ECS X79R-AX (Black Extreme) Review
by Ian Cutress on January 13, 2012 12:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- ECS
- X79
3D Movement Algorithm Test
The algorithms in 3DPM employ both uniform random number generation or normal distribution random number generation, and vary in various amounts of trigonometric operations, conditional statements, generation and rejection, fused operations, etc. The benchmark runs through six algorithms for a specified number of particles and steps, and calculates the speed of each algorithm, then sums them all for a final score. This is an example of a real world situation that a computational scientist may find themselves in, rather than a pure synthetic benchmark. The benchmark is also parallel between particles simulated, and we test the single thread performance as well as the multi-threaded performance.
The single thread performance seems a little low (as echoed in the other ST tests), but the multi-thread result is on par with competitors.
WinRAR x64 3.93 - link
With 64-bit WinRAR, we compress the set of files used in the USB speed tests. WinRAR x64 3.93 attempts to use multithreading when possible.
The ECS board takes the record in our multi-threaded WinRAR test!
FastStone Image Viewer 4.2 - link
FastStone Image Viewer is a free piece of software I have been using for quite a few years now. It allows quick viewing of flat images, as well as resizing, changing color depth, adding simple text or simple filters. It also has a bulk image conversion tool, which we use here. The software currently operates only in single-thread mode, which should change in later versions of the software. For this test, we convert a series of 170 files, of various resolutions, dimensions and types (of a total size of 163MB), all to the .gif format of 640x480 dimensions.
Reflecting the 3DPM benchmark result, the ECS board seems not to perform as well in single threaded applications.
Sorenson Squeeze 6.0 - link
Sorenson Squeeze is a professional video encoder, complete with a vast array of options. For this test, we convert 32 HD videos, each a minute long and approximately 42 MB in size, to WMV 512KBps format. Squeeze can encode multiple videos at once, one for each thread.
However again the ECS board performs well in multi-threaded mode, coming top of our tested boards.
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connor4312 - Friday, January 13, 2012 - link
Good mobo, great price (relatively). Now if only the 3930k would come back in stock...Ratman6161 - Monday, January 16, 2012 - link
That may not be true if you want a 32 GB memory configuration. With 4 Dimm slots you need 8 GB modules where with the boards with 8 slots you can use cheaper 4 GB modules. Checked NE and saw 4x8 kits going for about $100 more than 8x4. If 16 GB is enough for you (and honestly, how many people really NEED more than 16 GB) then this won't matter. But if you want to go for 32 it may actually come out cheaper to buy a more expensive mother board with 8 slots.gw33dz - Friday, January 20, 2012 - link
That's a good point, on the other hand, if your going the way of 2011 then your going for performance, and i believe (correct me if i'm wrong) that 4 populated ram slots will perform better than 8, in quad channel. I've based this on the principals of dual channel, and I would actually appreciate confirmation either way if my assumption is correct. Those 8GB module kits are pricey at the moment, but another benefit (if you need the 32GB) will be lower power consumption and therefore less heat generation.It's interesting to note with this mobo the dual GB Network adapters, I really wonder why most other x79's are neglecting this feature.
flipmode - Friday, January 13, 2012 - link
There are some golden rules to follow once it comes to building your own computer. One of those golden rules is:Do *NOT* buy ECS.
ECS sucks. I don't care if they accidentally did an "OK" job this time. Surely their BIOS support will be a total disappointment just as it is already clear that they cut a bunch of corners on this board to begin with.
Do *NOT* buy ECS.
AssBall - Friday, January 13, 2012 - link
I dunno if you had some bad experiences or what, but I have done a few builds with ECS and thought the quality and reliability were pretty good. Also always an excellent value.I never tried one of their enthusiast boards though.
futurepastnow - Friday, January 13, 2012 - link
Years ago, ECS merged with another company, PC Chips, which many years earlier infamously sold 486 motherboards with fake caches and counterfeit chipsets.Some geeks never forget.
estover - Friday, January 13, 2012 - link
futurepastnow said:"Years ago, ECS merged with another company, PC Chips, which many years earlier infamously sold 486 motherboards with fake caches and counterfeit chipsets.
Some geeks never forget."
Yep I'm one of them. When I think of ECS, I think shit!
iamkyle - Saturday, January 14, 2012 - link
They're called 'Extreme Crap Systems' for a reason, you know.piroroadkill - Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - link
Yeah. PC Chips boards were absolute bottom of the rung, and so were ECS.I know about the fake cache chips on the boards too.
Wesleyrpg - Sunday, January 15, 2012 - link
i remember this, im fact im sure i switched boards from VLB to PCI, and still ended up with a board with fake cache (on both boards).Was around August 1995 if i remember correctly! (i was in uni at the time and didn't have alot of money for an expensive board)
Maybe i should send ECS an invoice for two motherboards...... :)