Benchmark Results: Stalker: Clear Sky
Stalker sports another demanding 3D engine, but at high settings with no AA, the $1,300 Micro-ATX system handles it very well. Even at stock clock speeds, the system manages to push out about 60 FPS on average at 1920x1200. The CPU overclock does add a noticeable amount of performance, even at this resolution, indicating that this title is highly CPU-dependent.
When 4xAA is added, things slow down considerably and the CPU overclock accomplishes much less as the bottleneck is once again shifted to the graphics cards. Here we see 1680x1050 performance is good, and 1920x1200 is perhaps on the verge of comfortable, depending how low the minimum frame rates fall.
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I wonder why this system builder marathon was limited to Micro-ATX cases. Is there a general trend towards these things or what? I'm looking to build a whole new system soon and I can't see any reason to go Micro-ATX.
I don’t think it’s a trend, think of it as more of a challenge. Some people don’t want to have a giant full/mid tower sitting next to them.
Right, I don't mind that at all, so I'll stick to a normal case when assembling my next system. Thanks!
Nice challenge but what's the point when the system dies a couple of months down the line due to shorten life span of all components as a result of high temps. Then you spend another $1300?
I can't remember if it was this or one of the other SBM articles this month, but they mentioned something about these PCs being LAN boxes - if so heat is going to be even more of an issue (much higher ambient temps, cases right next to each other) so this system would be pretty unviable.
I know that my PC runs as much as 10 degress hotter in that environment - if it's in the low 90s on the CPU and at the limit of GPU stability already, another ten degrees will see it constantly throttling, making errors or shutting down.
Assuming that we were building a full ATX system, what would have been the motherboard of choice for this PC?
Can I also remind everyone that these articles are irrelevent on this side of the Atlantic? Intel and nVidia prices in particular are far, FAR lower in the US - such a system would be over 30% more over here! SLI GTX260 for £200 my arse!