Graphics Benchmarks
If we find that any of the test systems can handle 3DMark or Crysis and put them in their place, you obviously don’t need to see a ten graphs repeating the same results. You can easily make an informed decision with these two demanding benchmarks.
3DMark Vantage
She’s fast, powerful, and can produce some great 3D results. The Intel DP55KG was tossed in the mix so you can see how comparable each platform is when it comes to CPU/3D intensive tasks. The P55-UD5 keeps up with the pack just fine and compares favorably to Intel’s own measuring stick.
Crysis
Our testing shows only a couple frames difference here. It was actually something like 61.43 frames versus 62.56 frames so we’re not going to throw a crown on either as the ultimate gaming platform. In either case, you can’t go wrong with either board for games.
Motherboard Operations
Far too often, benchmarks miss the only things that differ between different motherboards: the connectivity options. Boards can use a different array of chipsets for any of these functions so we’ve decided to benchmark them including USB, SATA, and Audio. If there is anything different in terms of performance it would be because of the difference in these areas with boards cut from the same chipset.
While mostly uneventful, each platform swapped spots leading slightly over the other especially in regards to SATA and SSD performance. Usually, it comes down to the driver and some differences in how the operating system interacts with each device. Either way, we’re happy to report no major anomalies or issues here.
Audio Testing
We’ve recently decided to be more proactive in evaluating the audio quality we’ve come to accept these days. This is something that no synthetic gaming benchmark or timedemo can tell you so we need to use our ears and couple of audio measurements to verify those audible findings. While Realtek Codecs are the most popular integrated solution, it doesn’t mean we have to accept quasi-audio for our hard earned buck. Also, depending on how said solutions are implemented, they can be great or slightly on the uninspiring side.
Recalling our recent experiences with the MSI P55-GD65 board, we quickly found the limitations between the ALC889 used on the MSI and the ALC889A Codecs used on our Intel reference board. To the untrained ear, you may not notice the differences. However, if you’re an avid gamer or audio enthusiast, limited amplification and noise can put a damper on your listening pleasure.
Based on the results above, the GIGABYTE P55-UD5 on the right utilizes a the superior ALC889A which produced similar results to the reference Intel board. Compared to the MSI board on the left, it was clear that the GIGABYTE had it beat. In particular, the GIGABYTE solution had a wider frequency response, lower noise level and harmonic distortion.
While the MSI P55-GD65 wasn’t unbearable, the GIGABYTE P55-UD5 produced a better than average playback experience, our ears said that it really shined when playing video games. It’s quite decent in really large audio rich games like Crysis or World at War. Of course, the only way to improve performance is to possibly polish up the drivers a bit or move to a discrete audio solution like the ubiquitous Creative Labs solutions and of course other quality solutions from ASUS et al.