First Look: Asus Striker Extreme

MP3 Encoding:

We used LAME MT for our audio encoding test - it's the multi-threaded version of the popular LAME MP3 encoder. We ran tests with both Intel's and Microsoft's compilers - naturally, the Intel compiler resulted in some performance increases on Intel's processors. We converted all 18 tracks from Moby's popular Play album to a 192kbps variable bit-rate MP3.

The Striker Extreme puts in a solid performance in both MP3 encoding tests, but the Abit had some wild but repeatable results when Radeon X1900 CrossFire was installed in the board.

Gaming Platform Performance:

The new Asus board shows some potential in both Call Of Duty 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One, but is a little slower than both the Abit and Gigabyte boards in Quake 4.