I think that anyone who was hoping to see Bulldozer-based Zambezi processors hit store shelves in conjunction with this year's Computex show in Taipei is going to be disappointed by AMD’s 990FX platform. It’s 890FX, with a new name to show forthcoming AM3+-based processors will work right out of the box.
There’s nothing wrong with that, though. In fact, I’m glad AMD came up with a way to show its customers how to get the most out of an upcoming processor without complicating the upgrade process. Enthusiasts who actually can be troubled to do their homework know that 890FX/990FX and AM3/AM3+ share mechanical compatibility, though it’ll take 990FX and AM3+ to exploit Zambezi’s power/frequency management features. No doubt 800-series boards will start becoming scarcer as the industry gears up to support AM3+.
As we all wait to see what the company’s torch-bearing architecture can do, motherboard manufacturers are throwing us a little bone by licensing Nvidia’s SLI technology for use on 990FX-based platforms. Is the capability worth ditching your old 890FX board and buying an upgrade?
That depends on how loyal you are to Nvidia. Now that AMD’s CrossFire performance is much-improved, there’s no real reason to shy away from multi-card configs from either vendor unless your trepidation comes from multi-card configs themselves.
What concerns us, though, is that in a direct comparison to a similarly-priced platform based on Core i5-2400 and Z68 Express, the Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition hit performance ceilings in a number of benchmarks where the GeForce GTX 570s in SLI still had performance left to offer. Intel’s higher frame rates proved that the graphics cards weren’t to blame.
To that end, I really don’t see a reason to buy 990FX right now. If your priority is top performance in multi-card configurations, you’re buying an Intel-based platform. And if you’re in the market for a fast AMD machine, you’d be doing yourself an injustice by not waiting however long it takes for the Bulldozer-based Zambezi to materialize.
We’re definitely hopeful that the licensing of SLI means AMD’s Scorpius platform will perform well. Now’s not really a good time to build a new gaming machine on Phenom II, though. So, today’s 990FX launch ends up being a bit of a tease. We know what’s coming; we just want it to get here already.
- 990FX: Socket AM3+ Meets SLI
- 990FX Boards From Asus And MSI
- Hardware And Benchmark Setup
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11
- Benchmark Results: Metro 2033 (DX11)
- Benchmark Results: Lost Planet 2 (DX11)
- Benchmark Results: Aliens Vs. Predator (DX11)
- Benchmark Results: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (DX11)
- Benchmark Results: F1 2010 (DX11)
- Benchmark Results: Just Cause 2 (DX11)
- Benchmark Results: World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm (DX11)
- Conclusion
Did you go about benchmarking graphics cards, or was this a motherboard/cpu comparison? I'm tired of hearing this excuse all the time. We know you have a pair of 6990s and 590s in your shop. Get rid of that stupid bottleneck and DO IT RIGHT!
It Does!!!!
Did you go about benchmarking graphics cards, or was this a motherboard/cpu comparison? I'm tired of hearing this excuse all the time. We know you have a pair of 6990s and 590s in your shop. Get rid of that stupid bottleneck and DO IT RIGHT!
What is missing said something like:
...here "face"), but you said you wanted to test AMD's SLI on their 990FX vs Intel's SLI. So, IMO, you need less graphics horse power: like 2 GTS250's or 2 GTX460's or 2 GTX560's (not ti's) to tax the graphics subsystem and really show the differences. Maybe up the resolution also to really show if there is a difference between AMD's or Intel's SLI.
Thanks again for the Article, Mr Chris.
Cheers!
Is there any other brand?
S3?
I'm quite satisfied with this review. Nobody in their right mind is going to have dual 6990's or 590's and use a phenom II x4 or a i5 2400.
Although the point you made is absolutely correct, it wouldn't be a very logical review.
...Except that July is the month I expect the parasites' efforts to destroy the value of the dollar will start coming to their fruition.
I don't consider that doing it right. Nobody in their right mind buys an AMD CPU for $180 bucks and then pairs it with two $700 graphics cards. GTX 570s is a realistic choice.
I was actually just about to buy a 890FX board + Phenom II X4, last year, with plans to upgrade to bulldozer in late 2011. But then came the announcements of incompatibilities and the he-said/she-said rumors of possible compatibility and I just decided to play it safe and wait.
Well, AMD lost my business, on this one. They could have at least sold me a Phenom X4. While I've been waiting, I've even been looking at the Sandy Bridge Xeons, which also support ECC and are more competitively-priced than previous generations.
Nice going, guys.
and no that's not what everybody wants at least with this 990fx "Preview".
hopefully chris would do a follow up on this article once the dozers comes out.