Sandy Bridge architecture processors are the undoubted success of Intel. Fast, cold, inexpensive, new Core i3/5/7 were made to the taste of not only the press, but also users. Only three things spoiled the picture. First: Intel blocked overclocking along the tire, leaving only the processor multiplier. Second: QuickSync media engine worked only with an activated graphic nucleus Intel HD Graphics. Third: Cougar Point chipsets were too different from each other. Today, Intel corrects its mistakes, sending a set of logic of Z68 Express on sale.
Together fun
Until today, there were only two chipsets under the Sandy Bridge processors. First, P67 Express , was equipped with two PCIe 2 slots.0 x16 and knew how to disperse unlocks processors. The second, H67 Express, could work with a video card built into the crystal, but had only one PCIE 2.0 x16 and processors did not disperse.
The new Z68 Express is P67 and H67 Express in one bottle. No more restrictions. Want to use HD Graphics and change the processor frequency – please. Want to work with two video cards – and this can. Moreover, the Z68 Express has also a function of parallel operation of discrete and built -in video cards and an unusual data caching technology on SSD.
We will not talk about the standard possibilities of the chipset – this is the exact copy of the P67 Express: all processors on the Sandy Bridge nucleus are supported, there are 14 USB 2 ports.0, four sata 2, pair SATA Rev. 3 and 24 PCIE 2 lines.0. We have already examined all this in detail in Gamery No. 03/11 (see. The article “Storm in the Sands”), so today we will engage exclusively with a review of the new Z68 Express technologies. And let's start with the most interesting – with the parallel operation of two graphic nuclei.
Like Clarkdale At one time, the Sandy Bridge series received built -in graphic nuclei HD Graphics. They did not pull the games, but they were equipped with a stunning QuickSync engine – a special set of blocks for working with video. The process of transcoding the film into another format took three times less time at the engine than the most powerful GeForce GTX 570. Unfortunately, QuickSync was available only with an activated Intel HD Graphics: as soon as a discrete video card appeared in the system, the media engine turned off. Thus, the main feature of Sandy Bridge remained a secret for the vast majority of users. In Z68 Express it was opened.
Military cunning
The parallel work of two different video cards is still the task. Even NVIDIA With AMD She has not yet been decided: for SLI and Crossfire you need the same boards. Intel required two different architects to make friends. For help, the company turned to the company Lucid , which has long been dealing with the problems of parallel operation of different video architectures and actively moves its solutions to the masses.
So, about a year and a half ago, the motherboard visited our test laboratory MSI Big Bang Fuzion with a special chip Lucidlogix Hydra. This board, just do not laugh, could make Nvidia and AMD work cards work together! But, unfortunately, then everything functioned out of hand, and the review of the technology never came out. Today is another matter. Intel joined the game.
Technology for Sandy Bridge is called Lucidlogix Virtu. This is a purely software solution that does not require interference in the iron part of the chipset. The bottom line is that software is following which application is running at the moment. For example, click on the “Witcher 2: Kings killers” icon – Virtu intercepts the action, tracks what libraries are loaded, and sends a request to a discrete video card. We played up and want to upload the movie on iPad? Launch Cyberlink Media Espresso 6.5 for video conversion – and Virtu immediately sends a request to activate the HD Graphics nucleus and include QuickSync.
In other words, Virtu is a layer between the program and devices drivers. She sends all the games to the video card, counts simple applications on the built -in Intel core. Convenient and economical, although not without flaws.
Firstly, for full and stable operation, Virtu must often be updated to work normally new applications. Secondly, Virtu slightly slows down the system. Receiving and transmitting a request takes about 1 ms. This means that if the video card in the Resident Evil 5 shows 105 FPS and each frame counts by 9.5 ms, then when virtu is turned on, this time will increase to 10.5 ms and we will receive 95.2 FPS. In more serious games, the loss will be much less – at 30 FPS we will miss approximately 0.9 FPS. True, this is all only in theory, real numbers will show tests.
In the meantime, only one can say about Virtu: this is a very interesting technology that will finally open playing systems access to QuickSync. Moreover, Virtu works not only on the new Z68 Express, but also on the H67 Express already released.
Cache or not cache
The second novelty Z68 Express – Technology Intel Smart Response , designed to warm up interest in SSD. Solid -state drives entered the mass market with a triumph, but could not gain popularity. There are many reasons for this, and the main ones are high price and too small volume.
