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BluRay Testing
Just like last time, we are going to focus on testing the Blu-Ray playback. Unlike last time, we are going to bump up the difficulty a notch. Instead of using a modern CPU, like the E8600 we used with the 4550, we are going to really reach back. This time I am using an old San Diego core AMD 3700+. A single core and at 2.2GHz, if the 4670 can handle HD playback on this setup, then we know it will handle playback on many older setups that make for a tempting HTPC build. BluRay movies typically are encoded in one of two codecs; VC-1 and MPEG-4, also known as H.264. Occasionally, you will see a movie in MPEG-2 as well. Because of this, we are going to test one movie encoded with each codec, all at 1080p. For the VC-1 test, we are going to use one of my personal favorites: V for Vendetta. For the MPEG-4 test, we will use the movie X-Men 3: The Last Stand. For MPEG-2, we will use Black Hawk Down. To determine performance, we will look at CPU usage during playback, and watch for any dropped frames. In other words, I get to use reviewing a video card as an excuse to watch some kick-ass movies. Click the below pictures for a larger version. VC-1:
V for Vendetta ran at an average of 20-40%throughout the playback. Not bad at all for a four year old single core CPU. This is a very good thing if you have a hot CPU crammed in a tiny HTPC case; the last thing you want to hear is a fan kicking on due to the heat load. The other good thing about this is the fact that just about any cheap low power CPU will handle the job, which helps tremendously when budgeting a build, or if you have some old parts laying around that you would like to use. MPEG-4 (H.264):
Next up is our MPEG-4 title, X-Men 3: The Last Stand. Just like all of our past tests, the MPEG-4 requires a bit more CPU power to function. This case is no different, as the average load runs about 40-60%. Even so, the playback is absolutely flawless. MPEG-2:
Finally, we have our MPEG-2 test. For this, we used Black Hawk Down. This is our first time using an MPEG-2 title, so we have no past history about this codecs performance. From our testing, it would appear that its performance is pretty close to that of MPEG-4, with 60% being the max CPU usage. The overall conclusion is obvious: the 4670 Ultimate HD can turn an old CPU into an HTPC gem.
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