Chipsets. Intel begins shipping budget chipsets P31 and G31 G31 processors
Used from older versions to resolve a conflict regarding PATA support.
Specifications
The system bus of the G31 chipset, called QPB 800, operates at 1066 megahertz. This device is capable of supporting a dual-channel operational data stream with a frequency of up to 800 megahertz. The maximum amount of RAM is four gigabytes. The G31 chipset is not designed to work with servers, so it is called pseudo-synchronous.
As for the integrated graphics adapter, the GMA 3100 provides good image quality and supports DirectX version 9.
The data transfer rate between bridges is two gigabytes per second, that is, one gigabyte per second goes out in one direction.
The chipset is capable of supporting four SerialATA links, which, according to the characteristics of the G31 chipset, means the ability to connect four hard disks that will operate in SATA 300 mode. The latter designation demonstrates the data transfer rate within the system, that is, the maximum speed will reach 300 MB per second.
When it comes to power consumption, there is nothing to worry about, since motherboards based on the G31 chipset are budget and do not have advanced features.
Supported processors
Motherboards with the G31 chipset support processors based on the Core 2 Duo microarchitecture with a processor bus frequency of no more than 1066 megahertz. working with this chipset is about 50 watts. The chipset also works with Pentium and Celeron processors, but only with support for socket 775.
Overclocking potential
For an example of overclocking the G31 chipset was taken as a basis. To use the motherboard's memory settings, go to the overclocking section called Fox Central Control Unit. After that, you need to choose the optimal frequency, that is, the highest. The higher the operating frequency, the higher the productivity. Having chosen the highest value, you need to look at the system monitoring section. The temperature of the current state of the entire system will be displayed there.
Now you can go directly to overclocking, and for this you need to go to the Fox Central Control Unit section. Choosing the maximum value, you can look at the performance gain. The G31 chipset is capable of overclocking the processor from 333 to a stable 600 megahertz.
An example of a motherboard with this chipset
As an example of a motherboard, a microATX model from Asus is presented. This device is capable of working with both dual-core processors and quad-core Intel Core 2 and Quad Core series. The socket on the motherboard is P5KPL-AM 775, which means that only 45-nanometer processors are suitable.
The universal system bus operating at 800, 1066, 1333 and 1600 megahertz can support DDR2 memory up to 1066 megahertz in operation.
To unleash the full potential of the processors operating on this motherboard, you can overclock the system bus to 1600 megahertz.
As you know, to work with applications using three-dimensional graphics, was more productive, the motherboard has two slots for RAM. The motherboard can support up to 1066 megahertz dual-channel data streaming to speed up demanding applications.
To implement modern and playback at the time of computer games has been improved architecture of PCI. This bus is now called PCI Express. Quadrupled bandwidth lets you enjoy every second of 3D gaming.
Also in the motherboard, powered by the G31 chipset, there is support for high-quality sound, additional settings for the BIOS from the manufacturer, a controller for system cooling, which optimizes its operation.
Conclusion
The choice of the rest of the equipment depends on the choice of a motherboard running on a particular chipset. Thanks to the chipset, the capabilities of the entire system change: the number of supported processors, the frequencies of components, the parameters of the integrated graphics processor, power consumption, and much more.
Depending on the chipset, it can be assumed how powerful the system will be, what its overclocking potential will be. It's up to you to choose.
Motherboards based on the G31 chipset are budgetary and are not designed for server manipulation and other advanced features. This motherboard option is ideal for the average user, that is, for working with simple applications, surfing websites and running not too demanding games.
Various manufacturers add many additional features to their motherboards, such as monitoring power consumption or restoring BIOS settings.
We already know about Intel's plans to begin shipping budget chipsets P31 and G31 in the third quarter of this year. These chipsets are intended to replace the i945x series chipsets in the long term. Boards based on the new chipsets will support 45 nm Intel processors, but it would be wrong to attribute this feature to the merits of the chipsets themselves. Initially, Intel P31 and G31 chipsets will receive support for processors with a 1066 MHz bus, and in the first quarter they will be allowed to support a 1333 MHz bus. Motherboard manufacturers are already introducing 1333 MHz bus support for those chipsets that do not have this capability. Intel P31 and G31 chipsets will be compatible with the i945x series chipsets, the south bridges will remain the same - ICH7 and ICH7R, which will provide innate support for the IDE interface, which is still in demand in the budget sector. In a word, new system logic sets do not offer any special innovations, besides the integrated graphics of the Intel GMA 3100 class for the Intel G31 chipset. They are introduced in order to unify the range of chipsets - in the fourth quarter of this year, every second desktop chipset supplied by Intel will belong to the x3x family.
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DigiTimes reported yesterday that Intel began shipping the P31 and G31 chipsets on July 4th. The wholesale cost of each of the chipsets is $ 30. Note that the i945x series chipsets are offered at the following prices:- i945GT -\u003e $ 39;
- i945G -\u003e $ 37;
- i945GT -\u003e $ 33;
- i945GC -\u003e $ 25;
- i945GZ -\u003e $ 24;
- i945PL -\u003e $ 23.
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Thus, Intel G31 and P31 chipsets at a cost of $ 30 wedge into the friendly ranks of the i945x series chipsets. Note that this will not help the i945x series chipsets to leave the market faster - even in the first quarter of 2008 their share will be close to 35%. In the second quarter, the "third series" chipsets will be replaced by new chipsets of the Eaglelake family, and the i945x series chipsets will move to the lowest level of the hierarchy, replacing the i865x series chipsets. Please note that by the first quarter of 2008 the share of i965x series chipsets will be measured in units of percent, and x3x series chipsets will unconditionally dominate (almost 60%). By the way, in the current quarter the cost of the Intel P35 chipset will be reduced from $ 34 to $ 33, but this is unlikely to greatly affect the retail price of motherboards.
This review is a kind of continuation of the article “Choosing a Chipset for Core 2 Duo. The era before Intel 3 Series ”and one of the last parts of the material devoted to chipsets for the Intel LGA775 platform. This time, we will consider the chipsets of the Intel 3 Series family, the products on which, although not in large quantities, are still present on the market.
The company released the Intel 3 Series chipset line in 2007 to support the expected 45 nm Penryn family processors with a 1333 MHz bus, which could not function on the then popular motherboards based on Intel x965 and 945x system logic sets. In total, the lineup consisted of eight models: the mass entry-level P31, the P35 for mid-range systems, the integrated G31, G33 and G35, the flagship X38, and the solutions for the corporate market - the Q35 and Q33. Of course, the new items were not limited to support for future processors - with their appearance the era of DDR3 memory and PCI Express 2.0 bus began (the latter is true only for the high-end X38 chipset). In addition, the south bridge was updated, which became known as ICH9: the number of USB 2.0 ports increased to twelve, as well as support for Intel Turbo Memory technology, which is based on the installation of an additional module with flash memory on the board, which allows accelerating the loading of applications in the operating room. Windows Vista.
Intel P31 / G31 Express
The P31 and G31 chipsets replace the Intel 945x / 946x series with the only difference being support for FSB up to 1333 MHz and DDR2-800 memory with a maximum capacity of 4 GB. The integrated solution has got an updated graphics core GMA 3100 instead of the GMA 950 used earlier. The rest of the functionality was limited to the south bridges ICH7 or ICH7R, which support only eight USB 2.0 ports, four PCI-E 1.1 lines (six for ICH7R), four SATA II channels (the ability to organize RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 5, and 10 for ICH7R) and Fast Ethernet.
In addition, entry-level system logic sets were limited in their ability to operate at high FSB frequencies, i.e. overclocking of motherboards based on P31 and G31 left much to be desired and was at the level of 430-450 MHz.
Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G
As a representative of the product based on the entry-level Intel P31 Express chipset, we used the Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G board, which is now one of the most affordable solutions for the Penryn family processors.
The motherboard is shipped in a box with a green and black design that lists the features of the board, including Easy Energy Saver technology.
The scope of delivery is standard for mass market products:
- instructions for installing AMD / Intel processors;
- cD with drivers and software;
- two SATA cables;
- one IDE cable;
- one FDD cable;
- rear I / O bar;
- sticker on the system unit.
The board is made in the ATX form factor, very compact, but despite this, there is a lot of empty space on it - in this it even somewhat resembles some Intel solutions. The GA-P31-ES3G model supports all modern processors, including even Pentium 4 and Pentium D, with a system bus frequency from 800 to 1333 MHz. The board has only two DIMM slots, and the maximum memory capacity of DDR2-1066 / 800/667 can reach 4 GB, which is quite enough for an entry-level system.
The GA-P31-ES3G design has certain flaws: the IDE connector is located between the DIMM slot and the board's power connector, as well as the FDD connector installed parallel to the bottom edge of the board - but considering that drives with IDE-interface are practically not on sale, and a floppy drive has outlived its usefulness, then these disadvantages can not be counted.
The processor's power subsystem is built in a 3-phase scheme using solid capacitors and chokes in armored cores. In the rest of the circuits, conventional capacitors and simpler chokes are installed. ATX12V processor auxiliary power connector.
Chipset microcircuits are cooled using small aluminum radiators - some motherboards based on Intel P965 Express from the same manufacturer were equipped with a similar CO. There are four connectors for connecting fans, one of which, a four-pin connector, is designed for a fan from a processor cooler.
