EVGA nForce 650i Ultra: Performance on a Budget
by Gary Key on April 10, 2007 2:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
FSB Overclocking
The EVGA 650i Ultra offers excellent overclocking capabilities for a $100 Intel motherboard but it quickly runs out of headroom around the 500FSB level. We believe this is a limitation of the 650i SPP based upon our results with other 650i boards. The board will not satisfy the requirements of the extreme overclocker but should be fine for a majority of users looking to extract additional performance out of their system.
We found during overclocking that we had to set the CPU voltages a little higher than on some other boards to attain the same or better overclocks. We experienced this with the MSI 650i, ASUS 650i, and EVGA 680i LT SLI boards and it was generally due to tighter memory/chipset timings in order to improve the performance of the board at stock speeds. We also had to set the SPP voltage option to 1.30V in order to ensure our memory was stable at 1T command rates due to the lack of memory voltage options over 2.10V. Overall, our overclocking experiences were great given the price, but we felt like a few extra voltage/BIOS options would have transformed the capability of this budget board from very good to excellent when considering the price to performance ratio.
Audio Performance
We are no longer showing the individual CPU utilization rates as the use of a dual core processor means the driver load is balanced between each processor with our audio solutions. The 2.3 version of Rightmark properly supports dual core processors but considering the results they are almost meaningless for most users. We have found the CPU utilization rate improvements with the dual core setup in this test do not have any bearing on actual game benchmarks as the reduction in frame rate percentages are the same on our single core systems.
The audio performance numbers remain consistent between the Analog Devices and Realtek Codecs but both finish consistently behind the SoundBlaster X-Fi in the benchmarks. This is to be expected as the ADI and Realtek Codecs are host processing units dependent upon the CPU and drivers for generating their audio streams. The SoundBlaster X-Fi on the other hand has dedicated hardware that generates its audio streams and offloads this burden from the CPU.
We are finding the CPU utilization rates to be constantly decreasing for the onboard solutions as CPU processing power increases and driver optimizations improve, but they still take a toll in certain games. This is reflected in our numbers as Battlefield 2 has an average loss of 17% and Half Life 2: Lost Coast loses 4%. We set Battlefield 2 to utilize EAX 2 in our ADI and Realtek HD results which creates another significant demand on the CPU to process the audio streams, especially with the sound effects quality set to high.
Analog Devices has made news lately claiming other host-based audio solutions (Realtek is obviously in their crosshairs) do not properly generate EAX compatible audio in their drivers. After comparing the ADI 1988B to the Realtek ALC-885 in Battlefield 2 we completely agree and this continues to be an issue even with the latest Realtek 1.64 drivers. The audio quality differences in EAX 2.0 capable games between the ADI and Realtek HD Audio Codecs are almost startling at times.
We firmly believe this is due to obstructions and occlusions still not being implemented correctly in the Realtek drivers although we have found minor improvements in the recent driver releases. There are also some bugs in EAX 2 capable games that feature outdoor areas or vast expanses: we found sounds in BF2 at one end of the map to have the same volume and distance correlation as sounds in front of the character. We suggest turning off EAX 2 in games when utilizing the Realtek solution; the games will just sound better the majority of time.
Obviously, if you are a serious gamer, then a dedicated sound card is still useful to ensure consistent frame rate averages across a wide variety of games, and in the case of the Sound Blaster X-Fi, you also get improved audio quality and EAX3/4/5 support. Unfortunately, users of Vista may have to jump through some extra hoops to get X-Fi support to work properly, due to the changes made to the Vista sound model. If you'd like more details on the Realtek or ADI solutions, you can refer to the Realtek HD Audio Codec Specifications or SoundMAX HD Audio Codec Specifications.
The EVGA 650i Ultra offers excellent overclocking capabilities for a $100 Intel motherboard but it quickly runs out of headroom around the 500FSB level. We believe this is a limitation of the 650i SPP based upon our results with other 650i boards. The board will not satisfy the requirements of the extreme overclocker but should be fine for a majority of users looking to extract additional performance out of their system.
We found during overclocking that we had to set the CPU voltages a little higher than on some other boards to attain the same or better overclocks. We experienced this with the MSI 650i, ASUS 650i, and EVGA 680i LT SLI boards and it was generally due to tighter memory/chipset timings in order to improve the performance of the board at stock speeds. We also had to set the SPP voltage option to 1.30V in order to ensure our memory was stable at 1T command rates due to the lack of memory voltage options over 2.10V. Overall, our overclocking experiences were great given the price, but we felt like a few extra voltage/BIOS options would have transformed the capability of this budget board from very good to excellent when considering the price to performance ratio.
Audio Performance
We are no longer showing the individual CPU utilization rates as the use of a dual core processor means the driver load is balanced between each processor with our audio solutions. The 2.3 version of Rightmark properly supports dual core processors but considering the results they are almost meaningless for most users. We have found the CPU utilization rate improvements with the dual core setup in this test do not have any bearing on actual game benchmarks as the reduction in frame rate percentages are the same on our single core systems.
The audio performance numbers remain consistent between the Analog Devices and Realtek Codecs but both finish consistently behind the SoundBlaster X-Fi in the benchmarks. This is to be expected as the ADI and Realtek Codecs are host processing units dependent upon the CPU and drivers for generating their audio streams. The SoundBlaster X-Fi on the other hand has dedicated hardware that generates its audio streams and offloads this burden from the CPU.
