NVIDIA's NFORCE3 250Gb - New Motherboards from MSI and EPoX
FutureMark's PCMark04 and 3DMark03 - CPU Test
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A great way to get a good all-around picture of a motherboard's performance is to run FutureMark's PCMark04. This program runs a wide range of tests that help to gauge the performance of four major subsystems, those being CPU, Memory, Graphics and Hard Drive performance. As a frame of reference, we've included results from a SiS755 based Foxconn motherboard as well as a VIA K8T800 based motherboard from MSI.
Of the two NFORCE3 boards, the EPoX managed the better overall score. It offered slightly better CPU and Memory scores where as the MSI K8N Neo had better Graphics and Hard Drive performance. Across all tests, the NFORCE3 and SiS755 boards traded punches and the K8T800 board hung in there as well. The older K8T800 only seemed to slip in Graphics performance, otherwise, it remained a solid contender throughout.
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Another test we like to run is the CPU benchmark within FutureMark's 3DMark03. This helps focus on the board's CPU performance, issuing a final score at the end.
With 3DMark03, we saw more parity with the scores, with each board exceeding 800 points. The K8T800 fell slightly behind the rest of the pack, with the NFORCE3 and SiS boards running closely with each other. This time around, the SiS755 reference board managed the top overall score by a few points, followed by the EPoX EP-8KDA3+.
