Methods and HX83 Interim Summary

This site has been accessed times since May 25th, 1997

June 23, 1997. Each score was acquired during "run all WinMarks". The system was rebooted immediately prior to running each series of tests. The hard drives were defragmented. All reported data were from a representative series of several successful runs of "All WinMarks." Thus, these data are for stable configurations. All charted data were run on systems used in typical computing. The hard drives have varying amounts of free space. When there was a hardware change such as a different video card or controller, I removed all related drivers (and some unrelated) using the Device Manager and then ran Add New Hardware. Once OSR2 loaded the native driver, I then upgraded to the current driver.

 Please note that I did not report data for individual runs. For example, when testing the P166 at 2X83, the individual CPU Mark32 score was as high as 384. Nevertheless, the highest charted result is 379. Significantly higher CPU32 scores are attainable if graphics performance is permitted to be unstable. This is especially true with large amounts of installed memory. For lack of a better phrase, I consider these benchmarks to be "real world." They were not generated with the sole goal of achieving the highest score. They were generated running "all WinMarks" using a configuration known to be stable across all tests.

There is concern that overclocking not be used by "mission critical" systems. Much of my work involves high performance computing in research. No one is going to die if a computer freezes, but there could be significant data loss. At this time, I feel comfortable using the HX83 P200MMX at either 2.5X83 or 3X75. Although perhaps unfair, I prefer MrBIOS 3.41 (evaluation) over AMI HX831.75. The MrBIOS BIOS (I hate the name) gives much useful information about the configuration of the system board. This is particularly handy when testing different configurations.

The additional clock configurations on the HX83 make this board an effective price performance upgrade. Consider the life the HX83 breaths into the "old" P166. Rather than spend 500.00 on a P200MMX, you could spend 150.00 on an HX83 and run the P166 at 2X83. Notice the benchmarks (if my server is not napping) comparing the P166 (2X83) to the 200MMX (3X66). The 200MMX wins, but the margin is not that great considering issues of price and performance. The HX83 paired with an existing P166 (2X83) is a great upgrade for those having moral concerns about overclocking. The CPU continues to run at 166MHz. When the 200MMX becomes "affordable" you already have the MB to run clock ratios 2.5X83 or 3X75.

The fastest replicable graphics mark by the HX83/P200MMX is Business Graphics WinMark = 108. This mark is attained at 3X75 (225MHz) with the resolution at 1024X768X08@85. The graphics card is a 4M Millennium using the 3.62 driver. I suspect that tuning the HX83 with a P233MMX will challenge the PII 266 running at specification. The HX83/PMMX combination is perhaps the most performance for the dollar available at this time..

Ps. I used the HX83 as my "daily" computer at 3X75 for the past eight weeks. Computing tasks included networking, word processing, and image processing. There was not one episode of instability.

July 22, 1997. There is 128M of Toshiba PEDO installed in the HX83. As much as I like MrBios, AMI 1.75 is the better BIOS if your running 128M of PEDO and overclocking to 3X75. Large amounts of installed PEDO combined with over clocking require special attention to BIOS settings. Increasing the speed of the memory timing to the point of instability can cause the HD controller to fail. This has disastrous consequences. Currently, the HX83 is dialed in and rock solid. As I write this, there is a 30M image file open in Designer that is printing over the network while I am transferring nearly 1G of data from drive C to drive D. At the same time, I am drafting this addendum and surfing my WEB site. Everything is rock solid. For anyone that followed my FX83 diary, I wrote that the FX83 loaded a 50M image file in 13 Secs whereas the HX83 required 35 Secs. The HX83 had 64M of RAM whereas the FX83 had 128M. The HX83, when fitted with 128M RAM, also accomplishes this task in 13 Secs. When working in Photoshop, about the only noticeable difference between the HX83/225MMX and the FX83/Pro200/512 is that the Pro system redraws the screen faster when mage mapping. In my mind, the HX83/200MMX continues to offer the best price/performance punch available.

Less structured coments regarding the HX83:

>I plan on buying a P5STE board within a day or two I am having trouble deciding between a P133 or a P150 processor. Any suggestions? Anything special I should know about when installing this board? >

You must be looking for a price/peformance punch. This is actually a rather tricky decision. If you pair the STE (165.00) with the P133 (145.00), you spending approx 310. At industry standard specs, the P133 has a 66 Mhz bus speed (2X66 = 132).

Pair the STE (165.00) with the P150 (165.00), and your spending approx 330.00. The 150, running industry standard specs, has a 60Mhz bus speed (2.5X60 = 150). The increased CPU clock frequency is offset by the decreased bus speed. Thus, the P133 is, and always has been, the better buy. The performance of the P133 with a 66Mhz bus speed is at par or even better than the performance of the P150 runing a 60 Mhz bus. Thus, the P133 is still a popular chip in notebooks.

The real price performance killer is to buy the P133 (145.00) and the HX83 (150.00) for approximately 295.00. Run the P133 at 150Mhz (2X75=150). This will blow the doors off a P150 running at specification. The more expensive STE will not let you clock above 66. Furthermore, if you win the lottery next week you can buy the 200MMX. Run this chip on the HX83 at 3X75 and you really have a killer. The HX83, although less expensive than the STE, has additional clock speeds and additional buffering on the PCI bus. At specification, the HX83 outperforms the STE in graphics. There really is no question of which board to buy. .

I can't comment on the HX83 compared to non-SuperMicro boards. Because of time contraints, I focus on a limited and proven set of hardware. The HX83 is of the highest quality. The ability to successfully overclock the bus is added value. The HX83 was designed to make a statement, not a dollar, thus the consumer wins with this board.