MSI X58M Review - PAGE 5

Test Setup

To test MSI's X58M, I will be using Intel's Core i7 920 paired with 6GB of memory running at 1600 MHz. The same platform is used for past and upcoming products as well. Core i7's Turbo Mode will be disabled during testing in order to ensure consistent benchmark results and provide reliable comparisons between the motherboards.

Furthermore, a new set of benchmarks will be used from now on. This means that while some benchmarks will stay, many of the previous ones will not be used anymore. There will be a set of system benchmarks and the other half will be gaming oriented. Two of them, Bioshock and Call of Duty: World at War, require custom runs as they have no benchmarking tool. For those two, Fraps will be used to record the FPS, whereas for all other gaming tests, the built-in benchmarking tool will be used. For all of these, the tests will be ran at three different resolutions: 1280x1024, 1680x1050 and 1920x1200.

• Processor : Intel Core i7 920
• Memory : Mushkin HP3-12800 3x 2GB
• Video Card : nVidia GTX 260 Core 216
• Hard Drive : Seagate 7200.11 1TB
• Power Supply : Mushkin XP-800AP
• Operating System : Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit
• Heatsink : Noctua NH-U12P SE

Settings

Here is a CPU-Z screenshot showing all the exact settings that are going to be used in this review.

Benchmarks used

• SiSoftware Sandra 2009
• HandBrake & POV-Ray
• WinRAR & Cinebench
• HD Tune & Futuremark PCMark Vantage
• Crysis Warhead & Bioshock
• Call of Duty : World at War & Far Cry 2
• Left 4 Dead & Mirror's Edge

As usual, overclocking will be discussed in detail at the end of the article. However, overclocked results will also be included in the following pages in order to show what kind of improvements can be expected. Both stock and overclocked settings are tested to be stable under air cooling.