
| Test Hardware Configurations | ||
|---|---|---|
| $1,600 Alternative PC | Q1 2013 $1,000 PC | |
| Processor (Overclock) | Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40 GHz, Four Physical Cores O/C to 4.40 GHz, 1.30 V | Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40 GHz, Four Physical Cores O/C to 4.40 GHz, 1.28 V |
| Graphics (Overclock) | 2 x PowerColor 2GBD5-2DHPPV3E: 975 MHz GPU, GDDR5-6000, CrossFire O/C to 1,200 MHz GDDR5-6400 | PowerColor 2GBD5-2DHPPV3E: 975 MHz GPU, GDDR5-6000 O/C to 1,200 MHz GDDR5-6400 |
| Memory (Overclock) | 8 GB Crucial DDR3-1600 CAS 8-8-8-24, O/C at 1.50 V to DDR3-2133 CL 9-9-9-24 | 8 GB Crucial DDR3-1600 CAS 8-8-8-24, O/C at 1.50 V to DDR3-2133 CL 9-9-9-24 |
| Motherboard (Overclock) | Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD4H: LGA 1155, Intel Z77 Express Stock 100 MHz BCLK | ASRock Z77 Extreme4: LGA 1155, Intel Z77 Express Stock 100 MHz BCLK |
| Optical | Asus DRW-24B1ST: 24x DVD±R | Lite-On iHAS124: 24x DVD±R |
| Case | Fractal Design Define R4 | Rosewill Redbone U3 |
| CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-D14 | Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus |
| Hard Drive | Mushkin Chronos Deluxe DX 240 GB, SATA 6Gb/s SSD | Mushkin Chronos Deluxe DX 240 GB, SATA 6Gb/s SSD |
| Power | Corsair HX750: 750 W Modular, ATX12V v2.3, 80 PLUS Gold | Antec Neo Eco 520C: ATX12V v2.3, 80 PLUS |
| Software | ||
| OS | Microsoft Windows 8 Pro x64 | |
| Graphics | AMD Catalyst 13.2 Beta 6 | AMD Catalyst 13.1 |
| Chipset | Intel INF 9.3.0.1026 | Intel INF 9.3.0.1026 |
The same software installation that gave me good results with a single card returned OpenCL errors with two cards. An update to Catalyst 13.2 Beta 6 solved those errors.
| 3D Game Benchamarks | |
|---|---|
| Battlefield 3 | Campaign Mode, "Going Hunting" 90-Second Fraps Test Set 1: Medium Quality Defaults (No AA, 4x AF) Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Defaults (4x AA, 16x AF) |
| F1 2012 | Version 1.2, Direct X 11, Built-in Benchmark Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA Test Set 2: Ultra Quality, 8x MSAA |
| Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Update 1.5.26, Celedon Aethirborn Level 6, 25-Second Fraps Test Set 1: DX11, High Details No AA, 8x AF, FXAA enabled Test Set 2: DX11, Ultra Details, 8x AA, 16x AF, FXAA enabled |
| Far Cry 3 | V. 1.04, DirectX 11, 50-second Fraps "Amanaki Outpost" Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA, Standard ATC., SSAO Test Set 2: Ultra Quality, 4x MSAA, Enhanced ATC, HDAO |
| Adobe Creative Suite | |
| Adobe After Effects CS6 | Version 11.0.0.378 x64: Create Video which includes three Streams, 210 Frames, Render Multiple Frames Simultaneosly |
| Adobe Photoshop CS6 | Version 13 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
| Adobe Premeire Pro CS6 | Version 6.0.0.0, 6.61 GB MXF Project to H.264 to H.264 Blu-ray, Output 1920x1080, Maximum Quality |
| Audio/Video Encoding | |
| iTunes | Version 10.4.1.10 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format |
| Lame MP3 | Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s) |
| HandBrake CLI | Version: 0.98: Video from Canon Eos 7D (1920x1080, 25 FPS) 1 Minutes 22 Seconds Audio: PCM-S16, 48,000 Hz, Two-Channel, to Video: AVC1 Audio: AAC (High Profile) |
| TotalCode Studio 2.5 | Version: 2.5.0.10677: MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, Two-Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV |
| Productivity | |
| ABBYY FineReader | Version 10.0.102.95: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages |
| Adobe Acrobat X | Version 10.0.0.396: Print PDF from 115-Page PowerPoint, 128-bit RC4 Encryption |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 | Version 14.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
| Blender | Version: 2.64a, Cycles Engine, Syntax blender -b thg.blend -f 1, 1920x1080, 8x Anti-Aliasing, Render THG.blend frame 1 |
| Visual Studio 2010 | Version 10.0, Compile Google Chrome, Scripted |
| File Compression | |
| WinZip | Version 17.0 Pro: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r" |
| WinRAR | Version 4.2: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3" |
| 7-Zip | Version 9.28: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" |
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
| 3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.1.0, Benchmark Only |
| PCMark 7 | Version: 1.0.4 x64, System, Productivity, Hard Disk Drive benchmarks |
| SiSoftware Sandra 2011 | Version Version 2013.01.19.11, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / Cryptography, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
Previous
Next
Summary
- The Magic Of Anticipation
- CPU, CPU Cooler, And Memory
- Motherboard, Graphics, And Power
- Case, SSD, Hard Drive, And Optical Drive
- The Initial Installation: My First Attempt
- Ten Days, Ten Solutions?
