How we test
REVIEWS / HOW WE TEST
We test image quality with an
X-Rite iDisplay Pro colorimeter
and DisplayCal software to
check for colour accuracy,
contrast and gamma, while
assessing more subjective
details such as pixel density and viewing angles by eye. For
gaming, we test a monitor’s responsiveness subjectively and
then also use Blur Buster’s excellent ghosting UFO test to
check the sharpness of the display in high-speed motion.MONITORS
TEST MOTHERBOARDS
Intel LGA1200 MSI MEG Z490 Ace
Intel LGA2066 MSI MEG X299 Creation
AMD AM4 Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
AMD AM4 (APU) MSI X470 Gaming Pro Carbon
AMD TRX4 Asus ROG Zenith II ExtremeOur CPU test setup comprises a GeForce RTX 2070 Super
Founders Edition (or an APU’s integrated GPU), a 2TB Samsung
970 Pro SSD, and Corsair Vengeance RGB 3466MHz DDR4
memory – a 16GB dual-channel kit for mainstream systems,
and a 32GB quad-channel kit for HEDT systems. A Corsair
Hydro-X water-cooling loop, with two XR5 240mm radiators,
an XD3 RGB reservoir and an XC7 RGB waterblock is also used.
We use Windows 10 Home 64-bit, and test with our
RealBench suite, as well as Cinebench for 3D rendering and
Adobe Premiere Pro for video export times. Far Cry New Dawn
and Metro Exodus test gaming performance. Finally, we record
the total power draw of the test PC. We run all tests at stock
speed and at the highest stable overclocked frequency.PROCESSORS
We measure the CPU temperature with CoreTemp, and subtract
the ambient air temperature to give a delta T result, enabling us to
test in a lab that isn’t temperature controlled. We load the CPU with
Prime95’s smallfft test and take the reading after ten minutes.TEST KIT
Fractal Design Meshify C case, 16GB of Corsair Vengeance RGB
Pro memory, 256GB Samsung 960 Evo SSD, Corsair CM550 PSU,
Windows 10 64-bit.INTEL LGA1200
Intel Core i9-10900K CPU overclocked to 4.9GHz with 1.2V vcore,
MSI MEG Z490 Tomahawk.AMD AM4
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X overclocked to 4.5GHz with 1.25V vcore, MSI
MEG X570 Unify motherboard.INTEL LGA2066
Intel Core i9-7900X overclocked to 4.2GHz with 1.15V vcore, MSI
X299M Gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard.AMD TRX4
AMD Threadripper 3960X overclocked to 4.2GHz with 1.265V
vcore, 32GB of 3466MHz Corsair Vengeance RGB memory,
Samsung 960 Pro SSD, Corsair RM850i PSU, ASRock TRX40
Taichi motherboard.CPU COOLERS
MOTHERBOARDS
TEST PROCESSORS
Intel LGA1200 Intel Core i9-10900K
Intel LGA2066 Intel Core i9-7900X
AMD AM4 AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
AMD TRX4 AMD Threadripper 3970XOur test gear comprises a GeForce RTX 2070 Super Founders
Edition and a 2TB Samsung 970 Pro SSD (or a PCI-E 4 1TB
Corsair MP600 SSD on X570 and TRX40 boards). We also use
Corsair Vengeance RGB 3466MHz DDR4 RAM – a 16GB dual-
channel kit for mainstream systems, and a 32GB quad-channel
kit for HEDT systems. All CPUs are cooled by a Corsair Hydro-X
water-cooling loop, with two XR5 240mm radiators, an XD3
RGB reservoir and an XC7 RGB waterblock.
We test with our RealBench suite and Far Cry New Dawn on
Windows 10 Home 64-bit. We also test the board’s M.2 ports,
and record the noise level and dynamic range of integrated
audio using RightMark Audio Analyzer. Where possible, CPUs
are overclocked and benchmarked again.