Quick Look at XFX nvidia 7150 Mobo for C2D supporting OC

[Choto Cheeta]

Source >> Choto Cheeta Online

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One of the major factor for which AMD rules the budget PC market with their lower range X2 processors, such as X2 3600 upto 4400 is because the availability of cheap yet powerful, performance motherboards for lower range Intel Core 2 or Dual Core processors….

Though Intel do have a great low budget performance processor, which is Intel Dual Core E2140 available at Rs. 2450/- + 4% VAT (USD 75), however the only cheap but performance solution is XFX 650i Ultra with a cheap Graphics card… The lowest performance (Allowing OC too) onboard solution is ASUS P5B-VM (GMA x3000 with G965) or the recent ASUS P5K-VM (GMA x3100 with G33) both are well over Rs. 7500/- or USD 150….

We have lacked the balance in which a Low budget Intel system could come without sacrificing the performance…

Now with the recent launch of a budget Motherboard by XFX, it may all change !

I have got my hands to one of the brand new XFX 630i (7150), so let us take a quick look at the board.

Details about the Product

Product

XFX 630i (MG-630I-7159)

Price

Rs. 3450/- + 4% VAT

Product URL

*www.xfxforce.com/web/product/listC...30i&productConfigurationId=1698868#openLarger

Specifications

Supporting any Intel LGA 775 desktop range including Pentium 4 (FSB 533 / FSB 800) / Pentium D / Intel Dual Core (E2xxx) / Core 2 Duo (FSB 1066 / FSB 1333) / Core 2 Quadro (FSB 1066 / FSB 1333) / Core 2 Extreme
Onboard Nvidia Geforce 7150 GPU with 650 MHz Core Clock / upto 256 MB
HDMI / DVI / HDCP
Two 240pin DDR-II 800 MHz Slot supporting upto 4 GB (Single channel only)
4 SATA-II Ports
3.5″ Flopy
1 PATA (IDE) Port
PCI Express x16
Nvidia Raid
Gigabyte LAN
8 Channel (7.1) HD Autio with SPDIF
1 eSATA
1 IEEE 1394a
4 USB (MAX 10) 2.0
Onboard Rest and power Switch
Onboard 2 Digit LED for troubleshooting

The Product at a Glance

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One nifty little tool is the Onboard Reset and Power Switch and also the Onboard 2 Digit LED for troubleshooting purpose…

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Test Setup

As the title have pointed out, its a board which i considered to be a board, which would allow us to build up a budget quad core system, so let us see how the board would perform with a Quad Core processor…

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
2 GB Single Stick
160 GB SATA-II 7200.10
450 Watts Local Lowest end PSU
Liteon DVD RW 20x IDE
View Sonic vx1945wm (19″ HD TFT) and LG 700E (17″ CRT)
PS2 Mouse and Keyboard (Logitech Combo)

Will you face any problem in Assembling ?

All these new boards are really well managed, every port is well placed though out the board, so its quite easy to assemble with this board… Nothing special to point in this manner…

The BIOS

It comes with Phoenix - AwardBIOS … Easy to navigate and understand…

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Real world Application Performance

Yes, the big question….

This motherboard by native comes with support for Windows XP and Vista, both x64 and x86 platform… However neither the driver and support CD nor the web support contains any official information about iether Linux Compatibility or about support for Server 2003 / 2008 !

Having said that, one must understand that, this one is meant to work with best under Windows Vista….

So, how is the Windows Vista performing ?

Nvidia Geforce 7150 is fully compatible with Vista Aero Interface… Also the board is good at supporting any platform under Windows Vista or XP, both x64 and x86… I have tested it with View Sonic 1945wm running at 1440×900 under DVI Interface…

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The 7150 is smoth as it should be… I have also tested the 7150 by playing High Defination contents under 720p and 1080p… They run absolutelly fine…

The BIOS allows user to select amount of shared VGA RAM from 16mb to 256mb.

