Three Motherboards AMD 890GX Compared
8 May 2010. Author: mas_sas
AMD’s chipsets have long provided great features for the money, especially compared to high-end platforms like X48 and X58 from its chief rival, Intel. Everything between the mid-priced (still high-end) 790FX to its more commonplace integrated-graphics products can be attractive, depending on your usage model.
The entire range provides expanded PCIe 2.0 pathways for multi-card configurations, and its integrated-graphics parts actually deliver reasonable 3D performance and an option for multi-monitor support. If you love building productivity-oriented machines at an affordable price or need the ultimate in configurability, AMD might be your best choice. After all, we've yet to be bowled over by Intel's CPU efforts between $100 and $200, while AMD continues to offer a number of compelling quad-core models.
Today’s launch focuses on two components, the 890GX northbridge with its revised Radeon HD 4290 graphics engine and the SB850 southbridge. Upgrades include DX10.1 graphics, SATA 6Gb/s, two additional USB 2.0 ports, and integrated gigabit networking.
But our emphasis here is on a trio of motherboards emerging alongside the new core logic from Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI. Note that you'll see USB 3.0 support in the pages to come. However, the 890GX platform does not natively support USB 3.0; rather, it's added via an on-board controller.
But our emphasis here is on a trio of motherboards emerging alongside the new core logic from Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI. Note that you'll see USB 3.0 support in the pages to come. However, the 890GX platform does not natively support USB 3.0; rather, it's added via an on-board controller.
Motherboard Features
AMD’s multi-monitor advantage comes from the way it separates PCIe and GPU functions to deliver sixteen PCIe 2.0 lanes to graphics cards (up to two) without sacrificing integrated graphics functionality. Its Catalyst driver package controls both onboard and discrete Radeon graphics controllers simultaneously, seamlessly managing multiple desktop configurations. The three boards in today’s roundup have another advantage over those of our recent H55 comparison, in that those products didn’t support DVI dual-link mode for extra-large displays.
| 890GX Motherboard Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 |
Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H |
MSI 890GXM-G65 |
|
| PCB Revision | 1.01G | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Chipset | AMD 890GX/SB850 | AMD 890GX/SB850 | AMD 890GX/SB850 |
| Voltage Regulator | Ten Phases | Five Phases | Five Phases |
| BIOS | 0402 (02/09/2010) | F3 (02/08/2010) | V1.0B18 (02/22/2010) |
| 200.0 MHz BCLK | 200.7 MHz (+0.35%) | 200.0 MHz (+0.0 MHz) | 200.0 MHz (+0.0 MHz) |
| Clock Generator | ICS 9LPRS477CKL | Realtek RTM880N-793 | Realtek RTM880N-793 |
| Sideport DRAM | H5TQ1G63BFR-12C 128MB DDR3-1600 |
H5TQ1G63BFR-12C 128MB DDR3-1600 |
H5TQ1G63BFR-12C 128MB DDR3-1600 |
| Internal Interfaces | |||
| PCIe x16 | 2 (x16/x0, x8/x8) | 2 (x16/x0, x8/x8) | 2 (x16/x0, x8/x8) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 1/1 | 3/0 | 1/0 |
| Legacy PCI | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 4 (8-ports) | 4 (8-ports) | 4 (8-ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 2 | None |
| Serial Port | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Parallel Port | None | None | 1 |
| Floppy | No | Yes | No |
| Ultra-ATA 133 | 1 (2-drives) | 1 (2-drives) | 1 (2-drives) |
| SATA 3.0 Gb/s | None | None | None |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| FP-Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CD-Audio | No | Yes | Yes |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | Both | Output Only |
| Power Button | No | No | No |
| Reset Button | No | No | No |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Jumper Only | Jumper Only | Jumper Only |
| Diagnostics Panel | Pass/Fail LEDs | Pass/Fail LEDs | Pass/Fail LEDs |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||
| P/S 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| USB 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 1 | None |
| Network | Single | Single | Single |
| eSATA | 1 | None | 1 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | No | No | No |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical | Optical | Optical |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Video Outputs | DVI, HDMI, VGA | DVI, HDMI, VGA | DVI, HDMI, VGA |
| DVI Dual Link | Yes | Unverified | Yes |
| Dual Monitor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |||
| Chipset SATA | 6x SATA 6Gb/s | 6x SATA 6Gb/s | 6x SATA 6Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | JMB361 PCIe 1x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
JMB363 PCIe 1x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
None |
| Add-In Ultra ATA | JMB361 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | JMB368 PCIe |
| USB 3.0 | NEC D720200F1 | NEC D720200F1 | NEC D720200F1 |
| IEEE-1394 | VT6308P PCI 2x 400 Mb/s |
TSB43AB23 PCI 3x 400 Mb/s |
None |
| Gigabit Ethernet | |||
| Primary LAN | RTL8111E PCIe | RTL8111D PCIe | RTL8111DL PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | None | None | None |
| Audio | |||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC892 | ALC892 | ALC889 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | Unspecified | Dolby Digital Live | Unspecified |
Unfortunately, while Gigabyte’s dual-link mode appeared to accommodate our lab's 2560x1600 display, loading the driver seemed to break this feature. This is most likely a driver bug, since AMD’s Catalyst 10.3 Preview package is not yet finished.
