The Celeron D and Sempron processors are targeted at the entry-level PC market, and even though the overclocked results do improve the scores significantly, we want to configure test platforms that match the budget and use comparison processor equal to the overclocked performance levels. The test processors cover a range of clocks speeds and performance levels, and along with the Sempron 3100+ and Celeron D 335, we have tested the Pentium 4-2.8E and 3.0E, and the Athlon 64 3400+. These may seem rather high-end for two value CPUs to match, but the overclocked scores are actually quite competitive for the most part. The processors were also tested with all applicable features enabled, such as Hyper-Threading and PAT (the i865G-equivalent) for the Pentium 4-2.8E and 3.0E.
Our base references systems are pretty standard for the entry-level market, with the VIA K8T800 for Socket 754 and the i865G for the Socket 478 Intel processors. Our heatsink-fan units were also kept basic and cost-effective, while ensuring some headroom, and we used the standard retail models supplied with the Pentium 4-3.4E and Athlon 64 3400+. The Radeon 9800 XT 256-MB video card has been upgraded a bit to ensure it is not the limiting factor in benchmarking, but still not going out into GeForce 6800 Ultra territory. The hard drive is a standard Maxtor 80-GB 7200 RPM drive and the operating system is Windows XP Pro SP1, along with DirectX 9.0b installed.
The benchmark list includes a wide range of system, CPU, memory, and gaming tests. These include PCMark 2004 and SiSoft SANDRA 2004 SP1, along with CINEBENCH 2003, and TMPGEnc Plus for MPEG-1 and -2 encoding. We also feature popular 3D game tests like DOOM 3, Halo, AquaMark 3, Unreal Tournament 2004/2003, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, Quake 3, and Comanche 4. Our default game benchmark setting is 1024x768x32, which is demanding enough for comparisons and more realistic as an actual gameplay resolution, but is still prime territory for CPU-related testing.
* Please note that unless otherwise stated, all performance graph results equate to the standard "higher is better" routine.
Socket 754 Reference System:
Processor: Sempron 3100+ and Athlon 64 3400+
Memory: 2 x 512-MB OCZ PC3500
Motherboard: ASUS K8V Deluxe
Motherboard chip set: VIA K8T800
ATI reference drivers: Catalyst 4.7
AGP Video Card: ATI Radeon 9800 XT 256-MB
Hard-Drive: Maxtor 80-GB 7200 RPM
IDE Interface: Serial ATA-150
CD/DVD: AOpen Combo Drive
Power Supply: Sparkle 400 Watt
DirectX 9.0b
Operating System: Windows XP Pro SP1
Socket 478 Reference System:
Processors: Celeron D 335, Pentium 4-2.8E, Pentium 4-3.0E
Memory: 2 x 512-MB OCZ PC3500
Motherboard: AOpen AX4SG Max II
Motherboard chip set: Intel 865G
ATI reference drivers: Catalyst 4.7
AGP Video Card: ATI Radeon 9800 XT 256-MB
Hard-Drive: Maxtor 80-GB 7200 RPM
CD/DVD: AOpen Combo Drive
Power Supply: Sparkle 400 Watt
DirectX 9.0b
Operating System: Windows XP Pro SP1
General Settings:
Desktop Resolution: 1024x768
Color Depth: 32-bit
V-Sync: Disabled
Quake III Arena Specifics
Version: 1.30 (retail)
Demo four
