Kotaku
Back in late December, AMD saw fit to send me one of their new Spider systems, which combines the AMD Phenom Quad-core processor, the new ATI Radeon 3800 series of graphics cards, and AMD's 790FX chipset to create what AMD considers a complete gaming platform, with the processor, chipset, and graphics all created by AMD and designed specifically to work in conjunction with each other. Over the past several weeks I've been putting the system through its paces, playing copious amounts of Stranglehold and Crysis—both of which were provided with the system—along with a selection of my own games, including World of Warcraft, The Witcher, and for some stupid reason, Second Life. Yeah—not a game, I know.
What follows is a look at what it's like using this particular system, how it feels to have one at your disposal, and ultimately if it is worth spending upwards of $1200+ for a similar set up. What you won't find are benchmarks and technical specifications. If you're into that sort of thing, you already know where to go and most likely can look at the system specs and guess how the AMD Spider is going to perform.
Speaking of which...
The System Specs
- CPU: Phenom 2.4GHz- Graphics: single Revelation RV670 256mb
- Motherboard: Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe (RD790)
- Floppy: Sony (black)
- DVD Rom: SATA Asus (black)
- DVD RW: SATA Sony (black)
- Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD SATA (150GB)
- Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA
- Power Supply: SEASONIC M12SS-700HM 700WATTS
- Chassis: Lian Li PC-7B Plus (Black)
- Heat Sink: AMD validated B3 model AJIGO MF091-096 CPU COOLER
- Memory: Corsair CM2X1024-8500C5D (2x1GB = 2GB total)
- Operating system license (Vista Ultimate 32-bit - OEM version)
Initial Impressions
The system came preloaded with Windows Vista Ultimate, so installation merely consisted of the usual plugging in, turning on, and waiting for Windows to do its mystical Windows setup thing. Gathering data, making me type in tiny numbers, etc.
Once the system was up and running, I set about downloading the latest drivers, updating the BIOS, and downloading a few choice applications that I cannot operate a PC without (Firefox, for instance.) In standard Windows Vista the system is as smooth as butter, sliding through the interface like a hot knife through said creamy goodness. It certainly put my other Vista computer - a dual core Pentium laptop - to complete shame, but laptops are of course a whole other animal. Now I know I said I wouldn't be dropping any technical specs, but the built-in Vista system performance tool hardly qualifies as technical. It does give a pretty accurate gauge of performance, however, and the Spider system hit the max of 5.9 across the board. The max definitely needs to be upped.
Once I felt comfortable with the PC, I started packing on the gaming goodness.
Crysis
I feel kind of bad using Crysis as a test point on any computer really, but AMD provided it and I felt compelled to put it through the wringer. At medium settings—which is what Crysis automatically set me to after scanning the system—the game performed...okay. The frame rate was hardly smooth, and there were definite stuttering moments throughout. Lowering the settings seemed to smooth things out somewhat, but overall I was not too impressed with how the Spider handled things. My usual PC, which is a low-end dual core Pentium with an ATI Radeon x1950 Pro installed in it, seemed to get much better performance out of Crysis at similar settings. Not a good start.
Stranglehold
The Spider fared much better with John Woo Presents Stranglehold from Midway. I had played the game on the Xbox 360 and not been too impressed, but on this system, with settings maxed and resolution at 1650x1080, the game ran perfectly smooth, and I found that I enjoyed the mouse and keyboard controls much better than the Xbox 360 controller when it came to controlling Tequila. An excellent experience.
The Witcher
Atari's action RPG barely taxed my normal system, other than with the recently patched loading times issue, so it was no surprise that the AMD system performed admirably in tackling the massive game. Details seemed much sharper than when I had played the game previous, and overall my frame rate saw a massive improvement over my dinky little dual core.
World of Warcraft
Let's face it - if your computer cannot handle WoW at 60 FPS in a nearly empty newbie zone, it is time to purchase a new system. Thanks to my renewed interest in healing, I spent the most time on the Spider leveling a newbie Blood Elf priest, and I had a blast. Upgrading to a shiny new high-end system is the best thing for rekindling World of Warcraft lust, and the AMD Spider had me grinding up a storm. A triumph.
Second Life
Just a footnote, really, since many of you don't consider Second Life to be a game. Kind of a bummer, but it seemed like the system really struggled with the virtual world simulation, with performance marks via the program's built-in utility far below what I normally get with my home system. I was planning on using the Spider exclusively for the testing period, but thanks to this limitation I had to hook up my extra monitor to get my stripping for Lindens on. Most likely a problem with the game itself...generally any problem with SL is a problem with the game itself.
In Conclusion
I'd have to say the best thing about the Spider series system I've gotten to play with, is the fact that it is the complete package. You don't have to worry about compatibility between parts, and most drivers are conveniently located within the same couple of web pages, so staying up to date is a snap. It performed great with most of the higher end games I ran on it, and we can hardly fault a computer for choking a bit on Crysis. The real question I suppose is, "Had I the cash and the need for a new PC, would I feel the AMD Spider system a wise purchase?" I am a bit torn, really. As a PC user comfortable with putting together my own components into a case, I could probably build a faster machine for less. Having said that, if I were not comfortable putting together my own system, I would definitely consider the Spider a fine choice for a complete PC gaming package.
