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
HDTach 3.0.1.0 - SATA average read speed
Company of Heroes: OF v2.103, DX9/10 - 1,024x768 (4xAA) |
|---|
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.