- Starting Over, This Time With Success
- Overclocking
- Test Settings And Benchmarks
- Results: 3DMark And PCMark
- Results: Battlefield 3 And Far Cry 3
- Results: F1 2012 And Skyrim
- Results: Non-Gaming Applications
- Power, Heat, And Efficiency
- The Less-Obvious Benefits Of Spending More
Ask a Category Expert
That sort of thing happens once in a blue moon. Don't let it bother you.
I guess Tom's tale of woe summarizes why Intel recommends against higher than 1.575 volts on the memory controller of Ivy/Sandy:
http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-029913.htm#4
Intel® recommends using memory that adheres to the Jedec memory specification for DDR3 memory which is 1.5 volts, plus or minus 5%. Anything more than this voltage can damage the processor or significantly reduce the processor life span.
In any case, the performance benefits of overclocking memory on a Sandy/Ivy platform seem so miniscule that it's scarcely even worth considering. Buy memory capable of an appropriate speed @ 1.5V, and leave it be.
(I know Tom mentions Intel's position on memory voltage on the last page of the article, but I wanted to re-emphasize it because I've seen literally hundreds of people dismiss Intel's statement on various hardware forums. When sites like Tom's Hardware push limits, even for questionable performance gains, we all benefit -- but when someone who's on a budget and might not know any better pushes limits on his own, hard-earned hardware, the results might be tragic. Tom's experiments with this stuff so we don't have to.)
"Video Cards: 2 x 7870 LE - PowerColor PCS+ AX7870 Myst Edition"
After all, it is much more than a standard 7870.
I had no idea it was the LE until I got to the third page.
I think I'm a bit afraid to build computers now. If either of those situations would have happened to my $600 build, I would have cried and given up...
That sort of thing happens once in a blue moon. Don't let it bother you.
I guess Tom's tale of woe summarizes why Intel recommends against higher than 1.575 volts on the memory controller of Ivy/Sandy:
http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-029913.htm#4
Intel® recommends using memory that adheres to the Jedec memory specification for DDR3 memory which is 1.5 volts, plus or minus 5%. Anything more than this voltage can damage the processor or significantly reduce the processor life span.
In any case, the performance benefits of overclocking memory on a Sandy/Ivy platform seem so miniscule that it's scarcely even worth considering. Buy memory capable of an appropriate speed @ 1.5V, and leave it be.
(I know Tom mentions Intel's position on memory voltage on the last page of the article, but I wanted to re-emphasize it because I've seen literally hundreds of people dismiss Intel's statement on various hardware forums. When sites like Tom's Hardware push limits, even for questionable performance gains, we all benefit -- but when someone who's on a budget and might not know any better pushes limits on his own, hard-earned hardware, the results might be tragic. Tom's experiments with this stuff so we don't have to.)
Heh, by that I didn't mean to dismiss your hardship. Sorry to hear it, definitely!
And thanks for all the hard work. Excellent article.
I have a serious question for you. Does Tom's know about the overclocker's secret when it comes to RAM? I've been amazed that you guys don't use it in your enthusiast builds, ever. It's pretty much the most overclockable ram ever seen, is low profile, and only costs $50 for 8GB.
I don't want to spoil the name and tell everyone, but, well... it's the only ddr 3 ram out there that uses a 22nm process.
really appreciate the hard work and the excellent, interesting article.
i liked the gigabyte board choice, better than asrock extreme4.
one question - do the recent events related to asrock extreme4 change your recommendations, especially with heavy air coolers? how about other motherboards (incl. asrock) that seem to offer better features in exchange for pcb strength?
imo mid/mini/tower cases should include some kind of standardized, customizable suspension support(from the case ceiling) for heavy air coolers. the suspension could be made from wire or metal/plastic (resizable) rods etc. or make more cases like cooler master haf xb lan box. aio coolers like nzxt kraken x40 may be an alternative.
My system is an I-7 2600K CPU and so maybe with the larger mounting surface of the 3570 CPU there may be other considerations. But if that was true, we would read about this problem in the Newegg reviews and we simply don't see the problem that you mention. You may want to look at your installation method.
You know what would be better still? Through bolts to the motherboard tray, like we see on SSI-CEB boards.
But Intel tried that with BTX, and nobody bought it. I personally blame Intel for not making BTX an extension of ATX, since cross-compatibility could have helped the cooler support mechanism and cooling tunnel survive market resistance.
I think that this is one of the reasons that Intel decided to go with CLCs for Sandybridge-e CPUs. When I had to RMA a CPU (i5 2500K) last year the tech at Intel was aghast at my not using their standard cooler. When I told him that I knew that Intel was using CLCs for their SB-e line and couldn't object, he laughed and approved the RMA.
I agree with Crashman about the cooler OEMs supplying a stiffening motherboard tray, that distributes the torque, if they are using oversized heatsinks.
I was actually more interested in this article than in the normal evaluations of systems because of your story of tribulations with the motherboard and CPU. I'm glad to know that you pursued the problem to its end because I would have had problems affording 4 mobos and 3 CPUs.
And I am sticking to CLCs in my gaming builds and recommendations in the fora. A CLC may be a bit more expensive and a little less efficient that an air cooler, but I have had yet to see one crack a motherboard and the cascading problems you experienced.