XFX nForce 630i Socket 775 mATX Motherboard
Test Setup
Published: 27th February 2008 | Source: XFX | Price: £54.00 |
Test Setup
To ensure that all reviews on Overclock3D are fair, consistent and unbiased, a standard set of hardware and software is used whenever possible during the comparative testing of two or more products. The configuration used in this review can be seen below:
Motherboard(s)
• XFX MG-630I-7159 (630i)
• ASUS P5KPL-VM (G31)
Processor
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 "G0" 2.4GHz 2x4MB
Memory Modules
• OCZ FlexXLC PC2-6400 CL3 DDR2-800 (4-4-4-12)
Hard Disk
• Western Digital 80GB SATA2 7200RPM 8mb
Operating System
• Microsoft Windows XP SP2 (Latest Updates)
• XFX MG-630I-7159 (630i)
• ASUS P5KPL-VM (G31)
Processor
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 "G0" 2.4GHz 2x4MB
Memory Modules
• OCZ FlexXLC PC2-6400 CL3 DDR2-800 (4-4-4-12)
Hard Disk
• Western Digital 80GB SATA2 7200RPM 8mb
Operating System
• Microsoft Windows XP SP2 (Latest Updates)
During the testing of the boards above, special care was taken to ensure that the BIOS settings used matched whenever possible. A fresh install of Windows Vista was also used between switching boards, preventing any possible performance issues due to left-over drivers from the previous motherboard install.
To guarantee a broad range of results, the following benchmark utilities were used:
To guarantee a broad range of results, the following benchmark utilities were used:
Synthetic CPU & Memory Subsystem
• Sisoft Sandra XI SP1 2007
• Lavalys Everest 4.0
File Compression & Encoding
• River Past ViMark
Disk I/O Performance
• HDTach 3.0.4.0
• Sisoft Sandra XI SP1 2007
3D / Rendering Benchmarks
• Cinebench 10
• 3DMark05
• 3DMark06
3D Games
• Quake 4
• Bioshock
• Sisoft Sandra XI SP1 2007
• Lavalys Everest 4.0
File Compression & Encoding
• River Past ViMark
Disk I/O Performance
• HDTach 3.0.4.0
• Sisoft Sandra XI SP1 2007
3D / Rendering Benchmarks
• Cinebench 10
• 3DMark05
• 3DMark06
3D Games
• Quake 4
• Bioshock
Overclocking
The maximum stable overclock that I was able to obtain with the XFX nForce 630i motherboard was a disappointing 2897Mhz. The board would boot into Windows just shy of 3.0Ghz, but would lock-up. In order to achieve this lacklustre result, I had to run the RAM in Asynchronous or 'Unlinked' mode. However, I am pleased to say that the XFX 630i recovered from a bad overclock extremely well without having to clear the CMOS at anytime.
Dropping the multiplyer to [6], and applying a little voltage to both MCH and CPU/FSB respectively, and ramping up the CPU Frequency netted a maximum stable FSB speed of 321.8Mhz. Any higher than this and the machine would lock-up or fail to boot.
During the overclocking phase of this review it is interesting to note that the chipset heatsink was frightfully hot to the touch, and more than likely detrimental to the overall performance of the motherboard. Better cooling hardware and some increased voltage options courtesy of a BIOS revision may provide better results.
Most Recent Comments
any chance of seeing how it performs rendering 1080p HD video (ie percentage of cpu power used) as im in a process of looking for htpc (to go with my 40" 1080p sammy 
yummy!) mobo and would love to know hows the hd playback on this one.Quote
yummy!) mobo and would love to know hows the hd playback on this one.QuoteI can do that for you mate 
Quote
QuoteDoes the IGPU do 1080p?Quote
"During the overclocking phase of this review it is interesting to note that the chipset heatsink was frightfully hot to the touch, and more than likely detrimental to the overall performance of the motherboard. "
when nVidia went from having separate nb & sb on 6xxx IGP to an all in one on 7xxx I'm sure that it became cheaper for them to produce (& hence probably more profitable for them) but it definitely resulted in increased chipset temps.
I've got abit's I-N73HD based on the same chipset here to play with once I acquire a spare CPU.Quote
when nVidia went from having separate nb & sb on 6xxx IGP to an all in one on 7xxx I'm sure that it became cheaper for them to produce (& hence probably more profitable for them) but it definitely resulted in increased chipset temps.
I've got abit's I-N73HD based on the same chipset here to play with once I acquire a spare CPU.Quote
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