865PE/875P Motherboard Roundup June 2003 - Part 1: 20-way Shootout
by Evan Lieb on June 12, 2003 10:57 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Overclocking and Stress Testing
To make sure that each FSB we were able to achieve was as stable as possible we conducted several hours of stress testing on all twenty motherboards (except Intel’s of course). Each motherboard was put through an identical stress test scenario where six loops of SPECViewperf 7.0 was completed while Prime95 torture tests were being run in the background for a total of twelve hours straight. Our stress tests are normally conducted with Prime95 running in the background for 24 hours straight while our benchmark suite is rerun, but due to time constraints we were forced to cut that figure in half and omit the benchmark suite rerun. However we decided to increase the SPECViewperf runs to make up for lost Prime95 stress testing in this roundup, so all in all these stress tests will still give you an accurate representation of how reliable your system will be over an extended period of time.
We used the following setup to overclock each motherboard:
|
Front Side Bus Overclocking Testbed |
|
|
Processor:
|
Pentium
4 2.4GHz (800MHz FSB) CPU - HT Disabled
|
|
CPU
Vcore:
|
1.525V
(default)
|
|
Cooling:
|
Intel
Retail HSF & Thermal Pad
|
|
Power
Supply:
|
Enermax
350W
|
Here were the results we attained:
|
Maximum Overclocked FSB Frequency
|
|
| ABIT IC7 (875P) |
280MHz
|
| ABIT IC7-G (875P) |
280MHz
|
| ABIT IS7 (865PE) |
278MHz
|
| ABIT IS7-G (865PE) |
278MHz
|
| Albatron PX865PE Pro (865PE) |
278MHz
|
| Albatron PX865PE Pro II (865PE) |
278MHz
|
| AOpen AX4C Max (875P) |
266MHz
|
| ASUS P4C800 Deluxe (875P) |
280MHz
|
| ASUS P4P800 Deluxe (865PE) |
283MHz
|
| DFI PRO875 LAN Party (875P) |
282MHz
|
| Epox 4PDA2+ (865PE) |
273MHz
|
| Epox 4PCA3+ (875P) |
275MHz
|
| Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra (875P) |
272MHz
|
| Gigabyte 8KNXP (875P) |
281MHz
|
| Gigabyte 8PENXP (865PE) |
270MHz
|
| Gigabyte 8IPE1000 Pro (865PE) |
270MHz
|
| Intel D875PEBZ (875P) |
N/A
|
| Intel D865PERL (865PE) |
N/A
|
| MSI 875P Neo-FIS2R (875P) |
254MHz
|
| Soyo P4I875P DRAGON 2 (875P) |
275MHz
|
It's no surprise to see that ABIT, ASUS, and Gigabyte round out the top 3 here with their 865PE and 875P motherboards. Albatron, Epox, and Soyo make good showings as well. A surprising showing comes from DFI's PRO875 LAN Party motherboard, whose 282MHz FSB overclock was just 1MHz FSB shy of highest overclocking motherboard tested in this roundup, the ASUS P4P800 Deluxe. We released a more detailed review of DFI's PRO875 LAN Party motherboard a few days ago. Anyway, if you plan on purchasing a 2.4C processor don't be surprised if you reach well over 270MHz FSB with these motherboards or over 280MHz FSB with the best 865PE/875P motherboards.
Take a look at our 865PE & 875P Memory Compatibility Guide for detailed information on which memory modules are compatible with these motherboards.
UPDATED on 6/13/2003
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18 Comments
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Anonymous User - Thursday, July 24, 2003 - link
Could anyone clarify if the information for the sound system on the Abit IS7 is correct? The article lists it as being an Analog Devices AD1985. I thought it was Realtek?Thanks,
Harry
Anonymous User - Wednesday, July 23, 2003 - link
What a great article!We're waiting for the Part 2... :B
Evan Lieb - Monday, July 21, 2003 - link
I bet that the Part 1 thread would be posted by a certain date, and it was indeed posted on that date. I never anything about Part 2, because I've been thinking of adding more benchmarks and data in general to round out any and all Pentium 4 motherboard testing until Prescott arrives.Anonymous User #4, you should always research your recollections if you can't exactly "recall" certain events correctly. ;)
Evan Lieb - Monday, July 21, 2003 - link
Anonymous User - Friday, July 18, 2003 - link
As I recall, Evan made a bet on the part 2 being posted a while back.... the thread was mysteriously removed though.Anonymous User - Wednesday, July 16, 2003 - link
So, what month/year will part 2 be posted?Anonymous User - Sunday, July 6, 2003 - link
I read that the Epox 4pca3+ could do a 1,85 vcore with a bois update.. If anyone know where to find this bios update, please e-mail me zimen1@msn.comI really can't find it.
Anonymous User - Sunday, July 6, 2003 - link
I also fried my MSI 875P Neo-FIS2R when I updated the BIOS from 1.2 to 1.4. I got a replacement board, but have been hesitant to try again based on my prior experience. Based on your experience with 1.5, (and now 1.6 is available), I'm willing to take another chance.