While one gigabyte of memory on a normal hard drive costs about 1.6 rubles, 55 rubles are asked for SSD for it. The difference is huge and unjustified. Yes, SSD really works faster: Windows loads in ten seconds, programs are launched instantly – in general, the system becomes much more responsive. Only 32 or 64 gigabytes you will not be particularly unfolding. When the most programs and files are stored on a slow hard drive, all the advantages of SSD come to naught.
Intel perfectly understand the problem, and with Smart Response they offer to abandon SSD as a data storage and use it to accelerate a cruel disk. For this, Smart Response makes a solid-state drive HDD Cash Pamyt. All requested data from the hard drive are copied to SSD and when repeatedly handled is read from a quick drive. Thus, the overall responsiveness of the system increases and the performance of applications like Photoshop , 3DS MAX and t.p. In games, the technology can also give some advantages – for example, the re -loading level should be faster, since the files are taken from a quick drive.
Smart Response supports SSD up to 64 GB. In order not to spend in vain, the technology writes on a solid -state drive not all data. For example, it will not store on SSD files copied from one carrier to another, or write down the film just watched. Smart Response saves only the information that can really be needed for further work.
Interestingly, Smart Response technology is also a software solution. But, unlike Lucidlogix Virtu, its use is limited only by Z68 Express chipsets, it is impossible to install software for other logic sets.
Chaos number two
With the release of Z68 Express confusion with motherboards and technologies used in them did not disappear. Preparing test equipment for this article, we ordered from Gigabyte Top GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 , a typical monster with advanced capabilities and a huge cooling system. What was our surprise when it turned out that the GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 does not support Virtu technology and it is impossible to use QuickSync on it. Gigabyte deliberately abandoned Virtu so as not to put the ports for the graphics processor built into the input/output panel, and use the place for additional connectors. As a result, to test the Z68 Express in full, we had to order another motherboard – this time Asrock. I arrived at the stand Z68 Pro3 , simple fee with a minimum of possibilities, but with the support of all new technologies.
Nuclear boom
On both motherboards we installed top -end Sandy Bridge – Core i7-2600K , a quad -core stone with an unlocked multiplier and a cruising speed of 3.4 GHz. RAM was recruited in two slats Kingston Hyperx DDR3-1666 2 GB each, took a video card Zotac GeForce GTX 570 And a hard drive Seagate ST3320820AS With a spindle rotation speed of 7200 rpm. For Smart Response tests, Gigabyte sent us a solid -state drive – Kingston SV100S2/64G at 64 GB.
We conducted tests according to the standard scheme for processors. In addition to synthetic benchmarks PCMARK05 , 3DMark Vantage and games Resident Evil 5 And Aliens vs. Predator , They got on the list Winrar , Superpi 1.5 And Render Cinebench 11.5 (64-bit). Plus, we had a separate converting test 15 GB of Full Full HD films in the 720p format, which was held in the program Cyberlink Media Espresso 6.5.
With tambourine at the ready
Let's start tests with Virtu technology. To force it to work, it is necessary to install the program of the same name on the computer. But before starting the installation, you will have to run a little around the computer, putting the drivers at once on a discrete video card, and on the built -in HD Graphics core. To do this, first you need to stick the cable from the monitor into the outputs on the motherboard and install the drivers on the HD Graphics, and then rearrange the cable in the video card and repeat the process. And only after that – install virtu.
The program works in two modes. The first, d-mode, displays the image from the video card. The second, I-Mode, works with the outputs of the nucleus built into the processor. The difference is that when moving to i-mode, the image from the video card is not immediately displayed, but only after entering the Intel HD Graphics buffer, which leads to a fall in the games. In D-Mode, productivity remains normal, but more energy is consumed, because both HD Graphics and discrete fees work at the same time.
We’ll just say that it is not worth saving, the performance of the system in I-Mode is noticeably sags. In the same 3DMark Vantage, switching to the outputs of the graphic nucleus leads to a loss of 1501 points in the GPU column. In games, this is an average of minus 10-15% of the final result.
As for the D-Mode mode, there are no complaints about it. Although in the theoretical part we predicted a drop in performance, in practice it turned out to be not so noticeable. In Resident Evil 5, we lost 0.5 FPS, and in Aliens vs. Predator – 0.3 FPS.
