HTPC大本命、Clarkdaleのメタレビュー
「CPUがTrueHD, DTS-HDのビットストリーム出力を可能に」の記事が非常に長くなったので、その２として掲載します。
更新履歴
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関連情報(2010.1.14): Corei5 661を入手、H55にセットアップしてみました。確かにTrueHD, DTS-HD MA, Dolby digital plus, DTS-HD HRのビットストリーム出力が可能である事を確認しました。発熱も少なく360w電源で苦もなく動きます。拡張スロットに何も挿さないmicroATXでブルーレイトランスポートが作れる時代になりそうです。近日その全容を投稿する予定です。
関連情報(2010.1.16): 実機のハードウエアのセッティングを公開しました。→Clarkdale for HTPC (hardware setting)
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ClarkdaleのHD audio bitstreamingとHD videoの優れたパフォーマンスを実証
2010.1.5 update：GPU統合型のCorei5,i3, Clarkdaleのレビュー解禁です。主要なサイトは一斉にレビュー記事を掲載しています。CPUは大半GPU性能の高いCorei5-661が使われています。またチップセットはH57を使った記事が中心です。
“AnandTech” は例によって、基本性能からオーディオビットストリーミング、プロジェクターを使ったBDの検証までバランスの良いスタンダードな記事です。”Hot Hardware “はWMPのSDとH.264, 更にDBripと3種の映像を掲載しています。中でも最も楽しめたのは”missing remote” のIntel DH55TCです。非常に詳細な実証記事で、HD Audioプレーヤーの設定からアンプの互換性、また2Dベンチマーク比較にまで及んでいます。一般的なミドルクラスの単体ビデオカードと比べてもSpears & Munsil HD Bentimark上の661のパフォーマンスは見事です。”tom’s hardware”はHD Audio bitstreaming の可能なASUSやAuzenそしてATI5000シリーズを引き合いに出し、Clarkdaleの合理性を指摘しています。
プレーヤーやアンプの互換性などオーディオとビデオの問題点は各サイトおおむね共通していて、その対応に苦労のあとが伺われます。しかしどの記事もHD dual streamの実証まで及んでいないのは残念です。
印象としてはCPUとしてもGPUとしても単体ではミドルからローエンドに位置するものの、HDコンテンツ再生が主要なターゲットの一つとして設計されていて、その再生パフォーマンスに問題はなさそうです。IntelのマザーであればPowerDVD, TMT, WinDVDすべてがHDMIビットストリーム出力に対応し24pも問題なさそうです。Denonなどアンプの互換性はドライバの問題としてフィックスされるでしょう。Arrandaleも気になるところですが、自作パーツに留まらず、ボリュームゾーンの組み込み市販PCとして大いに活躍しそうな気がします。
アルミケースの自作も、H55のmATXを使えばよりコンパクトでソリッドなものができそうです。デザイン的にも遊べそうで非常に楽しみです。手元に届くまで油断はできませんが、依然HTPC大本命です。
1. The Clarkdale Review: Intel’s Core i5 661, i3 540 & i3 530(AnandTech)
2. Intel Clarkdale Core i5 Desktop Processor Debuts(Hot Hardware)
3. Intel’s DH55TC & Core i5-661 (Clarkdale) /(missing remote)
4. Intel Core i5-661: Clarkdale Rings The Death Knell Of Core 2 (tom’S hardware)
5. 参考:国内レビュー
1. The Clarkdale Review: Intel’s Core i5 661, i3 540 & i3 530(AnandTech)
Rajinder Gill氏のレビューです。よくまとまっています。予想通りの性能です。あとは入手してからのトラブルシューティング、実際のHD出力性能と音質・画質の検証です。
HTPC関連： If you have a Clarkdale CPU and a H55, H57 or Q57 motherboard, you can bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA over HDMI. Outputting 8-channel LPCM over HDMI is also supported.
I’ve tested it and it just works. Using an Intel supplied build of PowerDVD 9 I had no problems bitstreaming either codec from a variety of BDs. My only complaints actually have to do with the PowerDVD software itself. Clarkdale is just perfect for an HTPC. You get the benefits of integrated graphics without sacrificing any features at all.