The GA-P31-ES3G functionality is minimal, due to the limited capabilities of the ICH7 south bridge. The board implements four SATA II channels, eight USB 2.0 ports, four of which are routed to the rear panel, one IDE channel, three PCI-E x1 connectors and three regular PCI slots. There is also a COM and LPT port.
The audio subsystem is implemented using the old familiar HDA codec Realtek ALC888, the Gigabit Ethernet network is based on the Realtek 8111C chip.
The rear panel contains two PS / 2 connectors, a coaxial S / PDIF, four USB ports, a network connector, a COM and LPT port, and three audio connectors. In fact, the standard set that products from the times of the Intel 945P chipset could boast.
The engineers of the company placed the Clear CMOS contacts closer to the edge of the board, in contrast to their favorite place near the PCI-E x1 slots, which eliminates the need to constantly dismantle a video card with a dual-slot cooler when resetting the BIOS settings.
And, of course, the GA-P31-ES3G is equipped with two BIOS chips, which will allow the system to recover if the microcode in one of them is damaged. It is gratifying that such a function is found on an inexpensive motherboard, while the competitors have two BIOS chips on products of a higher class.
BIOS
BIOS of Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G is based on Award Software microcode and is somewhat inferior to modern solutions in its capabilities. The available overclocking settings are concentrated in the MB Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T.) menu, but before you go there, you must press the "Ctrl + F1" combination, otherwise the items for setting the memory delays will be unavailable.
In the M.I.T. you can control the processor multiplication factor (both integer and fractional), change the frequency of the system bus, PCI-E interface, adjust the memory operation mode and various voltages.
FSB frequency varies within 100-700 MHz, PCI-E bus - from 90 to 150 MHz. Coarse Performance Level control is available in the Performance Enhance section, where you can select one of Standard, Turbo or Extreme modes. For a more accurate PL setting, there is a Static tRead Value item among the memory timings, which already allows you to select more familiar digital values. There is a small list of multipliers to select the operating mode (i.e. frequency) of the memory.
The ability to change voltages is present for the processor (up to 1.6 V), FSB bus (up to +0.3 V from nominal), memory (up to +0.7 V), PCI-E bus (up to +0.3 V), northbridge (up to +0.3 V) and GTL logic. It is also possible to lower the voltage on the FSB bus down to -0.15 V.
| Parameter | Range of change |
| DDR2 OverVoltage Control | + 0.1-0.7 V, in 0.1 V steps |
| PCI-E OverVoltage Control | + 0.1-0.3 V, in 0.1 V steps |
| FSB OverVoltage Control | + 0.1-0.3 V, in 0.1 V steps |
| FSB DeOverVoltage Control | - 0.05-0.15 V, in 0.05 V steps |
| (G) MCH OverVoltage Control | + 0.1-0.3 V, in 0.1 V steps |
| CPU GTLREF Voltage Ratio | 0.54/0.566/0.603/0.636 |
| CPU Voltage Control | 0.5-1.6 V at 0.00625 V steps |
Scanty monitoring allows you to monitor only the voltages on the processor, memory, on the +3.3 and +12 V lines, as well as the revolutions of four fans. It is possible to set up an alarm when a certain processor temperature is reached or each of the four fans stops.
To update the BIOS, you can use the built-in Q-Flash utility - just plug in the flash drive with the saved firmware version.
Additional software
The Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G motherboard allows you to install the Easy Energy Saver utility, which has common features with Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced, but unlike the latter, it does not control the dynamic disconnection of the processor power phases when the system is idle, but simply calculates the saved electricity when the voltage is reduced power supply and activation of C1E and EIST technologies for processors of the Core 2 family.
As a result, there are not so many practical applications of this utility.
Overclocking
To find out the overclocking potential of the board, the following configuration was assembled:
- Video card: ASUS EN8800GS TOP 384M;
- Power supply: Silver Power SP-S850 (850 W).
As a rule, when overclocking, the PCI Express bus frequency must be blocked at 100-110 MHz, but with such settings the system was able to boot only at the FSB frequency of 350 MHz. If PCI-E is left in Auto mode, the ceiling is practically limited by the capabilities of the chipset itself.
In our case, it was 455 MHz with an increase in the voltage on the chipset and FSB by +0.1 V and 465 MHz by raising these voltages by another +0.1 V.
Further raising the voltages and changing the memory timings did not affect the motherboard's potential, although there is information on the Web about the maximum overclocking to the FSB level of 500 MHz and higher. Intel P35 / G35 / G33 Express
The Intel P35 / G33 Express chipsets, which replaced Intel P965 / G965, were the first that Intel presented when the new line of chipsets was announced at Computex 2007. The rest had the status of "paper" announcements and appeared a little later. For the first time, new products supported DDR3-1066 / 800 memory with a maximum capacity of 8 GB, in addition to DDR2-800 / 667, and motherboard manufacturers could produce products designed for any of these types, or even combined solutions. The ICH9 south bridge expanded the functionality of the system due to twelve USB 2.0 ports, its modifications ICH9R and ICH9DO supported six SATA II channels with the possibility of organizing RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 5 and 10. In addition, the new south bridges now have support for eSATA and the possibility disable unused high-speed serial links. The built-in graphics core of the G33 is similar to that of the G31, but with one difference, which is support for the Clear Video video enhancement technology. The CrossFire operating mode for the P35 was declared as "x16 + x4", which, as in the case of the P965, hindered the tandem's performance. Intel Turbo Memory technology was never widely adopted, although great hopes were pinned on it.
The integrated Intel G35 Express chipset acquired a more advanced core - GMA X3500, but only supported DDR2 memory with a frequency of up to 800 MHz and was equipped with the ICH8 south bridge (ICH8R, ICH8DH), known from the P965 / G965 system logic sets.
Intel Q35 / Q33 Express
For the corporate market, the Q35 and Q33 chipsets were released, which contained the GMA 3100 video core, supported DDR2-800 / 667 memory and were equipped with ICH9, ICH9R and ICH9DO south bridges with the ability to implement Intel Turbo Memory (only Q35). These solutions differed in support of Intel Trusted Execution and Intel Virtualization for Directed I / O (Q35) technologies.
ASUS P5K Deluxe / WiFi-AP
Representatives of the business segment did not get to our tests, so we will consider a product based on the Intel P35 Express, a mass-produced mid-level chipset at one time. ASUS P5K Deluxe / WiFi-AP is packaged in a black box with a handle and hinged lid that lists all product features and supported technologies.
Contents of delivery:
- instructions for the motherboard;
- instructions for the WiFi access point;
- cD with drivers and software;
- four SATA cables;
- one IDE cable;
- one FDD cable;
- rear I / O bar;
- WiFi antenna;
- a set of branded pads Q-Connector.
The board, made of black PCB, is designed for Intel processors with FSB 800-1333 MHz and supports DDR2 memory up to 1066 MHz and a total volume of 8 GB. The PCB design has some flaws, in particular, the DIMM slots are located close to the graphics connector, six SATA connectors are installed perpendicular to the board, four of which can be covered by a dimensional card with a dual-slot cooling system. Also, the IDE connector is located at the bottom of the board, because of which the cable length may not be enough to connect a drive in Full Tower cases, but given the widespread transition to the SATA interface, this is no longer so critical.
Some of the power transistors have been moved to the reverse side of the board, which made it possible to evenly distribute the heat load on the VRM.
The processor's power supply subsystem is built according to an 8-phase scheme using solid capacitors and chokes in armored cores. Similar components are used in other power circuits of the board. Eight-pin EPS12V is used as a connector for additional power supply of the processor.
Chipset microcircuits and a part of power transistors are cooled by aluminum heat sinks, interconnected by means of heat pipes. A separate aluminum radiator is installed for the remaining elements of the four phases.
There are six connectors for connecting fans, one of which is four-pin - this is more than enough to organize active cooling inside the case.
The board's functionality is good even by modern standards: three PCI slots, two PCI-E x1, one PCI-E x4 (PCI-E x16 slot) and one PCI-E x16, as well as ten USB 2.0 ports, six of which are routed to the rear panel, and six SATA II channels with the ability to organize RAID arrays 0, 1, 5 and 10 due to the ICH9R south bridge.
Additional controllers on the board include JMicron JMB363, which supports one IDE channel and two eSATA, and Agere FW3227, which is responsible for two IEEE 1394 ports. The audio subsystem is implemented using the 8-channel ADI AD1988B codec, which is often used by ASUS.
Two gigabit controllers, Realtek RTL8110SC and Marvell 88E8056, are responsible for the network on the board, and the first of them is located on the PCI bus, and the second on the PCI-E bus.
As you have already noticed, two USB ports are not available to the user - they are used by the WiFi module near the rear panel of the board.
The AW-GA800BT module from AzureWave is based on the Realtek RTL8187L chip and supports the IEEE 802.11b / g standard.
In addition to a WiFi antenna connector, the rear panel has six USB ports, two eSATA, one FireWire, optical and coaxial S / PDIF, six audio connectors, and only one PS / 2 for the keyboard.
