Biostar TF560 A2+: Overclocking NVIDIA's new nForce 560
by Gary Key on August 2, 2007 12:15 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Gaming Performance
Our limited look at gaming performance consists of Prey and Battlefield 2. These two particular titles are both CPU throughput and memory latency sensitive when utilizing a GPU such as our MSI 8800GTX. We ran benchmarks with our standard 1280x1024 resolution set to High Quality mode. Given the number of users that run 19" LCDs these days, 1280x1024 represents one of the most commonly used resolutions and will still keep these two particular titles from becoming GPU bound.
Prey
Prey offers some superb action sequences, unique weapons and characters, and is a visually stunning game at times. It still requires a very good GPU to run it with all of the eye candy turned on. We set all graphic settings to their maximum except for AA/AF and utilize a custom timedemo that takes place during one of the more action oriented sequences.
Battlefield 2
This benchmark is performed using DICE's built-in demo playback functionality with additional capture capabilities designed in house. When using the built-in demo playback features of BF2, frames rendered during the loading screen are counted in the benchmark. In order to get a real idea of performance, we use the instantaneous frame time and frames per second data generated from our benchmark run. We discard the data collected during the loading screen and calculate a result that represents actual game play.
Gaming Summary
In a switch from our application benchmarks, we see our AM2 processors performing very well against the Intel E2160 in the gaming benchmarks from both a stock and overclocked performance perspective. It appears that for this particular task, the lack of L2 cache finally catches up with the Core 2 E2160. In Prey, the BE-2300 has a performance increase of 39% while the X2 3800+ improves by 26% when overclocked, and the E2160 improves by 33%. Battlefield 2 experiences similar gains with the BE-2300 being 42% faster and the X2 3800+ being 36% faster, and the E2160 is also 38% faster. The L2 cache advantage of the X2 6000+ allows it to maintain a lead in BF2 and almost overcome the HTT and memory throughput advantage of the overclocked X2 3800+ in Prey. Gaming performance is still driven by the GPU, especially in the latest titles, but every extra bit of CPU performance always helps.
Looking at the AM2 boards, the nF560 appears to be the fastest gaming solution of these three, at least in the two tested games. The margins aren't huge, but you do get up to a 3% performance increase in certain instances. As we become more GPU bound with increasing CPU speeds, the differences between the platforms and chipsets diminishes.
Our limited look at gaming performance consists of Prey and Battlefield 2. These two particular titles are both CPU throughput and memory latency sensitive when utilizing a GPU such as our MSI 8800GTX. We ran benchmarks with our standard 1280x1024 resolution set to High Quality mode. Given the number of users that run 19" LCDs these days, 1280x1024 represents one of the most commonly used resolutions and will still keep these two particular titles from becoming GPU bound.
Prey
Prey offers some superb action sequences, unique weapons and characters, and is a visually stunning game at times. It still requires a very good GPU to run it with all of the eye candy turned on. We set all graphic settings to their maximum except for AA/AF and utilize a custom timedemo that takes place during one of the more action oriented sequences.
Battlefield 2
This benchmark is performed using DICE's built-in demo playback functionality with additional capture capabilities designed in house. When using the built-in demo playback features of BF2, frames rendered during the loading screen are counted in the benchmark. In order to get a real idea of performance, we use the instantaneous frame time and frames per second data generated from our benchmark run. We discard the data collected during the loading screen and calculate a result that represents actual game play.
Gaming Summary
In a switch from our application benchmarks, we see our AM2 processors performing very well against the Intel E2160 in the gaming benchmarks from both a stock and overclocked performance perspective. It appears that for this particular task, the lack of L2 cache finally catches up with the Core 2 E2160. In Prey, the BE-2300 has a performance increase of 39% while the X2 3800+ improves by 26% when overclocked, and the E2160 improves by 33%. Battlefield 2 experiences similar gains with the BE-2300 being 42% faster and the X2 3800+ being 36% faster, and the E2160 is also 38% faster. The L2 cache advantage of the X2 6000+ allows it to maintain a lead in BF2 and almost overcome the HTT and memory throughput advantage of the overclocked X2 3800+ in Prey. Gaming performance is still driven by the GPU, especially in the latest titles, but every extra bit of CPU performance always helps.
Looking at the AM2 boards, the nF560 appears to be the fastest gaming solution of these three, at least in the two tested games. The margins aren't huge, but you do get up to a 3% performance increase in certain instances. As we become more GPU bound with increasing CPU speeds, the differences between the platforms and chipsets diminishes.
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DeepThought86 - Friday, August 10, 2007 - link
elpresidente2075 is probably a 15-year old who thinks newer is better by definition. It'll be a decade or more before he learns critical thinkingstrikeback03 - Thursday, August 2, 2007 - link
Plus once PATA is gone maybe we can get more SATA ports. 4 is a bare minimum.takumsawsherman - Thursday, August 2, 2007 - link
Is that Firewire is still not standard. For the couple of bucks it costs to add it to a board, can we fricking add it already? It should have been standard years ago, and considering how cheaply one can get a card, it can't cost all that much to implement. Meanwhile, there's no apparent rhyme or reason to which systems have it and which don't. I've seen cheap HP's that have it, and expensive ones that don't. It's all over the map.strikeback03 - Thursday, August 2, 2007 - link
Or just eliminate it entirely. With USB2 and eSATA, is there really a need for another external interface standard?flipmode - Friday, August 3, 2007 - link
Firewire is worth keeping and making standard. It's the easiest way to network two computers. It's how almost every video camera downloads video to computers.Myrandex - Thursday, August 2, 2007 - link
The specs said that the chipset supported 2 PATA ports, however there is only 1 slot on the board. So it only supports 2 drives, or did Biostar decide to save $.005 in not putting the 2nd connector on the board?8steve8 - Thursday, August 2, 2007 - link
this is regarded as the industry's first AM2+ board, i assume this means pheonom will plop right in? so does it support HT3?... seperate power planes?how will boards do that with just a bios update?
will this, and other current boards work with phenom, but not at full potential?
Spoelie - Thursday, August 2, 2007 - link
Read the article instead of commenting right away.No, it is not a AM2+ board, it doesn't have any of the AM2+ features, but phenom would normally plop right in yes.
Am a bit disappointed with the feature set, my 3 years old nforce4 ultra has the same amount of sata, pata, usb, gige, etc.
shuffle2 - Thursday, August 2, 2007 - link
"No, it is not a AM2+ board, it doesn't have any of the AM2+ features, but phenom would normally plop right in yes."We realize it doesn't have HT3 or split power lanes, however, the question still stands:
will this board support phenom with only a bios update?
Spuke - Saturday, August 4, 2007 - link
Since this is technically NOT an AM2+ board, when are the AM2+ boards coming out? I'd like to buy one.