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-8I945GZME-RH 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 acceleration.

CPU Load with Intel's 'Stunning Video Playback'

To test the high definition video playing capabilities on the Gigabyte GA-8I945GZME-RH motherboard, and specifically its Intel GMA950 onboard videocard via the Intel 945GZ Express 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 GA-8I945GZME-RH motherboard handles 720P high definition playback with its 945GZ Express chipset. CPU usage hovers between 18-25%. There is plenty of CPU power to go around and you can run many different things in the background

When playing the 1080P high definition version of the Discoverers video, CPU usage stays in the same ballpark as the previous resolution test indicated. CPU loads spiked at 27%, but in general the processor utilization from the GMA950 graphics logic stayed between 18-25% throughout the short clip.

A tour of the Gigabyte GA-8I945GZME-RH motherboard's highlights is next.