Our testing methods
As ever, we did our best to deliver clean benchmark numbers. All tests were run at least twice, and the results were averaged.

The AV32 test system was built with the following parts:

Processor: Intel Pentium III 500E processor at 667MHz on a 133MHz bus

Memory: 256MB PC133 SDRAM memory in two 128MB DIMMs, 256MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory in two 128MB DIMMs

Video: NVIDIA GeForce 2 GTS 64MB (Detonator 3 version 6.50 drivers)

Storage: Western Digital WDC AC41 8000D 18GB ATA-66 hard drive

OS: Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP1

We used the following versions of our test applications:
  • SiSoft Sandra Standard 2000.3.6.4
  • Compiled binary of C Linpack port from Ace's Hardware
  • ZD Content Creation Winstone 2001
  • Quake III Arena 1.17
  • Vulpine GLMark 1.1

In the Quake III Arena timedemo tests, we used the game defaults for "Normal" and "High Quality" rendering.

The test systems' Windows desktop was set at 1024x768 in 32-bit color at a 75Hz screen refresh rate. Vertical refresh sync (vsync) was disabled for all tests.

All the tests and methods we employed are publicly available and reproducible. If you have questions about our methods, hit our forums to talk with us about them.

DDR downer
I've included scores here for both PC133 SDRAM and PC2100 DDR SDRAM. However, the AV32 didn't get along well with the Micron DDR DIMMs we used for testing. These particular DIMMs came out of an AMD 760-based eval box from AMD (see our review here), and they work perfectly in the Gigabyte GA-7DX mobo in that system.


Our Micron "engineering sample" DDR DIMMs

But they're clearly marked as engineering samples, not final products. The AV32 wasn't entirely stable while using them. When I asked Shuttle about this problem, they said they hadn't yet qualified the AV32 with Micron DDR memory, and recommended Mushkin, Samsing, or TwinMOS memory, instead. Given the fact that Micron has just today, as I write this, started selling PC2100 DIMMs online through its Crucial subsidiary, I find it hard to fault Shuttle for this problem. Still, caveat emptor: it's not clear this mobo works with Micron DDR memory.

And yes, mom, in the future I will stock multiple varieties of DDR DIMMs for testing.