Biostar iDEQ 350G Review by Article Admin
We present iDEQ 350G, Biostar?s entry in the ever-increasing world of dual core SFF computers. As the dual core is fast becoming standard, even in the SSF field, the 350G provides the future-proofing most computer buyers are looking for in a visually pleasing case. The inclusion of both PCI-E 16x and standard PCI slots also looks to the future while not forgetting the past during this transitional time.
The specifications of the 350G follow:
Processor |
Intel Pentium 4 and D LGA775 533/800/1066 MHz FSB, Dual core support, 64-bit enabled platform |
Chipset |
Intel 945G and ICH7R |
Memory |
2 x 240 pin DDR2 DIMM at 400/533 Dual channel support up to 2GB |
Audio |
Realtek ALC882 with Digital SPDIF-IN/OUT function, 7.1 audio solution |
LAN |
RTL8110S Gigabit LAN Network Controller 10/100/1000Gbps |
PSU |
300W 100/240V AC |
Dimensions: |
216mm x 342mm x 193mm (W x D x H), |
Parallel ATA |
One UDMA-100/66/33 |
Serial ATA |
ICH7R integrated Serial-ATA Controller Supporting Two Ports With Raid 0/1/0+1/JBOD |
On-Board Video |
Present |
PCI Express |
1 x X16 |
PCI |
1 |
AGP |
None |
Front Panel Connections |
1 S/PDIF-In Port
2 x USB 2.0
1 x Firewire 1394
1 x Mic In
1 x Speaker Out
1 x Power Button/LED
1 x Reset Button
1 x 7-in-1 Card Reader
1 x Card Reader LED |
Rear Panel Connections |
4 x USB
1 x PS/2 Mouse
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x Firewire 1394
1 x Audio Front Out
1 x Audio Rear Out
1 x Audio Center/Bass Out
1 x Audio Line In
1 x S/PDIF In
1 x S/PDIF Out
1 x Coaxial Audio Out
1 x RJ45 LAN
1 x Serial (9-Pin)
1 x VGA Port |
The motherboard of the unit we reviewed indicated that it was version 1.1.
The accessories included with the 350G unit includes a user?s guide, an installation guide, a drivers and utilities CD, an “Application Pack” CD (which provides McAfee Antivirus, System Security and Phoenix Recover Pro), a power cord, a SATA/PATA power cable adapter, a small bag of screws, a small packet of thermal grease and a chassis opening guide postcard. The included accessories represent what we would typically expect to find in the box.
Included on the drivers and utilities CD is the BIOSTAR System Control Utility. This program displays the CPU and System Fans speeds, CPU temperature and CPU clock speed. The Utility also provides controls for the 350G?s fans. Though not as thorough as other utilities like SpeedFan, the BIOSTAR System Control Utility is certainly easier to set up and use.
The Test
TESTBENCH SETUPWe installed the following components for testing purposes:
| Processor |
Intel Pentium D 820 LGA 775 Dual Core Processor |
| Memory |
2 x 256MB Partriot DDR-4200 533 MHz Modules |
| Video |
Onboard |
| Storage |
Seagate SATA 120GB, 7.2K RPM |
| CD-RW |
Sony CD-R/RW/DVD-ROM CRX320E |
All testing was completed with a freshly installed Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 with all needed drivers installed directly from the provided Driver CD. Video display settings were set to 1024x768 with 32 bit color at 60Hz refresh rate. DDR memory timings were set at AUTO for the entire test. All benchmarks were run three times to average the results. Three hours of continuous memory testing was used to validate memory timings prior to benchmarking. All noise measurements were conducted at 12 inches from all sides of the system and averaged together.
BENCHMARKS & OVERCLOCKING
At 210 MHz (effectively 2.95 GHz), the system loaded Windows XP and ran through the benchmarks with no problems. The idle temperature increased from 38 C to 41 C when moving from 200 MHz to 210 MHz. At 220 MHz (3.10 GHz), the system again ran flawlessly with a slight increase of idle temperature to 42 C. The machine would not boot at 225 MHz.
The SiSoft Sandra 2005 CPU Arithmetic Test and Memory Bandwidth Test results are shown below.
A performance increase of slightly more than 5% was realized by increasing the FSB 5% to 210 MHz. Increasing the FSB to 220 MHz (10%) netted a performance gain of just over 10%.
The 3DMark03 and 3DMark05 results (using the onboard video) showed basically no increase in performance. The PCMark05 score at 210 MHz showed only an approximately 4% increase, but jumped to a 14% increase at 220 Mhz.
In the end, the results of increasing the FSB were somewhat pedestrian.
< previous - (4 of 6) -
next >
