DFI UT P35-T2R: Tweakers Rejoice!
by Rajinder Gill on October 18, 2007 2:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Test Setup
With such a vast array of overclocking BIOS functions at our disposal, a decision was made to stick with a single operating system environment. Microsoft XP SP2 was chosen due to its maturity, taking away some of the time burden looking for possible software level conflicts that may exist on a newer OS (though we ventured to our standard Vista test suite for the non-overclocking benchmarks). This does not mean to say that the board cannot work with Vista at present when overclocking. We are just trying to eliminate possible downtime on non motherboard/BIOS related issues and also considered the fact that a vast majority of overclocking enthusiasts have not switched to Vista (yet).
The test setup utilized the supplied Transpiper, set up to exit our Lian Li PC75 case via the space available by not inserting the supplied I/O backplate. The fin section of the Transpiper heatsink was aligned with the exhaust fan of the OCZ 1000w ProXStream PSU, though at times we felt this might not have been the best solution during extended overclocking sessions because of the already high temperature of the PSU exhaust. Another reason this setup may not be ideal when benchmarking is that the Transpiper solution is partially handicapped by an adjustable construction. We found most of the heat that was transferred into the single heatpipe never quite made it past the elbow joint connecting to the dual pipe heatsink. The biggest gain in temperature reduction was realized by simply pointing a fan at the PWM heatsink itself.
We could not find any gains in using the supplied CPU to PWM heat transfer plate; CPU temps with the plate installed were considerably higher at full load (~10C). This was partially due to the increased thermal resistance of an extra surface, which decreases thermal transfer potential from the most critical junction of a cooling solution - directly over the CPU die. We also need to consider the concave or bi-concave bases of some modern coolers and waterblocks and indeed the IHS itself (unlapped). The heat transfer plate would need to be quite flexible to ensure good contact when under pressure.
We used our QX6800 G0 ES CPU, concentrating on the 8x and 9x multipliers that both our air- and water-cooled setups can take advantage of currently. The CPU itself is a particularly high temperature sample of a G0 stepping; load temps were around 15C higher at equivalent voltages in comparison to some of the better Q6600 G0 examples we have in the labs. We later lapped the IHS flat (as flat as possible) which resulted in a seven degree drop in load temperatures, but that still ends up around 8C higher than our best Q6600 temperature ranges.
Both high resolution 1920x1200 and 1280x1024 resolution game benchmark tests were run to find performance benefits for gamers, should such advancements through BIOS tweaking exist. We utilize new drive images on each board in order to minimize any potential driver conflicts. Our 3DMark results are generated utilizing the standard benchmark resolution for each program. We run each benchmark five times, throw out the two low and high scores, and report the remaining score.
We limited our standard Vista test suite to a few benchmark results to indicate the general performance of this board. After all, a P35 is a P35 for the most part at stock settings, with most P35 boards scoring within 1%~2% of each other. It really does not matter if you utilize a $90 abit or Gigabyte P35 board or the $200+ versions from ASUS or DFI as stock performance will not vary much in most cases.
As such, we decided to take a different look at this board and focus on overclocking. This board was designed for the PC Autobahn and not your typical school zone road or office park avenue. Our overclocking tests will only show results on this board for now, but we will expand coverage to include direct comparisons as we review other boards that are designed for the overclocking enthusiast market sector.
| DFI UT P35-T2R Standard Benchmark Testbed |
|
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core, 2.4GHz, 8MB Unified Cache, 9x Multiplier, 1066FSB |
| CPU Voltage | 1.2500V |
| Cooling | Tuniq Tower 120 |
| Power Supply | OCZ ProXStream 1000W |
| Memory | OCZ Flex PC2-9600 (4x1GB) |
| Memory Settings | 4-4-4-12 (DDR2-1066) |
| Video Cards | MSI 8800GTX |
| Video Drivers | NVIDIA 163.71 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital 7200RPM 750GB SATA 3/Gbps 16MB Buffer |
| Optical Drives | Plextor PX-B900A, Toshiba SD-H802A |
| Case | CoolerMaster Stacker 830 Evo, Lin Li PC75 |
| BIOS | DFI 9/13 |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit |
| . | |
With such a vast array of overclocking BIOS functions at our disposal, a decision was made to stick with a single operating system environment. Microsoft XP SP2 was chosen due to its maturity, taking away some of the time burden looking for possible software level conflicts that may exist on a newer OS (though we ventured to our standard Vista test suite for the non-overclocking benchmarks). This does not mean to say that the board cannot work with Vista at present when overclocking. We are just trying to eliminate possible downtime on non motherboard/BIOS related issues and also considered the fact that a vast majority of overclocking enthusiasts have not switched to Vista (yet).
The test setup utilized the supplied Transpiper, set up to exit our Lian Li PC75 case via the space available by not inserting the supplied I/O backplate. The fin section of the Transpiper heatsink was aligned with the exhaust fan of the OCZ 1000w ProXStream PSU, though at times we felt this might not have been the best solution during extended overclocking sessions because of the already high temperature of the PSU exhaust. Another reason this setup may not be ideal when benchmarking is that the Transpiper solution is partially handicapped by an adjustable construction. We found most of the heat that was transferred into the single heatpipe never quite made it past the elbow joint connecting to the dual pipe heatsink. The biggest gain in temperature reduction was realized by simply pointing a fan at the PWM heatsink itself.
We could not find any gains in using the supplied CPU to PWM heat transfer plate; CPU temps with the plate installed were considerably higher at full load (~10C). This was partially due to the increased thermal resistance of an extra surface, which decreases thermal transfer potential from the most critical junction of a cooling solution - directly over the CPU die. We also need to consider the concave or bi-concave bases of some modern coolers and waterblocks and indeed the IHS itself (unlapped). The heat transfer plate would need to be quite flexible to ensure good contact when under pressure.
