PCIe And CrossFire Scaling: Does Nvidia's NF200 Fix P55?

Features
By Thomas Soderstrom
published

Performance Summary

Disregarding the inconsistent 3DMark results, let’s see how each configuration compares in average gaming capability. We begin once again with the lowest test resolution.

The P55’s native PCIe controller is already in trouble from a triple-GPU perspective, averaging a mere 2.6 FPS higher than the same motherboard with two graphics processors. Amazingly, both NF200-enhanced P55 motherboards are nearly as good with CrossFireX as the purpose-designed X58.

Triple CrossFireX continues to look like a bad idea for standard P55 motherboards through the 1920x1200 resolution, but the NF200-enhanced versions still look like a safe bet compared to X58.

A shift from bandwidth limitations to GPU power limits begins to occur at 2560x1600, but the NF200 is still required to make LGA 1156-based platforms approach X58 performance in a CrossFireX configuration.

NF200-enhanced P55 platforms stay within 3% of X58 performance levels all the way up through our highest test settings.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
62 Comments Comment from the forums
  • liquidsnake718
    Score One for the X58. The NF200 should help the P55 however but at an added cost. ALl in all interesting to see that Nvidia has been busy making this for the onboard and motherboard vendors instead of focusing on the GF100. I am sure they are really strategizing and letting AMD/ATi get the upper hand for a short time as their target market for business is also reaching a wider market in motherboard vendors. Then when GF100 comes out, ppl will see the type of quality GPUs that are meant to please the eye and take on the best and most demanding apps/games/HD content.
    Reply
  • outlw6669
    With dual CrossFire/SLI (where it really matters most) it is kinda hard to fix something that ain't broken.

    Nice gains with three way though.
    Pretty sure if you have $1200 to dump on GPU's you would have gotten the proper platform in the first place...
    Reply
  • falchard
    MSI wins again.
    Reply
  • apache_lives
    well there you go, high end x58/1366 systems with a high end price offer the higher performance, and pushing a mid-range 1156 platform to high end performance requires extra exotic equipement/chips to do it - no new news here
    Reply
  • apache_lives
    outlw6669With dual CrossFire/SLI (where it really matters most) it is kinda hard to fix something that ain't broken.Nice gains with three way though.Pretty sure if you have $1200 to dump on GPU's you would have gotten the proper platform in the first place...
    Exactly my point +1000
    Reply
  • elmo_gr
    Testing should have been done with 5670's
    Reply
  • mfarrukh
    Just Give us the Dman FERMI already
    Reply
  • 2shea
    It proves again that the x58 is stock the best performer albeit not very much in comparison with the buffed up p55 gf200 chipset. But in practical mode, I don't see the big wins with triple vs. dual gpu's. Moreover I probably won't even go dual videocards because of the relative high fps which don't matter much, 60+ is more than enough for any game on a flatscreen monitor. 30+ is mostly enough for most single player games.
    It DOES however prove that the chip gives a reasonable gain if games are going to demand more then they do now. The only games available that can really max out anything are crysis, WIC, total commander and that's pretty much all.
    For the rest pretty good article though
    Reply
  • Hupiscratch
    I prefer to use the remaining 4x PCI-e 2.0 lanes of the X58 for a Fusion-io Duo drive. Can you imagine?
    Reply
  • a4mula
    I bow to you Crashman. This was the granddaddy of all p55 reviews and I openly admit to standing corrected. I honestly didn't believe the NF200 could pull it off, but I was obviously wrong.

    I wish this review had come a week earlier, I would have gone 1156 over 1366 but at least it finally showed up. The last vestiges of X58's hold over P55 have been erased in my mind.

    Now you can move on to figuring out SATA 6Gb/s for us. I know, I know I'm never pleased. Great work.

    Reply