Benchmark Analysis
The system benchmarks turned out as we envisioned, with the two platforms remaining competitive in most areas, while the integrated memory controller of the Athlon 64 X2 offered higher memory bandwidth and lower latencies. The desktop graphics tests certainly came out in favor of the Athlon 64 X2 + GeForce 6150 LE platform, as the CINEBENCH 9.5 Cinema 4D and OpenGL benchmarks left absolutely no doubt. It was the same with the HQV benchmarking, as the GeForce 6150 LE proved to be the superior video processor, and didn’t lose a single test to the Intel G965 Express.
Game benchmarking was also heavily weighted toward the AMD configuration, as it won five out of the six real-world tests. Intel also failed to provide a playable framerate in its sole gaming victory, making that one a pseudo-stalemate. 3DMark 06 was the only real battlefield, as Intel won the pure horsepower tests and the pixel and vertex shader benchmarks, while AMD took the high-end SM3.0 features crown by default.
Real-World Performance
In an article that seeks to illustrate entry-level system performance, it's extremely beneficial to physically take the systems on an extended test drive. This is what we did with the two AMD and Intel systems, and attempted to compare these in terms of performance, image quality, and compatibility, both in side-by-side comparisons and extended testing.
1. Desktop Performance
To get a handle on desktop performance, the two systems were run through a series of generic tasks, such as decompressing a RAR file, encoding a small video, transferring large files, and opening up multiple programs simultaneously. In this area, the Core 2 Duo + Intel G965 Express platform was a bit snappier, and while the AMD system was certainly no slouch, it was just no quite as responsive overall.
Winner: Intel
2. Desktop Image Quality
The desktop image quality tests were quite the opposite, and with both the 22" Dell E228WFP and 24" UltraSharp 2407FPW LCD (all options equivalent, ClearType enabled), the GeForce 6150 LE produced the more visually stunning Windows desktop. Fonts were a bit clearer, color reproduction slightly better, text readability was enhanced, and video playback was better. Intel has certainly improved in this area from the older 800 and 900 series chipsets, but the differences were there to see, especially at 1920x1200 on the Dell UltraSharp 2407FPW.
Winner: AMD
3. Gaming Image Quality
After playing several first-person shooters on the two platforms, it was evident that the GeForce 6150 LE was producing a superior image compared to the Intel G965 Express. This was quite obvious in games like Quake 4, FarCry or Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, and although this is probably due to driver issues and unsupported features of the Intel chipset, the AMD platform gets the nod here. 2D gaming is also a consideration, and the competition is much closer in this area, with the Athlon 64 X2 + GeForce 6150 LE getting the nod by a slim margin.
Winner: AMD
4. Gaming Compatibility
This is not a tough category to crown a winner in, as Intel posts an online "Game Compatibility List" with a short list of games that work, along with numerous "X game is not playable" (usually due to low framerates) notations. Granted, part of this is due to driver issues and as-yet unsupported features, but it's still a bit disconcerting that a GPU design that looks so good on paper can have so many performance, driver and compatibility issues. As the GeForce 6150 LE is based upon the GeForce 6 Series, and uses the same Forceware drivers, game compatibility is much better, but the chipset still suffers from the same "unplayable framerates" issue with many newer games.
Winner: AMD
Conclusion
Compiling this article has provided a great opportunity to evaluate what the entry-level market has to offer. As the top-end hardware gets all the press, it can be difficult to even allocate the less-flashy systems for review, as these aren't likely to be make headlines. But when you realize the majority of systems will be similar to these two AMD and Intel platforms, and that Intel is by far the leader in GPU sales, the importance of this type of coverage is magnified. Certainly, both systems have their pros and cons, but even though the Core 2 Duo is a superior architecture to the Athlon 64 X2, we feel that the GeForce 6150 LE platform is preferable to the Intel G965, especially in a home entertainment, media, or gaming environment.
