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3DMark 2001 and 3DMark03 |
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Synthetic Gaming |
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We already knew that the
Springdales made for fine gaming conditions, but where would
the Epox 4PDA2+ V2 wind up? We took a look at Futuremark's 3DMark 2001 SE and
3DMark03 to get some synthetic scores. Both of these benchmarks render a variety
of scenes, using DirectX 8 and 9 vertex and pixel shaders. We ran
both benchmarks at exactly the same settings; 1024x768
resolution and 32-bit color, with all other settings left at their defaults.
Both versions of 3DMark give
us the same results, regardless of what version of DirectX
we were testing with. Bolstered by it's top-rated
memory bandwidth, the Asus P4P800 Deluxe took top honors
in each test, although the rest of the pack was very close
behind. With the difference between the Asus and the
Epox boards being less than one percent in each version of
3DMark, we can safely say that gaming performance should
be on par with each other. To prove this, let's
check on some frame rates from actual games.
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Comanche 4 Demo and Quake 3 Arena |
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Let's get a look at some frame rates |
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With the
4PDA2+ V2 holding its own in the synthetic benchmarks, we
next set our sights on two
games that have built-in testing modes. The Comanche 4
Demo from Novalogic
is a DirectX benchmark that is highly CPU and Memory
bandwidth dependent. For testing purposes, we ran
the benchmark routine at 800x600x32, but disabled the audio.
Quake 3 Arena is a well-known OpenGL benchmark that we
have used in almost all of our reviews.
Although a bit dated, it still can be used to give
reliable comparisons of system performance. Since
the frame rates can get quite high, we maxed out the
graphical settings, and ran "demo four" at a resolution of
1024x768 with 32-bit color and textures.
With the CPU speed remaining
equal for the most part, differences in the Comanche 4
demo can be attributed almost solely to the memory
bandwidth allocated to the drawing of the textures.
With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the
Asus P4P800 came out on top, just shy of 54 frames per
second. This was followed a half frame back by the
Abit IS7, another half of a frame for the Epox 4PDA2+, and
yet another half to the Albatron 865PE Pro-II. Quake
3 Arena, which is much less taxing on the system and
therefore less affected by the memory, puts up four
numbers which were almost identical. We will
give credit when it is due, however, and point out that
the Epox 4PDA2+ V2 posted the highest score of the bunch
at 231.8 frames per second.
Overclocking
Results and the Final Rating
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