Checking at Media Espresso 6.5 passed successfully. The program determined the presence of QuickSync and suggested using it to accelerate the process. The test results were unexpected. So, in the D-Mode, the film was translated in 20 minutes, in I-Mode-in 16 minutes, and when we completely turned off Virtu and left only the HD Graphics core, then the transcoding took 14 minutes. Without QuickSync, the transfer of the film into another format on the processor took 45 minutes when connecting GTX 570 – 32 minutes.
Big Cash
The next step in the tests was the intel Smart Response technology. It turns on no less cunningly than Virtu. First you have to format SSD and HDD. Then, when starting the system, install a special RAID mode in BIOS (the name depends on the board). Then put Windows and on top of the Intel Rapid Storage program, in which data caching on SSD is tuned.
Before starting work, you need to install how much SSD you are going to use under the cache and in what mode it will work. There are two options to choose from, Enhanced and Maximized. In the first case, the data will constantly duplicate both SSD and HDD. The second option offers synchronization from case to case, which in theory should increase the speed of work.
Unfortunately, in practice, all this does not matter. In comparison with the operation of the system on one HDD, an increase in performance is visible only in synthetic tests PCMark05: the result in the HDD column grew from 5415 to 14 120 points. There were no changes in other tests, only in games we for some reason lost one fps one. In fairness, it should be noted that when using SSD as a storage of data, the results turned out to be similar. There are no changes in standard applications, but in synthetics – 20 410 points HDD.
Perhaps the only noticeable plus is to accelerate Windows loading by 12 seconds and a slight increase in system responsiveness. Otherwise, Smart Response does not give any advantages.
Adult games
Three weeks by spent on the test of new Intel technologies, we can only say one thing about them: they work. No more emotions. Well, seriously, Intel Smart Response is another marketing move to popularize SSD. In real life, he practically does not give any advantages, and pay more than 3,000 rubles for a faster loading of Windows still I still do not want. Of course, Smart Response is a good gift to those who have already bought SSD: you can finally formate it, put it as a cache and no longer tormented with a lack of place.
With Virtu, too, without delight. Yes, we were finally allowed to use the main technology of Sandy Bridge. But why this happened six months after the onset of processors on sale is incomprehensible.
The fact that all these technologies are difficult to configurate is not pleased. Running with the municipal switching is straining, and the fact that the operating system needs to be re -set to work, for many, it is not acceptable for many. And this means that the overwhelming number of users will again not see all the advantages of the new item.
Another minus Z68 Express – computer performance does not differ from performance on P67 or H67 Express. Here you can also record the absence of a new acceleration system. Due to the technical restrictions on the processors themselves, acceleration along the tire remained inaccessible, and you can use only an unlocked multiplier.
Z68 Express seems to have nothing to scold for – everything works, performance is on top. But I don’t want to praise it either: the main functions have not changed, the speed of work has not increased. In general, if you already bought the Sandy Bridge processor and installed it on the P67 or H67 Express, then you should not run to the store for the new. But if you collect the system from scratch, then Z68 Express – Good choice.
Pros:
Good cooling system
enough space for a large processor cooler
Acceleration options for both beginners and enthusiasts
Six Sata Rev connectors. 3
Sound chip Creative X-Fi with EAX 4 support.0
Cons:
There is no IDE interface
Two video cards in the PCIe X16 https://sister-site.org/rabbit-win/ slots overlap both PCI
The price could be reduced by abandoning a number of unnecessary functions
Table 1.
