X |
Intel Core i9-7900X |
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| CPU Cores / Threads | 16 / 32 |
10 / 20 |
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| CPU Base Clock | 3.4GHz |
3.3GHz |
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| CPU Turbo Boost Clock | 4.0GHz |
4.3GHz |
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| CPU L3 Cache | 32MB |
13.75MB |
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| CPU TDP | 180W |
1404W |
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| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z RGB |
Corsair Dominator 32GB |
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| Memory Configuration | 4x8GB |
4x8GB |
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| Memory Speed | DDR4-3200 |
DDR4-2666 |
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| Memory Timings | 15-15-15-36 |
14-16-16-36-2T |
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| CPU Cooler | Thermaltake Riing 360 |
Noctua NH-D15S |
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| Graphics | EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FTW (382.53) |
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| Storage Device | SK hynix Canvas SC300 512GB |
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| Power Supply | be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 (750W) |
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| Operating System | Windows 10 Home (64-bit) |
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CPU and Memory Benchmarks |
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|---|---|---|
| HEXUS PiFast | Our number-crunching benchmark stresses a single core by calculating Pi to 10m places | |
| Cinebench | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses all cores | |
| Handbrake | Free-to-use video encoder that stresses multiple CPU cores | |
| AIDA64 | Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency | |
Storage Benchmarks |
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| CrystalDiskMark | Popular free-to-use storage benchmark, used to gauge read and write performance via SATA (512GB SK hynix Canvas SC300), M.2 (512GB Samsung 950 Pro), and USB 3.1 (256GB Adata SC660H) | |
Gaming Benchmarks |
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| 3DMark | Run using Time Spy DX12 test | |
| Deus Ex: Mankind Divided | 2,560x1,440, ultra settings | |
| Hitman | 2,560x1,440, ultra settings | |
Miscellaneous Benchmarks |
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| Power Consumption | Noted at idle, while running the HandBrake video-transcoding test and when playing Deus Ex: Mankind Divided | |
Notes
We're comparing performance against the crazy-spec Asus Xenith Xtreme, costing 50 per cent more. And looking over to Intel as a platform alternative, especially as the Core i9-7900X costs about the same as the Threadripper 1950X we're using. Most pertinent of all, we're also looking at performance against the similar MSI board we reviewed recently.