Benchmarks I
We'll start our look with SiSoft SANDRA's unbuffered benchmark. All boards are running tight, low latency timings (2-6-2-2).
We'd do well to dismiss the Intel benchmarks due to the processor's quad-pumped FSB. The 8RDA3+, running on a 200FSB, adds less than we expected. This could well be to do with SANDRA not correctly identifying the newer nForce2 chipset's potential.
Pifast should sort it out. A race to calculate the constant to 10m places. CPU speed, bandwidth, and latency all play their parts in reducing the overall time. v4.1 was used.
A little extra CPU speed over the XP2700, a little core refinement by way of the Barton, and a 20% faster FSB all combine to give us the fastest stock Pifast time ever recorded at Hexus. The 8RDA3+ makes ample use of its 200FSB rating.
U2's Pop album was used to crunch the WAV files into 192kb/s MP3. The benchmark is greatly influenced by pure CPU grunt. Hence the small lead over a 2.167GHz AMD. It still can't quite catch the flying 3.0GHz P4.
The Hexus SETI benchmark will be right up EPoX and AMD's street. A 0.417WU is benchmarked.
A great use of bandwidth propels the EPoX to top spot, for now.