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Epox EP-AF550G Pro Geforce 6100 Motherboard Review
Epox EP-AF550G Pro Geforce 6100 Motherboard Review - PCSTATS
The Epox EP-AF550G Pro supports all Socket AM2 AMD Athlon64/X2/FX and Sempron processors, and up to 16GB of DDR2-800 memory.
 78% Rating:   
Filed under: Motherboards Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: Epox Feb 08 2007   Max Page  
Home > Reviews > Motherboards > Epox EP-AF550G Pro

nVIDIA PureVideo and High Definition Content

High definition is the future entertainment standard of tomorrow's video's. Playing high definition content on current generation PCs can bog down even the fastest processors because there is more data to handle. Similar to the need for DVD accelerators a few years ago, nVIDIA PureVideo enables computer users to view MPEG-2/DVD and WMV High Definition formats on the monitor without slowing the system to a crawl.

The PureVideo standard incorporates a hardware accelerator for the afore mentioned MPEG-2/DVD, and Microsoft Windows Media High Definition Video standards (WMV HD). According to nVIDIA's documentation on PureVideo, the GPU (GeForce 6 and 7 series GPUs) takes on video decoding tasks from the CPU, and the end result is smoother, shutter free High Definition playback. nVIDIA PureVideo also supports most current and future high definition formats.

PureVideo is more than just a media accelerator; it also includes features to improve video picture quality. DVD, cable and satellite video provide poor crispness, clearness and smoothness that consumers have been desperate to be "saved from." nVIDIA's PureVideo technology applies spatial temporal de-interlacing to apparently deliver a better image than traditional de-interlacing can muster. PureVideo also fixes the 3:2 pull down problem that can arise from 24 fps video being converted to 30 fps for viewing on TVs or monitors. By recovering the original 24 frame content, PureVideo allows for a clear crisper image.

Another neat feature of PureVideo is its ability to scale videos to any resolution, while maintaining a relatively detailed picture. This means users can view lower resolution videos at a high resolution without suffering too much from blocky or blurry pictures.

Examining CPU Load with PureVideo

To test PureVideo's High Definition accelerating capabilities on the Epox EP-AF550G Pro, we'll playback a video downloaded from Microsoft's WMV HD Content Showcase through Windows Media Player 10. "The Discoverers" (IMAX) video is available in both 720P and 1080P formats. Socket AM2 processor utilization will be monitored via Task Manager.

When running the 720P version of the Discoverers video, CPU usage jumps between 20-28% with the Epox EP-AF550G Pro motherboard. That leaves a lot of CPU resources for background applications/services without the worry of dropped frames or interrupted video.

All GeForce 6 series and higher videocards support PureVideo which is nVIDIA's High Definition accelerator. That means the onboard GeForce 6100 has built in High Definition Video accelerator and explains why CPU usage is low when watching HD movies on the monitor. It can however only output a Standard Definition signal via component output (on boards which support this). In this test with the 720P video, nForce 6100/40 chipset combination handles the job well and CPU resources remain in line with the previous test.

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Contents of Article: Epox EP-AF550G Pro
 Pg 1.  Epox EP-AF550G Pro Geforce 6100 Motherboard Review
 Pg 2.  The GeForce 6100/nForce 430 chipset
 Pg 3.  — nVIDIA PureVideo and High Definition Content
 Pg 4.  Epox EP-AF550G Motherboard Gallery
 Pg 5.  Overclocking the Epox EP-AF550G Pro motherboard
 Pg 6.  Motherboard Benchmarks: SYSMark2004
 Pg 7.  Motherboard Benchmarks: Office Productivity, SiSoft Sandra
 Pg 8.  Motherboard Benchmarks: SuperPi, PCMark05
 Pg 9.  Motherboard Benchmarks: 3DMark05, 3DMark06
 Pg 10.  Motherboard Benchmarks: FarCry, Doom 3, Quake 4
 Pg 11.  A Great Budget Platform?

 
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