We are finding the CPU utilization rates to be constantly decreasing for the onboard solutions as CPU processing power increases and driver optimizations improve, but they still take a toll in certain games. This is reflected in our numbers as Battlefield 2 has an average loss of 17% and Half Life 2: Lost Coast loses 4%. We set Battlefield 2 to utilize EAX 2 in our ADI and Realtek HD results which creates another significant demand on the CPU to process the audio streams, especially with the sound effects quality set to high.
Analog Devices has made news lately claiming other host-based audio solutions (Realtek is obviously in their crosshairs) do not properly generate EAX compatible audio in their drivers. After comparing the ADI 1988B to the Realtek ALC-885 in Battlefield 2 we completely agree and this continues to be an issue even with the latest Realtek 1.64 drivers. The audio quality differences in EAX 2.0 capable games between the ADI and Realtek HD Audio Codecs are almost startling at times.
We firmly believe this is due to obstructions and occlusions still not being implemented correctly in the Realtek drivers although we have found minor improvements in the recent driver releases. There are also some bugs in EAX 2 capable games that feature outdoor areas or vast expanses: we found sounds in BF2 at one end of the map to have the same volume and distance correlation as sounds in front of the character. We suggest turning off EAX 2 in games when utilizing the Realtek solution; the games will just sound better the majority of time.
Obviously, if you are a serious gamer, then a dedicated sound card is still useful to ensure consistent frame rate averages across a wide variety of games, and in the case of the Sound Blaster X-Fi, you also get improved audio quality and EAX3/4/5 support. Unfortunately, users of Vista may have to jump through some extra hoops to get X-Fi support to work properly, due to the changes made to the Vista sound model. If you'd like more details on the Realtek or ADI solutions, you can refer to the Realtek HD Audio Codec Specifications or SoundMAX HD Audio Codec Specifications.
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kentster2 - Wednesday, April 18, 2007 - link
This motherboard sounds perfect for me but I can't find it anywhere. In fact I can't find any boards based on the 650i Ultra chipset available anywhere. I did find the specs on an MSI board based on this chipset but again no availability. Does anyone know when the general availability will be for these boards?yyrkoon - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Still does not compare to the best AM2 'budget' board out there. Add the following, and it would do good I think:1) Heatpipe cooled chipset
2) Either one more PATA port, or 2 more SATA ports for a total of 8 drives
3) Firewire ( not supported ?! )
4) Overclocking options out the wazzu, with memeory voltages capable of 3.0v
Are the PATA ports controlled by the 430MCP ? It seems that way, going by the features list. If this is the case, WHY leave out a PATA port ? It does not make sense. These four things I've mentioned above are not too much to ask, ABIT has already proven that with the NF-M2 nView, and places like newegg, ZZF, etc can not seem to keep these boards in stock ! What gives . . .
kmmatney - Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - link
it;s obvious that having a high priced sound card will help out with frame rates, but what about a cheaper card? Would a $27 Creative Audigy SE provide the same speed benefits by taking the load from the cpu?Gary Key - Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - link
The SE will provide frame rates that are on average about 2~3% worse than the X-FI in my experiences.lopri - Tuesday, April 10, 2007 - link
Gary's measure is remarkably similar to my observations on EVGA 680i board. (Interesting because the chips used on the 680i SLI are different from 650i Ultra) Without active cooling, I saw SPP temp rising to 100C(!) and MCP to 80C. This will not only cause instability (especially mated with other high-end components) but likely shorten the lifespan of the board. Even more worrisome is that the ever-increasing popularity of those L-shaped HSFs. These HSFs provide practically zero air-flow on the board's hot (i mean, HOT) spots and therefore the heat keeps building up.
I think NV at this point just assume that their target audience are *enthusiasts* in that:
1. Enthusiasts today just accept that a new motherboard/chipset is basically a beta product and expect fix/patches via BIOS updates and/or hardware revision.
2. Enthusiasts tend to employ their own cooling solution anyway.
And that's exactly what I've done up to this date. Every single NV chipset board I bought the first thing I did was replacing stock chipset/VRM cooling with aftermarket stuff.
And I'M TIRED OF IT.
This board may be selling for $99, but in order for you to build your main rig with a peace of mind on it, you will need an aftermarket cooling for the missing SB HSF (how dare they leave it wide open like that is beyond me) and the paltry NB heatsink for a heavier one. There goes extra $20~30 quite easily.
To my eyes, this board cut so many corners and definitely not worth $99. $70~80 maybe. And I do think that's how much it'll sell for in less than a month.
nullpointerus - Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - link
When it's included, active cooling's crap anyway. The little NB/SB fans last a few months at most before giving out completely. Motherboard makers should get in touch with Zalman or somebody like them and get some decent quality HSF's on these boards.jay401 - Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - link
Totally agree! It would be stupid to buy a motherboard that requires you buy other items just to ensure stable operation and longevity.Scarceas - Tuesday, April 10, 2007 - link
Really, who needs 2.2V? If you have RAM that needs that much voltage, chances are you paid more money for it, and the board you are looking to use it with will probably not be a budget board.WT - Tuesday, April 10, 2007 - link
I have an eVGA N41 board, so I want to like this thing, but looking at this 650 board .. blechhh .. talk about plain Jane !! It looks like a straight reference board or an Intel board ! Regardless of looks, performance is what we want, so I would refer anyone looking at this board to read Anand's earlier article on the MSI P6N Platinum and see if that isn't a better fit for your needs. The extra $40-50 is well justified (in my case at least) with the better cooling setup on the MSI board as well as Firewire (just bought a miniDV camcorder) so give that a read as well.If the MSI Plat is priced too high, then check out the FI board priced at $108 at popular vendors websites.
Pirks - Tuesday, April 10, 2007 - link
Gary, E6300 has TWO megabytes of cache, not FOUR