Another advantage today’s motherboards have over the Intel H55-based competition is the chipset’s additional PCIe 2.0 lanes, one of which supplies each of today’s motherboards with the same USB 3.0 controller at its full 5.0 Gb/s interface bandwidth. Intel’s chipset lanes run at half-speed, so that two lanes and a costly PCIe switch are required to reach the controller’s maximum throughput.
Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3
Asus’ full-sized board provides the extra space needed to access most 890GX chipset functions, including two of the chipset’s six PCI slots and five of its eight PCIe 2.0 lanes. Much of the chipset’s remaining connectivity is tied to on-board controllers.
Only four of the chipset’s USB 2.0 ports are found on the I/O panel, as the area is far too laden with other connections to allow for more. Two USB 3.0, FireWire, eSATA, digital and analog audio, gigabit networking, and triple-format display output round out the rear.
Builders looking for the best performance from a single card need to pay close attention to the included VGA switch card, which is used to control the number of lanes fed to the dark-blue slot. Sixteen lanes are shared across two graphics card slots in x8 mode, but placing the card into the light-blue slot redirects its eight lanes to the dark-blue slot for full x16 connectivity to a single card. This low-cost switching method eliminates the need for more expensive devices, such as the electronic switches used by its competitors.
Four USB 2.0 headers support up to eight front-panel ports or devices, but the add-in ATA controller supports only Ultra ATA drives. All ATA connectors including the chipset’s six SATA 6Gb/s ports are found near the bottom edge, which could make cable installation difficult for the top-bay drives in mid-tower cases.
Front-panel audio is found in its usual bottom-rear-corner position, where it will usually be difficult to reach with the cables of top-bay connections.
BIOS
| Reference Clock | 100-600 MHz (1 MHz) |
|---|---|
| CPU Multiplier | Yes |
| iGFX Clock | 400-1500 MHz (1 MHz) |
| DRAM Data Rates | REF x4-x8 (x1.33) |
| PCIe Clock | 100-150 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.65-2.05V (3.125mV) |
| IMC Voltage | 0.4-1.8V (3.125mV) |
| 890GX Voltage | 0.8-2.0V (6.25mV) |
| SB850 Voltage | 1.10-1.40V (50mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.20-2.50V (6.25mV) |
| CAS Latency | 4-12 Cycles |
| tRCD | 4-12 Cycles |
| tRP | 5-12 Cycles |
| tRAS | 15-30 Cycles |
The M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 provides a fairly long list of overclocking controls, supporting even sideport memory overclocks (DDR3-1333 to DDR3-2000) and over-voltage (from 1.50 to 1.80 volts).
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A fairly short selection of DRAM timings still provides all the settings most tuners will need.
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Asus is proud of its Core Unlocker feature, which is meant to enable the disabled cores of Phenom II X2 and X3 processors. This is notable since the SB850 southbridge does not include ACC as a built-in feature. Nevertheless, while we've had minor luck randomly unlocking a handful of retail-purchased CPUs, we wouldn't recommend you buy a cheaper processor hoping for an unlock when you really want the higher-end CPU. It's not like we're dealing with the difference between a Core i5-750 and a Core i7-975 Extreme or anything, cost-wise.
Up to eight BIOS configurations can be saved as user profiles or exported to a drive.
Accessories
Asus includes four SATA cables with its M4A89GTD Pro/USB3, but only two are marked as SATA 6 Gb/s capable.
Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H
Gigabyte’s first entry into the 890GX world comes with a few extra features compared to chief-rival Asus, with a full seven expansion slots, automatic PCIe x16 to dual x8 slot switching, and an added SATA connection.
Except for its missing eSATA port, the 890GPA-UD3H I/O panel could have been lifted directly from the Asus board. Gigabyte seems to be of the opinion that most eSATA users would rather connect their devices via the front panel ports of select cases, placing both additional connections internally. Two USB 3.0 ports highlight the I/O panel’s added features.
