Review: AMD RS780G - integrated graphics redefined!

by Tarinder Sandhu on 4 March 2008, 10:49

Tags: 780G Chipset with ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics, GA-MA78GM-S2H, ASUS P5E-VM HDMI, Gigabyte (TPE:2376), ASUSTeK (TPE:2357), AMD (NYSE:AMD)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qal2u

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System setup and notes

 

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H ASUS P5E-VM HDMI
Chipset AMD 780G + SB700 Intel G35 + ICH9R
CPU AMD Athlon X2 4850e (2.5GHz, 512KiB L2 cache per core, 2000MHz HTT, Socket AM2) Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 (2.0GHz, 1MiB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB, LGA775)
BIOS revision F3c (02/13/2008) 0405 (12/17/2007)
Memory 2GBytes (2 x 1GByte) Corsair PC6400 XMS2 EPP
Memory timings and speed 4-4-4-12 2T @ DDR2-717.5 5-4-4-12 2T @ DDR2-802.8
Integrated graphics ATI Radeon HD 3200 @ 500MHz Intel GMA X3500 @ 667MHz
Discrete graphics ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MiB (600/1,000), inc. Hybrid XF N/A
Disk drive(s) Seagate 160GB SATAII (ST3160812AS)
Mainboard software Catalyst 8.2 (IGP) Intel Inf 8.4.0.1016
Graphics driver CATALYST 8.2 BETA. 8.3 BETA for Hybrid CrossFire PV 15.7.3 (7.14.10.1409)
Operating system Windows Vista Business x64

Tests

Benchmarks

SiSoft SANDRA memory bandwidth
ScienceMark 2.0 memory latency
HEXUS.PiFast to 10M places
HEXUS WAV encoding
HEXUS DivX 6.6.1 encode + enhanced multithreading
CINEBENCH R10, 32- and 64-bit
POV-Ray v3.7.0 Beta 21a, 32- and 64-bit

HDTach 3.0.1.0 - SATA average read speed
HDTach 3.0.1.0 - SATA burst speed
HDTach 3.0.1.0 - USB average read speed
HDTach 3.0.1.0 - FireWire average read speed

Company of Heroes: OF v2.103, DX9/10 - 1,024x768 (4xAA)
Quake 4 v1.30 SMP on - 1,024x768
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.2 - 1,024x768


Testing notes

We have chosen to complement the Gigabyte 780G mainboard with an energy-efficient AMD Athlon X2 4850e - 2.5GHz, dual-core, 1MiB L2 cache - processor that ships with a 45W TDP. It makes implicit sense to use a relatively low-cost (£55), low-power processor that will be found in system integrator boxes priced at around £399. Considered as a bundle, the CPU and mainboard will cost around £130.

We could have strapped in an AMD Phenom CPU but don't feel that's reflective of what end-users will buy when considering a mATX board.

The obvious competitor is Intel's recently-released G35 chipset, and we've used ASUS' P5E-VM HDMI (£80) model. It ships with a matching HDMI output, albeit run off a separate, discrete transmitter, and its feature-set is, apart from the IGP, at least as good as the Gigabyte's.

Further, keeping in within budgets, we've added Intel's comparable processor, the Pentium Dual Core E2180 (£55), making a bundle price of around £135.

Both IGPs support Microsoft Windows Vista Aero interface in all of its refulgent glory.

2D benchmark performance will be predicated, in the main, by the ability of the processor. Storage sub-system analysis will fall on the southbridge's shoulders, and gaming is the domain of the IGP. However, we're not just specifically looking at 780G vs. G35 performance, but also adding in results from a discrete Radeon HD 3450 256MiB, run on the Gigabyte board, as comparison numbers. Finally, we're looking at Hybrid CrossFire performance by teaming up the 780G's IGP and the discrete HD 3450, to see what kind of scaling benefits are available.

Readers may have noticed that the AMD platform's memory speed is somewhat lower than the Intel's even though we're using the same memory, and due to the particular multiplier of the AM2 CPU and its limited memory ratios, the DDR2-800 memory was limited to running at DDR2-717.5.