Test Methodology
Comparison Configurations |
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| Model | |||
| Firmware Version | 1.53 |
3202 |
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| Price | £240 |
£400 |
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| Chipset | AMD X570 |
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| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 5950X |
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| CPU Cores / Threads | 16 / 32 |
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| CPU Base Clock / Turbo | 3.4GHz / 4.9GHz |
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| CPU TDP | 105W |
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| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z DDR4-3200 Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-4800 (OC) |
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| Memory Speed | DDR4-3200 |
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| Memory Timings | 14-14-14-34-1T (XMP) |
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| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 FE (461.09) |
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| Primary Storage Device | Corsair MP600 1TB PCIe 4.0 |
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| USB Device | SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable V2 |
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| CPU cooling | Noctua NH-D15S single fan |
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| Power Supply | be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 (1,000W) |
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| Operating System | Windows 10 20H2 (64-bit) |
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Benchmark Suite |
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CPU Benchmarks |
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| HEXUS PiFast | Our number-crunching benchmark stresses a single core by calculating Pi to 10m places | ||||||||||
| Cinebench Release 23 | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses all cores | ||||||||||
| Blender 2.90 | Running the Classroom benchmark | ||||||||||
Storage Benchmarks |
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| CrystalDiskMark | Free-to-use benchmark testing sequential storage performance | ||||||||||
Memory Benchmarks |
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| AIDA64 | Benchmark that accurately depicts memory bandwidth and latency | ||||||||||
System Benchmarks |
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| 3DMark Time Spy | DX12 graphics benchmark run using the Time Spy test | ||||||||||
| PCMark 10 | System test using the standard preset | ||||||||||
| Civilization VI: Gathering Storm | AI benchmark run at FHD to determine CPU involvement | ||||||||||
Gaming Benchmarks |
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| Civilization VI: Gathering Storm | 1,920x1,080 Ultra settings | ||||||||||
| Final Fantasy Shadowbringers | 1,920x1,080 maximum settings | ||||||||||
| F1 2020 | 1,920x1,080 ultra-high settings | ||||||||||
Miscellaneous Benchmarks |
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| Power Consumption | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record system-wide mains power draw when idle, when rendering via Blender and while playing F1 2020 | ||||||||||
Notes
Seeing it has been a while since we looked at an X570 board, we have chosen to update the processor to the best-in-class Ryzen 9 5950X. Benchmarks, too, have been updated to their latest versions, as has Windows.
Providing performance context is a dearer Asus Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi updated to its latest BIOS. The question we're answering in the ensuing pages is whether paying more offers real-world dividends for those looking for a premium home to AMD's best mainstream chip.