Benchmark Results: Audio/Video
The gap between AMD’s Athlon X2 and the Atom 230 in Shuttle’s X2700 widens yet again as we convert the Terminator 2 soundtrack to Advanced Audio Coding in iTunes. The task, measured in seconds, is completed more than three times faster by the 2.1 GHz dual-core chip.
Different benchmark, same results. Both the DivX and XviD conversions happen at least twice as fast on the Athlon versus Intel’s Atom 230.
Again, converting our MPEG2 sample to H.264 finishes on the Athlon in about a third the time as Shuttle’s X2700.
If you were looking to the X27 as the perfect mini-ITX add-on to your home theater with a slim Blu-ray player, think again. The integrated GMA 950 graphics core does have some MPEG2 acceleration, but it can’t help in our "Casino Royale" rip, which doesn’t even need to be decrypted on the fly. As a result, the 1.6 GHz Atom is pegged at 100% as PowerDVD skips and stutters along. In contrast, the Radeon HD 4670 with its Avivo HD circuitry helps offload playback.