Page 2: BIOS, testing
<B>BIOS</B>:
The BIOS of the board seemed lacking to me, until I pressed the cntl+F1 key at the main screen (not shown), this brings up the Advanced Chipset menu for changing the RAM settings. Why the option is hidden is beyond me.
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This is the screen you'll be greeted with if you don't press cntl+F1.
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You'll see no voltage readings here, just OK or Fail. The DDR Ram voltage is running out of spec (set by me). That is why it is Fail.
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Here we have the overclocking options. The problem is that the memory dividers are a bit lacking. If they made 1.5 dividers, then I could run at 250 Mhz FSB. Alas, it isn't. The other options are well enough. Not shown is the RAM settings screen, it gives you the normal options for Ram (Cas, Interleave, etc). Why the CPU voltage jumps from 1.6 to 1.68 is a mystery to me. Steady increases below that, but I just don't know.
<B>Testing</B>:
I tested this board against (you guessed it!) my Abit IS7-E (The E means cheap!). It is also a Springdale board and should give a nice comparison.
The testing setup is the same as the previous SiS 648FX board.
P4 2.4C Ghz
512MB Crucial PC3200
Leadtek FX5600
80GB WD HDD
44.03 nVidia
Latest Intel INF
All tests were run at 640x480 at the lowest detail setting if possible. Red is the Gigabyte board while Grey is the Abit.
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First up is 3D Mark 2001. We can see that the Abit board edges out, but statistically, this could be percent error factoring in.
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Next up is 3D Mark 2003. Seems the two boards are pretty much even still.
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In Commanche 4 and in RCTW: ET, the Gigabyte Springdale board edges past the Abit solution. Of course, this is statistically a tie as well.
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</center>
PC Mark scores are in favor of the Gigabyte board. Hands down, the Gigabyte is the winner by a hair.
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</center>
Sandra shows a different picture. The Gigabyte board loses in Ram performance, but wins in Hard Drive performance.
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With all the SPEC tests, the Abit board wins out by a hair.
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</center>
In Super Pi, both boards are exactly the same. There is no difference.
<B>What it means</B>...
A Springdale is a Springdale. You'll need to look at the features and price of a board instead of the performance alone.
The BIOS of the board seemed lacking to me, until I pressed the cntl+F1 key at the main screen (not shown), this brings up the Advanced Chipset menu for changing the RAM settings. Why the option is hidden is beyond me.
<center>
</center>This is the screen you'll be greeted with if you don't press cntl+F1.
<center>
</center>You'll see no voltage readings here, just OK or Fail. The DDR Ram voltage is running out of spec (set by me). That is why it is Fail.
<center>
</center>Here we have the overclocking options. The problem is that the memory dividers are a bit lacking. If they made 1.5 dividers, then I could run at 250 Mhz FSB. Alas, it isn't. The other options are well enough. Not shown is the RAM settings screen, it gives you the normal options for Ram (Cas, Interleave, etc). Why the CPU voltage jumps from 1.6 to 1.68 is a mystery to me. Steady increases below that, but I just don't know.
<B>Testing</B>:
I tested this board against (you guessed it!) my Abit IS7-E (The E means cheap!). It is also a Springdale board and should give a nice comparison.
The testing setup is the same as the previous SiS 648FX board.
P4 2.4C Ghz
512MB Crucial PC3200
Leadtek FX5600
80GB WD HDD
44.03 nVidia
Latest Intel INF
All tests were run at 640x480 at the lowest detail setting if possible. Red is the Gigabyte board while Grey is the Abit.
<center>
</center>First up is 3D Mark 2001. We can see that the Abit board edges out, but statistically, this could be percent error factoring in.
<center>
</center>Next up is 3D Mark 2003. Seems the two boards are pretty much even still.
<center>
</center>In Commanche 4 and in RCTW: ET, the Gigabyte Springdale board edges past the Abit solution. Of course, this is statistically a tie as well.
<center>
</center>PC Mark scores are in favor of the Gigabyte board. Hands down, the Gigabyte is the winner by a hair.
<center>
</center>Sandra shows a different picture. The Gigabyte board loses in Ram performance, but wins in Hard Drive performance.
<center>
</center>With all the SPEC tests, the Abit board wins out by a hair.
<center>
</center>In Super Pi, both boards are exactly the same. There is no difference.
<B>What it means</B>...
A Springdale is a Springdale. You'll need to look at the features and price of a board instead of the performance alone.