A row of pathway switches behind the top x16-length slot mean that Gigabyte's customers won't need to mess with pathway switch cards, and can simply insert a second graphics card or remove it at will (though this does add to cost). Like Asus, Gigabyte provides what would have previously been noticed as an exceptional number of internal USB 2.0 ports to support up to eight devices, and goes one step farther by adding a second internal FireWire connection.
Windows XP users who would like to take full advantage of the chipset’s AHCI or RAID capabilities will appreciate Gigabyte’s retention of a floppy interface, though putting it under the lowest PCI slot does make access inconvenient. On the other hand, SATA and Ultra ATA connectors are ideally positioned near the center of the motherboard’s front edge, for easy access to both upper and lower drive bays.
Gigabyte has, for a long time, put its front-panel audio connector near the center of the motherboard’s rear edge for easier access from above, though some users who’s cables would have been long enough to reach the bottom have mentioned that it makes the cable harder to hide.
BIOS
| Reference Clock | 200-500 MHz (1MHz) |
|---|---|
| CPU Multiplier | Yes |
| iGFX Clock | 200-2000 MHz (1 MHz) |
| DRAM Data Rates | REF x4-x8 (x1.33) |
| PCIe Clock | 100-150 MHz (1MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | -0.6 to +0.6V (25mV) |
| IMC Voltage | -0.6 to +0.6V (25mV) |
| 890GX Voltage | 0.90-1.60V (20mV) |
| SB850 Voltage | Not Adjustable |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.28-2.45V (15mV) |
| CAS Latency | 3-11 Cycles |
| tRCD | 3-15 Cycles |
| tRP | 3-15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 3-31 Cycles |
Overclockers will love the variety of configurable settings provided in Gigabyte’s GA-890GPA-UD3H BIOS. We prefer to see actual (rather than offset) voltage listed, but Gigabyte makes it easy to see “where you’re going” by also listing the expected result.
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Memory timing selections are only mildly advanced beyond the basic overclocker’s needs, but do include drive-strength control.
Eight custom BIOS configurations can be saved in a protected area of the BIOS IC as user profiles.
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Users who forget to save a user profile in BIOS can still retrieve previous settings, since the motherboard automatically retains the “last known good” configuration.
Accessories
We were disappointed to find only two SATA cables in Gigabyte’s installation kit, though retail samples might contain more.
MSI 890GXM-G65
MSI was the only company to provide a microATX board for AMD’s chipset launch, though this particular form factor is the most likely place to find an upper-range integrated-graphics chipset. Its 890GXM-G65 still provides most of the features of the full-sized Asus rival, minus an eSATA controller and two expansion slots.
The rear panel does contain a single eSATA connection, improved to the 6Gb/s standard because it uses the chipset’s integrated controller. Like its rivals, the 890GXM-G65 also provides two USB 3.0 ports.
We think it’s a little humorous that all three motherboards provide HDMI display output, but not DisplayPort, since this AMD-backed interface is found on so many Intel-based motherboards. Yet, this particular board will likely find its way into many home-theater systems, where HDMI is the most common HDCP-compliant standard.
The 890GXM-G65 actually looks like a compact game system motherboard with its short and fat heat pipe cooler, dual PCIe x16-length slots and electronic pathway switches for dual x8 or single x16 slot modes, and many among the AMD faithful will certainly see fit to use it as such. Game performance is an area where AMD processors remain competitive, though the chipset’s Radeon HD 4290 integrated graphics will likely be of little use to value-seeking gamers.
The 890GXM-G65 lacks the FireWire controller builders rely on to activate the often-unused front panel connection of most media-center cases. Its forward-facing SATA ports are likewise unsuited for many of those cases, since the motherboard’s front edge will often be blocked by drive bays. On the other hand, compact game system builders will often find its outward-facing SATA port blocked by the heatsink of large graphics cards, so it appears that MSI’s only solution would have been to eliminate the Ultra ATA connector and try to place its SATA ports there.
Like Asus, MSI positions its front-panel audio connector in the motherboard’s bottom rear corner. MSI moved it slightly forward, however, and we’ve encountered many builds where the extra inch solves cable installation woes.
