X-bit labs

SiS755: New Chipset for Athlon 64 (page 5)

Category: Chipsets

by Ilya Gavrichenkov

[ 12/16/2003 | 11:25 AM ]

Performance

When writing a chipset review, I used to test the performance of the memory subsystem first, but this tradition has come to an end. In Athlon 64 platforms the memory controller is inside the processor, and its performance doesn’t practically depend on the design of the chipset or mainboard, so any mainboards on any chipsets will show similar speed in memory performance tests. So, what should the chipset maker be concerned about to optimize the performance of its Athlon 64 chipset? I think it is primarily the efficiency of the controllers of the HyperTransport and AGP busses as well as fast work of the subsystems grouped in the South Bridge.

So, we are mostly interested in gaming tests. The benchmarks of this type load both: HyperTransport and AGP buses to reveal the weak and strong points of each chipset considered.

The CPU test from the 3DMark03 suite doesn’t reveal any difference between the chipsets. Well, it shouldn’t, actually. This rating mostly depends on CPU and memory subsystem speeds, so it just barely touches the chipset itself.

The 3DMark03 test can put every subsystem under serious workload. We see different chipsets providing different performance. The HyperStreaming architecture of SiS755 shows its best here, so that the SiS product becomes the leader.