Overclocking Results

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Row 0 - Cell 0 FSB1600FSB1700FSB1800FSB1850FSB1900
Intel X48okokokxx
Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLIokokokxx
Voltage used1.3 V1.3 V1.5V1.5 V1.7V
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Row 0 - Cell 0 FSB1950FSB2000FSB2050FSB2100FSB2150
Intel X48xxxx-
Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLIxx---
Voltage used1.7 V1.8 V1.8 V2.1 V2.1 V

The X48 was able to reach 50 MHz more than the nForce 790i Ultra SLI. We reached a stable 525 MHz with the Intel solution (FSB2100), while the Nvidia chipset maxed out at 500 MHz (FSB2000). The difference certainly is small, and might vary from one motherboard design to another.

Power Consumption Results

The Nvidia chipset is clearly not the most efficient. Bear in mind that it offers many more PCI Express lanes, which should be the main reason for the increased power requirements. Whether idle or under full processor load (using Prime95), the Nvidia system requires roughly 10 watts more in exchange for three-way SLI.

x48 790i sli

x48 790i sli