Phenom II X3 720BE & CrossFire X Performance - Does it Compete?
by Gary Key on March 28, 2009 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Crysis Warhead
Crysis Warhead is an update to the original game with a storyline that takes place on the other side of the Island during the same time-period as the first. The game features an enhanced and optimized version of the CryEngine 2 but is still a resource monster. We set the graphics options to Gamer, DX10, and 2xAA. Our timedemo covers the Ambush level and we take an average score of three test runs. We have to admit at these settings that the game looks fantastic during action scenes and game play is very acceptable even though the frame rates are lower than our other games.
At 1680x1050, the 720BE slightly trails the other platforms in single card and CrossFire configurations. We also see why a single GPU card can be a better value than a dual GPU solution at this resolution. It is not until we overclock that we notice some separation between the platforms with the i7 taking a decent lead, but its minimum frame rates do not improve compared to a single card setup. However, our X4 940 setup offers the best minimum frame rates when overclocked and the 720BE ties the i7.
Adding a second card for CrossFire operation improves average frame rates by 3% and minimum frame rates by 12% for the 720BE. Overclocking the 720BE in CrossFire mode resulted in a 22% improvement in average frame rates with the CPU being overclocked by 35%.
Our 1920x1200 test follows a similar performance pattern in single card and CrossFire testing. Only this time the 720BE performs better as an additional load in placed on the GPU subsystem. The 720BE trails the Q9550 by 3% in our overclock results although it is at a 12% clock speed disadvantage. We have
noticed CryEngine 2 will respond to improved memory bandwidth and
latencies as we clock up the processors, hence the performance of the i7 and to some degree the Phenom II. When overclocked, the two Phenom II CPUs hold the advantage in minimum frame rates, an important distinction in ensuring smooth game play in this title.
Adding a second card for CrossFire operation improves average frame rates by 7% and minimum frame rates by 13% for the 720BE. Overclocking the 720BE in CrossFire resulted in a 15% improvement in average frame rates and 12% in minimum frame rates.
After playing through several levels on each platform, even with the improved performance of the Q9550 after switching to the 9.3 driver set, we thought the Phenom II 940/720BE offered a better overall gaming experience in this title. Are we going to say those three words again? Our therapist advised us not to hold our feelings in as they would eventually manifest and be channeled into a bad review for someone. So without further adieu, Smoother Game Play, Smoother Game Play.
That feels better, but all joking aside, we simply experienced better player movement and weapon control during heavy action sequences with our Phenom II processors compared to the Q9550 platform. This was especially true if we were running background applications (IM, File Transfers, AntiVirus, etc.) and especially if CPU usage was over 90%, the Phenom II system never stuttered or gave us a slight pause between level transitions like the Q9550 (editor - Sounds like an SSD review).
It might not be noticeable to everyone and at first we thought it was a placebo effect, but doing a blind test with an A/B box always lead us to the Phenom II. The $64 question is if we had the same user experience with the i7 platform. The answer is yes. The i7 offered an improved game play experience over the Q9550 platform based on the same reasons we listed for the Phenom II. Simply put, integrated memory controller and CSI/HTT platform designs perform better than the previous front side bus platforms with these type of system loads.
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strikeback03 - Monday, March 30, 2009 - link
What is the need for a 9400M in a carPC? How much GPU does it take to run a front end?tshen83 - Sunday, March 29, 2009 - link
If you haven't figured out by now, both Intel and AMD flush higher TDP CPU parts down the consumer's throats, and save the really good CPUs(performance per watt) for the data centers in the 2P space.My original post was meant to tell Gary Key, the author, that his "paid" assertion that "Phenom is competitive as a gaming platform" is flawed, because all gaming benchmarks are GPU bound. It means CPU can be a lot weaker before it will show up on the FPS charts.
There is no reason to save 30 dollars to get the X3 at all because the X4 is just a dinner bill away from the X3. Have some mac and cheese for dinner and you would have had enough money to get the Phenom x4 920.(Not that it is a smart choice at 125W TDP, but surely beats the X3 by far.)
There are actually far better AMD CPUs to get than the Phenoms. AMD Shanghai 2376s are at the same price now, and allows scalability to 2 Socket and takes only 75W TDP also. Tyan S2912G2NR board is 60 dollars at newegg to support two Shanghais. Phenom x4 is the CPU that didn't make the "Shanghai" grade, and got flushed down to unsuspecting consumers. x3 is a castrated x4. You get the point.
BTW, i7 920 will get far better longevity as a platform than any AMD processor right now. Nehalem-EP would likely bankrupt AMD for good this time(In fact AMD is already broke a few times if it wasn't selling blood to the Dubai oil suckers) Your argument that Phenom IIs will outlast Socket 775 is correct, except in the case of AMD going belly up, then, you are stuck with a 125W TDP heater that's half the speed of the i7-920.
Good luck, I am taking off for the day. Get ready for tomorrow, when Nehalem-EP will be revealed, and it will put AMD out of its pathetic misery.
moriz - Sunday, March 29, 2009 - link
some bold assertions. care to prove any of those?out of the three tech giants (Intel, nVIDIA, AMD), AMD currently has the best platform: only AMD can deliver the complete package using only their products. this will be a pretty big advantage down the road, and i think Intel and nVIDIA both know this.
therefore, AMD is not going away.
7Enigma - Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - link
Don't feed the TROLLS.tshen83 - Monday, March 30, 2009 - link
Only AMD can deliver the complete "CRAP" package to idiots pretty much. Let's see, the CPUs aren't as good as the Nehalems. The GPUs get their butts kicked in GPGPU modes. It takes AMD's 800 Stream processors to fight Nvidia's 240. Talk about freaking copy and paste engineering.In the enterprise market, IT managers will soon realize that the glorious AMD days(HP DL585) are gone, and 8 Socket Nehalem-EX will be a 128 thread monster with 1-2TB of ram(128 FB-DIMMs), killing off Itanium(HP Superdome) along the way.
"AMD is not going away". Really? I have AMD's tombstone marked June 2010, with Hector Ruiz's name on it too. The Global Foundry spinoff dollars won't even last them 3 months.
Hacp - Sunday, March 29, 2009 - link
Does the Opteron have unlocked multipliers? I'm thinking no!Repr - Sunday, March 29, 2009 - link
so far the E8x00 series have been the most wanted choice for gaming machines (in the netherlands at least). however after checking a few price comparison sides i found out that the x3 720 is cheaper then the E8400. i would wonder how the tripple core would fight up against the intel dual core.hansmuff - Saturday, March 28, 2009 - link
Thanks for the article.I do have a request: for those games where you use timedemos or other recorded input files, would you be willing to link to them in the article?
It'd be nice to compare one's own machine to those benchmarked.
Thank you!
7Enigma - Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - link
My guess is they want to keep them closed so "optimizations" don't take place that would give an unfair advantage to one side or the other.Roland00 - Saturday, March 28, 2009 - link
This article was near perfect in what I am looking for in a price for your buck comparison. Showing the difference between cpus at different frequencies, with/without cross fire, and showing the minimum frame rate in an easy to read manner. To top it all off you had real analysis in the text.Well I am glad to know the X3 PhenomIIs are comparable with gaming, with a nice oc and sometimes needing Crossfire.
Then again at the price an X4 PhenomIIs are you may just want to get an X4 PhenomII
Currently newegg has the x4 920 at 164. It has a promo code for 30 dollars ( AMD32530 ). Making the cpu $134 with free shipping and most places no tax.