Overclocking

Testbeds:

• CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 810
• RAM: 2 x 2GB Apacer DDR3-1333 CL9 9-9-9-24-1T for Socket AM3 boards; 2 x 2GB GoodRAM PRO DDR2-1066 CL5 5-5-5-15-2T for Socket AM2+ boards
• HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (SATA, 7200rpm)
• Graphics card: ATI RADEON HD4850, 512 MB GDDR3
• PSU: AcBel ATX-550CA-AB8FB
• OS: Windows Vista SP1 64-bit, Catalyst 9.2, latest chipset drivers

Benchmarks:

• 7-Zip 4.65 x64
• WinRAR 3.80
• XviD 1.2.1
• x264 r1129 x64
• FarCry 2 (Ranch Medium)
• Crysis (DX10, HOCbenchmark, VGA test, built-in demo)
• Devil May Cry 4 (built-in benchmark)
• World in Conlict (built-in benchmark)

To assess performance we measure time required to archive a 297MB set of 277 files of various types and convert a 636MB MPEG2 video using XviD and x264. We also measure frames per second in game demos. In FarCry 2 we run tests in 4 modes: low, medium, high and very high quality. The first three modes imply the aforesaid quality level, 1280x720 resolution, DX9 rendering, High Performance. The last mode implies: 1680x1050 resolution, Very High setting for both graphics and system, DX10 rendering. In Crysis we also use 4 modes at 1024x768 and 1280x1024 and run tests at Low and High quality in each mode. In Devil May Cry 4 we run two tests: 1280x720 (High DX9) and 1680x1050 (Super High DX10). In World in Conlict we run test in 4 modes: 1280x720 Low, 1280x720 Medium, 1680x1050 High, 1680x1050 Very High.

It's obvious which modes should be used with integrated graphics and which, with discrete graphics. Note that if a motherboard has no integrated graphics, performance tests are only used to check for serious layout or BIOS flaws and can be reduced to minimum. Vice versa, performance tests are indicative for motherboards with integrated graphics. And if a certain motherboard review lacks certain details, we might add respective test results to make up for it.

To assess capabilities of a motherboard and its BIOS, we overclock test CPUs (which ones depends on board's market segment) to a stable maximum with the help of Zalman CNPS9700 AM2 and Cooler Master Hyper Z600 coolers. At that we use all motherboard features, like CPU core voltage adjustments and, if needed, bus multiplier and clock adjustments (Hyper-Transport, CPU NB, etc.) For RAM we select a clock rate typical for this class of modules by adjusting its multiplier, or clock rate needed to maximize CPU core clock rate. The stability of an overclocked machine is assessed in Windows Vista with the help of AMD OverDrive stability test (all tests are run for 5 minutes). Note that since overclocking potential somewhat varies from one board to another, we are not focused on finding board's exact overclocking potential accurate to 1MHz. We just try to find out if a board hampers in CPU overclocking (due to insufficient voltage stabilizer power, etc.) and see how it performs in atypical modes, including automatic BIOS recovery in cases of overclocking issues (not requiring CMOS reset) and such.

Power consumption is assessed in the light-load mode (with text editor running) and in the heavy-load mode (FarCry 2, high quality, 1280x720). Processor's standard power-saving features are enabled. Also if a board has proprietary power-saving features, we examine their efficiency separately.

We used BIOS 1.2 released on 4/3/2011. ASRock E350M1 isn't meant for overclocking, and memory frequency is even limited to 1066 MHz (while the standard maximum is 1333 MHz). You can manage voltages, but it won't be of much use in practice, because it'll only result in higher temperatures.

Performance and efficiency

I compared today's motherboard with MSI E350IA-E45 based on the same chipset.

The advantage of MSI E350IA-E45 can be explained by higher memory frequencies. This isn't surprising, especially considering that memory is used by both processor and graphics cores, and that it works in the single-channel mode (which is a general feature of this processor's memory controller). Test results with enabled DXVA differ much, but the key conclusion is that video is played smoothly, and with a solid reserve for particularly high bitrates.

Now let's proceed to USB controller tests, especially given that ASRock E350M1 supports a certain XFast technology. On the charts you can see how this motherboard performed with the Apacer AP320GAC601W-S external hard drive.

And this is how MSI E350IA-E45 performed with the same HDD connected to a USB 2.0 port. Well, that's a difference.

Just to make sure, I connected the same hard drive to a USB 3.0 port on MSI E350IA-E45. Since the drive was only compatible with 2.0, it wouldn't be able to use the advantages of the SuperSpeed USB. As you can see, results obtained in the compatibility mode do not differ much from those we got with chipset's USB 2.0. And in both cases performance was obviously lower than what ASRock USB 2.0 offered with the help of their XFast technology.

Still, to make sure the results were true, we conducted yet another test: simply copied a few files (8.2GB total size) from an internal hard drive to the aforementioned external AP320GAC601W-S. It turned out, the test results were correct: 8:01 minutes via a regular port versus 5:25 minutes via the one on ASRock E350M1.

Enclosure power consumption

We measured power consumption with the wattmeter built into the PSU.

Results obtained in the idle mode are similar. But when under load, ASRock's relatively simple power circuitry cannot boast of too much efficiency.

Conclusions

ASRock E350M1 is a very practical motherboard. As practical as a Mini-ITX solution can be, given that some functionality has to be sacrificed to keep price reasonable. The cooler looks ordinary but does its job very well. The XFast technology is a very nice surprise. It will be iseful even if USB 3.0 is supported, because a multitude of USB 2.0 devices is still in use. The integrated audio, or rather the analog output, is a letdown. If you need quality sound, you'll have to use a digital interface instead.

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