• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

My new Zacate SFF PC: benches, game play, subjective impressions, power usage

G

Gigantopithecus

Diamond Member
Update: been using the system a few days now. Really like it. Using it instead of my main desktop rig when productivity multitasking. Using Windows 7 Enterprise x64.

Here's the hardware list:
Antec ISK-100 with included 90W power brick.
Gigabyte E350N-USB3
2x2GB KVR DDR3-1333
Samsung SpinPoint 640GB 2.5" HDD (5400rpm)

Basic benchmarks:
WEI results:
CPU: 3.8
RAM: 5.7
Graphics: 4.0
Gaming graphics: 5.6
Primary hard disk: 5.9

Super PI to a million digits: 47 seconds

PassMark CPU Mark: 832.3
2D Graphics Mark: 127.1
3D Graphics Mark: 203.5

Subjective impressions:
My initial subjective impression is very favorable. I have a Lenovo Edge 13 with a C2D SU7300 @ 1.3ghz, 4GB DDR3, and an 120GB Intel G2 SSD as well as a Samsung NC10 with an Atom 230 (single core, 1.6ghz), 2GB DDR2, and a Hitachi 500GB (5400rpm) hard drive. The Zacate platform performs MUCH MUCH MUCH better than the Atom-based netbook. Its performance is roughly equivalent to that of the Edge 13, allowing of course for the SSD that's in the Edge 13 vs. the 5400rpm hard drive in the Zacate SFF.

Moderate multitasking is a breeze with no appreciable slowdown or lag outs. 1080P video on YouTube played without a hitch and kept the CPU between 30-50% utilization.

Gaming:
As one of the selling points of the Zacate platform is the relatively capable integrated GPU (the Radeon HD 6310), I installed Steam and Left 4 Dead as well as L4D2. Game play through the first chapter was smooth at 1333x768 resolution and all graphics settings on low. Frame rates stayed in the high 20s/low 30s. In Left 4 Dead 2, at 1333x768 with medium settings, game play was stutter-free, even with hordes of zombies runnin' 'round. Frame rates stayed in the mid 20s.

Power consumption:
I'll let my Kill-A-Watt do the talking:

Idling on the desktop:
zoKip.jpg


Playing a 1080p trailer on YouTube:
q7q2W.jpg


Playing Left 4 Dead:
0WNfG.jpg


I haven't spent any time thinking about better cable management, hopefully I'll get a chance to do that in the next few weeks. Pardon the mess, but with this small enclosure, it's not easy to keep things organized!


 
Last edited:
Gigantopithecus said:
Moderate multitasking is a breeze with no appreciable slowdown or lag outs. 1080P video on YouTube played without a hitch and kept the CPU between 30-50% utilization.
Click to expand...

That seems a bit high on the CPU utilization? Was that using Flash 10.1 or the new 10.2? I thought 10.2 was supposed to address some bugs that caused problems with the 6310 IGP.
 
Bateluer said:
That seems a bit high on the CPU utilization? Was that using Flash 10.1 or the new 10.2? I thought 10.2 was supposed to address some bugs that caused problems with the 6310 IGP.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was with 10.2. I didn't think about it until you pointed it out, but that does seem high, so I watched three more 1080P trailers and watched the utilization. This time, it ranged from 20-40%, usually staying in the upper 20s. It spiked into the 70s a few times. I'm not sure why it would be noticeably lower now than before, other than perhaps Windows updates installing in the background?
 
i saw a review of i believe the acer 522 C-50 based fusion netbook and they mentioned in there that there is a special 10.2 amd build of flashplayer that lowers cpu utilization more.

so hopefully that will come out soon for the normal download.
 
I'm slightly surprised by the Windows Experience Index, pointless "benchmark" though it may be. I'm sure it must be multi-core aware, and yet I know that a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 scores 4.3 for CPU. 3.8 feels rather low.
 
WildW said:
I'm slightly surprised by the Windows Experience Index, pointless "benchmark" though it may be. I'm sure it must be multi-core aware, and yet I know that a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 scores 4.3 for CPU. 3.8 feels rather low.
Click to expand...

A pentium 4 3.2 ghz probbaly is faster than bobcat at least single threaded.
 
faster in a few areas, slower in a lot of others
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/92?vs=328

given that the p4 is probably 4-5 times the power usage at load and even more at idle, zacate can be run on a near passive cooler, and can game on its own; I dont think there is any modern situation where you would opt for the p4(other than space heater).
 
gorobei said:
faster in a few areas, slower in a lot of others
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/92?vs=328

given that the p4 is probably 4-5 times the power usage at load and even more at idle, zacate can be run on a near passive cooler, and can game on its own; I dont think there is any modern situation where you would opt for the p4(other than space heater).
Click to expand...

Couple of times when I ran the test I noticed that my Turbo Boost meter goes all the way to maximum single core speeds. It isn't sustained 100% of the time, but the WEI is more like Sysmark that its a low-thread count benchmark.
 
Anonemous said:
Did you try ocing it to 2.3 ghz?
Click to expand...

No, and I have no intention of overclocking it given its small enclosure (heat issues), money (I can't afford to burn up $160), and the simple fact that it does everything I want it to do, and does those things well, at stock clocks. Sorry. 😛
 
Gigantopithecus said:
No, and I have no intention of overclocking it given its small enclosure (heat issues), money (I can't afford to burn up $160), and the simple fact that it does everything I want it to do, and does those things well, at stock clocks. Sorry. 😛
Click to expand...

boooo nobody cares about the right thing to do. put the pedal to the floor and see how much smoke rolls off those tires😉

i do want to see a comprehensive review on overclocking these boards though. im curious what the stable top speed is, how much more power that draws over stock, and how much more heat is pumped out. and most importantly, if its even worth it to overclock 400mhz or so (i doubt anything over 2ghz will be very stable in most small cases).
 
wow your power off kill-a-watt is pretty bad. i have a full desktop on a kil-a-watt and in suspend its like .1 watts.
 
Oops, forgot I had my phone plugged into the system. Using the on/off USB charging feature on this Gigabyte board. I'll remove that and get a shot of the system off with nothing plugged in & charging later. 😛
 
hans007 said:
wow your power off kill-a-watt is pretty bad. i have a full desktop on a kil-a-watt and in suspend its like .1 watts.
Click to expand...

My P4 rig in sleep, draws 78 watts. Turned off, it draws 6 watts. Idling at the desktop with Firefox open, draws 77 watts. Yes, that's right, it takes more juice in sleep mode than it does idle.
 
VirtualLarry said:
My P4 rig in sleep, draws 78 watts. Turned off, it draws 6 watts. Idling at the desktop with Firefox open, draws 77 watts. Yes, that's right, it takes more juice in sleep mode than it does idle.
Click to expand...

Probably from being an old platform that doesn't do S3 STR (Suspend To RAM) but just whatever S1 mode is.
 
Emulex said:
need to get an i7 - they use less power at sleep. alot less
Click to expand...

And a lot more power while idle or in use. I'm not sure why sleep power usage is an important factor. If I am not using a computer, I turn it off. If I am using it, it's not going to be put to sleep.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top