Our testing methods
All tests were run three times, and their results were averaged, using the following test systems.
| Processor | Pentium 4 3.4GHz Extreme Edition | Athlon 64 FX-51 2.2GHz |
| System bus | 800MHz (200MHz quad-pumped) | HT 16-bit/800MHz downstream HT 16-bit/800MHz upstream |
| Motherboard | DFI LANParty 925X-T2 | MSI K8T Master2 |
| North bridge | Intel 925X MCH | VIA K8T800 |
| South bridge | Intel ICH6R | VIA VT8237 |
| Chipset drivers | Intel 6.3.0.1007 | Hyperion 4.55 |
| Memory size | 1GB (2 DIMMs) | 1GB (2 DIMMs) |
| Memory type | Micron DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz | Corsair CM72SD512RLP-3200/S Registered PC3200 DDR SDRAM |
| CAS latency (CL) | 3 | 3 |
| RAS to CAS delay (tRCD) | 3 | 3 |
| RAS precharge (tRP) | 3 | 3 |
| Cycle time (tRAS) | 8 | 8 |
| Graphics | XFX GeForce 6600 GT with ForceWare 71.84 drivers | eVGA GeForce 6800 Ultra with ForceWare 71.84 drivers |
| Hard drives | Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 NCQ 160GB SATA | Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 160GB SATA |
| OS | Windows XP Professional | |
| OS updates | Service Pack 2, DirectX 9.0C | |
We've put together a couple of test systems for the VF700s. The first is built around a GeForce 6600 GT graphics card with factory overclocked memory running on an open test bed. The second system is equipped with a GeForce 6800 Ultra and running in an Antec Sonata enclosure. For each card, we tested with the stock cooler and the VF700-AlCu and VF700-Cu with their Silent and Normal fan speed settings.
Our test systems were powered by OCZ PowerStream power supply units. The PowerStream was one of our Editor's Choice winners in our latest PSU round-up.
We used the following versions of our test applications:
The test systems' Windows desktop was set at 1280x1024 in 32-bit color at an 85Hz screen refresh rate. Vertical refresh sync (vsync) was disabled for all tests. Game tests were run with high quality detail levels at 1024x768 with 4x antialiasing and 8x anisotropic filtering.
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.
