System setup and notes
| Motherboard | ASUS Rampage GENE II mATX X58 | Foxconn Renaissance X58 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Chipset | Intel X58 + ICH10R | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 920 ES @ 2.80GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 8MB L3, LGA1,366 | |
| Actual CPU frequency | 2805.6MHz | 2801.4MHz |
| BIOS revision | 0404 (27/02/2009) | P10 (17/12/2008) |
| Memory | 6GB (3 x 2GB) Corsair DOMINATOR TR3X6G1600C8D | |
| Memory timings and speed | 7-7-7-20 2T @ DDR3-1,069.4 | 8-7-7-20 1T @ DDR3-1,067.2 |
| Graphics card | Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB | |
| Graphics driver | Catalyst 9.1 | |
| Chipset driver | Intel Inf 9.1.0.1012 + Intel Matrix Storage Manager 8.7.0.1007 | |
| Disk drive(s) | Samsung Spinpoint F1 500GB | |
| PSU | Cooler Master Real Power Pro 850W | |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Business x64 SP1 | |
Tests
| Benchmarks |
ScienceMark 2.0 memory latency HD Tach 3.0.4.0 - SATA average read speed Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, v1.5 - 1,024x768 low-detail
settings and 1,680x1,050 high-detail Overclocked benchmarks for DivX, PiFast, and ET:QW |
|---|
Testing notes
We're putting up some performance numbers for the ASUS mATX board against a Foxconn X58 that's also designed with multimedia in mind. It's a full-ATX-sized board that's priced around £30 dearer.You may notice that the Intel Core i7 920 ES' speed doesn't match up with the default 2.67GHz. The 2.8GHz quoted speed is with the CPU/motherboard's Turbo Boost Technology activated on both boards. It doesn't run at this frequency all the time of course, but we felt that leaving the option activated in the respective boards' BIOSes would be more of a real-world test.
Further, the difference memory timings is down to how the boards interpret what's inputted in the BIOS. The Foxconn runs with a 1T command-rate and a CAS latency of eight clocks.
We encountered no stability-related issues or, for that matter, any major problems that would compromise testing.