|
SLI graphics from Nvidia. Dual-core processors from Intel. Overclocked parts. Chipsets that support one platform but not another. Release after release of new desktop technology this year may have left your head spinning, so we've prepared a primer to help you sort things out.
In December 2004, we saw our first system with Nvidia's SLI dual graphics card technology and the supporting Nforce4 SLI Ultra chipset, which lets gamers and graphics pros harness the power of two graphics card inside a single PC. However, the Nforce SLI chipset worked only with AMD processors and a handful of specialized Nvidia GeForce graphics cards.
Yesterday, Intel unveiled its dual-core processor, the Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840. With two processing cores on a single chip, this dual core ushers in a new era of PC computing, but the accompanying chipset, the Intel 955X Express, supports only one graphics card. So, the first dual-core systems we saw based on Intel's new chipset--from Dell and Velocity Micro--weren't aimed necessarily at gamers like most hot, new PCs are. Instead, they have multimedia graphics and multitasking in mind--at home with the Dell and in the design office with the Velocity Micro. And our early tests on these two systems back up these claims with strong performance with multithreaded graphics apps and multitasking scenarios.
Nvidia unleashes its new chipset
Following Intel's dual-core announcement, Nvidia today announced its Nforce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset, which provides a platform that lets you run Intel's dual-core Pentium Extreme Edition 840 processor and two Nvidia SLI graphics cards. The first such systems to grace CNET Labs are the Alienware Area-51 ALX 7500 and the Falcon Northwest Mach V. We've yet to test the Area-51 ALX 7500, but the Mach V presented some interesting results on our preliminary tests--a set of benchmarks designed to test the capabilities of a dual-core CPU, as well as our standard battery of 3D tests. Our final judgment will have to wait until our full review, but early look hints that Nvidia's new chipset could stack up extremely favorably against Intel's, at least in application performance. But 3D performance, while better than that from a single-card solution, looks less promising when compared to an Overdrive PC that uses Nvidia's AMD-based SLI chipset, but these results are equally preliminary.
The Mach V has more going for it than just its combination of dual-core and SLI technologies: it's also overclocked. Traditionally, Intel has disabled processor overclocking. Tweakers could still jimmy the motherboard to get more system performance, but this wasn't as effective as bumping up the multiplier on the CPU itself. The new Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840, however, ships with an unlocked multiplier--most likely in response to AMD's Athlon FX-55 consistently hammering Intel on performance tests. Our Mach V test system's processor was overclocked to 3.6GHz, and we've heard reports from vendors that have overclocked the chip to 4.2GHz, a full 1,000MHz above spec. Even stock-part stalwart Dell has said that it will be letting its customers know about this potential. We can't speak to system stability with the chip jacked up that high, and don't expect any vendor to support after-market tweaking, but the fact remains, even standard day-to-day applications can benefit from Intel's new dual-core CPUs, provided you or your system vendor are willing to play around under the hood.
Performance
In application performance, we don't exactly have an apples-to-apples comparison. Not only does the Mach V use a different chipset than the Intel "white box" system we tested, the Falcon system also came to us with its Extreme Edition 840 CPU ramped up to 3.6GHz from its stock speed of 3.2GHz. We're interested to see performance results from a similarly overclocked CPU using Intel's 955X Express chipset, and we hope one of the desktop vendors will oblige us with a review unit. Based on the scores we did see, it appears that overclocking the Extreme Edition 840 works as you'd expect, producing faster scores across the board than those from the Intel PC with the stock 3.2GHz chip.
We were also very interested to see what 3D performance looked like between an Intel-based SLI rig and an AMD-based SLI system. We'll need to see more systems to formalize any sort of final determination (and again, we remind you that both the Overdrive and Falcon systems were overclocked to varying degrees), but the early edge based on these two systems goes to AMD. The Intel-based Falcon Mach V trailed the AMD-based Overdrive Torque SLI on all of our Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 tests. The results aren't all that surprising when you consider that the Overdrive system is the most tweaked we've ever seen in our Labs--with BIOS gymnastics and other customizations across the board--and is the fastest performing 3D system to date.
With any new technology, it's inadvisable to pass judgment in the early stages. Even after we test the first round of systems, it will take a few months at minimum for drivers, applications, and hardware to reach maturity. We can say that if you're looking to max out 3D performance in an Intel box, Nvidia's Nforce4 SLI Intel Edition is your only option. But it remains to be seen how Nvidia's new technology compares to Intel's 955X Express chipset in application performance and overclocking tolerance, as well as how they both stack up to the best that AMD has to offer. Check back soon for our continuing coverage.
Next page: Benchmarks
Read the CNET editor's take
|
|
