Aria GLADIATOR Sparta i5 4.40GHz Overclocked Bundle Review

1. Introduction2. GLADIATOR Sparta i5 Bundle: Packaging and Accessories3. GLADIATOR Sparta i5 Bundle: Layout and Components4. GLADIATOR Sparta i5 Bundle: BIOS and Overclocking Settings5. Testing Methodology6. System: PCMark 87. System: 3DMark 118. System: 3DMark9. System: Unigine Heaven Benchmark10. Processor: SiSoft Sandra11. Processor: Cinebench R11.5 64 bit12. Processor: Super Pi13. Processor: MKV HD Performance14. Processor: Media Encoding - MediaEspresso15. Processor: Media Encoding - HandBrake16. Motherboard: SATA Performance17. Motherboard: USB 3.0 Performance18. Gaming: Battlefield 319. Gaming: Sleeping Dogs20. Gaming: Metro 203321. Technical: Power Consumption22. Technical: Thermal Dynamics23. Technical: Acoustics24. Closing Thoughts25. View All Pages

To test the Aria GLADIATOR Sparta i5 4.40GHz Overclocked Bundle, we paired it with a 500GB Samsung 840 Series SSD and a 2GB nVidia GTX 760 graphics card. The build was powered by Seasonic's excellent Platinum 1000W unit.

We decided to use a dedicated, gaming-calibre graphics card to test the GLADIATOR Sparta i5; we are confident that many people purchasing this bundle will be interested in some degree of gaming which requires a better solution than the onboard HD 4600 GPU.

We will be comparing the Aria GLADIATOR Sparta i5 4.40GHz Overclocked Bundle's performance to that of our reference 4770K-based system using the ASRock Z87 OC Formula motherboard. Performance figures from our reference AMD FX-8350-based system are also included to show what a similarly-priced setup from the AMD camp can offer.

Note: As our NZXT Phantom 630 chassis was required for other testing procedures, we tested the Aria Gladiator Sparta i5 4.40GHz overclocked bundle in an open-air environment. This may have a small affect on the maximum GPU frequency reached by our GTX 760’s boost profiles.

Aria GLADIATOR Sparta i5 Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i5 4670K @ 4.40GHz (GLADIATOR Sparta i5 Bundle).
• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 (GLADIATOR Sparta i5 Bundle).
• Memory: 8GB Corsair Vengeance Arctic White LV 1600MHz (GLADIATOR Sparta i5 Bundle).
• CPU Cooler: Scythe Ashura with Gelid GC-3 Thermal Compound (GLADIATOR Sparta i5 Bundle).
• Graphics Card: nVidia GTX 760 2GB.
• System Drive: 500GB Samsung 840 Series SSD.
• Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional w/ SP1 64-bit.

4770K-based Comparison System:

• Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.50GHz (3.90GHz forced turbo).
• Motherboard: ASRock Z87 OC Formula.
• Memory: 16GB Patriot Viper 3 2133MHz CL11.
• Graphics Card: nVidia GTX 760 2GB.
• System Drive: 120GB Kingston HyperX 3K.
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i.
• Case: NZXT Phantom 630.
• Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional w/SP1 64-bit.

FX-8350-based Comparison System:

• Processor: AMD FX-8350 Black Edition (4.00GHz)
• Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme9.
• Memory: 16GB Patriot Viper 3 2133MHz CL11.
• Graphics Card: nVidia GTX 760 2GB.
• System Drive: 120GB Kingston HyperX 3K.
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i.
• Case: NZXT Phantom 630.
• Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional w/SP1 64-bit.

Settings:

• Gigabyte Z87-HD3 F2 BIOS.
• GeForce 320.49 VGA drivers.
• Intel 9.4.0.1017 chipset drivers.

Software Suite:

• 3DMark
• 3DMark 11
• PCMark 8
• Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0
• SiSoft Sandra 2013 SP4
• Cinebench 11.5 64 bit
• Super Pi
• VLC Media Player 2.0.7
• CyberLink Media Espresso 6.7
• HandBrake 0.9.9
• ATTO
• Battlefield 3
• Metro 2033
• Sleeping Dogs

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