Test Setup


 Performance Test Configuration
Processor(s): Intel 560 (3.6GHz) Socket 775
AMD 3500+ (2.2GHz, 90nm)
AMD FX55 (2.6GHz) Socket 939
RAM: 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev.2
(Samsung 2-2-2-5)
2 x 512MB Crucial/Micron DDR2 533
Hard Drive(s): Maxtor MaXLine III 250GB (16MB Cache)
Seagate 120GB 7200RPM SATA (8Mb buffer)
Video AGP & IDE Chipset Drivers: VIA Hyperion 455vp1
Intel Chipset Driver 6.0.0.1014
Intel Application Accelerator 4.0.0.6211
NVIDIA nForce version 4.24
Video Card(s): ATI X800 XT PCIe
nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra PCIe
Video Drivers: AMD Catalyst 5.1
nVidia 71.40 Graphics Drivers
Operating System(s): Windows XP Professional SP1
Power Supply: OCZ Power Stream 520W
Motherboards: VIA PT894 Reference Board
Asus P5GD2 Premium (915P)
DFI LANParty UT 915P-T12 (915P)
ECS PF4 915P Extreme (915P)
Epox 5epa+ (915P)
Intel 925XCV (Intel 925X) Socket 775
Gigabyte K8NXP-9 (nForce4) Socket 939
nVidia nForce4 Reference Board Socket 939

915/925X memory tests with boards using DDR2 (Asus, ECS, Intel 925x) used either Crucial PC2-4300U or Micron PC2-4300U memory modules. These are basically the same memory. The DFI boards, which runs either DDR2 or DDR, was benchmarked with DDR2. DDR2 was run at 3-3-3-10 timings at default voltage, which are faster timings than the SPD 4-4-4-12.

915 boards that use DDR (Epox), the VIA PT894, and AMD Athlon 64 boards were tested with OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev.2, which is based on Samsung TCCD memory chips, at 2-2-2-5 memory timings at JEDEC standard 2.6V.

The ATI X800 XT PCIe was used for all 915 and Athlon 64 benchmarking, unless noted otherwise. Previous benchmarks of the 925X had been run with the nVidia 6800 Ultra PCIe and are included for comparison. Resolution in all benchmarks is 1024x768x32 unless noted otherwise.

VIA PT894 Reference Board General Performance & Encoding
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  • indianguy - Wednesday, February 2, 2005 - link

    I may be wrong about hard disk bottleneck but these north bridges wont make it big anyway . Nforce 5 for intel pentium 4 for is about to be released soon and it wont be a paper launch like this one. It will kick ass of all other pentium chipsets. See the case of KT890 and nforce 4. Via made so much noise about being first for AMD cpu , but never made it while nforce 4 is everywhere.

    At the same time , i should also say that these north bridges made great choice for people upgrading old computers like socket 478 , williamette and northwood . I still have one old pentium 3 with via cle 266 chipset in biostar motherboard, where Via gave a new lease of life to my old pentium 3. But apart from that i wont use or reccomend anyone buying Via.
  • Cygni - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link

    little to now = little to no
  • Cygni - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link

    I dont agree at all that hard disc performance is whats holding back PC performance. Maybe for read/write heavy apps... but for gaming and general use, HD is hardly the problem, imho. Users these days have gobs of RAM which keeps frequent disc access way down.

    And theres lots of evidence that HD's arent the bottleneck in gaming. Moving from an ATA 133 drive to a SATA 150 drive barely gives any boost at all. Even moving from ATA 100 to SATA 150 shows little boost at all. Same with using Raptors, little to now increase in FPS. Loading times? Yup. Install times? Deffinitly... but overall performance? I just cant agree.
  • indianguy - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link

    This is just a paper launch. Hard disc performance is the main bottleneck nowadays in PC performance. Anyone buying motherboard today without NCQ and sata 2 will be very foolish. Until the 8251 (or 8239) southbridge from via comes , these northbridges wont do any good. Better buy a nforce 4 with sata 2 and sata 2 capable drive from hitachi rather than waste money in these obsolete south bridges and ultra v interconnects from via. By the time 8251 south bridge is actually released by via , next gen of 945/955 chipsets with sata 2/ncq will actually be released by intel making these chipsets only sold by no name mothorboard makers who sell only on price not features . Via makes big noise with no actual performace or product availability . No wonder its running knee deep in losses all these years .
  • Wesley Fink - Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - link

    #19 - We carried the overclocking as far as we could with the somewhat limited options available on the Reference board. The overclocking results are at the bottom of page 6.
  • Googer - Monday, January 31, 2005 - link

    #18 we all know the odd are in favor of AMD winning that battle. 10-1.
  • Azsen - Monday, January 31, 2005 - link

    Have you tried to overclock these boards, see what they are capable of?
  • Dualboy24 - Monday, January 31, 2005 - link

    Well I hope this will help push the 775 boards into a reasonable price range with the support for AGP and PCI-E. This may increase the number of buyers for this platform... but right now I assume most enthusiasts are goinng AMD for the performance and the charts on the review do show why.

    Looking forward to the next big clash of the titans.... Dual Cores anyone?
  • Regs - Monday, January 31, 2005 - link

    Wow would I love to see this for the AMD CPU's as well. It will dramatically help PCI-Express melt in to the market.
  • Cygni - Monday, January 31, 2005 - link

    Impressive stuff from VIA. Should do wonders for their marketshare in the P4 market, im thinking. VIA is already doing quite well in S939 with the K8T800Pro, but its going to lose some when NF4 hits in force.

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