At first, motherboards with one PS / 2 port, or even without it, aroused the indignation of users, even accused the chip maker of the inexpediency of excluding the "mouse" interface. But Intel has no direct relation to this, since the PS / 2 ports are implemented in the Super I / O chip, which motherboard manufacturers put on their products. With the abandonment of the archaic interface, there appeared some problems with the compatibility of new motherboards with second-tier USB mice. For example, the tested ASUS P5K Deluxe / WiFi-AP refused to work with the A4-Tech SWOP-558 pointing device. Perhaps these are the features of the exclusively considered solution.
BIOS
The BIOS of the board, based on the AMI microcode, allows users to fine-tune the system and is less overloaded with various parameters compared to modern ASUS motherboards.
The main settings are concentrated in the Advanced menu, in which you can change the FSB frequency (from 200 to 800 MHz), PCI-E (from 100 to 150 MHz), processor multiplier and memory mode. It is possible to control the Performance Level parameter, albeit in a somewhat non-standard form: it must be combined by enabling or disabling the Transaction Booster parameter and the Relax Level. With the default settings, the PL level of this motherboard is 10, while even the Intel solution based on P43 Express has a default of 7, which immediately puts ASUS P5K Deluxe / WiFi-AP in a less favorable position when comparing products from different manufacturers.
The number of memory dividers is enough to set 835, 887 or even 1111 and 1332 MHz with FSB 333 MHz.
The voltage on the processor can be changed in the range of 1.1-1.7 V, the voltage on the memory - from 1.8 to 2.55 V, although the description contains data from a board supporting DDR3.
On the north bridge, the voltage varies within 1.25-1.7 V, it is also possible to change the voltage of the CPU PLL, which is important for overclocking quad-core processors, on the FSB bus, south bridge and GTL logic. The available Load-Line Calibration parameter will allow you to avoid a drop in the supply voltage of an overclocked processor under load.
All variable voltages are listed in the table:
| Parameter | Range of change |
| CPU Voltage | 1.1-1.7 V, in 0.0125 V steps |
| CPU PLL Voltage | 1.5-1.8 V, 0.1 V steps |
| FSB Termination Voltage | 1.1-1.4 V, 0.1 V steps |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.8-2.55 V, 0.05 V steps |
| NB Voltage | 1.25 / 1.4 / 1.55 / 1.7V |
| SB Voltage | 1.05 / 1.2V |
| Clock Over-Charging Voltage | 0.7-1.0 V, in 0.1 V steps |
| CPU GTL Voltage Reference | 0.63x / 0.61x / 0.59x / 0.57x |
| NB GTL Voltage Reference | 0.67x / 0.61x |
The monitoring is quite minimalistic - there is only the temperature of the processor, motherboard, main voltages, including the processor voltage, and monitoring the rotational speed of four fans, as well as control of the Q-Fan technology.
For those who often use various system settings, the ability to save two profiles will come in handy, which after updating the BIOS will still have to be rewritten, otherwise the system is unstable.
To update the BIOS there is a built-in utility ASUS EZ Flash 2 - just plug in the flash drive and select the directory with the saved version of the microcode.
Additional software
The board comes with the ASUS AI Suite software, which is responsible for monitoring, system overclocking, fan control and power saving functions.
Also on the bundled disc you can find a simpler PC Probe II utility that is responsible for monitoring the system.
Overclocking
The board was overclocked with the same configuration as with the Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G. BIOS version was 0902, dated June 19, 2008 - more recent firmwares have beta status, so they were not used. With a voltage on the north bridge of 1.4 V and a 1.4 V FSB bus, the maximum stable frequency was 550 MHz, and with an increase in NB Voltage to 1.55 V, the system was able to pass the stress test at a frequency of 566 MHz. For greater stability, the board was blown by a 120 mm fan.
Changing the rest of the parameters did not affect the potential of ASUS P5K Deluxe / WiFi-AP.
After the announcement of a new line of chipsets, the "old man" i975X passed the baton of the company's flagship to the Intel P35 Express system logic set for a while, despite the limitations in the construction of CrossFire systems. Some manufacturers even released P35-based motherboards with PCI Express switching chips, which allowed video cards to communicate with each other and the motherboard on eight PCI-E 1.1 lanes on each side. Of course, this affected the final cost of the ready-made solution, but high-level products have never been distinguished by a democratic price.
In the fall of 2007, the high-end Intel X38 Express chipset was already presented, which differed from the P35 in support of 32 PCI Express 2.0 lanes, which have twice the bandwidth than PCI-E 1.1, and allowed two video cards to work in the "x16 + x16" mode ... In addition, it became possible to work with DDR3-1333 memory, and support for XMP (eXtreme Memory Profiles) technology was introduced, which is an analogue of EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles) from NVIDIA, but for DDR3 modules. Another interesting feature of the chipset was the presence of a heat-distributing cover on the north bridge, which made it possible to evenly dissipate heat and avoid chip chip cleavage.
Six months later, a set of system logic Intel X48 Express was presented, which is nothing more than X38 with corrected errors and official support for the 1600 MHz FSB bus and DDR3-1600 memory, and the chipset cannot work with DDR2 memory. In any case, this is what Intel said, which was soon denied by motherboard manufacturers by releasing corresponding products that work with the old type of memory.
However, despite the fact that this set of system logic belongs to the fourth series, the south bridge remains the same - ICH9 (R / DH), while the new series is equipped with a microcircuit already at number 10.
Since products based on Intel X38 Express are already a certain rarity, ASUS Rampage Formula was chosen as a representative of solutions based on the top X48 chipset. Over the year, the cost of high-end motherboards has decreased by half and now you can buy a good product for 150-200 dollars, but considering the imminent release of the P55 chipset and processors for Socket LGA1156, the expediency of such a purchase is doubtful. Although, it is not known how much the latest motherboards will be priced (they do not promise much) and it is not a fact that you can immediately switch to the next platform. So if there is a quad-core processor, but there is no desire to change it, and motherboards based on Intel P45 do not suit for one reason or another, then a solution based on X48 will become the only candidate for purchase.
The board in question belongs to the Republic of Gamers series and comes in a branded box with a hinged cover and a carrying handle.
All technologies supported by the product are painted on the cover, and the presence of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R .: Shadow of Chernobyl game in the package is indicated. The box has cutouts through which you can see the cooling system and the rear panel of the board, as well as an external sound card. some of the most interesting features of ASUS Rampage Formula.
The board and the delivery set are packed in different boxes - accessories in cardboard boxes, and "motherboard" in plastic. The presence of plastic packaging was often found in the decisions of 2000-2001. costing about $ 100-120, but later they abandoned this, and now, as we see, they returned to this idea again, but already as an attribute of top-end products.
Contents of delivery:
- instructions for the motherboard;
- cD with drivers and software
- disc with the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R .: Shadow of Chernobyl;
- six SATA cables;
- external sound card SupremeFX II;
- power adapter for SATA devices;
- one IDE cable;
- one FDD cable;
- briquette with two USB connectors and one mini-FireWire;
- rear I / O bar;
- turbine for a radiator on power elements;
- set of branded pads Q-Connector
- set of ties;
- remote LCD indicator LCD-Poster;
- sticker on the system unit with a logo.
Among the accessories to the board, you can find a remote LCD-Poster indicator, familiar to us from Rampage II Extreme, and a turbine for installation on one of the power transistor radiators when a passive cooling system or CBO is used. There is also a discrete SupremeFX II sound card in the box, which is a regular audio codec on a separate board.
A full-format ATX-board is made on a black PCB, like all expensive solutions from ASUS. The arrangement of the elements is more or less thought out, there is practically nothing to complain about: two PCI-E x16 slots are spaced at a sufficient distance, memory can be replaced without dismantling the video card, the SATA and IDE connectors are rotated 90 ° and after installing the accelerators each channel will be available for connection drives. As for memory, as noted above, the X48 chipset can work with the DDR2 standard without any problems, and Rampage Formula is no exception - the board supports modules with a frequency of over 1200 MHz, but finding such is now problematic. The maximum memory capacity can reach 8 GB, and in this respect there are also no differences from solutions based on X38. But for new products from the real fourth series, the bar has already been pushed back to 16 gigabytes, although eight are now rarely used by anyone. All modern models with a bus frequency from 800 to 1600 MHz can be installed from the processors.
A complex design of various radiators and heat pipes is responsible for cooling the 8-channel power subsystem of the processor and chipset microcircuits. On the north bridge there is a large radiator with wavy fins, which, according to the manufacturer, should have the best effect on cooling, connected by a heat pipe to smaller radiators on the power elements. To give rigidity to the system, a reinforcing plate is installed on the back of the board, just at the location of the north bridge. In addition, heat is transferred to another heatsink made of thin aluminum fins, the back of which protrudes slightly beyond the I / O bar - this is somewhat reminiscent of the Silent Pipe cooling system on Gigabyte video cards.
The ICH9R southbridge is content with a heat sink connected to the rest of the structure via a heat pipe. There are eight connectors on the board for connecting fans, one of them is a four-pin one, naturally intended for a processor cooler.
Like the new models, the Rampage Formula is equipped with a new CPU power controller - EPU, which can turn off unused phases of the processor power during system idle time, thereby at least somehow allowing you to save energy. For a single board, the savings are not significant, but for a fleet of cars or even globally, the numbers will be much higher.