We used our QX6800 G0 ES CPU, concentrating on the 8x and 9x multipliers that both our air- and water-cooled setups can take advantage of currently. The CPU itself is a particularly high temperature sample of a G0 stepping; load temps were around 15C higher at equivalent voltages in comparison to some of the better Q6600 G0 examples we have in the labs. We later lapped the IHS flat (as flat as possible) which resulted in a seven degree drop in load temperatures, but that still ends up around 8C higher than our best Q6600 temperature ranges.
Both high resolution 1920x1200 and 1280x1024 resolution game benchmark tests were run to find performance benefits for gamers, should such advancements through BIOS tweaking exist. We utilize new drive images on each board in order to minimize any potential driver conflicts. Our 3DMark results are generated utilizing the standard benchmark resolution for each program. We run each benchmark five times, throw out the two low and high scores, and report the remaining score.
We limited our standard Vista test suite to a few benchmark results to indicate the general performance of this board. After all, a P35 is a P35 for the most part at stock settings, with most P35 boards scoring within 1%~2% of each other. It really does not matter if you utilize a $90 abit or Gigabyte P35 board or the $200+ versions from ASUS or DFI as stock performance will not vary much in most cases.
As such, we decided to take a different look at this board and focus on overclocking. This board was designed for the PC Autobahn and not your typical school zone road or office park avenue. Our overclocking tests will only show results on this board for now, but we will expand coverage to include direct comparisons as we review other boards that are designed for the overclocking enthusiast market sector.
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Rocket321 - Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - link
I would like to see the overclocking results put into a graph or chart of some kind.I guess tweakers might like the screenshots as "proof" that the overclock ran, but personally I trust you and would rather just have one place to look rather than clicking to enlarge multiple screenshots sequentially.
It was a great review though, I look forward to the future tweaker guides & reviews.
Raja Gill - Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - link
There will be a more typical Anandtech look to future articles, with the DFI board revisited for a round up on a suite of benchmarks, this will be used to cross compare with other boards, clocked to equivalent with board maximums in the range and voltage. In terms of the screenshots, it is nice to have 1 persons trust, but there are many we have to please and not everyone is always as convinced..thanks for the suggestions..
Next up is the Asus Maximus Formula..
regards
Raja
Jodiuh - Thursday, October 25, 2007 - link
Specifically Windvd conversions from divx/xvid to DVD would be wonderful as I've found this app benefits from a solid OC.beoba - Friday, October 19, 2007 - link
It'd be great if this came with a glossary."Strap"?
retrospooty - Saturday, October 20, 2007 - link
strap is a term used for memory clocking. for example, at 266mhz bus, memory can be "strapped" to one of the following.266x(stap2)=533 or DDR 1066
266x(strap1.5)=400 or DDR 800
266x(strap1.25)=333 or DDR 666
If you are running at stock 266 there is no way to have DDR 950 because it has to be strapped to one of the above settings.
I use the 1/1 strap so my bus speed is 500x(strap1)=500 or DDR 1000, in most cases 1/1 is the most efficient, if you can utilize it with your particular hardware, do it.
Avalon - Thursday, October 18, 2007 - link
Unfortunately, DFI's asking price of admission continues to rise for each new board they release. I was mildly annoyed when they started selling boards for $200+ that had little to no tangible benefit over $100-$150 boards, but now they're at the $300 mark? No thanks.This board is for someone who likes to spend his time tweaking and not actually using his computer.
retrospooty - Saturday, October 20, 2007 - link
"This board is for someone who likes to spend his time tweaking and not actually using his computer."The article title is called "Tweakers Rejoice" after all. The idea is not to tweak forever . I did spend alot of time over the first few weeks, but now that its tweaked, I just use it as is.
Avalon - Sunday, October 21, 2007 - link
Yes, I am quite capable of reading the article title. My whole point is that you are working for diminishing returns that I feel could be better spent using your system. If you're doing it to set a record, fantastic. I support that.retrospooty - Sunday, October 21, 2007 - link
Understood... This is obviously not the motherboard for you. I personally love the BIOS options and CMOS reloaded functionality. That alone makes the extra cost well worth it to me. Asus BIOS just sucks, and I have had too many quality problems with them in the past, and Gigabyte just underperforms. I like to know I will not be held back by my motherboard for the next couple of CPU's I buy (will likely get a dual core Penryn on release for under $200, then a high end quad core Penryn a year or so later when it is under $200).I do see your point, but in spite of this article's stock speed comparison (totally pointless for a OC geared mobo), and similar results with one particular CPU, that looks as if it has an FSB limit equal on all 3 boards (meaning the CPU is holding it back) This board overclocks and performs better than any ASUS, or Gigabyte, or any other board out there. If AT tested the max FSB limits on a dozen or so CPU's, or if they had a "golden sample" that had a high FSB limit, you would see the difference. Also if they had time to test many diff RAM stocks and to tweak the memory settings you would also see the difference. Its a good article, but no reviewer has time to really dig into this mobo and all it has to offer. I do feel the article did a good job at explaining that.
JNo - Sunday, October 21, 2007 - link
"I like to know I will not be held back by my motherboard for the next couple of CPU's I buy"I don't know much about overclocking and I hold your views valid Retrospooty but surely this is still a lot of money that will still be needed to replaced in the short/medium-term if a) you want to start using DDR3 once prices come down b) if GPUs come out that take advantage of PCI-E 2 standard (as used on X38). So all that money is only paying for great OC'ing potential for *now* only... no?