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With 256 MB share, games like Fear runs at 1024×768 resolution under lower medium settings… NFS Most Wanted runs at 1024 with fairly high settings ! Certainly, don’t expect onboard 7150 would allow you to play BIO Shock at high resolution and medium settings…

Take a look at the Performance Index Rating with Q6600 + 2 GB + 128 MB Share for VGA,

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The DirectX Diagnostic Tool for Windows Vista SP1 x64

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The DirectX Diagnostic Tool for Windows XP SP2 x86

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Few points to note with the choice of platform, whether to go for x64 or x86… Now if you are running 4 GB under this board, then go for x64 platform as with 2 GB RAM there are no huge difference between x64 and x86 platform when running onboard video… You may read more the issue of which platform to choose here….

This is a platform in which you build your system, as I have said in the title, this one would allow a budget quad core, so I am using the Q6600 for testing…

As with Q6600, Video Editing and Encoding is a charm… 2.4 GHz Quad Core with 8 MB L2 is running blazing fast as I am Ripping a DVD5 (4.3GB) to a 700 MB xvid RIP using AutoGK…. So actual performance may differ when some one many buy this one with Intel Dual Core E2140… Therefore I am not going in to any discussion which would be effected by processor performance…

Some Bench Markings…

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PC Mark 2005 Total Score 4972 running Q6600 @ 2.4 GHz / 2 GB Single Channel Kingstone Single Stick DDR-2 667 MHz / 160 GB SATA-II (8MB) 7200.10

What about Temperatures ??

Its a mATX board so many folks would try to find a small and good looking casing / cabinet for their home or office system, so the temperature is a really big factor to consider…

Under default CPU / RAM value, it runs just as cool as XFX 650i ultra or ASUS P5N-E SLi ! Take a look at few Stress testing details,

4 instance Super Pi Running at 4 different core, thus pushing the CPU (Intel Q6600) working at 100% to calculate the value of Pi upto 1 million digit…

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2 Instance of Orthos running at 2×2 format for Processor load testing

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As its Winter time at my place, so the idle temp for the CPU is 29c-31c where as at Load testing all though th individual Cores went up to 60c but the CPU it self is stable at MAX 55c….

Over Clocking

The real beauty of the Core2 range of Intel is their ability to run beyond their original clock speed which in terms is known as Over Clocking, those who are new to Over Clocking idea, please read some basic TIPs about Over Clocking a processor here….

The setup I am using is identical to a common home or Office user setup, so lets see how far the Q6600 can go with just Default Intel Air Cooling…

1st Attempt is 2.6 GHz which is the running value for Intel Q6700 (Rs. 17550/- + TAX) which is quite expensive for just a 200 MHz gain…

This Motherboard doesn’t support nTunes, though it is said at their web site I would support nTunes, but the package in which it comes, clearly suggests that, there are no support of nTunes for 630i or 610i boards… So all Over Clocking tricks need to be done from BIOS it self…

XFX 630i 7150 is quite a over clocking friendly board… certainly it is not a board which any pro Over Clocker would like, but it does come with all needed features for a good over clocker…

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Limit for CPU vcore is 1.575 which is more than enough for those who plans to stay under Air Cooling including pro solutions such as ThermalRight Untra 120 Extreme to push an enrty level Quad Core to 3.6 Ghz ….

Just like any other nvidia Over Clocker, this one too comes with feature to use Unlinked Memory FSB…

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With 1st try I reached 2.6 Ghz (running value of Q6700) with ease and without touching the vcore.

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Over Clocking just wont depend on the Board it self, the processor is also greatly responsible for a good over clocking result, and this board do have all needed feature for Over Clocking, which may help an user who would be buying E2140 along with this XFX 630i 7150….

What are the negatives ??

So far I just went over the positives, so that doesn’t mean that, it doesn’t have any negative points… Lets quickly go through the negative ones…

• No Dual Channel support… This is a big let down which in terms may and will harm the system’s over all performance…
  
• Only 2 RAM Slot…. With ever increasing hunger of applications for RAMs, just 2 slot is certainly not enough !
  