The functionality of the product is at a high level, and the user can install two PCI expansion cards, two PCI-E x1 cards, one more slot (black) reserved for the SupremeFX II sound card, two video cards with PCI Express 2.0 interface, combining them in CrossFire mode.
The board has six SATA connectors, one IDE implemented using the JMicron JMB363 chip, six USB 2.0 ports (six more on the rear panel) and one IEEE 1394 port (VIA VT6308P). Two Marvell 88E8056 controllers are responsible for the network.
The SupremeFX II module is equipped with a shielding cover and a full-fledged bracket, and looks like a shortened sound card with PCI-E x1 interface.
But under the cover is the usual ADI AD1988B HDA codec, several filtering capacitors, power harness and connectors for connecting an HD audio panel and CD.
The rear panel contains six USB, one PS / 2 port, one FireWire, optical and coaxial S / PDIF, two network connectors and a Clear CMOS button.
In addition, the board has Power and Reset buttons, as well as a mini-switch that can be used to disable the BIOS reset on the rear panel.
The buttons are convenient to use on an open stand or with one video card in the case, but Clear CMOS may not even be needed, because during the entire testing time, you did not have to press it, except for checking the function itself. The board is also equipped with three connectors for connecting external thermal sensors and a number of LEDs near the processor, memory, north and south bridges, which are responsible for the voltage applied to the listed components.
BIOS
The BIOS of the ASUS Rampage Formula board is based on the American Megatrends, Inc. microcode, which is to be expected. Its possibilities for fine-tuning the system are quite wide, probably, in this regard, only motherboards based on Intel X58 Express look better. All points of interest for overclocking are concentrated in the Extreme Tweaker section.
Here you can choose auto-overclocking, “upgrade” the processor to the next model. For example, our Core 2 Duo E8500 could work in the E8600 mode, when its frequency by overclocking the FSB bus rises to the required value, or in Crazy mode, which will be discussed below. The system bus frequency can vary within 200-800 MHz, PCI-E - 100-180 MHz.
The number of dividers for memory is similar to the ASUS P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP, but unlike the latter, it became easier to manage the Performance Level due to the direct input of the required numerical value. It is also possible to set a time delay between the memory clock and the northbridge clock. In addition, another item responsible for system performance - Ai Twister, which appeared on motherboards with X38, found its place here as well.
The maximum voltage on the processor can reach 2.4 V (1.1 V minimum), CPU PLL - 3 V, the voltage of the north bridge varies within 1.25-1.85 V, which will be enough to overclock Core 2 Quad processors.
The voltage on the memory can be changed from 1.8 to 3.4 V, although for modern memory already 2.3 V is the limit that not every module can withstand.
The defined limit of stress values \u200b\u200bis color-coded. For example, green ones are safer voltages, yellow ones are less recommended, red ones - well, their essence, we think, is clear anyway. Although, the upper values \u200b\u200bof the green limit can easily burn a member of the Penryn family or the average memory, so you need to be extremely careful when choosing a voltage for a particular system component.
For convenience, all variable voltages are listed in the table:
| Parameter | Range of change |
| CPU Voltage | 1.1-1.9 V at 0.00625 V steps and 1.9-2.4 V at 0.025 V steps |
| CPU PLL Voltage | 1.5-3.0 V, in 0.02 V steps |
| North Bridge Voltage | 1.25-1.85 V, 0.02 V steps |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.8-3.4 V, 0.02 V steps |
| FSB Termination Voltage | 1.2-2.0 V at 0.02 V steps |
| South Bridge Voltage | 1.05-1.225 V at 0.025 V steps |
| SB 1.5V Voltage | 1.5-2.05 V, in 0.05 V steps |
| CPU GTL Voltage Reference | 0.67x / 0.65x / 0.63x / 0.62x |
| NB GTL Voltage Reference | 0.67x / 0.63x / 0.60x / 0.57x / 0.56x / 0.53x / 0.51x / 0.49x |
| DRAM Controller Voltage REF | |
| DRAM Cohannel A Voltage REF | -30 mV to +30 mV, 10 mV steps |
| DRAM Cohannel B Voltage REF | -30 mV to +30 mV, 10 mV steps |
Monitoring, in contrast to more affordable ASUS products, allows you to monitor the temperature of the north and south bridges and three external temperature sensors in addition to the processor and motherboard. The entire list of variable voltages is also present in this section, which allows you to compare the set with the "real". There are also control points for fans and protection against overheating of system components.
Like all ASUS solutions with good overclocking capabilities, the board supports saving two profiles, which will help you when you frequently change system settings.
Additional software
From the software, the board is equipped with a standard set of utilities: for flashing the BIOS and changing the splash screen at system startup, the PC Probe II monitoring program and a more advanced tool for configuring Ai Suite, which we partially reviewed above. This program allows you to adjust the FSB frequency, processor multiplier, memory operating mode and its supply voltage, PCI-E frequency. It is also possible to configure the operating mode of the fans.
In the Ai Gear3 + section, you can control power saving functions and even slightly overclock the system.
For example, when you select Turbo mode, the FSB frequency rises to 350 MHz:
Turbo
Or you can even choose Crazy mode in CPU Level Up and the bus frequency will increase to 368 MHz, which gave the final 3495 MHz for the test processor. Isn't it overclocking?
Crazy
Overclocking
Now for real overclocking. The configuration is the same without any changes. The board was additionally blown by a 120 mm fan. BIOS version - 0902.
The maximum frequency with a voltage of 1.45 V on the chipset and 1.4 V FSB was 562 MHz, and at any excess of this threshold the test in OCCT gave an error.
Neither an increase in other voltages, nor a weakening of the timings gave a positive result.
Chipset Specifications
| Intel P31 Express | Intel G31 Express | Intel P35 Express | Intel G35 Express | Intel G33 Express | Intel Q35 Express | Intel Q33 Express | Intel X38 Express | |
| Positioning | Mainstream PC | Mainstream PC | Performance PC | Performance PC, Mainstream PC | Corporate Stable - Pro | Corporate Stable - Pro | Performance PC | |
| North bridge | 82P31 MCH | 82G31 GMCH | 82P35 MCH | 82G35 GMCH | 82G33 GMCH | 82Q35 GMCH | 82Q33 GMCH | 82X38 MCH |
| Official CPU support | Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual Core, Celeron Dual Core, Celeron | Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual Core, Celeron Dual Core, Celeron | Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual Core, Celeron Dual Core, Celeron | Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual Core, Celeron Dual Core, Celeron | Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual Core, Celeron Dual Core, Celeron | Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual Core, Celeron Dual Core, Celeron | Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo | |
| Connector type | LGA775 | LGA775 | LGA775 | LGA775 | LGA775 | LGA775 | LGA775 | LGA775 |
| FSB frequency, MHz | 1333 1066 800 |
1333 1066 800 |
1333 1066 800 |
1333 1066 800 |
1333 1066 800 |
1333 1066 800 |
1333 1066 800 |
1333 1066 800 |
| Maximum memory size, GB | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Number of memory slots | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Supported memory | DDR2-800 DDR2-667 |
DDR2-800 DDR2-667 |
DDR2-800 DDR2-667 DDR3-1066 DDR3-800 |
DDR2-800 DDR2-667 |
DDR2-800 DDR2-667 DDR3-1066 DDR3-800 |
DDR2-800 DDR2-667 |
DDR2-800 DDR2-667 |
DDR2-800 DDR2-667 DDR3-1333 DRR3-1066 DDR3-800 |
| Integrated graphics core | N / A | GMA 3100 | N / A | GMA X3500 | GMA 3100 | GMA 3100 | GMA 3100 | N / A |
| Graphical interface | PCI-E x16 | PCI-E x16 | PCI-E x16 | PCI-E x16 | PCI-E x16 | PCI-E x16 | PCI-E x16 | PCI-E 2.0 x16 + x16 |
| South bridge | ICH7, ICH7R | ICH7, ICH7R | ICH9, ICH9R, ICH9DH | ICH8, ICH8R, ICH8DH | ICH9, ICH9R, ICH9DH | ICH9, ICH9R, ICH9DO | ICH9, ICH9R | ICH9, ICH9R, ICH9DH |
| Number of PCI-E Lines | 4 or 6 (ICH7R) | 4 or 6 (ICH7R) | 4 or 6 (ICH9R, ICH9DH) | 4 or 6 (ICH8R, ICH8DH) | 4 or 6 (ICH9R, ICH9DH) | 4 or 6 (ICH9R, ICH9DO) | 4 or 6 (ICH9R) | 4 or 6 (ICH9R, ICH9DH) |
| Disk subsystem | 4x SATA II, 1x PATA | 4x SATA II, 1x PATA | 4x SATA II or 6x SATA II (ICH8R, ICH8DH) | 4x SATA II or 6x SATA II (ICH9R, ICH9DH) | 4x SATA II or 6x SATA II (ICH9R, ICH9DO) | 4x SATA II or 6x SATA II (ICH9R) | 4x SATA II or 6x SATA II (ICH9R, ICH9DH) | |
| ESATA support | - | - | + | - | + | + | + | + |
| Supported technologies for the disk subsystem | Intel Matrix Storage Technology (ICH7R) | Intel Matrix Storage Technology, NCQ, RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 (ICH8R, ICH8DH) | Intel Matrix Storage Technology, NCQ, RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 (ICH9R, ICH9DH), Intel Rapid Recover Technology, Intel Turbo Memory | Intel Matrix Storage Technology, NCQ, RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 (ICH9R, ICH9DO), Intel Rapid Recover Technology | Intel Matrix Storage Technology, NCQ, RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 (ICH9R), Intel Rapid Recover Technology | Intel Matrix Storage Technology, NCQ, RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 (ICH9R, ICH9DH), Intel Rapid Recover Technology, Intel Turbo Memory | ||
