MSI P35 Neo2-FR: Platinum performance for under $100

Audio Encoding Performance

We will utilize iTunes 7.4 for our audio encoding test, as it is one of the most utilized audio applications available due to the immense popularity of the iPod. As in previous articles, we are using an INXS Greatest Hits CD for testing, which contains 16 tracks totaling 606MB of songs. We use iTunes to convert our WAV files into ACC or MP3 compatible formats. We utilize 320kbps or 256kbps and variable bit rate options for both tests.

We usually see iTunes favoring a system with excellent CPU throughput and these tests indicate the Neo2-FR board is up to speed in this area. However, if it is not apparent by now, all of the P35 boards score within 2% of each other and it is difficult to discern any differences during actual usage of the application.

File Compression Performance

In order to save space on our hard drives and provide another CPU crunching utility, we utilize WinRAR 3.70 to perform compression tests. WinRAR fully supports multithreaded operations for users with dual core or multi-processor systems. Our test folder contains 444 files, 10 subfolders, and 602MB worth of data. We utilize default settings in WinRAR and defragment our hard drive before each test.

The nature of file compression is such that memory is accessed almost constantly in a very random fashion, so page misses requiring additional time as memory banks are swapped is common. Even with a slight disadvantage in memory latencies, we notice the MSI board still has very good CPU/Memory throughput. It finishes 0.5 seconds behind the Platinum board, which leads the P35 pack.

Rendering Performance

For 3D modeling and rendering, we are using the CINEBENCH R10 benchmark. CINEBENCH 10 features two different benchmarks with one test utilizing a single core and the second test highlighting the power of multiple cores in rendering the benchmark image. We utilize the standard multi-core benchmark and default settings.

The Neo2-FR board performs well in this CPU intensive test and finishes right behind the Platinum board.