Intel 925X/915: Chipset Performance & DDR2

DDR2 vs. DDR: Test Configuration

While the 925x/875 benchmarks indirectly compared DDR and DDR2, the Gigabyte 8GPNXP Duo is potentially the perfect platform for directly comparing DDR2 and DDR performance. It is an Intel 915 Socket 775 board that supports both types of memory in a dual channel configuration. First, we took a closer look to see if this design provided any performance penalty in providing support for either DDR or DDR2. One easy, but effective, way to check memory performance among boards is with a utility called "Aida 32", available as freeware from many download sites. Aida 32 has a unique memory test that measures separately read and write memory operations and then provides a composite score.

Aida 32 results were compared on all the motherboards used in these benchmarks.

Aida 32 Memory Test Results
Memory Motherboard	Read MB/sec	Write MB/sec	Composite Score
Micron DDR2 533 Intel 925X	5277	2219	7496
Micron DDR2 533 Intel 915X	5019	1898	6917
Micron DDR2 533 Gigabyte 8GPNXP Duo	5683	2087	7780
OCZ 3200 Platinum R2 Asus P4C800-E	4700	1861	6561
OCZ 3200 Platinum R2 Gigabyte 8GPNXP Duo	5440	1981	7421

It appears that the Gigabyte actually has faster DDR2 performance than either Intel motherboard. While this is very interesting and worth exploring in our future 915 roundup, it is not really important for this DDR2 and DDR comparison. The Aida 32 results clearly show that the DDR2 performance on the Gigabyte is not penalized by the dual-memory design.

Another very interesting test result, and totally unexpected, was that DDR memory actually performed faster on the Gigabyte 915 than on the Asus P4C800-E, which is noted for its very fast memory performance. This is something worth exploring in the future because it may mean 915 boards will run DDR faster than current 875/865 boards. One result is not enough to draw a conclusion, but we will explore this further in our upcoming Intel 915 motherboard roundup.

The Aida 32 results certainly indicate that the Gigabyte Duo is a valid platform for comparing DDR2 and DDR performance on the Intel 915 platform.

Performance Test Configuration
Processor(s):	Intel 540 (3.2GHz) Socket 775
RAM:	2 x 512MB Micron DDR2 533 2 x 512MB OCZ 3200XL DDR (Samsung 2-2-2-5)
Hard Drive(s):	Seagate 120GB 7200RPM SATA (8Mb buffer)
Video AGP & IDE Chipset Drivers:	Intel Chipset Driver 6.0.0.1014
Video Card(s):	Gigabyte nVidia 5759 PCX
Video Drivers:	nVidia 61.45 Graphics Drivers
Operating System(s):	Windows XP Professional SP1
Power Supply:	Powmax 350W
Motherboards:	Gigabyte 8GPNXP Duo (Intel 915X) Socket 775

Since comparisons of DDR and DDR2 were on the same platform with identical components, the system was configured as you might purchase a mid-range Intel 915 system. Graphics are provided by a mid-range nVidia 5750 PCIe graphics card with no need for auxiliary power, the CPU is a mid-range 3.2, and the power supply is a very common 350-watt with a 20-pin ATX connector attached to the 24-pin power socket. Our goal here is to compare 915 DDR to 915 DDR2, but the test results also provide a picture of typical performance that you can expect with a mid-range 915 system.