BIOS
| Reference Clock | 190-690 MHz (1 MHz) |
|---|---|
| CPU Multiplier | Yes |
| iGFX Clock | 150-1500 MHz (1 MHz) |
| DRAM Data Rates | REF x4-x8 (x1.33) |
| PCIe Clock | 90-190 MHz (1MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 1.02-1.97V (10mV) |
| IMC Voltage | 0.39-1.46V (1mV) |
| 890GX Voltage | 1.05-21.65V (6.25mV) |
| SB850 Voltage | 0.89-1.40V (5.3mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | 0.97-2.45V (~8mV) |
| CAS Latency | 4-12 Cycles |
| tRCD | 5-12 Cycles |
| tRP | 5-12 Cycles |
| tRAS | 15-30 Cycles |
MSI applied full-sized overclocking features to its microATX 890GXM-G65, making it easy to extract peak performance from a portable gaming system. Underclocking is also possible, allowing reduced-noise cooling for “silent” PCs and media centers.
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The 890GXM-G65 has a relatively broad selection of memory timings, which can be configured separately per-channel. MSI adds several drive-strength controls for enhanced stability when operating memory beyond its intended parameters.
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Accessories
The 890GXM-G65 we received included an incomplete cable kit that doesn’t support an SATA hard drive and optical drive simultaneously. While many builders have cables to spare, those who don’t should take a second look at production samples to see if the package has been tweaked.
Test Settings
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Phenom X4 955 Black Edition 3.20 GHz, 6.0 MB Cache |
| RAM | Kingston KHX2133C9D3T1K2/4GX (4GB) DDR3-2133 at DDR3-1333 CAS 7-7-7-20 |
| Integrated Graphics | Radeon HD 4290 at default settings 128MB Sideport RAM, Automatic shared RAM allocation |
| Discrete Graphics | Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1GB 725 MHz GPU, GDDR5-4000 |
| System Hard Drive | Western Digital Velociraptor WD3000HLFS, 300GB 10,000 RPM, SATA 3Gb/s, 16 MB cache |
| Empty Hard Drive | Crucial RealSSD C300 256GB SATA 6Gb/s |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Power | Corsair CMPSU-850HX 850W Modular ATX12V v2.2, EPS12V, 80-Plus Gold |
| Software | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 |
| Graphics and Chipset | AMD Catalyst 10.3 Preview |
| Integrated Controller Test | |
|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Campaign, Act III, Second Sun (45 sec. FRAPS) Test Set 1: Highest Settings, No AA Test Set 2: Highest Settings, 4x AA |
| Crysis | Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit executable, benchmark tool Low Quality, No AA, 1280x720 |
| Dirt 2 Demo | In-game benchmark Ultra Low Quality Preset, No AA, 1280x720 |
| S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call Of Pripyat | Call Of Pripyat Benchmark version Minimum Preset, DX10 EFDL, No AA, 1280x720 |
| h2benchw 3.13 | Sequential Reads and Writes (KB/s) |
With integrated controller tests taken care of, our remaining benchmarks used Sapphire’s Radeon HD 5850 graphics card.
| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
| 3D Games | |
| Crysis | Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit executable, benchmark tool Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA Test Set 2: Very High Quality, 4x AA |
| Dirt 2 Demo | In-game benchmark Test Set 1: High Quality Preset, No AA Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 4x AA |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Campaign, Act III, Second Sun (45 sec. FRAPS) Test Set 1: Highest Settings, No AA Test Set 2: Highest Settings, 4x AA |
| S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call Of Pripyat | Call Of Pripyat Benchmark version Test Set 1: High Preset, DX11 EFDL, No AA Test Set 2: Ultra Preset, DX11 EFDL, 4x MSAA |
| Audio/Video Encoding | |
| iTunes | Version:9.0.2.25 x64 Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 min Default format AAC |
| Handbrake 0.9.4 | Version 0.9.4, convert first .vob file from The Last Samurai (1.0 GB) to .mp4, High Profile |
| TMPEGEnc 4.0 XPress | Version: 4.7.3.292 Import File: Terminator 2 SE DVD (5 Minutes) Resolution: 720x576 (PAL) 16:9 |
| DivX Codec 6.9.1 | Encoding mode: Insane Quality Enhanced multithreading enabled using SSE4 Quarter-pixel search |
| XviD 1.2.2 | Display encoding status = off |
| MainConcept Reference 1.6.1 | MPEG2 to MPEG2 (H.264), MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG2), Audio: MPEG2 (44.1 kHz, 2 Channel, 16-Bit, 224 kbp/s), Mode: PAL (25 FPS) |
| Productivity | |
| Adobe Photoshop CS4 | Version: 11.0 x64, Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 | Version: 11.0 x64, Rendering Dragon Image at 1920x1080 (HDTV) |
| Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus 9.0 | Version: 9.0.663, Virus base: 270.14.1/2407, Benchmark: Scan 334 MB Folder of ZIP/RAR compressed files |
| WinRAR 3.90 | Version x64 3.90, Dictionary = 4,096 KB, Benchmark: THG-Workload (334 MB) |
| 7-Zip | Version 4.65: Format=Zip, Compression=Ultra, Method=Deflate, Dictionary Size=32KB, Word Size=128, Threads=8 Benchmark: THG-Workload (334 MB) |
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
| 3DMark Vantage | Version: 1.0.1, GPU and CPU scores |
| PCMark Vantage | Version: 1.0.1.0 x64, System, Productivity, Hard Disk Drive benchmarks |
| SiSoftware Sandra 2010 |
Version 2010.1.16.11, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / MultiMedia, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
Benchmark Results: Integrated Graphics And SATA 6Gb/s
AMD claims 3D performance superiority for the integrated Radeon HD 4290 graphics controller of its new 890GX northbridge, but we think it looks amazingly like the 790GX, save for the DirectX 10.1 update. With much of its focus on media centers, we wanted to find out whether it could also support modern games at the common 720p resolution.
