Test Settings And Benchmark Configuration
For many bucks-up gamers, the big question is whether to choose a portable desktop or gaming notebook for their travels. Representing today’s portable desktop is Shuttle’s tiny SX58H7 SFF (Shuttle Form Factor) cube.
Please check out today’s notebook comparison for more details on the Eurocom comparison system.
| Desktop To Mobile Graphics Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| GTX 280M Test System | GTX 280 Test System | |
| Model | Eurocom D900F Panther | Shuttle SX58H7 Barebones |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 965 3.20 GHz, 8.0 MB Cache | Intel Core i7 920 at 3.20 GHz 200 MHz BCLK, 16x Multiplier |
| Chipset | Intel X58/ICH10R | Intel X58/ICH10R |
| RAM | 6.0 GB DDR3-1066 CAS 7 | 6.0 GB DDR3-1200 CAS 8 |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M 580 MHz GPU, GDDR3-1900 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 602 MHz GPU, GDDR3-2214 |
| HDD | 2 x Seagate 7200.4 500 GB RAID 0 | WD VelociRaptor WD30000HLFS |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio | Integrated HD Audio |
| Networking | Integrated Gigabit LAN | Integrated Gigabit LAN |
| Software | ||
| OS | Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 | |
| Graphics | GeForce 185.85 Mobile | GeForce 185.85 Desktop |
With too-few Core i7-965 Extreme processors to share amongst every editor, this editor chose to overclock the Shuttle’s barebones PC’s Core i7-920 to 3.20 GHz for a performance match to the Eurocom notebook’s Core i7-965 Extreme.
Eurocom included 6.0 GB of DDR3-1066 CAS 7-7-7-20 memory in its D900F Panther. Overclocking the comparison system’s base clock to achieve an identical CPU clock kept us from finding an exact match in DRAM speed, so the desktop instead used a DDR3-1200 setting with slower CAS 8-8-8-24 timings to produce similar performance.
To assure readers this was a fair comparison in spite of the change in base clock, we also added some CPU and memory benchmarks to this simple graphics comparison.
| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
| 3D Games | |
| Crysis | Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit executable, benchmark tool |
| Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA | |
| Test Set 2: Very High Quality, No AA | |
| Far Cry 2 | DirectX 10, in-game benchmark |
| Test Set 1: Very High Quality, No AA | |
| Test Set 2: Ultra High Quality, 4x AA | |
| STALKER Clear Sky | Average of 4 segments "A-Tested Object' |
| Test Set 1: High Preset, DirectX 10, EFDL, no MSAA | |
| Test Set 2: High Preset, DirectX 10, EFDL, 4xMSAA | |
| World In Conflict | Patch 1009, DirectX 10, timedemo |
| Test 1: Very High Details, No AA / No AF | |
| Test 2: Very High Details 4x AA / 16x AF | |
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
| 3DMark Vantage | Version: 1.0.1, 3DMark score |
| SiSoftware Sandra 2009 SP3 | Version 2009.4.15.92, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / Multimedia, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
Because Eurocom needed its notebook back quickly, we were unable to add further benchmarks to today’s test and instead rely on the graphics portion of its system performance test suite.
