Adding SATA 6 Gb/s and two more USB 2.0 ports, AMD’s flagship northbridge has evolved into the 890FX. Just as important are the evolutionary steps several manufacturers have taken in motherboard design. Today we examine five examples.
AMD’s highest-performance chipset is as much an indictment of its competitor’s behavior as it is an example of how AMD serves the gaming community. With 42 lanes of PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 connectivity, the mainstream-priced AMD 890FX already bests Intel’s high-priced X58 (with 36 lanes), and that’s before we even think of adding the SB850 southbridge and its SATA 6Gb/s controller, a feature Intel doesn’t even offer. Comparisons to Intel’s 16-lane LGA 1156 platform are even more brutal.
It's a good thing Intel has CrossFire and SLI support on its side, otherwise we might question the company's dedication to gamers on a budget. AMD, on the other hand, is only able to extend CrossFire compatibility.

One might argue that AMD is using chipset features to win over CPU customers, but even that argument results in a win for gamers. Many of our tests have shown that AMD processors are “only” capable of matching Intel’s in certain applications—applications that include most games.

It appears that anyone who wants the best high-end gaming experience must look to AMD for platform value, but which firm makes the best high-end AMD platform? Let’s take a closer look.
- Making The Competition Green With Envy
- Features Comparison
- ASRock 890FX Deluxe3
- Asus Crosshair IV Formula
- Biostar TA890FXE
- Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7
- MSI 890FXA-GD70
- Test Settings
- Benchmark Results: Modern Warfare 2 And Crysis
- Benchmark Results: DiRT 2 Demo And S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call Of Pripyat
- Benchmark Results: Audio And Video Encoding
- Benchmark Results: Productivity
- Benchmark Results: Synthetic
- Overclocking
- Power, Heat, And Efficiency
- Conclusion
One little suggestion, in the features comparison it would be nice to include a row on the cost of these mobos. As one eventually reads in the Conclusion there is quite a bit of difference between them in this area but if this 'stat' was featured I would be able to focus only on the boards within my price range. I know that it would be hard to keep up to date and such but it would really be a service to those of us who are not made of money.
One little suggestion, in the features comparison it would be nice to include a row on the cost of these mobos. As one eventually reads in the Conclusion there is quite a bit of difference between them in this area but if this 'stat' was featured I would be able to focus only on the boards within my price range. I know that it would be hard to keep up to date and such but it would really be a service to those of us who are not made of money.
*Sigh*
Truly.... if not for getting my i7930 I would have bought these motherboards first!
I have just purchased a i7 chip x58 chip but reading this article actually made me regret it! I have yet to buy a mb as the ud4 isnt available in Manila yet.
I will build this pc slowly but make it the best possible in the timeframe while I eke out the best of my current c2d system and netbook in the meantime.
"Based on reader recommendations for long-term operation of C3-stepping Phenom II cores, we’ve dropped today’s O/C voltage to 1.45V."
Here's a nice little fact for anyone whom doesn't know it yet ... Intel has made it clear that Core i5 & Core i7 platforms next year are being replaced with Core i6 ( sand bridge) equivelents which means your current setups with Core i5/i7 basing is done & not forwards compatible.
with that said when sledgehammer hit next year your AM3 platform will have AM3 versions of the cpu for it.
While the board is great, I did have an issue with VIA 2020 HD sound, and still do. I am still in belief this a driver issue/ati. Googling showed how many other people, ran into ATI taking over their sound!!!
What is this? Pokemon?
It would be nice to see more nVidia chipsets for AMD boards.
What is this? Pokemon?
LOL gave me good laugh, that is one reason i freaking enjoy reading comments so much.
As far as layout, asrock is no good. Gigabyte isn't bad, but did they include the bridge to go from slot 1 to 5 for dual CF on the 16x lanes?