Performance between the new Radeon HD 4290 integrated GPU looks remarkably similar to that of its predecessor’s Radeon HD 3300 core. If you can live with film-speed frame rates, you’ll at least find two of these games playable at their lowest settings.
Our original assessment was that AMD’s SB850 southbridge was the biggest news of today’s release, with the only integrated SATA 6Gb/s controller on the market. Let’s see how today’s motherboards compare to the previous generation’s SATA 3Gb/s part.
Though none of the integrated solutions could exceed the former standard’s 300 MB/s limit, all of them outpace the former chipset’s controller. We expect the lower SB850 scores to go up after a few BIOS improvements.
Benchmark Results: Modern Warfare 2 And Crysis
With a graphics card installed, the previous-generation motherboard leads CoD:MW2 slightly.
MSI bursts forward in Crysis, while the legacy motherboard tips towards the bottom.
The elder motherboard edges ahead for the second time in our basic DiRT 2 test, but enhanced quality settings bring MSI’s new part to the top.
The mature motherboard leads overall in the latest S.T.A.L.K.E.R. development, but can’t differentiate itself at high resolutions.
Benchmark Results: Audio And Video Encoding
Apple's iTunes encoder responds almost exclusively to CPU clock speed, so we expect to see little to no performance difference, regardless of chipset.
The older board strangely falls behind in Handbrake, but most users wouldn’t notice a difference this small.
TMPGEnc and MainConcept get no benefit from the new chipset.
Benchmark Results: Productivity
Adobe Photoshop and 3ds Max show no performance variation between motherboards.
AVG gains only one second with Asus’ 890GX solution, while WinRAR and 7-Zip reveal zero performance difference.
Benchmark Results: Synthetic Benchmarks
3DMark Vantage shows Asus in the lead by a few points, but not by more than the normal margin of error. The elder board falls behind by a barely-noticeable amount.
MSI leads in PCMark, but a thorough check through BIOS and with CPU-Z didn’t reveal the source of this difference.
Gigabyte and Asus lead in Sandra’s CPU benchmarks, but differences this small could be coincidental.
The legacy motherboard leads in Sandra Memory Bandwidth by enough to explain its equally-insignificant win in some games.
Conclusion
With an integrated SATA 6Gb/s controller, AMD’s SB850 southbridge is probably the best reason to select an 890GX motherboard over the products it replaces. While neither the new or old interfaces could approach the limits of their technology, H2benchw test showed a 42% bandwidth increase between the best 890GX implementation and the chipset it replaces.
Leaving synthetics out of the equation, the only reason to chose AMD’s latest northbridge over its predecessor is its support for DirectX 10.1 graphics features, compared to the earlier part’s DX10 support. We don’t see that minor improvement as a significant reason to upgrade, and instead refer to our original assessment that SATA 6Gb/s is the only apparent reason to pick the new part over the old.
We say apparent only because AMD has not completely clarified and changes that might be required to support its next processor core. We’d like to believe that old motherboards will find new life with nothing more than a BIOS update, but AMD has not yet provided the additional information. We do know that these three 890GX platforms are slated for what AMD refers to as "planned compatibility" with Phenom II X6, but the jury is out on 790GX.
We expect that next month’s 890GX motherboard prices will be similar to those of last month’s 790GX parts, so buyers should find the SB850’s new SATA controller a bargain. But while true bargain-hunters might also consider seeking out clearance prices on previous-generation motherboard models, some may find that they’ve painted themselves into a corner by doing so. For us the SB850 is a “good enough” reason to chose the 890GX, and the increased likelihood of supporting AMD’s next-generation core seals the deal.
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