| Number of PCI Slots Supported | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| USB 2.0 ports quantity | 8 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Sound subsystem | HDA, AC'97 | HDA, AC'97 | HDA | HDA | HDA | HDA | HDA | HDA |
Board Specifications
| Model | Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G | ASUS P5K Deluxe / WiFi-AP | |
| Chipset | Intel P31 + ICH7 | Intel P35 + ICH9R | Intel X48 + ICH9R |
| Socket | LGA775 | LGA775 | LGA775 |
| Supported processors | Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual Core, Pentium Extreme, Pentium D, Pentium 4, Celeron Dual Core, Celeron | Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium Dual Core, Pentium D, Pentium 4 | |
| FSB, MHz | 1333/1066/800 | 1333/1066/800 | 1600/1333/1066/800 |
| Supported memory | 2 DIMM DDRII SDRAM 1066/800/667 (4GB max) | 4 DIMM DDRII SDRAM 1066/800/667 (8GB max) | 4 DIMM DDRII SDRAM 1200 * / 1066/800/667 (8GB max) |
| PCI-E slots | 1 PCI Express x16 3 PCI Express x1 |
1 PCI Express x16 1 PCI Express x16 (х4) 2 PCI Express x1 |
2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 3 PCI Express x1 (one reserved for SupremeFX II sound card) |
| PCI slots | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Number of connected fans | 4 (1x 4-pin, 3x 3-pin) | 6 (1x 4-pin, 5x 3-pin) | 8 (1x 4-pin, 7x 3-pin) |
| USB 2.0 ports | 8 (4 connectors on the rear panel) | 10 (6 connectors on the rear panel) | 12 (6 connectors on the rear panel) |
| PS / 2 ports | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| LPT port | + | - | - |
| COM port | 1 | 1 (on board) | 1 (on board) |
| FireWire ports | - | 2 (1 on board, Agere FW3227) | 2 (1 on board, VIA VT6308P) |
| ATA-133 | 1 channel (two devices, ICH7) | 1 channel (two devices, Micron JMB363) | |
| Serial ATA | 4 SATA II channels | 6 SATA II lanes (ICH9R) + 2 eSATA lanes (Micron JMB363) | 6 SATA II channels (ICH9R) |
| RAID | - | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Sound subsystem | Realtek ALC888 (5.1, HDA) | ADI AD1988B (7.1, HDA) | External sound card SupremeFX II based on ADI AD1988B (7.1, HDA) |
| S / PDIF | Coaxial | Coaxial + optical | Coaxial + optical |
| Networking capabilities | Realtek 8111C (Gigabit Ethernet) | Marvell 88E8056 (Gigabit Ethernet, PCI-E) and Realtek RTL8110SC (Gigabit Ethernet, PCI) | 2x Marvell 88E8056 (Gigabit Ethernet) |
| BIOS | AWARD BIOS | AMI BIOS | AMI BIOS |
| Form factor | ATX | ATX | ATX |
| Dimensions, mm | 305x194 | 305x245 | 305x245 |
| Additionally | - | WiFi module based on Realtek RTL8187L, uses two USB 2.0 ports | Power, Reset, Clear CMOS Buttons, LCD-Poster LCD Display |
Test configuration
Testing was carried out on the following configuration:
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 (3.16 GHz);
- RAM: G.Skill F2-8800CL5D-4GBPI (2x2048 MB, DDR2-1100, 5-5-5-15-2T, dual channel);
- Video card: XFX GF GTX295 576M 1792MB DDR3;
- Hard drive: Samsung HD252HJ (250 GB, SATA2);
- Power supply unit: Seasonic SS-600HM (600 W);
- Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate x86 SP1;
- Driver for motherboards: Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility 9.0.0.1008
- Driver for video card: NVIDIA GeForce 182.50
Test results
Memory subsystem
The performance of the memory subsystem in the Lavalys Everest test of motherboards based on Intel X48 Express is slightly higher than that of other participants, especially in the copying subtest, where it reaches a 20% difference. A similar result, about 6100 MB / s, was demonstrated in recent testing by motherboards based on the P43 chipset. Apparently, the fourth series of Intel chipsets has a slightly updated memory controller, which works slightly faster during copying than solutions of the previous generation.
The GA-P31-ES3G board, which is based on the P31 Express system logic set, showed a slightly higher result in the rendering subtest using several cores, and in the OpenGL test it turned out to be the most productive in general. ASUS P5K Deluxe / WiFi-AP lagged behind it by 5%, in contrast to which the more expensive product showed a 3% worse result.
In gaming applications, the most productive motherboard was the product based on Intel P35 Express. Naturally, when using higher quality graphics, the difference between different solutions is leveled, unless, of course, the higher bandwidth of the PCI Express bus is required, which is possessed by representatives of the fourth series chipsets from the processor giant.
conclusions
The first thing I would like to say to users who have motherboards based on Intel 3 Series system logic sets is that if there are no special reasons for switching to new products, then you can wait with an upgrade. All that you will lose on old solutions is about 5% in modern games using the highest quality picture, a card like Radeon HD 4890 and more than 4 GHz Core 2 Duo, as you can see in one of our upcoming materials. But when building a system from scratch or when switching from a platform of venerable age, of course, there is no point in buying motherboards based on outdated chipsets, and in this case it is better to immediately turn your attention to newer solutions. Or even wait a little and immediately switch to the LGA1156 platform, since the prices for finished products promise not so much, in contrast to the beginning of the expansion of the Nehalem microarchitecture on the market.
As for the reviewed products, the GA-P31-ES3G based on the Intel P31 Express entry-level system logic set with fewer settings demonstrated good performance, in some tests it even showed better results than more expensive solutions. The scope of delivery is minimal, but you should hardly expect anything more from a fee for less than $ 60 - this is an ordinary workhorse that is installed in a system and is often forgotten about what it is.
ASUS P5K Deluxe / WiFi-AP is fully equipped and is one of the best representatives of P35 motherboard models. Two network cards, a WiFi module, excellent overclocking potential - perhaps the owners of these cards should look closely at replacement only when switching to another platform.
The former Intel flagship set of system logic X48, aka X38 without support for the 1600 MHz FSB and DDR3-1600 memory, will for a long time remain the basis of motherboards for productive systems based on quad-core processors and a bundle of a pair of video cards from the Radeon HD family. The reviewed ASUS Rampage Formula is an example of what an overclocking product should be. Maximum overclocking settings concentrated in one section, well-thought-out design and cooling system, additional functionality in the form of buttons for turning on and restarting the system, as well as for resetting BIOS Setup and external LCD-Postera settings - take it and overclock it. The relationship of this motherboard to the gaming series is a little unclear - the players do not need all this. But overclockers are just right, if, of course, the price suits. But top-end products are only growing in price these days ...
Thanks to the following companies for providing the test equipment:
- 1-Incom for the G.Skill F2-8800CL5D-4GBPI memory kit;
- Quasar Micro for Gigabyte GA-P31-ES3G motherboard;
- Master of Groups for ASUS P5K Deluxe / WiFi-AP and ASUS Rampage Formula motherboards, as well as for ASUS EN8800GS TOP 384MB video card;
- Max Point for the Silver Power SP-S850 power supply;
- Noctua for Noctua NH-U12P cooler and Noctua NT-H1 thermal grease;
- Sintex for Seasonic SS-600HM power supply unit;
- XFX for the XFX GF GTX295 576M 1792MB DDR3 graphics card.
In recent years, the motherboard market has seen a steady upward trend in the popularity of solutions with an integrated graphics core. This circumstance is understandable. The personal computer is gradually moving from the category of luxury goods to the category of such ordinary, but practically vital items in the household, such as a TV. If ten years ago the purchase of a PC in connection with entering the university was considered simply insane happiness, today the practice of acquiring a "digital friend" for primary school students is almost the norm. And not for fun, but because it is necessary. Naturally, not every parent / grandparent can buy the most powerful car for their child, and not everyone needs it. For study, mastering the basics of programming, music, movies, simple toys and getting to know the world of digital technologies in general, the performance of the integrated graphics core of modern chipsets is quite enough. At the same time, the absence of the need to purchase a discrete video card reduces the cost of the system unit by at least 70, or even $ 100, that is, by about 25-30%. Supply grows in line with demand. If earlier motherboards based on a chipset with an integrated graphics core were a rarity, today in some stores they account for up to half of the entire range. However, this circumstance is also due to global trends. As soon as the hype about the purchase of ATI by the second largest processor manufacturer, AMD, had subsided, it was presented with its own chipset, and only in the version with integrated video. The world's first processor giant Intel was not long in coming, and along with a new line of chipsets for Core 2 Duo processors with a 1333 MHz bus, they presented a solution with an integrated Intel GMA 3100 graphics core - Intel G31 Express. We have already examined the features of this chipset when we looked at the line as a whole, and today we have the opportunity to get acquainted with the first motherboard based on it. Meet - FOXCONN G31MX-K.
