ULi M1575 for ATI Crossfire – SATA2 and Fast USB for the ATI Chipset
by Wesley Fink on October 13, 2005 4:21 PM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
USB, Firewire & Storage Performance
After looking at many options for Firewire and USB testing, we finally determined that an external USB 2.0, Firewire 400, and Firewire 800 hard disk might be a sensible way to look at USB and Firewire throughput.
Our first efforts at testing with an IDE or SATA drive as the “server” yielded very inconsistent results, since Windows XP sets up cache schemes to improve performance. Finally, we decided to set try a RAM disk as our “server”, since memory removed almost all overhead from the serving end. We also managed to turn off disk caching on the USB and Firewire side by setting up the drives for “quick disconnect” and our results were then consistent over many test runs.
We used just 1GB of fast 2-2-2 system memory set up as a 450MB RAM disk and 550MB of system memory. Our stock file was the SPECviewPerf install file, which is 432,533,504 bytes (412.4961MB). After copying this file to our RAM disk, we measured the time for writing from the RAM disk to our external USB 2.0 or Firewire 400 or Firewire 800 drive using a Windows timing program written for AnandTech by our own Jason Clark. The copy times in seconds were then converted into Megabits per second (Mb) to provide a convenient means of comparing throughput. Higher rates therefore mean better performance.
After looking at many options for Firewire and USB testing, we finally determined that an external USB 2.0, Firewire 400, and Firewire 800 hard disk might be a sensible way to look at USB and Firewire throughput.
Our first efforts at testing with an IDE or SATA drive as the “server” yielded very inconsistent results, since Windows XP sets up cache schemes to improve performance. Finally, we decided to set try a RAM disk as our “server”, since memory removed almost all overhead from the serving end. We also managed to turn off disk caching on the USB and Firewire side by setting up the drives for “quick disconnect” and our results were then consistent over many test runs.
We used just 1GB of fast 2-2-2 system memory set up as a 450MB RAM disk and 550MB of system memory. Our stock file was the SPECviewPerf install file, which is 432,533,504 bytes (412.4961MB). After copying this file to our RAM disk, we measured the time for writing from the RAM disk to our external USB 2.0 or Firewire 400 or Firewire 800 drive using a Windows timing program written for AnandTech by our own Jason Clark. The copy times in seconds were then converted into Megabits per second (Mb) to provide a convenient means of comparing throughput. Higher rates therefore mean better performance.
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nlr_2000 - Saturday, October 15, 2005 - link
nlr_2000 - Saturday, October 15, 2005 - link
It's on page 5.DRavisher - Friday, October 14, 2005 - link
Just you wait. In a couple of years ATi will finaly figure out how USB works and release a self made southbridge under the slogan "USB done right!", where they will tout their superiority in USB over nvidia, and how important good USB performance from the same company that designed the northbridge is for a company.sprockkets - Friday, October 14, 2005 - link
why bother with another southbridge? Keep it simple for linux driver support.But since video with nvidia is better supported anyhow, might as well just use the 6100 vs the exp 200
LoneWolf15 - Friday, October 14, 2005 - link
Good review. I guess for me it all comes down to the same thing though, economics.SLI and Crossfire have a high cost. Two video cards, a motherboard that supports them, a power supply that supports them, plus additional cooling. And then within 6-10 months, a new high-end card comes out that's a single-slot solution that can beat previous SLI/Crossfire solutions before it, and since it's single slot, doesn't need the special mainboard.
I think we'll see in a year, maybe two tops, that vendors will begin implementing either dual-core GPU chips, or two GPU chips on a single PCIe card much more often, making SLI and Crossfire a moot point for all but people who need a high-performance multi-monitor setup. I think SLI and Crossfire are just stopgap solutions until this arrives, and a lot of money to spend when a mid-to-high-end single card will give you what you need for less.
notposting - Thursday, October 13, 2005 - link
Don't suppose there's been any word on more motherboard's based on ULi's 1695 North bridge?The Asrock looks like a pretty good board, but I when I toss my chips into the 64bit pile I'll be trying to get a top line mobo featurewise, Firewire, SATA2, gigabit Lan, great sound.
Good to see some competition for Nvidia (and Intel ironically by Nvidia) in the chipset department. Better for us and pushes them (all the manufacturers) harder.
tuteja1986 - Thursday, October 13, 2005 - link
My main reason for wanting to buy a ATI chipset at the moment is because of Sata 2 performance and overclocking abilities. I couldn’t care less for USB since I only use a USB mouse, and Joystick that computer. If i really need a fast USB port than i would just buy a cheap $10 PCI USB/Firewire card from my local computer store.Madellga - Thursday, October 13, 2005 - link
We got an important piece of information provided by Wesley: The Crossfire motherboards are not a paperlaunch due to ATI delays, they were delayed by the OEMs due a last minute change to the ULI1575 chipset.It is worth in my opinion the delay, as we can get a truly competitive solution, even if one doesn't need the Crossfire feature.
I still have a question for Wesley: some say that the ATI/ULI combo chipsets run cooler than Nvidia's. Is that true?
Wesley Fink - Thursday, October 13, 2005 - link
I've had the bare ULi SB running for hours. It's very warm to the touch but not hot - without any heatsink at all. A passive heatsink should be plenty. The ATI RS480 north bridge has a passive heatsink which is completely cool to the touch. The final Crossfir RD482 uses the .11 process compared to the .13 on theis RS480.The ATI solution is 2 chips compared to the single-chip nVidia, which may partially account for the extra heat many complain about on the nVidia nF4.
The ATI chipset delays are a result of several factors - the ULI M1575 being just one. I have been told the chipset has been ready for months, but the video component was a moving target. Final release needed a coordinated Crossfire video and chipset solution, and Crossfire has only recently been solidified to the point of production. The video delays made the chipset late since no manufacturer wanted to launch a new chipset only to face potentail board revisions in a month or two.
Cygni - Thursday, October 13, 2005 - link
Not entirly true... the boards NOT using ULi southbridges (using the ATI SB540) arent exactly flooding the market, ya know.No, the last minute change simply kept a few major players like ASUS from (not really) launching with the rest of the boards that are using the ATI southbridge.