Source: Tom's Hardware – Keywords: nvidia, hybrid, sli
Categories: Graphics
Test Components
| System Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Phenom X3 8750, 2.40GHz, 1.5 MB L2 + 2 MB L3 Cache |
| Motherboard | ASUS M3N-HT Deluxe, BIOS 0708 (04/25/2008) |
| RAM | Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400, 2x 2048 MB, CAS 4.0-4-4-12 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar 16 WD5000AAKS 500 GB, 7200 RPM, 16 MB Cache, SATA 300 |
| Networking | NVIDIA nForce onboard Gigabit Ethernet NIC |
| Graphics Cards | Gigabyte GeForce 9800GX2, 1024 MB RAM Gigabyte GeForce 8500GT, 256 MB RAM Gigabyte GeForce 8400GS, 256 MB RAM |
| Power Supply | Coolermaster RS850-EMBA (850W, ATX12V v2.2) |
| System Software & Drivers | |
| OS | Windows Vista Ultimate 6.0.6000 (Vista Retail) |
| DirectX Version | DirectX 10.0 |
| Platform Driver | nVIDIA nForce Version 18.11 |
| Graphics Driver | nVIDIA ForceWare 175.14 |
The Asus M3N-HT Deluxe carries the flag for NVidia’s latest 780a SLI chipset, waving the Hybrid SLI banner high.
Hybrid Power and GeForce Boost both rely on discrete graphics processors for 3D performance, so we got a few from Gigabyte. The firm’s 9800GX2 part number GV-NX98X1GHI-B will allow us to access hybrid power efficiency on the most power-hungry of architectures, while its 8500GT and 8400GS, part numbers GV-NX85T256H and GV-NX84G256HE respectively, give us the current "spread" of GeForce Boost performance enhancement.
Many games are limited by the CPU rather than the graphics chip, so we needed a top processor model. AMD’s Phenom X3 has one more core than most games can support, uses the latest B3 stepping which has removed the previous TLB errata, and its X3 8750 comes clocked at an acceptable 2.40 GHz.
Heat is the enemy of stability, and while we’re not overclocking in today’s article the Zalman CNPS9700 prepares the same processor for future abuse.
We’ve used this same set of Crucial Ballistix through many builds, and its survival is a testament to its quality.
Another long-term survivor is Cooler Master’s Real Power Pro RS-850-EMBA, a unit that even withstood our previous system builder marathon’s 3-way SLI experiment...and the cabling tomfoolery required to connect the third card.
- Previous page Introduction
- Next page Benchmark Settings
- How To Overclock Your Graphics Card
- PCI Express 2.0 Graphics Cards: How Much Extra Performance Do They...
- Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX Review
- Nvidia GeForce 9800 GX2 Review
- The Best Gaming Graphics cards for Your Money: March 2008
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- Fresh from Canada - ATI's Radeon HD 3450 and HD 3650
- The Best Gaming Graphics Cards for Your Money: February 2008
- ATI R680: the Rage Fury MAXX 2?
- Crossfire meets PCI Express 2.0 – More Lanes, More Frames?
Can someone answer me the question. Why is onboard graphics so much better at preserving energy per performance amount than a normal graphics card.
You can't play most games at 100x100 on an onboard chip so there is nothing to use any energy.
You thrown in a 3d Card which has 1000000x more transistors and you have to power them up to get the game moving. I hope the next war for gfx card speed will be fps per watt. 1watt card running at 60fsp will do me.
My PC broke last year and there was a dip in my bill for the month that I didn't play games. Thats a worry for me. Soon it wont be the cost of the game; but how much I have to play to power my rig per level.
will you be recieving a new motherboard to run the tests again with the 9800GX2??
That last graph (performance per watt) is completely flawed because it doesn't take into account the energy used by the PC. Unless overall system performance per watt is what you wanted, in which case it gets a lot more complicated...
btw looking at the impact on power consumption of limiting performance via v-sync (or another mechanism) would be interesting for a future article on power usage.