MSI Eclipse Plus: Does nForce 200 Boost 3-Way SLI?
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Benchmark Results: 3DMark Vantage, Power Consumption
3DMark Vantage again shows a 3-way SLI performance issue in the P6T, and we expect it to be almost entirely due to GPU bandwidth.
Indeed, the GPU score suffers tremendously due to the P6T’s reduced-bandwidth third slot.
CPU performance is far less of a problem for the P6T, even though 3DMark uses GPU-based physics in its CPU calculations.
The P6T has the fewest onboard features among today’s three motherboards, while the Rampage II Extreme and Eclipse Plus are nearly equal. The P6T is also the most miserly, though the Eclipse Plus appears to have a slightly more efficient CPU voltage regulator.
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Current page: Benchmark Results: 3DMark Vantage, Power Consumption
Prev Page Benchmark Results: Stalker And World in Conflict Next Page Performance Analysis And ConclusionThomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
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53 Comments
Comment from the forums
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Proximon Interesting results to be sure, but now I want to know how much performance difference there is with just a single card. I kind of feel there is a control lacking because we don't see how just the single X16 performs in each case.Reply
Still, the consistent performance of the top end boards make me a believer, I just would have liked that baseline to see if there were any other factors at work. -
curnel_D ProximonInteresting results to be sure, but now I want to know how much performance difference there is with just a single card. I kind of feel there is a control lacking because we don't see how just the single X16 performs in each case.Still, the consistent performance of the top end boards make me a believer, I just would have liked that baseline to see if there were any other factors at work.Reply
By the data presented, we can pretty much gather that it'd be very close to the same. It's the same chipset controling the first slot on both boards, while the Nforce controler takes over the second and third on the msi. So there's really no point in benching a motherboard for something it wasnt designed for. -
phatboe Honestly I'm sick of Intel, I want them to allow NVidia to make core i7 chipsets so that we can see some kind of competition in chipsets.Reply -
apache_lives phatboeHonestly I'm sick of Intel, I want them to allow NVidia to make core i7 chipsets so that we can see some kind of competition in chipsets.Reply
Nvidia chipsets are no match to Intel chipsets (drivers, overclocking, stability, reliability), and with Intel having SLI support theres no point in an Nvidia chipset.
As for MSI - i wouldnt even spend $50 on an MSI product let alone this product - they are RUBBISH cheap crap poorly designed products. -
SpadeM This reminds me of an article waaaaaay back, actually 2 articlesReply
1. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-7800gs-confirms-agp-aint-dead,1213-2.html
and
2. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pci-express-scaling-analysis,1572.html
I'd be grateful if you could revisit the second one, since GTX285/GTX295 + HD4890/HD4870X2 are with us now, and there's PCIe 2.0.
I know that things probably wouldn't have changed much since that article since PCIe 2.0 goes 2xPCIe link speed so it is simple math to get some numbers but, still, it might be worth looking into since new chipsets and processors are available also.
Anyways thanks for the good read. -
Ramar apache_livesAs for MSI - i wouldnt even spend $50 on an MSI product let alone this product - they are RUBBISH cheap crap poorly designed products.Reply
I've got several friends running MSI boards that they love and have been running for years. They don't look like much but I've never seen one pop a cap or anything. -
neiroatopelcc apache_livesAs for MSI - i wouldnt even spend $50 on an MSI product let alone this product - they are RUBBISH cheap crap poorly designed products.Really? Have you ever had one?Reply
I've used msi boards now and then at least since canterwood, but have yet to see a single board that is rubbish - or cheap. The designs are usually superior to asus, but then apart from support that is asus' single biggest weakness.
Overall the ONLY bad thing I can say about msi is the lack of active cooling on their 790GX boards. They do run without active cooling, but they run so much cooler with it. I usually end up running a socket a fan @ 7v on the chipset heatsink on those boards just to be sure I won't have to look at them again in a few years because they died. -
scook9 The nForce 200 is simply a marketing ploy by nvidia, that until today was working. This article exposes the shortcoming of it, you cant make something from nothing, you will still be limited by the original PCIe lanes off the northbridge. And sadly - for the extreme high end user, I don't see northbridges with 48+ PCIe 2.0 lanes coming any time soon.Reply
I really wish Intel had played nice with nvidia and gotten us SLI on x38/x48, or maybe try to retroactively garner that ability. I have always preferred Intel's chipsets to Nvidia's. The nforce chips just can't overclock worth a dam. I mean really, who better to make a chipset for a CPU than the CPU designer.
After this article I am still pretty happy with my Rampage II GENE and its x16-x16 SLI (GTX 275s). I only play on a 24" screen, so I can't justify 3 way SLI at all.
If Tom's gets some spare time, I would like to see a 1x vs. 2x. vs. 3x SLI comparison, to see just how well the drivers actually scale.