このCPUの訴求力：For a HTPC there’s simply none better than these new Clarkies. The on-package GPU keeps power consumption nice and low, enabling some pretty cool mini-ITX designs that we’ll see this year. Then there’s the feature holy-grail: Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA bitstreaming over HDMI. If you’re serious about building an HTPC in 2010, you’ll want one of Intel’s new Core i3s or i5s.
AES-NI関連：A huge selling point for corporate markets is going to be Clarkdale’s AES-NI support. The impact on disk performance with Bitlocker enabled is noticeable. Enabling Bitlocker caused my testbed SSD to take a 15% performance hit in disk I/O on Clarkdale vs. over 30% with Lynnfield. If you need to enable disk encryption as a corporate requirement, Clarkdale (and Arrandale) is going to help improve performance tremendously. Couple it with an SSD and you’re in business.
メモリーコントローラーとSandy Bridge: To conclude I can only go back to my only real complaints about Clarkdale. The off-die, on-package memory controller hampers performance. We’ve taken a step back in terms of memory latency, a step we can’t correct until Sandy Bridge. I can’t help but think that Clarkdale would be so much more competitive if it had Lynnfield’s memory controller. I guess we’ll have to wait a year to find out.
2. Intel Clarkdale Core i5 Desktop Processor Debuts(Hot Hardware)
Intel obviously put a significant amount of effort into the Intel HD Graphics core’s multi-media capabilities. As you can see in the screenshots above, with all of the different video types, the load being placed on the Core i5 661 CPU is nice and low, ranging from single-digit percentages on up to about 35%. We also tested DVD playback, M4V files, and a myriad of other file types and all of them played very well on the Intel HD Graphics core.
掲載画像：”RAD” MPEG SD Video, Windows Media Player. “Max Payne” H.264 HD Video, Windows Media Player. “Casino Royale” H.264 Blu-Ray HD Rip, Power DVD 9
3. Intel’s DH55TC & Core i5-661 (Clarkdale) /(missing remote)
細部まで踏み込んだ素晴らしいレビュー。自分の手元においてセットアップした気になってしまいます。以下注目すべき記載を抜粋。
AUDIO
驚きです。Intelは予告していましたが、完璧なプレーヤー互換性。：What’s particularly brilliant about the implementation is that it just works with every mainstream Blu-ray player so retail versions of PowerDVD, Total Media Theater or WinDVD can be selected based on preference and not by what is required with a particular sound card (Arcsoft for the ASUS Xonar, Cyberlink for Auzentech’s X-Fi). And if you install ffdshow 3164+ (at least on Window 7, Vista was not tested) HD audio bit streaming also works in DirectShow based players including Media Center and SageTV.
VIDEO
WinDVDではHDMIのHD Audio追加設定が無く自動認識のようです。Starting with Blu-ray playback, simply put the results were excellent. Cyberlink PowerDVD (PDVD), ArcSoft Total Media Theater (TMT) and Corel WinDVD (WinDVD) were all tested and each player performed very well.
PDVD and TMT did require some additional configuration to enable HD bit streaming (selecting the correct output from the audio tab of the respective settings dialog), where WinDVD enabled the feature automatically. The experience from Media Center was most seamless using PDVD, as its “integrated” player is both remote friendly (WinDVD is not) and it was possible to enable HD codec bit streaming (I couldn’t figure out how to do this in the TMT integrated player).
patterns found on the Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark
2Dベンチマークの貴重なデータ。当方でも検証予定です。We will be looking at the source adaptive 2-2 (two fields per frame, equivalent to 30fps)and 2-3-2-3 (PF-T) (two fields for the first frame then three fields containing one frame and one field of the next image, most commonly used for transferring 24p film to 60i video) wedge and the edge adaptive “Jaggies” (tests the ability to deinterlace without jagged stairstep patterns on edges) tests below.