FOXCONNG31 MX- K
A key feature of the board, in addition to the increased performance of the graphics core, is compatibility with the new Core 2 Duo processors based on Penryn core with a 1333 MHz system bus frequency. Despite the fact that the official set of frequencies supported by the Intel G31 Express chipset ends at 1066 MHz, the G31MX-K specification also contains a value of 1333 MHz. Otherwise, the characteristics of the FOXCONN G31MX-K look quite standard. Network capabilities are due to the use of the Realtek RTL8111 gigabit controller, which directly interacts with the chipset via the PCI Express bus. The sound is built on the basis of the six-channel Realtek ALC662 codec - a simplified modification of the popular eight-channel Realtek ALC888 chip.
|
pay |
FOXCONN G31MX-K |
|
Supported processors |
Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Extreme, Pentium 4, Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, Pentium D, Celeron D |
|
QPB frequencies |
1333/1066/800 MHz |
|
Chipset |
Intel G31 + ICH7 |
|
Memory slots |
2 DIMM slots (two channels) for unbuffered non-ECC DDR2-800 / 667 MHz modules. Maximum total volume - 4 GB |
|
Expansion slots |
1 PCI Express x16, 1 x PCI Express x1, 2 x PCI 2.3 |
|
Parallel ATA |
1 channel UltraDMA 133, implemented on a controller integrated into the chipset |
|
Serial ATA |
4 ports implemented on a 3 Gb / s controller integrated into the chipset |
|
RAID 0, 1, 0 + 1, 5, JBOD |
|
|
Ethernet |
Gigabit LAN controller Realtek RTL8111 |
|
Integrated audio |
Six-channel (5.1) HDA codec Realtek ALC662 |
|
8 ports (4 routed to the I / O panel) |
|
|
IEEE 1394 |
|
|
System monitoring |
Tracking voltages on components, fan speed, processor temperature (using the built-in thermal sensor) |
|
Overclocking capabilities |
Increasing the frequency of the system bus, processor, RAM (synchronously with FSB), voltage values \u200b\u200bon the components |
|
AWARD BIOS v6.00PG on 8 Mb microchip |
|
|
Form factor |
Micro ATX, 244x208 mm |
|
Estimated retail price, USD |
Since the old ICH7 south bridge is used in the Intel G31 Express chipset, the maximum frequency of DDR2 memory supported by the board is officially limited to 800 MHz. However, there is nothing wrong with that. Today DDR2-800 modules with a capacity of 1 GB are the most profitable purchase in terms of price / performance ratio, but the cost of a gigabyte DDR2-1066 module may exceed the cost of the board itself. One of the positive aspects of the ICH7 chip is the presence of an integrated single-channel controller for IDE devices, which eliminates the need for the manufacturer to use additional microcircuits. In a tightly limited budget, this has a significant impact on cost.
Packaging and equipment
The packaging for the FOXCONN G31MX-K motherboard is a box corresponding to its size, the design of which is dominated by dark colors.
The complete set is standard. There is everything you need to build a base-level system, and nothing else. Specifically, the box with the FOXCONN G31MX-K contained the following accessories:
80-wire IDE ribbon cable;
loop for FDD;
serial ATA cable
an adapter from a Molex power plug to two SATA;
i / O panel cover on the back of the case;
CD with drivers and software for Windows XP and Vista;
manual;
quick assembly guide poster.
As you can see, there are no excesses.
Design and layout
The FOXCONN G31MX-K motherboard is very tiny. Made in the Micro ATX form factor, the width of the board falls short of the maximum size defined by the standard as much as 36 mm. However, the layout of the elements was practically not affected by this.
One could complain about the pad for the floppy drive "slipping" into the central part of the lower edge of the PCB, but we have already spoken about its practical uselessness in our time and more than once.
The latches of DIMM slots will certainly be blocked by even the shortest video card, but it is quite possible that the board will never "see" this device. So this circumstance should not be considered a disadvantage. But as for the number of DIMM slots for DDR2 RAM, instead of two I would like to see four of them, since having bought two 1 GB modules today, expand the memory capacity up to 2 GB by purchasing two more "strips" tomorrow, alas, will not work. We'll have to get rid of the old ones and buy new, more capacious modules.
The set of slots for additional devices looks quite logical. In addition to the PCI Express x16 connector for an external video card, one PCI Express x1 and two PCI slots are soldered on the PCB.
The layout of the rest of the elements is well thought out, and problems during assembly are not foreseen. Everything is quite convenient and compact.
The switching power converter of the processor is made according to the standard three-phase scheme. As practice shows, with a high-quality implementation, this is more than enough to ensure stable power supply of modern processors both in standard modes and with moderate overclocking, even if we are talking about a quad-core Core 2 Quad. In normal modes, the power MOSFETs, which perform the main work on voltage conversion, do not heat up by more than 44 "C. During acceleration, their temperature at times reached 50" C. Since for this type of cells the maximum allowable operating temperature is 105 "C, we can say that the MOSFETs of this board have a double margin.
We see that with the creation of the G31MX-K, FOXCONN engineers completely abandoned the use of newfangled capacitive elements based on solid polymer. However, the electrolytic capacitors soldered on the board are produced only by trusted manufacturers, so there is no need to doubt their quality. Practice shows that if you take care of the ventilation of the system unit, high-quality electrolytes can serve until the very moment the PC is sent for scrap as morally obsolete.
The cooling system of the chipset is completely passive. The northbridge is cooled by a large aluminum radiator.
What is installed on the southern one looks more like a heat collector, but as shown by a series of measurements using a MASTECH MS650 digital thermometer, this is more than enough.
The temperature of the radiator of the south bridge (at room temperature 26 "C) did not exceed 36" C, and that of the north - 39 "C. So, the main sources of heating the air of the PC system unit based on the FOXCONN G31MX-K will most likely be the processor and hard drive The board itself does not require any additional cooling or airflow.
The rear panel of the FOXCONN G31MX-K looks quite traditional. The following ports and connectors can be found here:
one network RJ-45;
three three-pin sound card inputs-outputs (mini Jack).
two PS / 2 for connecting a mouse and keyboard;
four USB 2.0;
one D-SUB (VGA);
Perhaps, it would not hurt to add a digital output to a DVI standard monitor to this set, since today this connector has begun to appear even on budget models of LCD monitors. But on the fact of its absence, claims should be made not to the motherboard manufacturer, but to the chipmaker, since this interface is not supported by the Intel G31 Express chipset.
Having finished studying the elements and their layout on the board, we assemble the test bench and proceed to study the BIOS.
Test bench configuration,BIOS and overclocking
To immediately clarify the issue of the equipment used, take a look at the configuration of the test bench:
processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400, 2133 GHz (8x266), 2 MB L2;
cooler: Scythe Ninja Plus with 120 mm fan at 1500 rpm;
rAM: 2 modules of 1024 MB each, Apacer DDR2-800, 4-4-4-15 400 MHz;
hard drive: Seagate ST3160811AS, 160 GB, 3 Gb / s SATA, 8 MB Cache, 7200 rpm;
power supply: FLOSTON 560 W (LXPW560W).
The type and structure of the utility for configuring the basic input-output system FOXCONN G31MX-K, built on the basis of the AWARD Phoenix BIOS 6.00PG microcode, are quite standard.
All settings required for configuring the system are presented in full. Among a number of submenus with familiar names, one stands out, called the Fox Central Control Unit. We've already seen a similar submenu on a number of mid-range FOXCONN motherboards, but this is the first time we've seen it on a budget motherboard based on a chipset with integrated graphics. Here the BIOS developers have compiled a number of settings used to overclock the system. For novice overclockers, there are three system acceleration modes: Step 1, 2 and 3, where all overclocking parameters are predefined by the developers. In particular, in Step 3 mode, the FSB frequency increases to 287 MHz, the voltage on the processor - by 0.1500 V, on the memory modules - by 0.3 V.
At the same time, the bench model Core 2 Duo E6400 will be overclocked to 2300 MHz, and the RAM to 860 MHz. Considering the overclocking potential of the E6400, let's face it: the acceleration is minimal. Moreover, with such a weak overclocking, it is completely pointless to increase the processor voltage by 0.15 V. In any case, in manual mode, the results can be much more impressive. Fortunately, such an opportunity is provided.
Switching to manual mode, the FSB frequency can be changed in the range from 266 to 600 MHz in 1 MHz steps.
The processor supply voltage can be either decreased or increased within the range from -0.0500 to + 0.2500 V in 0.0125 V steps.
DIMM-slot voltages can be increased by 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 V.
Also, the user has access to settings for the addressing delays of the RAM and its frequency. The four main timings can be changed both all together and each separately, entrusting the rest of the selection to the system algorithm. This feature can be useful for novice overclockers.
There are only two coefficients used to calculate the frequency of the RAM. With the standard clocking FSB 1066 MHz, they will comply with the DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 standards.
Practical testing of the board's overclocking capabilities began at 333 MHz, which is 1333 MHz in Quad Pumped Bus format, that is, it corresponds to the bus frequency of the new Core 2 Duo processors on the Penryn core. The FOXCONN G31MX-K coped with this task easily.