• No Official Linux or Server 2003 / 2008 support…
  
• Driver CD not coming with PDF of manual…

Verdict Time

I already have pointed out at the start of the guide, the importance of a lower end performance board for Intel Core2 range processors to compete with AMD X2 solutions…

Though there are quite a few negatives, but still the features and the price makes its a board to recommend to any Budget PC buyer !

Unable to post all images due to the 15 image limit u may get the full picture review at the source url...

 

[axxo]

awesome review dude...was waiting for this....i think this is the best c2q mobo under 4k

 

[Harvik780]

Nice review choto.
Its certainly not for overclocking but running C2Q and other C2D's at stock or with some OC.I assume it has a severe Vdrop issue when overclocking just like the other 650i boards.
What about 45nm CPU support is it officially stated.Since these are new chipsets i expect them to support 45nm CPU due to new board layout.

 

[Choto Cheeta]

awesome review dude...was waiting for this....i think this is the best c2q mobo under 4k

hmm... unfortunatelly there are no other mobo for C2Q at lower than 4k

Its certainly not for overclocking but running C2Q and other C2D's at stock.I assume it has a severe Vdrop issue when overclocking just like the other 650i boards.

I can reach 2775 MHz on stock without any thermal paste of any other help with Q6600 where as 1.6 GHz model of E2140 can do 2.2 here

so dont u think thats bit of an understatement , yes certainly true, this one may not b for pro over clockers, but it can OC may not b on higher side but, atleast far better than DG33BU or such seriese

 

[darklord]

It maybe a good value solution but i feel its useless with no Dual Channel support, which is one of the basic things these days.

Well to be honest, 2.7G on Quad and 2.2 on E2140 is nothing spectacular. even the 650i Ultra from Galaxy/XFX is capable of doing much more and costs just a few hundred bucks more.

For that matter Gigabyte G33 based boards also clock beautifully.

Good review though, good job, keep it up.

 

[Choto Cheeta]

What about 45nm CPU support is it officially stated.Since these are new chipsets i expect them to support 45nm CPU due to new board layout.

yeah the 630i is 45 nm ready

 

[dOm1naTOr]

gr8 work choto

 

[axxo]

hmm... unfortunatelly there are no other mobo for C2Q at lower than 4k

right away decided to get this combo -> xfx 630i ultra and E2140 mobo

dont have bucks for q6600..neway i can later upgrade as well..

 

[Choto Cheeta]

It maybe a good value solution but i feel its useless with no Dual Channel support, which is one of the basic things these days.

whats you thought bro, on Comparism with Intel G33 and this one will u take Intel G33 without OC and GMA x3100 but with Dual Channel RAM support or this one with Single Channel Support / OC and Nvidia 7150 ...

but yes, why did they left out dual channel ?? Dont know, even the eVGA counter part too doesnt come with Dual Channel spending another Rs. 500 wont have been ban idea with dual channel support

Good review though, good job, keep it up.

thnx... by the way, can u please tell me how much is the street price of IP-35 Pro at your place ... ?? I cant find that in Kolkata one of my frnd needs one

 

[Harvik780]

Well.Its certainly a good board for people who don't want to overclock a lot but want good compatibility with a mid range nvidia card with lower budget.But the lack of dual channel's a performance hit.

 

[j1n M@tt]

hey choto cheeta, its a gooooood review......*gigasmilies.googlepages.com/113.gif

hw abt selecting [ E2140+XFX 630i 7150+2GB 800MHz RAM ] instead of [ X2 4200+M2A-VM+2x1GB 667MHz RAM ] ..........for ma bro as I hav mentioned in d other thread??


EDITED ....sorry , typing misstake..........old XFX 650i still haunting ma memories *gigasmilies.googlepages.com/46.gif

 

[Harvik780]

Choto has said that all XFX 650i ultra's are being replaced by this new board.

 

[Choto Cheeta]

Its certainly a good board for people who don't want to overclock

Cant quite agree if there is no need for OC, then Intel G33 or BIOSTAR Novidia 7150 would be better option due to the Dual Channel support and more ram slots

Choto has said that all XFX 650i ultra's are being replaced by this new board.

atleast thats what the my Local dealers here at Kolkata is telling me that XFX is calling all 650i ultra back from their stock

bad bad bad news for us..

