Benchmarking continued

CINEBENCH 2003

CINEBENCH 2003 is the free benchmarking tool for Windows and Mac OS based on the powerful 3D software CINEMA 4D R8. The tool is set to deliver accurate benchmarks by testing not only a computer's raw processing speed but also all other areas that affect system performance such as OpenGL, multithreading, multiprocessors and Intel's HT Technology. CINEBENCH 2003 includes render tasks that test the performance of up to 16 multiprocessors on the same computer.

ScienceMark 2.0 Final:

Science Mark 2.0 is an attempt to put the truth behind benchmarking. In an attempt to model real world demands and performance, ScienceMark 2.0 is a suite of high-performance benchmarks that realistically stress system performance without architectural bias. Lower results (time in seconds) represent better performance. All of our testing was completed on the 32 Bit Final benchmark version that is dated March 21, 2005.

Super PI

Super Pi is a program a lot of enthusiasts use to benchmark overall system performance, as the program is capable of calculating pi up to 33.55 million digits on a timer.  Many overclockers and enthusiasts are in a battle to get the lowest 1M Super Pi time possible

Doom 3

Doom 3 is one of the most system taxing games available. Its popularity also makes it a great choice for system benchmarking. I like to use Time Demo 1 with resolution set to 1024x768 with detail set to high.

Far Cry- Volcano

Far Cry is another super popular FPS title that seriously taxes your systems graphics. HardwareOC developed this specialized benchmarking utility that automatically runs the test twice and averages out the score. V 1.41 was used here, with a resolution of 1024x768 and detail levels set to high.

As you can see from our benchmarking, not much separates these boards performance wise at stock speeds. Both DFI and ECS should be happy with these results, as should any system builder looking for a solid, if not spectacular board.

As usual, what will separate the great boards from the good ones is overclocking. DFI has built their reputation around the enthusiast market and their extreme overclocking ability, while ECS has really stepped up lately with some very stable boards that lack serious overclocking ability.