Testing Methodology


939 Test System Setup

Processor: AMD X2 4400+
Motherboard: A8N32-SLI deluxe
Memory: 2GB Corsair XMS pc3200
Graphics Card: Evga Geforce 6200
Hard Drives:
2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB
2x Western Digital SE 120gb
1x Western Digital Se 200 Gb
Power Supply: 600W Seasonic S12
Case: Antec SLK3000B case with 1 120mm fan port for intake and 1 120mm fan port for air out.


AM2 Test System Setup

Processor: AMD X2 4800+
Motherboard: ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe
Memory: 2GB Corsair TwinX PC2-6400
Graphics card: Evga 7900gtx 512mb
Hard Drives:
1x Western Digital Raptor 150GB
2x Seagate 7200.10 320GB
1x Western Digtal Se16 500GB
Power Supply: Enermax Liberty 620W
Case: CM Stacker 830 w/ 8 Scythe E fans


All comparison testing was done on a closed case system with an ambient temperature of 15*C. Recorded temperatures were logged in CoreTemp. Load temperatures were taken after 1 hour of running Orthos’ blend test set at “10”. Idle temperatures were taken 15 minutes after Load testing ceased. Motherboard temperatures were recorded using SpeedFan.

Except where noted, Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste was used for all tests. Application of thermal paste was according to manufacturer's instructions, and allowed to cure for 48 hours under moderate load prior to testing. All tests were run 4 times and only best results are represented.


Notes about Overclocking

I consider 1.5volts to be the most that I would seriously consider for a moderate-to-long term overclock. Yes, you can go much higher but the longevity of the cpu is then called into question. Just as importantly AMD cpu’s should max out at LESS than 55c as this is also what I consider the safest, maximum long term overclocking temperature. For the purposes of these tests I was willing to overlook temperatures as long as they stayed below 60c.

With these two general guidelines I overclocked both systems until either one (or both) of these "rules" was broken.
Overclocking was accomplished by increasing HTT speed (AMD’s version of a front side bus) and then Vcore (only if necessary).

Before testing for idle and max temperatures Orthos blend test was run for 1 hour to make sure that the overclock was benchmarkable at a given clock speed and voltage. If Orthos finished with no errors, SuperPi set to 32m was run twice. After the stability testing was accomplished the given system was allowed to sit idle for 30minutes before starting the official tests. IF both of the above stated guidelines were not broken then testing continued with an increased overclock. These steps were then repeated until one or both of the general guidelines were broken.

Since they have no bearing on these tests, the RAM’s voltage and timings are not recorded, but needless to say they were loosened and the voltage was increased if necessary. Please do not consider this a full “how to” review on overclocking or “safe guidelines” for overclocking nor even an indicator on how well a given cpu will overclock. IF you are interested in OC’ing your system, and use these guidelines we at HWC take no responsibility for the results. Bad Things can happen if you are not careful.

Please note: The AM2 cpu used was one of the very first AM2 X2 4800+ processors released and are thus not indicative of how well the newer more refined versions will overclock. Regardless, overclocking of a cpu is completely luck of the draw and these are just the results that 2 cpus gave.


Notes about the “Stock” Cooler

BOTH system’s “stock” cooler was AMD’s higher-end 4 heatpipe heatsink. If you want a comparison to the more normal copper/aluminum cooler that usually ships with AM2 cpu’s please add 3 – 5 degrees to the stock temps.
Here are two pictures of the stock cooler used.