Performance – Applications [Real World]
AutoGK 2.55AutoGK is our choice for transcoding testing. It is a compilation of commonly used tools for transcoding combined into an easy to use application. At its core is virtual dub for the actual transcoding but it provides much more than that. AutoGK is a good test of a system as it stresses the system drives, memory and the CPU. Although it is not fully Multi-Core compliant it does stagger the rendering load across multiple cores in turn. In our testing we take a 2 hour movie and transcode it to DivX Avi at 100% quality.
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Our transcoding experience with the P7P55D Deluxe was good but was not great. We have gotten faster with other P55 based boards. Granted not by much, but still faster. Then again, if you are a transcoding buff, you might want to invest in GPU-accelerated transcoders.
LightWave 3D x64Lightwave 3D is a full 3D animation software suite from Newtek. This application has become one of the standards in the industry and is used but a large number of professional animators. For our testing here at BSN we used the latest version of the software available from Newtek. Our rendered scene is frame 32 form the Lightwave 8 media Moonbase file. We resolution was 1080HD with 7-Pass PLD, and Gaussian Sharp reconstruction filter. Segment Memory was 512MB.
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Lightwave 3D performance was also behind what we have seen on other P55 boards with the Core i7 870. Still the P7P55D Deluxe does an admirable job in our render testing.
Performance – Gaming
3DMark Vantage3D Mark Vantage is a DirectX 10 benchmark suite from Futuremark. This suite of tests allows you to get a broad overview of how well your system can handle the basic tasks of today’s gaming. Included in the test are Physics (using the PhysX libraries for GPU and CPU) DX10 Shader tests DX9 Shader tests as well as AI computations. Now since the majority of this is not dynamic it cannot hope to provide a completely accurate picture of gaming performance but it does a very good job despite that limitation. 3D Mark is also used a "bragging rights" test. The person with the best number wins; we are not sure what they really win, but we are assured they do actually win.
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Our 3DMark Vantage testing shows that the P7P55D Deluxe when paired with an AMD Radeon HD 4890 is a very capable gaming system.
Real-World GamingGamming performance is a lot more than how fast frames are rendered. Today there are many items that never touch the GPU. These range from Positional Audio, to AI to Physics [not PhysX] calculations to weather and traffic information [in the case of FlightSim X]. We use FRAPS to capture frame rates while in game. We will also cover any noticeable lags, sluggish AI or audio issues that occur during game play that might not be apparent from the frame rates shown.
Flight Sim XI am not a fan of FlightSim X. To me it is a rather boring game, but it is a great test of how well a system performs. As we mention above there is a ton going on behind the scenes of FlightSim X that pushes a system quite nicely. For our testing we use an airport that is close to us Sanford International [SFB] an fly to Orlando International [OIA]. We use the Learjet as our plane of choice and measure the FPS during this flight. Resolution and other graphical and game settings are shown below.
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Looking at the frame rates FlightSim X [FSX] looks like it was playable at the resolution we chose. However, as we mentioned sometimes the frame rate does not tell the whole story. We found FSX to be extremely sluggish, the controls were hard to get to respond with the settings we chose. It was a tad more responsive when overclocked but at stock speed we had some issues. It was not an enjoyable experience to play, we would recommend turning down the realism settings to get a better gaming experience.
Call of Duty 5: World at WarCall of Duty 5: World at War is a great game. In it you take on multiple roles at the close of World War II. Each episode takes you through some of the most intense combat of the war. It dovetails nicely with the Bar Fight AI that we have all come to know and love from the CoD series. This is not to say the AI is simple, quite the opposite in fact. It means the AI your typical CoD game is in many ways more complex than found in other games. The graphics are quite good but at times tend to look a little cartoonish. For our testing we used the Rescue Mission at the beginning of the game. We captured frame rates from the first shots to the end when you are dragged into the boats waiting offshore. Resolution and Game settings are shown below.
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Call of Duty 5 was great on the P7P55D Deluxe. With the improved audio the game had a nicer feel to it, the AI was smooth at stock speeds and almost comically sped up when we pushed the CPU to 4GHz. You would be able to easily max out the settings on COD5 and still have a very playable game on the P7P55D Deluxe.
FarCry 2 [DX10]FarCry 2 is an interesting game in that it is not made up of levels but is one large "sandbox" style game. You can freely move around the small island that the game is set on. In the game you take on the role of a mercenary sent to kill "The Jackal" unfortunately you succumb to your malaria and get caught. You end up running errands for a local middle man. For our testing we played through the first two errands. Resolution and Game settings are shown below.
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In FarCry2 we see more than playable performance with the system we put together. We did not note anything out of the ordinary during game play that would affect your experience. In all the P7P55D Deluxe and Radeon HD 4890 did a very good job.
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