ATI 4850と5870は経験しているので,ここで示された4650と5770の実際の画質が想像できなくはありません。それらのデータと比較すると、661の性能は信じがたいほど健闘しています。入手してから追試再検しないとなんとも言えませんが….。In the source adaptive tests moiré should be present only in the last quarter of the wedge, overall brightness should be consistent, and there should not be any flickering. In the “Jaggies” test a rectangular bar rotates through a large inner circle of alternating black and white lines, as it moves the edge of the bar should remain smooth (not jagged) along the length of the bar, any distortion that occurs as it passes through the alternating lines should remain close to the bar and the alternating lines in the circle must be solid and not flicker.
Intel Core i5-661 (15.16.5.2021)
•2-2: moiré was present up to ½ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•2-3-2-3 (PF-T): moiré was present up to ½ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•Jaggies: The moving bar is very straight. The circle maintains alternating pattern, and only a thin line of distortion is present as the bar moves through it.
Intel GMA X4500HD (15.15.7.1994)
•2-2: moiré was present slightly past ¼ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•2-3-2-3 (PF-T): moiré was present slightly past ¼ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•Jaggies: The circle maintains alternating pattern, but the moving bar is very jagged.
ATI 4650 (Catalyst 9.12)
•2-2: moiré was present on slightly more than ½ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•2-3-2-3 (PF-T): moiré was present on slightly more than ½ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•Jaggies: The moving bar is quite jagged as it moves. The circle is drawn correctly, but a long tail of distortion trails the bar as it moves.
ATI 5770 (Catalyst 9.11*)
•2-2: moiré was present up to ½ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•2-3-2-3 (PF-T): moiré was present up to ½ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•Jaggies: The moving bar exhibits a little jaggedness, but is mostly smooth. The circle is drawn correctly, but a long tail of distortion trails the bar as it moves.
Nvidia 8600GT (Nforce 195.62)
•2-2: moiré was present on slightly more than ½ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•2-3-2-3 (PF-T): moiré was present on slightly more than ½ of the wedge, pattern was consistent and solid
•Jaggies: The moving bar is very jagged as it moves. The circle is drawn correctly, but a very long tail of distortion trails the bar as it moves.
VIDEO issue
アンプの互換性の問題。EDID Overrideを使っていない点に注目。HDCP pathの問題として解決しています。：Most of the testing was conducted through a Denon AVR-1909, and when connected to this audio video receiver (AVR) the board was unable to create a secure HDCP path to the display. The issue is easy to workaround if AnyDVD HD is present, but obviously it should just work. This issue does seem to be limited to the AVR-1909 as other AVR (including a Denon AVR-3808) tested did not exhibit the problem.
4. Intel Core i5-661: Clarkdale Rings The Death Knell Of Core 2 (tom’s hardware)
このCPUの意義づけのくだり。 実証というより概説です：A couple of months back, I noted that companies like Asus and Auzentech were in trouble with their HTPC-oriented soundcards, designed specifically to enable bitstreaming. ATI’s Radeon HD 5750 and 5770 made the same technology available as a value-add. Now you can get that functionality from a simple motherboard upgrade.
5. 参考:国内レビュー
国内レビューはHD AudioやHD Videoに関する記載は限られます。実証記事は皆無。スペック的位置づけと3Dベンチが中心
Clarkdaleこと「Core i5-661」レビュー，統合グラフィックス機能編(4Gamer.net)
Clarkdaleこと「Core i5-661」レビュー。新世代デュアルコアCPUはゲームで速いのか？(4Gamer.net)
Arrandale「Core i5-540M」搭載ノートPCを試す。ノートPCの3D性能は信頼できるようになったか(4Gamer.net)
多和田新也のニューアイテム診断室–CPU+GPUを統合したClarkdaleこと「Core i5-661」(PC Watch)
元麻布春男の週刊PCホットライン–メインストリーム向けのデュアルコアNehalemを分析(PC Watch)
【特集】Clarkdale徹底攻略!! 「Core i5-661」＋「Intel DH55TC」を試す(マイコミジャーナル）
“かっとび”GPUを統合した「Core i5-661」の実力を正式発表“前”に検証する(ITmedia)
描画機能内蔵、新型Core i5-661を検証(PC online)
この記事は2010-01-16に更新しています。初稿に加えた重要な変更箇所は赤で記載。
