“Quality Products Create Faithful Customers” is the motto that drives MSI. Founded in 1986, MSI has been bringing quality computer components to us ever since. Today we have the opportunity to look at one such quality component, the MSI 890FXA-GD70. The MSI 890FXA-GD70 is the top of the line socket AM3 motherboard from MSI. Built around the AMD 890FX and SB850 chipset the MSI 890FXA-GD70 is aimed at the power users and enthusiasts.
Being that the MSI 890FXA-GD70 is designed with the enthusiast and extremist in mind means that it is designed for high performance and long life under extreme conditions. To accommodate these requirements it is built using the highest standards and Military Class Components. All of the Military Class components meet the temperature requirements of US Department of Defense MIL-PRF-39003L standard. What does this translate to four the end users? It means better stability and less heat! MSI uses Icy Chokes which offer a 20 degree Celsius lower temperature than traditional chokes. All of the traditional capacitors are solid capacitors that feature an Aluminum core. In addition to the solid caps, MSI also uses Hi-c Caps (Highly-conductive polymerized Capacitor). The Hi-c Caps use a Tantalum Core which is a rare and highly stable material. The Hi-C Caps have a life expectancy eight times that of solid capacitors.
» Read More...
Some really like the colors that GIGABYTE typically uses, some don't. Personally, colors always take a back seat to the performance I like and the features I need. The GIGABYTE 890FXA-UD5 is packed with features that will meet most users' needs. With over twenty years of manufacturing experience, GIGABYTE has built a reputation for bringing quality products to the table. With a bit of luck the GIGABYTE 890FXA-UD5 will be no different. Just a few short weeks ago I took a look at another GIGABYTE board, the GIGABYTE 880GMA-UD2H. That board, for the most, part blew my mind especially when you consider that it is a sub $100 board. The GIGABYTE 890FXA-UD5 is a more expensive board, although it is also the top tier GIGABYTE ATX AMD motherboard. At $179.99 it is the fourth least expensive board in the AMD 890FX series (or the fifth most expensive).
Despite having a lower cost than several of the AMD 890FX boards out there, the GIGABYTE 890FXA-UD5 has no shortage of features. As you undoubtedly discerned by now, the GIGABYTE 890FXA-UD5 motherboard is based around the AMD 890FX+SB850 chipset. Currently this chipset is the cream of the crop chipset for enthusiasts.
AMD 890FX Chipset
AMD's 890FX chipset has a couple of significant differences when compared to the 890GX chipset. The first and most obvious on the GIGABYTE 890FXA-UD5 is the lack of onboard graphics while the 890GX features the Radeon HD 4290 integrated graphics. The second and quite possibly the most important to the enthusiast looking for the best performance from the GIGABYTE 890FXA-UD5 when running in CrossfireX is the number of PCI Express lanes. The 890GX chipset is limited to 16 lanes while the 890FX chipset has double that at 32 lanes. Most people will most likely never notice a difference unless, of course, you are one of the lucky ones that can afford a pair of ATI Radeon HD 5970's or one of the insane ones who is lucky enough to pick up a pair of the ASUS ARES. Another significant difference is the IOMMU (input/output memory management unit). This is a feature that is typically available only on server boards, although is included in the 890FX chipset only when comparing the 8xx series chipsets. According to AMD: The IOMMU (input/output memory management unit) included with the 890FX chipset is a function of a chipset that enables enhancements to system-level software and that prevents illegal access of memory by I/O devices. By preventing illegal access of memory, the IOMMU can prevent problems with latency. An IOMMU can map device memory addresses to physical memory addresses, but in a manner that is transparent to the device hardware. The IOMMU automates the translation between the physical address of the I/O device and the host system.
» Read More...
