Sandy Bridge-E and X79 – The ASUS P9X79 PRO Review
by Ian Cutress on November 14, 2011 3:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- Asus
- X79
Aliens vs. Predator Benchmark
Aliens vs. Predator is a DirectX 11 science fiction first-person shooter video game, developed by Rebellion Developments. Available as a standalone benchmark, on default settings the benchmark uses 1920x1080 with high AF settings. Results are reported as the average frame rate across 4 runs.
Nothing splits AVP with one 5850, showing that this is primarily a GPU limited game.
Using two 5850s, we start to see a small difference - showing that the increased bandwidth to the second GPU has an effect on the results.
Dirt 3
Dirt 3 is a rallying video game and the third in the Dirt series of the Colin McRae Rally series, developed and published by Codemasters. Using the in game benchmark, Dirt 3 is run at 1920x1080 with full graphical settings. Results are reported as the average frame rate across 4 runs.
Similarly in Dirt 3's single 5850 results, all the values are within statistical variance, and that the CPU is not the limiting factor here.
However, in dual GPU mode, the increased bandwidth to the second GPU has a startling affect on the frame rates, making an x16/x16 layout beat an x8/x8 by over 10 FPS. The x16/x4 of the F1A75-V Pro distinctly lags behind.
Metro2033
Metro 2033 is a challenging DX11 benchmark that challenges every system that tries to run it at any high-end settings. Developed by 4A Games and released in March 2010, we use the inbuilt DirectX 11 Frontline benchmark to test the hardware at 1920x1080 with full graphical settings. Results are given as the average frame rate from 10 runs.
Having had Metro2033 part of the motherboard GPU suite for a while, we have more results to draw from. In single GPU mode, we only see a 1 FPS difference between all the chipsets, showing that the GPU is still the limiting factor here.
However, in dual GPU mode there is a significant leap when X79 is used, All the other results are fairly similar, coming from A75 and P67/Z68, showing that the CPU hasn't made much of a difference, but the x16/x16 layout of the PCIe slots on the P9X79 Pro gives a clear 3-4 FPS improvement.
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buildingblock - Monday, November 14, 2011 - link
Amongst all the other goodies, the outstanding feature for me is the BIOS fan control. Well done to Asus, this board has probably the best PWM based fan control yet. Other board makers, particularly GigaByte, please take note.ASUSTechMKT - Monday, November 14, 2011 - link
Thanks so much for the feedback. We have been working hard to consistently improve in the quality of fan controls. Kudos to Ian for taking the time to detail it as well. This is somethign we have to take more time in the development ( Super I/O controller and frmware and software ) but any serious enthuiast can appreciate the additional functionality and increased usability.Thanks again!
jigglywiggly - Monday, November 14, 2011 - link
am i the only one kind of dissapointed? No integrated gpu is lame, also not that much faster.Kougar - Monday, November 14, 2011 - link
Holy moly, $330 for just the Pro?Given the extreme prices involved here, I'd especially like to know the key differences between the Pro and the Deluxe models, and even the Pro and the vanilla model as well.
ASUSTechMKT - Monday, November 14, 2011 - link
DeluxeOffers BT3.0 with Wifi, Additionally USB3, Dual Lan, A more advanced VRM heatsink assembly,
In regards to the pricing it is important to remember many of the additional items incorporated have a higher cost ( such as the hardware required to allow for UEFI flashing with CPU, Memory or a Graphics card this required a hardware level IC, the more advanced super I/O controller with more advanced fan controls for all the headers ) These additional touches add to the total cost of the board.
Kougar - Monday, November 14, 2011 - link
Thank you for the reply!For anyone else curious, after some digging I can say that in addition to the above, P9X79 Vanilla also loses the Marvell controller and associated SATA 6Gb/s ports. The Realtek sound chip also changes from a 898 to the 892, not sure what the difference is. The PWM phase design appears to remain unchanged between the vanilla and PRO models, while the Deluxe doubles the CPU & uncore phases.
Somewhat oddly, the P9X79 also gains a firewire port over the PRO model.
ASUSTechMKT - Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - link
Yes as you go up the boards you will also have more USB 3 (as the PRO has more USB which makes sense as 1394 is a legacy standard). Main reason it is offered on the Standard is that this model is adopted by sometimes business or professionals you still need some legacy connections.In regards to the overall VRM design we use the same high quality dual N mosfet package on all three boards and advanced driver this aligns with the high amperage rated choke. While the "phase" is increased on the Deluxe this only helps to slightly improve balancing of the VRM otherwise the performance for overall power delivery is rated the same. (Although the advanced heatsink design as you move up will help to ensure a cooler operating temperature for the VRM assembly.
Hope it helps!
Filiprino - Monday, November 14, 2011 - link
There was a rumour saying ASUS would release a dual socket LGA2011 motherboard to compete with EVGA SR-3. Any news?Kougar - Monday, November 14, 2011 - link
The board exists, but I haven't seen anything about it so far. Very curious to see it and the EVGA SR-3 compared, even if just to drool over!ASUSTechMKT - Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - link
Sorry cannot comment on that one......