High definition content is on the verge of mass release and you might as well find out if the new
parts are up to snuff so to say. With both Intel and AMD pushing the idea of the
'digital home' like no tomorrow, it's time to find out whether the systems of
today, like the Gigabyte GA-945GM-S2 motherboard, are ready for the high definition content of
tomorrow.
Intel is following ATi
and nVIDIA's lead when it comes to integrating high definition
video accelerators onto its graphics chipsets, but at least it is making an effort.
These accelerators dramatically reduce CPU usage when high definition content
is being played, and enable the computer to do other tasks. From Up and Down Scaling
of video content to High Definition Content Decode, Intel's "Stunning Video Playback" suite
of technologies looks like it may rival ATi's 'AVIVO' and nVIDIA's
'PureVideo' in terms of high definition content accleration.
CPU Load with Intel's 'Stunning Video Playback'
To test the high definition video playing capabilities on the Gigabyte GA-945GM-S2
motherboard and its Intel 945G chipset we'll playback a video
downloaded from Microsoft's WMV HD Content Showcase
through Windows Media Player 10. "The Discoverers" (IMAX) video
is available in both 720P and 1080P formats. The Core 2 Duo E6600
processor utilization during playback will be monitored via Task
Manager.
It's interesting to see how well the Gigabyte GA-945GM-S2 motherboard
handles high definition playback with its 945G chipset. CPU usage hovers between
18-24%. There is plenty of CPU power to go around and you can run many different
things in the background.
When playing the 1080P version of the Discoverers video,
CPU usage stays in the same ballpark as the previous resolution test indicated. CPU loads spiked
at 28%, but in general the processor utilization stayed between 18-24% throughout the short clip. It's
certainly interesting to see how far computer systems have come; a Socket
939 Athlon64 4000+ with no acceleration would run this same test at close to 80%
CPU load!
Next up, we take a tour of the Gigabyte GA-945GM-S2 motherboard's
highlights.
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