However, further testing ended rather quickly - at around 340 MHz. When this threshold was exceeded, the system, although it did not freeze, "refused" to work at the specified frequency, and it did it in a rather peculiar way: the board simply reset the FSB clocking to the nominal 266 MHz. Therefore, conclusions on the overclocking capabilities of the G31MX-K are not entirely unambiguous. On the one hand, the motherboard's overclocking potential is low and is not suitable for serious overclocking. On the other hand, FOXCONN G31MX-K is a product designed for inexpensive home and office systems, and a real opportunity to get from one of the most affordable Core 2 Duo models, the older E6700, and even working at the bus frequency of the newly made Penryn, looks extremely tempting. So, in general, taking into account the price and the specificity of the product, the overclocking capabilities of the board look quite decent.
To conclude our acquaintance with the features of BIOS Setup FOXCONN G31MX-K, let's take a look at the PC Health Status submenu.
Here we see quite rich system monitoring capabilities that allow us to control the voltage values \u200b\u200bof key power circuits, processor temperature, air temperature in the system unit and fan speed. In addition, the user can control the Smart Fan technology, the task of which is to automatically adjust the rotation speed of the processor fan impeller depending on the temperature values \u200b\u200bobtained from the sensors built into the CPU cores.
Having got acquainted with the main features and capabilities of the motherboard in question, let's move on to the test section.
Testing
In this case, the main task of the testing is to find out how much the performance of the new Intel G31 Express chipset, and especially its GMA 3100 graphics core, differs from its predecessor Intel G965 Express with the GMA 3000 accelerator. The G965 chipset is represented by the ASUS P5G-V motherboard.
Memory subsystem
Obviously, the memory controller of the Intel G31 Express chipset is better optimized. As a result, the FOXCONN G31MX-K board is immediately ahead.
Complex tests
The most serious and "advanced" package for complex system testing today is the updated SYSMark 2007 package from BAPCO. The main feature of SYSMark 2007 is the fact that it uses only real-life and widespread applications to test the system. Those that run on their PCs every day and use them for work by millions of people around the world. The package consists of four scenarios, each of which includes a series of operations performed by a specific set of applications specific to a specific area of \u200b\u200bPC use.
Overall, the FOXCONN G31MX-K is noticeably faster when tested with SYSMark 2007.
The speed lead is also consistently observed upon detailed consideration of each scenario separately.
This is followed by the popular PCMark 2005 benchmark suite. Unlike SYSMark, it only simulates the work of real applications, but, nevertheless, at the moment is capable of giving a completely adequate and comprehensive assessment of system performance.
Here the performance differences between the tested boards are more noticeable. Faster memory controller, graphics and disk subsystems. The result is a confident victory for Intel G31 Express.
In the next test suite CINEBENCH 9.5, based on professional software for creating 3D scenes - CINEMA 4D, the integrated graphics core of the GMA 3100 surpasses the previous one by several times.
Mathematical and scientific calculations
ScienceMark 2.0 emulates computer-based scientific calculations such as determining the kinetic and potential energies of molecules in the crystal lattice of a metal at different temperatures, calculating nuclear and electron charges, and other complex mathematical calculations.
This test does not see any difference between the boards (chipsets). Only when calculating the potential energy of the silver molecule does ASUS P5G-V lose one second to its rival.
The only task performed by the Super Pi program is to determine the value of Pi (3.14) with high accuracy. That is, this is a purely mathematical problem. In our case, the calculation was performed with an accuracy of 1 and 8 million decimal places.
Pi with an accuracy of 1 million decimal places is calculated equally quickly, but G31 coped with eight million two seconds faster.
Video and audio encoding
The next set of applications, which includes the tasks of encoding DVD-video with the most popular codecs - DivX and XviD, as well as converting it into the 3gp format understandable to the vast majority of mobile phones, loads the processor and memory subsystem, therefore, here, thanks to a better optimized controller, FOXCONN G31MX- K works stably faster.
The same applies to the problem of compressing an audio stream with the Lame 3.97 codec into the popular MP3 format.
Image processing
Adobe Photoshop is the most popular and functional bitmap editor. To measure the performance of systems in this task, using a script, we processed five-megapixel photographs in uncompressed TIF format (about 15 MB each) with more than 30 filters.
The Panorama Factory software is designed for stitching panoramic images from separately captured frames. The application is distinguished by a very high accuracy of stitching, but, as a result, high resource consumption. Eight 5-megapixel photos were processed.
With raster graphics G31 represented by the FOXCONN G31MX-K copes significantly faster.
Data archiving
WinRAR archiver is one of the most popular and efficient data compression programs.
Here the unconditional advantage is again on the side of the G31.
Semi-synthetic gaming tests
In semi-synthetic gaming benchmarks, the GMA 3100's on-board video is definitely faster, but the edge is not significant. Perhaps, here more attention should be paid to the advantage in overall performance.
In games, the situation looks a little better, but it is still not necessary to seriously say that the GMA 3100 is suitable for games 2-3 years ago.
Interface bandwidth and power consumption
The speed characteristics of USB and SATA controllers are almost identical.
The power consumption of the systems was measured using a FLOSTON LXPW560W power supply power indicator.
In terms of energy efficiency, the G31 is definitely better. The amount of energy consumed by the FOXCONN G31MX-K is significantly lower.
Audio quality
The audio path based on the HDA codec Realtek ALC662 was tested with RightMark Audio Analyzer 5.5 in 16-bit, 44 kHz mode using a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 4 SE sound card.
The final score "very good" allows us to say that the ALC662 audio codec installed on the board is inferior to the popular ALC888 only in the number of channels, but certainly not in the sound quality.
conclusions
As testing has shown, there is definitely progress as a result of updating the Intel GMA 3000 graphics core to version 3100. However, in quantitative terms, it is too small to justify the need for a new chipset to appear on the market. The situation could be improved by adding new functionality, but Intel G31 Express cannot boast of this either. The chipset uses the old south bridge ICH7, the north bridge does not officially support the 1333 MHz bus frequency, which means that the new Core 2 Duo processors on the Penryn core. Naturally, DDR3 support is out of the question here either. On the other hand, the G31 is still suitable for the role, albeit a little, but more productive replacement for the Intel G960 Express chipset, because the price tag for Penryn and DDR3 memory modules is far from the budget. Moreover, the G31's advantage over its predecessor lies not so much in the graphics subsystem as in the subtle optimizations of the memory controller and various buses, which have significantly increased the chipset's performance in all applications. For them, Intel has prepared two more products with integrated video - G33 and G35.
In turn, the FOXCONN G31MX-K motherboard is a good, solid implementation of the Intel G31 chipset. Having qualitatively realized all the capabilities of the chipset, the developers have gone further, adding the ability to increase the system bus frequency to 1333 MHz. Of course, it is still pointless to buy Penryn and put it on a motherboard, it is too expensive for her, but the G31MX-K definitely has room for overclocking regular Core 2 Duos. The FOXCONN G31MX-K also has a number of other advantages listed above. Of these, first of all, I would like to highlight the low level of heat generation. The board is really "cold", so it is well suited for miniature, read tight, cases. The well-thought-out design also contributes to this.
Photos were taken in the TECHLABS studio, photographer Dmitry Filatov
Thank you companyFOXCONN
for the fee provided for testing.
The chipset is an important part of the computer, since it contains all the important interfaces and largely determines the set of functions of the system.
For example, all modern chipsets contain many interfaces for expansion cards (PCI Express or PCI), a dual-channel memory controller (on the Intel platform), several USB 2.0 controllers (two ports per controller), an HD Audio controller, gigabit network controllers, and modern storage controllers. Serial ATA with four to six ports. Some chipsets also contain remote controllers.
Intel G31 Express Chipset
The Intel G31 Chipset is an entry-level chipset and uses a minimum of power. The G31 belongs to the category of mainstream desktop chipsets designed for "basic computing". This means that this set of system logic is completely unsuitable for high-end systems and does not support any advanced features. The G31 chipset has been designed as a profitable option for the average user. Therefore, it is aimed at processors such as Core 2, Pentium Dual Core or similar Celeron based on the Core 2 microarchitecture.
The G31 chipset is limited to 4GB of memory, while the G33 and G35 support up to 8GB. The low-end chipset only supports dual-channel DDR2-800 memory (although this is not a drawback compared to DDR3) and works with the ICH7 south bridge instead of ICH8, ICH9 or ICH10. As a result, the G31 supports only four SATA / 300 ports, but provides two more UltraATA / 100 channels, while newer chipsets support either one legacy ATA channel, or none at all. The G31 with ICH7 southbridge provides eight USB 2.0 ports, HD audio, traditional PCI slots, and just a 100Mbps network controller. If you need a faster Ethernet connection, then look for a motherboard that comes with a PCIe NIC to provide gigabit Ethernet. Finally, although the G31 chipset has one x16 PCI Express upgrade slot, it is not PCI Express 2.0 compatible.
Motherboards with the G31 chipset typically have one analog display output, D-SUB15, and sometimes a digital DVI output. Since the GMA3100 is not suitable for HTPC (home theater), the motherboards are not equipped with HDMI outputs; you should also not expect two digital outputs from such cards.
