FIRST LOOK: NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Performance
by Wesley Fink on September 22, 2005 1:29 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Basic Features: Biostar TForce 6100-939
It is worth mentioning that Biostar is shipping TForce 6100 micro ATX boards in both Socket 754 and Socket 939 versions. The Socket 754 version, called the TForce 6100, is the same chipset combination and features 2 DIMM slots. The board that we are testing is the TForce 6100-939, obviously supporting Socket 939, and featuring four DIMMs in dual-channel mode. Older A64's, Revision E, and x2 are all supported on this Socket 939 board.
Frankly, Biostar even includes an overclock quick guide in the TForce kit - a real surprise for a Micro ATX board with integrated graphics. What's more, the available options in BIOS are a lot more than what many will expect for a Micro ATX/Integrated Graphics board, and even include an Integrated Flashing option so that you don't have to load DOS or Windows to flash the BIOS.
There is even an auto-overclocking option in BIOS, called ONE (Overclocking Navigator Engine) and a CMOS Reloaded feature to allow saving and quick restore of favorite BIOS setups. The only other place that we have seen CMOS reloaded is DFI.
The layout is clean and the TForce 6100 even supports 24-pin power supplies. 20-pin connectors from older power supplies will also work. An even bigger surprise was momentary power and reset switches on the board - and detailed in the manual.
It is worth mentioning that Biostar is shipping TForce 6100 micro ATX boards in both Socket 754 and Socket 939 versions. The Socket 754 version, called the TForce 6100, is the same chipset combination and features 2 DIMM slots. The board that we are testing is the TForce 6100-939, obviously supporting Socket 939, and featuring four DIMMs in dual-channel mode. Older A64's, Revision E, and x2 are all supported on this Socket 939 board.
Biostar TForce 6100-939 | |
CPU Interface | Socket 939 Athlon 64 |
Chipset | NVIDIA GeForce6100 Northbridge - NVIDIA nForce 4100 Southbridge |
Bus Speeds | 200 to 300MHz in 1MHz Increments |
PCIe Speeds | 100 to 125MHz in 1MHz Increments |
PCI | Fixed at 33 |
OnBoard GPU | Auto, Always Enable |
Frame Buffer (UMA) | 16M, 32M, 64M, 128M, Disabled (64M Default) |
Core Voltage | Startup, 0.80V to 1.70V in 0.025V increments |
CPU Clock Multiplier | Startup, 4x-25x in 1X increments |
HyperTransport Frequency | 1000MHz (1GHz) Supports AMD Cool'n'Quiet |
HyperTransport Multiplier | Auto, 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X |
DRAM Voltage | 2.66V, 2.72V, 2.82V, 2.93V |
Memory Slots | Four 184-pin DDR DIMM Slots Dual-Channel Configuration Regular Unbuffered Memory to 4GB Total |
Expansion Slots | 1 PCIe x16 1 PCIe x1 2 PCI Slots |
Onboard SATA/RAID | 2 SATA II Drives by nForce 410 (RAID 0, 1, JBOD) |
Onboard IDE/IDE RAID | Two Standard ATA133/100/66 (4 drives) |
Onboard USB 2.0/IEEE-1394 | 8 USB 2.0 ports supported by nF410 No Firewire (Optional) |
Onboard LAN | 10/100 Ethernet by Realtek 8201 PNY |
Onboard Audio | AC '97 2.3 6-Channel by Realtek ALC655 |
BIOS | Phoenix Award |
Frankly, Biostar even includes an overclock quick guide in the TForce kit - a real surprise for a Micro ATX board with integrated graphics. What's more, the available options in BIOS are a lot more than what many will expect for a Micro ATX/Integrated Graphics board, and even include an Integrated Flashing option so that you don't have to load DOS or Windows to flash the BIOS.
There is even an auto-overclocking option in BIOS, called ONE (Overclocking Navigator Engine) and a CMOS Reloaded feature to allow saving and quick restore of favorite BIOS setups. The only other place that we have seen CMOS reloaded is DFI.
The layout is clean and the TForce 6100 even supports 24-pin power supplies. 20-pin connectors from older power supplies will also work. An even bigger surprise was momentary power and reset switches on the board - and detailed in the manual.
43 Comments
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reload1992 - Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - link
I am building a pc for the first time Is this a good motherboard for gaming?Calin - Monday, October 10, 2005 - link
I would like to change my mainboard/processor (as they are still in the 600MHz range), and I really would like one of those things. However, not wanting to pay the whole extra $100 for a socket 939 processor, I would like to know the performance of the Socket 754 board (coupled with an Sempron processor).In case your plans does not accout for making tests with the dual channel memory board, could you please test it with a single DIMM (in order to simulate a 754 board on the hardware you have)?
Thank you very much
Calin
varundubey - Tuesday, September 27, 2005 - link
Hi, in your article here:http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2539">http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2539
you say that NVIDIA 6100/430 and NVIDIA 6100/410 support pure video but Nvidia disagrees here:
http://www.nvidia.com/page/gpu_mobo.html">http://www.nvidia.com/page/gpu_mobo.html
should be a tad more careful no?
glennpratt - Wednesday, October 5, 2005 - link
NVIDIA has corrected the link.Wesley Fink - Thursday, September 29, 2005 - link
The chart showing Pure Video support for the 6100/410 is cut and pasted from nVidia launch literature for the 6100. If it's wrong or in conflict with other nVidia publications please talk with nVidia for clarification.Phiro - Tuesday, September 27, 2005 - link
Varun, they've abandoned us to fend for ourselves.LoneWolf15 - Monday, September 26, 2005 - link
My best use for this would be an nForce 430/GF6150 mATX board for a HTPC setup. I'll be eagerly waiting to see how this does. It'd be great to use an entry-level Sempron or A64 as part of a small, quiet rig for this sort of application, and the onboard HD audio, gig Ethernet (for transferring files from a media server across the intranet), and HD over TV-out are all big plusses.I'll be waiting to see this tested when it becomes available, as I'm once-bitten-twice-shy on the nVidia PureVideo thing, but if it can meet or beat the on-paper specs, it looks to be a winner.
Phiro - Friday, September 23, 2005 - link
Question - was the HL2 benchmark run under the DX8 or DX9 codepath?I ask because the numbers to me seemed to compare the 6100 to the Geforce 5700. You show the 6100 getting 55fps at 800x600 in HL2 with normal/low settings. The 5900XT gets 104fps with highest settings w/o AA in a similar setup, until I read closely and saw that was with the DX8 codepath. Forcing the 5900XT to use the DX9 codepath knocks it down to ~30fps if I recall.
If that's true, and the 6100 was run under the DX9 codepath and it got 55fps with lowered settings, that still puts this video card a big chunk above a 5700 IMO.
Phiro - Monday, September 26, 2005 - link
Wesley, you can't quit reading the feedback from an article you write less than 24 hours after you post said article.Come on, fess up w/the information!
Wesley Fink - Thursday, September 29, 2005 - link
I'm not the graphics guru, but I thought the DX9/DX8 codepaths were an early HL2 concern long since resolved. At any rate we run HL2 thorugh Steam and update before benching. The system is XP SP2 9.0c. The bench utility is the Guru3D HL2 benchmarking tool running Guru3D Demo5. The HL2 update from the last few days has corrupted all of of HL2 benchmarks - including the Guru3D tool - but that's another story.