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3D Performance
To get an estimate of how well each board's integrated graphics plays
games, we ran 3DMark05/06. As synthetic benchmarks they have limited value,
but they give a rough idea of how well an IGP performs.
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3D Performance: Futuremark Comparison
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Motherboard
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Graphics
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3DMark05
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3DMark06
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Intel D945GCLF2
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GMA950
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265
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N/A
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Zotac GeForce 8200-ITX
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GF8200
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1623
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869
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Asus M3N78 Pro
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GF8300
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1669
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902
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Asus P5Q-EM
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X4500HD
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1708
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1092
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Gigabyte MA78GM-2SH
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HD 3200
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2293
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1116
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Zotac IONITX
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ION
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2798
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1397
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Gigabyte MA790GP-DS4H
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HD 3300 (Sideport)
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3377
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1668
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Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX
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GF9300
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3522
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1797
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All results with 2GB of system RAM and 256MB of
VRAM assigned for IGP's (128MB Sideport + 128MB UMA for boards with Sideport
memory). AMD systems in green (X2 4850E), Intel systems in blue (E7200).
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The board scored 2798 in 3DMark05 and 1397 in 3DMark06, placing it somewhere
between AMD's HD 3200 and HD 3300 IGPs (used with a X2 4850e processor). It easily surpasses the Intel GMA950 normally paired with Atom. When we tested GMA950, it could not even produce a viable 3DMark06
score.
At lower resolutions, the CPU plays a big part in gaming performance, so the Atom N330 would probably be the bottleneck. On a 1024x600
netbook screen, it would probably be fast enough to play some modern games smoothly,
but at standard desktop resolution, it is a whole different story.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The first incarnation of Nvidia's highly anticipated ION platform lives up to the hype for the most part. The Zotac IONITX-A has a ton of
features and is frugal in power consumption. The built-in power
supply with 90W power brick is enough to handle almost any extra hardware connected
to the system and produces no noise. It is well-suited complement
to the CPU/GPU's massive heatsink, which can be run fanless, though in a typical
mini-ITX case, some forced airflow from a fan is probably necessary. The board's dual core Atom
CPU is powerful enough to smoothly handle typical PC usage, though we
suggest using Windows XP or 7 for a faster experience, especially
if boot time is important. The CPU can also be overclocked easily to 2 GHz for
a little extra boost.
We had a couple of problems with the onboard graphics. Our video test suite
would not play smoothly until PowerDVD was upgraded to the latest iteration.
Even then, the VC-1 test clip wouldn't play smoothly no matter what was tried,
and an unusual pattern of CPU usage occurred during playback. In addition,
the board would not run at 1920 x 1200 resolution at 32-bit color or nor allow Vista's Aero to run unless the IGP was assigned 512MB of memory. These
symptoms suggest that the ION IGP, even though it is essentially a GeForce 9400M variant,
is behaving like a new GPU — we suspect there is some driver/software
optimization left to be done. It should be noted that we have not seen any other
reports of the board failing VC-1 playback, so this particular problem may be
specific to our sample and/or test clip.
One sorely missed feature is Wake-on USB. Like the Zotac
GeForce 9300 before it, the IONITX cannot be brought out of sleep/standby
using a USB device like a wireless mouse, keyboard or remote control. It is
perhaps only strike against the IONITX as a HTPC. However, our test
configuration only drew 22W idle so leaving it on 24/7 isn't going to single-handedly
accelerate global climate change or force you to take out second mortgage on your
home.
The IONITX-A has a $179 MSRP and is currently listed at Amazon for $190. The
extra $100 over the Intel D945GCLF2 nets you a much more capable GPU, digital video and
audio outputs, almost every feature under the sun including eSATA and 802.11n,
and a built-in power supply. All that can be ascertained from looking at the
specification sheet; the extra power efficiency we found and the possibility of fanless
operation is what really puts the IONITX over the top. There simply
isn't any better motherboard right now for a very small, quiet,
efficient, yet capable PC.
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Zotac IONITX-A
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PROS
* Very energy efficient
* Many features incld. 802.11n & eSATA
* Passive heatsink
* Fanless power supply included
* Blu-ray ready
* Can overclock
* Well-priced |
CONS
* No fan control
* No Wake-on USB
* Some issues with the IGP |
Our thanks to Zotac
for the IONITX sample.
* * *
Articles of Related Interest
Asus
M4A78-HTPC/RC: A Complete HTPC Solution?
Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi: Good
Things Come in Small Packages
Asus M4A78T-E AM3 motherboard
Zotac GeForce 8200-ITX WiFi: A Compact
AM2 Solution
Apex MI-008: A Cheap Quiet mini-ITX Case?
mCubed HFX Micro S13 system: Atom
330, Silenced
* * *
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