The G31 chipset doesn't have a single feature that makes it special. It does not support DirectX 10, does not provide 3D performance that would be useful for gaming, and is limited to 4GB of memory. However, all these restrictions are not so critical for a basic PC for everyday work. The G31 chipset is cheap, supports all Core 2 processors, including quad-core models, and accepts any high-end graphics card, so it's almost as good for gamers as a high-end chipset. It was the motherboard makers who turned the G31 from a mass-market "loser" into a chipset for efficient platforms.
What is the difference between North and South bridges for INTEL and AMD
In the case of Intel, the chipset is represented by the north bridge, which is located next to the processor and is "responsible" for all high-speed devices (processor, video card, RAM), and the south bridge, which coordinates the work and connects low-speed interfaces (hard drive, audio, PCI slots, USB, etc.). The bridges are also interconnected using various bus options, for example, V-Link from VIA.
The AMD platform has only one chipset, since the memory controller is built into the processor itself, and the connection of peripheral devices is assigned to the PCI-E analogue - the proprietary Hyper Transport bus.
Intel chipset history
A lot of Intel chipsets have been released in recent years. We decided to summarize the data in a table showing the most important stages in the development of chipsets with separate graphics, starting with the first SDRAM chipsets for Pentium 4 (2001).
| Chipset | Intel 845 | Intel 865/875 | Intel 915/925 | Intel 945/955/975 | Intel 965 |
| release date | 2001 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Codename | Brookdale | Springdale / Canterwood | Grantsdale / Alderwood | Lakeport / Glenwood | Broadwater |
| Socket | 478 | 478 | LGA775 | LGA775 | LGA775 |
| Processor support | Pentium 4, Celeron | Pentium 4, Celeron | Pentium 4, Celeron | Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron D | Core 2, Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron D |
| Generation of processors | 130nm Northwood | 130nm Northwood, 90nm Prescott | 90nm Prescott | 90nm Prescott, Smithfield | 90nm Prescott, Smithfield, 65nm Conroe |
| FSB frequency | FSB400, FSB533 | FSB533, FSB800 | FSB533, FSB800 | FSB533, FSB800, FSB1066 | FSB533, FSB800, FSB1066 |
| Memory controller | PC133 SDRAM, DDR266 | Dual DDR333, DDR400 | Dual DDR400, DDR2-533 | Dual DDR2-667 | Dual DDR2-800 |
| Graphical interface | AGP 4X | AGP 8X | PCI Express x16 | PCI Express x16 | PCI Express x16 |
| Max. memory size | 2 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| South bridge | ICp (82801BA), ICp (82801DB) - 421 pins | ICp (82801EB) - 460 pins | ICH6 (82801FB) - 652 pins | ICH7 (82801GB) - 652 contacts | ICH8 (82801HB) - 652 pins |
| Number of USB ports | 4x USB / 6x USB 2.0 | 8x USB 2.0 | 8x USB 2.0 | 8x USB 2.0 | 8x USB 2.0 |
| UltraATA / 100 | 2 channels | 2 channels | 2 channels | 1 channel | |
| RAID support | No | RAID 0 | RAID 0, 1 (ICH6-R) | RAID 0, 1.5 (ICH6-7) | RAID 0, 1.5 (ICH8-R) |
| Serial ATA | No | 2x Serial ATA / 150 | 4x Serial ATA / 150 | 4x Serial ATA / 300 | 6x Serial ATA / 300 |
| Sound | AC97 2.1 | AC97 2.3 | HD Audio | HD Audio | HD Audio |
| Net | Via PCI | Via CSA or PCI interface | Via PCI Express | Via PCI Express | Built-in 1 Gbps |
| Model options | 845D (DDR memory), 845G / GL (with graphics), 845G, GE, PE, GV (DDR333) | 865G (with graphics), 865PE (FSB800), 848P (one memory channel), 865GV (only with graphics) | 915G (with graphics), 915PL (max. 2GB DDR400), 915GL (max. DDR400 with graphics), 915GV (only with graphics), 910GL (FSB533 and only with graphics), 925XE (FSB1066) | 945G (with graphics), 945PL (max FSB800), 945GL (max FSB800 with graphics), 945GZ (max FSB800 and only graphics) | G965 (with graphics), Q965 (with graphics, controls) |
Chipsets that came out after 915 and 925 did not differ in some revolutionary features, but they were still better than previous models. 925XE was the first chipset to support FSB1066 (physical frequency 266 MHz), which was required for the first Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors. 945 and 955 (Lakeport and Glenwood) increased the frequency of DDR2 memory to 333 MHz (DDR2-667), and ICH7 added two more PCI Express lanes (six instead of four), and the SATA controller was upgraded to Serial ATA / 300. RAID support has now included RAID 5, but Intel has dropped the two legacy UltraATA / 100 interfaces. The dual-core Pentium D processors required the 945 or 955 chipset.
ICH8 became the actual south bridge for the 965 (Broadwater) chipset line, which, together with the 975X, became the foundation for the promotion of Intel Core 2 processors. The 965 chipset lost the UltraATA controller, and the AC97 interface was removed in favor of HD Audio solutions (which today can be called a standard ). The ICH8 supports SATA 2.5, including external SATA (eSATA) ports, and contains a Gigabit Ethernet controller. The base model ICH8 supports four SATA ports, but the RAID version ICH8-R already supports six.
Each generation of chipsets has a number of models that use an integrated graphics core, using a portion of the RAM for the frame buffer. The 915G and 910G chipsets use the GMA900 graphics core with four pixel pipelines operating at 300 MHz, hardware decoding of MPEG2 and DirectX 9 is supported. The 945G chipset has an updated graphics core, the GMA950 frequency has been increased to 400 MHz, but it never received full Shader support Model 3 (DirectX 9.0c). But the GMA950 at least supports HD video. Finally, the 965 line has a GMA3000 graphics core, with eight programmable pipelines, which runs at 667 MHz when running video or graphics calculations.
Intel P45 Chipsets
The P35 (Bear Lake) line has been replaced by the P45 line, codenamed Eaglelake. The new line of chipsets consists of four different models (two of them with integrated graphics) and brings the PCI Express 2.0 standard to the mainstream market.
New P45 Chipset Features: Supports PCI Express 2.0 graphics, effectively doubling the bandwidth of each PCI Express lane from 250 MB / s to 500 MB / s per lane (one direction). However, to benefit from the higher bandwidth, PCI Express 2.0 requires a PCIe 2.0 compliant add-in card (such as a graphics card).
The PCI Express 2.0 bus requires more power, so the P45 chipset is less energy efficient than its predecessor, despite the fact that the P45 is manufactured using Intel's 65nm process.
The P45 is Intel's first mainstream chipset to support 16GB of memory, while the P35 is limited to 8GB.
Intel P45 Express Chipset Block Diagram
All P45 motherboards have the following features.
- Support for the entire family of Core 2 processors, including Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme in 45nm and 65nm process technology, Pentium Dual Core, and usually Celeron.
- Supports ATI CrossfireX configurations with multiple graphics cards.
- PCI Express 2.0, up to two slots, physically capable of supporting x16 cards, but on eight lanes each.
- Additional PCI Express 1.0 slots.
- Six Serial ATA 3Gb / s ports.
- Gigabit Ethernet with different PHY chips.
- RAID 0 and 1 (requires ICH10R Southbridge to support RAID 5).
- AHCI SATA 3Gb / s with Native Command Queuing (supports SATA optical drives and hot-swap).
- ESATA interface (if available): All SATA connectors can be routed to the back of the motherboard and used as eSATA.
- HD Audio: From a P45-based motherboard, you can expect at least a simple audio codec that will do all the audio processing with the CPU.
- Boards do not support Windows 98 and Windows ME
Chipsets of the 3x line (Bearlake)
The 3x (Bearlake) series chipsets consist of four variants: G33, G35, P35 and X38. All chipsets still use the Intel Land Grid Array socket with 775 pins (LGA775).
Note the new ICH9 South Bridge. If the south bridges ICH6, ICH7 and ICH8 were packed in a 652-pin BGA package, then ICH9 is packed in a 676-pin Ball Grid Array package, and the south bridge contains 4.6 million transistors and is manufactured using a 130nm process technology. Although there are more transistors than in ICH8, the thermal package is still 4 watts. The ICH9 provides six full-featured Serial ATA / 300 ports with NCQ (Native Command Queuing), and also supports eSATA and port multipliers that allow you to connect up to four SATA devices to a single SATA port. We found that the USB 2.0 and RAID performance of the ICH9 southbridge outperforms the ICH8 and ICH7.
Thus, if a motherboard based on the 965 chipset supports VRM 11, it will technically be possible to install 45nm processors on it. The VRM 11 programs the power lines with 8-bit voltage IDs (VIDs), which give a step of 0.00625 V. The minimum operating voltage is no longer 0.8375 V (as in the VRM 10 specification), it has decreased to 0.5 V VRM 11 also allows the load to be split across more phases, and the lines support so-called dual edge modulation, which allows the regulators to drive multiple pulses to transistors using smaller capacitors. The goal is not only to reduce voltage steps and lower operating voltage for 45nm processors, but also to provide sufficient power at different voltage levels that can change frequently. All of this is done in conjunction with a more stringent slew rate specification.