Synthetic tests
PCMARK05
Z68 Express (HDD)
CPU
12 801
Memory
12 540
HDD
5415
Overall
12 404
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (SSD)
CPU
12 890
Memory
12 488
HDD
20 410
Overall
14 645
Performance ratio
118%
Z68 Express (HDD + SSD)
CPU
12 820
Memory
12 534
HDD
14 120
Overall
13 245
Performance ratio
107%
Z68 Express (Virtu, D-Mode)
CPU
12 912
Memory
12 820
HDD
5414
Overall
12 597
Performance ratio
102%
Z68 Express (Virtu, I-Mode)
CPU
12 848
Memory
12 482
HDD
4757
Overall
10 182
Performance ratio
82%
3DMark Vantage
Z68 Express (HDD)
GPU
21 949
CPU
23 763
Overall
22 376
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (SSD)
GPU
21 854
CPU
23 834
Overall
22 317
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (HDD + SSD)
GPU
21 494
CPU
23 743
Overall
22 219
Performance ratio
98%
Z68 Express (Virtu, D-Mode)
GPU
21 970
CPU
23 780
Overall
22 370
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (Virtu, I-Mode)
GPU
20 469
CPU
23 496
Overall
21 150
Performance ratio
93%
Cinebench R11.5 (64-bit)
Z68 Express (HDD)
X1
1.5
XN
6.9
Multi
4.6x
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (SSD)
X1
1.5
XN
6.7
Multi
4.53x
Performance ratio
97%
Z68 Express (HDD + SSD)
X1
1.5
XN
7
Multi
4.7x
Performance ratio
102%
Z68 Express (Virtu, D-Mode)
X1
1.5
XN
6.8
Multi
4.63x
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (Virtu, I-Mode)
X1
1.5
XN
6.9
Multi
4.6x
Performance ratio
96%
Winrar (File 100 MB)
Z68 Express (HDD)
X1
1149 KB/s
XN
3147 KB/s
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (SSD)
X1
1170 KB/s
XN
3213 KB/s
Performance ratio
102%
Z68 Express (HDD + SSD)
X1
1167 KB/s
XN
3101 KB/s
Performance ratio
99%
Z68 Express (Virtu, D-Mode)
X1
1147 KB/s
XN
3131 KB/s
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (Virtu, I-Mode)
X1
1136 KB/s
XN
3067 KB/s
Performance ratio
98%
Table 2.
Applications
Superpi 1.5 (32 MB, Loop 10)
Z68 Express (HDD)
Time
9.21 minutes
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (SSD)
Time
9.21 minutes
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (HDD + SSD)
Time
9.21 minutes
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (Virtu, D-Mode)
Time
9.26 minutes
Performance ratio
99%
Z68 Express (Virtu, I-Mode)
Time
9.26 minutes
Performance ratio
99%
Cyberlink Media Espresso 6.5 (1080p (15 GB) in Apple 720p)
Core i7-2600K (HDD)
Time
45 minutes
Performance ratio
100%
Core i7-2600K (SSD)
Time
44 minutes
Performance ratio
102%
Core i7-2600K (HDD + SSD)
Time
44 minutes
Performance ratio
102%
Zotac GeForce GTX 470 (HDD)
Time
32 minutes
Performance ratio
140%
QuickSync
Time
14 minutes
Performance ratio
321%
QuickSync (D-Mode)
Time
20 minutes
Performance ratio
225%
QuickSync (I-Mode)
Time
16 minutes
Performance ratio
282%
Resident Evil 5 (DX 10)
Z68 Express (HDD)
High, 1680×1050
147.3
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (SSD)
High, 1680×1050
149
Performance ratio
101%
Z68 Express (HDD + SSD)
High, 1680×1050
146.2
Performance ratio
99%
Z68 Express (Virtu, D-Mode)
High, 1680×1050
146.8
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (Virtu, I-Mode)
High, 1680×1050
127.7
Performance ratio
87%
Aliens vs. Predator (DX 11)
Z68 Express (HDD)
Veryhigh, 1680×1050
76.6
Performance ratio
100%
Z68 Express (SSD)
Veryhigh, 1680×1050
74.3
Performance ratio
97%
Z68 Express (HDD + SSD)
Veryhigh, 1680×1050
75.1
Performance ratio
98%
Z68 Express (Virtu, D-Mode)
Veryhigh, 1680×1050
76.1
Performance ratio
99%
Z68 Express (Virtu, I-Mode)
Veryhigh, 1680×1050
68.6
Performance ratio
90%
Table 3.
Performance ratio
Z68 Express (HDD)
Synthetic tests
100%
Applications
100%
Games
100%
General performance
100%
Z68 Express (SSD)
Synthetic tests
104%
Applications
102%
Games
99%
General performance
102%
Z68 Express (HDD + SSD)
Synthetic tests
102%
Applications
101%
Games
99%
General performance
101%
Z68 Express (Virtu, D-Mode)
Synthetic tests
100%
Applications
100%
Games
100%
General performance
100%
Z68 Express (Virtu, I-Mode)
Synthetic tests
91%
Applications
98%
Games
98%
General performance
96%