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Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra-64 Motherboard Review
Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra-64 Motherboard Review  - PCSTATS
In this review PCstats will be looking at a true workstation-class i875P-based motherboard from Gigabyte, called the GA-8KNXP Ultra-64.
Filed under: Motherboards Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: Gigabyte Sep 10 2004   C. Sun  
Home > Reviews > Motherboards > Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra-64

Benchmarks: X2: The Threat, UT2003

X2: The Threat Source: Egosoft

A completely rewritten 3D engine based on DirectX8 encompasses many visual effects such as volumetric Nebulae (gas clouds) that have a real impact in the game (you can hide in them), many new engine, shield, weapon and explosion effects. Objects cast real dynamic 3D shadows! Dynamic DP3 bump mapping allows a previously unseen level of detail.

X2: The Threat Benchmark Results 640x480-32bit
Motherboard FPS Ranking
DFI LANParty 875B 137.141

Albatron PX865PE Pro II

136.177
Gigabyte 8IPE1000 Pro2-W 137.11
Gigabyte 8S655TX Ultra 138.64
Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64 138.41
Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64 (220/440) 148.9

Again, don't be surprised that performance at stock speeds is about the same - each board should perform pretty much on par with each other. Overclocked and we get a nice 10fps boost.

Unreal Tournament 2003

Source: Epic

Unreal Tournament 2003 is the sequel to 1999's multiple 'Game of the Year' award winner. It uses the very latest Unreal Engine technology - where graphics, sound and game play are taken beyond the bleeding edge. Unreal Tournament 2003 employs the use of Vertex as well as Pixel Shaders and it's recommended that you use a DirectX 8 videocard to get the most out of the game.

UT2003 - 640x480
Flyby FPS Ranking
DFI LANParty 875B 240.34

Albatron PX865PE Pro II

228.13
Gigabyte 8IPE1000 Pro2-W 239.15
Gigabyte 8S655TX Ultra

239.97

Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64

246.19

Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64 (220/440) 267.55
Botmatch FPS Ranking
DFI LANParty 875B 83.67

Albatron PX865PE Pro II

83.45
Gigabyte 8IPE1000 Pro2-W 82.57
Gigabyte 8S655TX Ultra

83.41

Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64

82.81

Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64 (220/440) 89.95

The Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64 is great for those of you who want to sneak in a bit of gaming while at work too. ;-)

Conclusions

With the 8KNXP Ultra-64, Gigabyte has a very interesting alternative for workstation users. While the board is equipped with the i875P Northbridge, Gigabyte pairs it up with the more advanced Intel 6300ESB (Hance Rapids) Southbridge instead of the ICH5/ICH5R.

This is important because it gives users the choice of using Pentium 4 processors with the i875P, while having the benefits of 64 bit PCI compatibility! The two PCI-X slots on the Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64 both support 3.3V 64bit PCI devices that run at 66 MHz.

In a workstation/server environment, 64bit PCI devices give their users the extra bandwidth needed for high bandwidth hardware. For example, if the onboard Adaptec AIC 7902W Ultra/320 SCSI controller were to run on the PCI bus, it would completely bottleneck the system. With PCI-X, even if the onboard SCSI controller is running at full speed, there's plenty of bandwidth remaninig for the other PCI devices.

From the benchmarks we ran, the Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64 performs virtually identical to all other i875P based motherboards. This is expected as the test CPU and chipset are identical as well. There's not much to complain about, other than the relatively high price tag brought forth by the inclusion of Hance Rapids and onboard Adaptec SCSI. At $488 CDN ($350 US), the Gigabyte 8KNXP Ultra-64 is certainly a workstation solution that provides a compelling range of high-end features for the desktop.

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Related Articles:

Here are a few other articles that you might enjoy as well...

1. Albatron PX875P Pro Motherboard Review
2. DFI LANParty PRO875B Motherboard Review
3. VIA PT880 Reference Pentium 4 Motherboard Review
4. Gigabyte GA-8S655TX Ultra Motherboard Review
5. MSI 875P Neo-FIS2R Motherboard Review

< Previous Page © 2023 PCSTATS.com Motherboards Reviews...»

 

Contents of Article: Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra-64
 Pg 1.  Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra-64 Motherboard Review
 Pg 2.  Hance Rapids and PCI-X?
 Pg 3.  BIOS and System Spec's
 Pg 4.  Benchmarks: SYSmark 2004
 Pg 5.  Benchmarks: Winstone 2002, Winbench 99
 Pg 6.  Benchmarks: SiSoft Sandra 2004, Super Pi
 Pg 7.  Benchmarks: PCMark2002, 3DMark2001
 Pg 8.  Benchmarks: AquaMark3, Comanche 4
 Pg 9.  — Benchmarks: X2: The Threat, UT2003

 
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