MAGMA
37
Since the built-in video chipset doesn’t support 3D rendering needed to
run 3DMark® , we first established a baseline by installing an entry level
PCIe card into an EB2 expansion chassis (Nvidia Quadro NVS440).
All subsequent benchmarks were completed using higher performing
video cards and documented in the table below:
Tested Video Card SM2.0 Benchmark
Score SM3.0 Benchmark
Score
NVidia Quadro NVS440 151 182
NVidia Quadro FX560 229 479
ATI 1650 Pro 757 773
NVidia GeFORCE
7600GS 861 768
NVidia Quadro FX1500 1048 979
NVidia GeFORCE
7900GS 1582 1528
ATI 1900XT 2286 2504
NVidia Quadro FX5600 3678 3412
NVidia 8800 Ultra 3774 3843
The comparison table shows performance improvements from 263% to
2111% between the baseline and the highest-end video card tested (the
NVidia GeFORCE 8800 Ultra). In other words, by expanding the PCI
Express bus, the EB2 system was able to facilitate an ever-improving
benchmark result limited only by the 3rd party card’s performance and
the bandwidth limitations of the bus itself.
For more details on the actual test methodology and an explanation of
the benchmark figures please refer to: www.futuremark.com