Gigabyte Z97X Gaming G1 Motherboard Review
Author: Dennis Garcia
Benchmarks - Synthetic
Sandra is a software collection of synthetic benchmarks that will give us a basic idea as to what a system is capable of. It should be noted that SiSoft numbers change depending on what hardware is being tested. These were recorded using Sandra Professional Version 20.18.2014.2
One of the most difficult things about doing reviews is finding some kind of common ground to establish a benchmark on so that when we say something is good our readers know it is based on something they can try themselves. In the case of audio reproduction there are too many factors to consider such as hearing quality, sound equipment (speakers) and room dimensions so we are turning to the RightMark Audio Analyzer to give us a set of audio specs. We will then use those numbers to determine what kind of audio quality you can expect.
This test was performed using a loopback cable which is basically a jack that connects the analog line-out plug back into the analog line-in. That way we can remove almost all of the variables and concentrate on what is actually being reproduced and recorded.
Specs
Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB: +0.00, -0.00
Noise level, dB (A): -143.7
Dynamic range, dB (A): 133.1
THD, %: 0.000
THD + Noise, dB (A): -127.6
IMD + Noise, %: 0.0002
Stereo crosstalk, dB:-143.9
IMD at 10 kHz, %: 0.000
General performance Excellent
Color coding indicates good to bad, Bright green = Excellent - Bright Red = Poor - Black = Good
Synthetic performance never really tells the entire story, but is a good indication of what the system would probably be capable of doing under the right conditions.
The Rightmark audio benchmark is a great tool for exposing audio specs for the various chips and software and read much like if you were buying an amplifier or sound system for your house. The really big surprise with the Gaming G1 is how well the audio system tested. Every aspect of the audio reproduction is in the Excellent range and basically tested perfect. In some of our other reviews the lack in audio quality is often directly related to the drivers. On the Gaming G1 we set both input and output quality to 24-bit @ 48kHz and got the results you see here. Most of the time the drivers don't allow this sort of matching so the audio quality will suffer..
In terms of performance the faster Devils Canyon Core i7 4790K has a clear advantage but only in raw CPU speed since memory performance is almost identical.