@j1n M@tt

Personal Thought

When you are buying value rams, there wont be any huge performance difference between 667 MHz and 800 Mhz, now if only the total differnce is Rs. 50 or max at 100 then go for 800 MHz

but otherways personally i prefer 2 GB module now days of 667 MHz rather 1 GB x 2 because of the performance of the vaule rams... As later on within next few months price of 2 GB RAms would be dirt cheap and add another 2 GB then to make it a 4 GB dual Channel

 

[Harvik780]

Choto i said do not need to overclock a lot

 

[j1n M@tt]

@choto cheeta

I edited d abv post......typing mistake .....I mean 630i not 650i

 

[darklord]

whats you thought bro, on Comparism with Intel G33 and this one will u take Intel G33 without OC and GMA x3100 but with Dual Channel RAM support or this one with Single Channel Support / OC and Nvidia 7150 ...

but yes, why did they left out dual channel ?? Dont know, even the eVGA counter part too doesnt come with Dual Channel spending another Rs. 500 wont have been ban idea with dual channel support



thnx... by the way, can u please tell me how much is the street price of IP-35 Pro at your place ... ?? I cant find that in Kolkata one of my frnd needs one

Abit is sold by Tirupati Enterprises which is based in Kolkata.My IP35-E and IX38 Quad GT came from Kolkata itself.
IP35-Pro costs 9.5k over here.

Well the 630i chipset itself doesnt support Dual Channel so none of the boards based on it will support Dual Channel, be it XFX, EVGA etc...

Also not everyone Overclocks and at stock speeds, Dual Channel will make a lot of difference in performance.
So yes, given a choice, i would go for G31 based solution IF i dont want to OC.
And if i want to OC i would buy the Biostar P35 or NV 650i Ultra.
But then this is just my opinion.

 

[Harvik780]

Correct me if I am wrong but do intel chipset mobos overclock much better than any other chipsets from board manufacturers like ASUS,XFX,MSI or Abit.Or is it that Abit mobos overclock to a large extent.

 

[axxo]

@Choto Cheeta
i know it cant be compared but i would like to know how far the performance of overclocked e2140 is comparable with that of stock q6600?

 

[Choto Cheeta]

@Choto Cheeta
i know it cant be compared but i would like to know how far the performance of overclocked e2140 is comparable with that of stock q6600?

with Real world application I dont see any differece... I unpluged a E2140 from cafe at after noon so didnt get really much time to compare with all applications...

but just a point, xvid 700 MB AVI (xvid with 78 mins video) to a VCD using Nero 7.10 (Nero Vission 5) under Windows Vista x64 takes around,

• 18 mins at 2.2 GHz E2140
• 45 mins with Pentium 4 631 (on stock)
• 20-22 mins with Pentium D 925 << the new 65 nm ones a are good btw older ones used to take few mins more
• 9-10 mins with Q6600 @ Stock
• 7mins with E6600 @ 3.6 GHz << I didnt run it under 630i the stat is from my own PC

its just encoding, burning at CD takes same with all

 

[axxo]

with Real world application I dont see any differece... I unpluged a E2140 from cafe at after noon so didnt get really much time to compare with all applications...

but just a point, xvid 700 MB AVI (xvid with 78 mins video) to a VCD using Nero 7.10 (Nero Vission 5) under Windows Vista x64 takes around,

• 18 mins at 2.2 GHz E2140
• 45 mins with Pentium 4 631 (on stock)
• 20-22 mins with Pentium D 925 << the new 65 nm ones a are good btw older ones used to take few mins more
• 9-10 mins with Q6600 @ Stock
• 7mins with E6600 @ 3.6 GHz << I didnt run it under 630i the stat is from my own PC

its just encoding, burning at CD takes same with all

Thanks for the feedback..that gives me some hint...

i googled & found a source..overclocked e2140 can come as close as q6600...take a look @ this
*www.tomshardware.co.uk/Intel-Pentium-Dual-Core-E2140-overclocking,review-29816-35.html