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Synthetic benchmarks only
tell part of the story. We'll
move on to more gaming and "real world" tests next. We
ran a series of time demos with Quake 3 Arena v1.17, set at the
"Fastest" and "High Quality" video options, using the nForce's integrated GeForce 2 video.
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Some OpenGL Performance |
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The Ubiquitous
Quake 3 Arena |
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QUAKE 3 ARENA:
As you can see, the
nForce's integrated video performs quite well in
16-Bit color tests. Having an integrated
GeForce 2 MX puts the nForce's video performance
head and shoulders above any other on-board
solutions. We don't have any comparison
numbers posted because we could not configure
another system with integrated video with similar
components and an AMD processor. That
statement alone should speak volumes to you.
The nForce is currently "one of a kind".
For the "High Quality"
testing, we also set the Geometry and Texture detail to
their maximum settings. Here we again see admirable
performance from the nForce's IGP (Integrated Graphics
Processor). These number won't excite too many
hardcore gamers out there but hardcore gamers aren't the one's
who'll be using the integrated video anyway.
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More Performance |
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More of the Good
Stuff! |
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We also ran ZD
Labs' Business Winstone 2001 and Content Creation Winstone
2002
benchmarks on the nForce reference system. We
compared it's performance to the KT266A powered Abit
KR7A using the same processor and memory configuration
(technically).
First, we
ran Business Winstone 2001. To explain
exactly what this test entails, I'll re-use a quote taken
directly from ZD's eTestingLabs website:
"Business Winstone is a system-level,
application-based benchmark that measures a PC's
overall performance when running today's top-selling
Windows-based 32-bit applications on Windows 98 SE,
Windows NT 4.0 (SP6 or later), Windows 2000, Windows
Me, or Windows XP. Business Winstone doesn't mimic
what these packages do; it runs real applications
through a series of scripted activities and uses the
time a PC takes to complete those activities to
produce its performance scores."
BUSINESS WINSTONE:
The nForce bests the
KT266A in the Business Winstone tests by a small
margin. Something interesting to note is that
although both test systems were configured with 256MB
of RAM, the nForce had "only" 224MB available, because
32MB was reserved for the IGP. If we had used an
add-on video board or added another 32MB of RAM to the
nForce system, it's lead would probably have been greater.
CONTENT
CREATION WINSTONE:
CC
Winstone 2002 uses the following applications in its
battery of tests:
- Adobe Photoshop
6.0.1
- Adobe Premiere 6.0
- Macromedia Director
8.5
- Macromedia
Dreamweaver UltraDev 4
- Microsoft Windows
Media Encoder 7.01.00.3055
- Netscape Navigator
6/6.01
- Sonic Foundry Sound
Forge 5.0c (build 184)
The
Content Creation benchmark taxes system bandwidth and
the FPU more heavily than the "Office Type"
applications that are run in the Business Winstone
test.
The tables are turned
here. The KT266A was about 8% "faster" than the
nForce in the Content Creation tests. Again, we
should remind you that the nForce had 32MB less RAM
available because of the IGP. Without this
limitation, the scores would surely be closer.
CONCLUSION:
There is a
lot to consider when thinking about the nForce
because it succeeds on so many levels. As an
"integrated" platform, it simply has no rival (at
least not yet). The integrated GeForce 2 video
is far superior to any other integrated solution
currently on the market. The integrated audio
processing unit is also top notch, as is the
integrated NIC. For someone looking to quickly
and cheaply build a system, the nForce is an excellent
choice. Add drives, a case, RAM and a CPU and
you've got a complete system that will be a snap to
configure. The really exciting thing is, power
users would only have to purchase a higher end video
card and they too would have an excellent system.
While retail nForce boards will cost more than most
others, the fact that you won't have to purchase a
sound card or a NIC offsets the higher price of the
motherboard.
NVIDIA has
done an excellent job with the nForce. It is a
highly integrated, yet high performing chipset that
fits into a broad range of markets. Because this
is not a retail product, and most of you will never
have this particular piece of hardware in your
possession, we will hold of on posting a rating.
We are however very excited to get "retail" nForce
boards into the lab and fully expect the nForce to
gain mass acceptance with both OEMs and enthusiasts
alike.
Think you
know about this hardware stuff? Then get into
the New H.H. Forum and Flap Those Gums!
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