Computex 2011: New AM3+ based motherboards emerge from ASUS' mighty cavern of tech, with new BIOS features for the first time on an AMD platform.
Straight out of Computex (which is like Compton, but with more silicon and less gats) ASUS has announced its new range AMD motherboards, the long-awaited 9-series! The range features the M5A99/97 Series, the TUF SABERTOOTH 990FX and the ROG Crosshair V Formula.
We've actually got the SABERTOOTH board here in the lab, and we'll be posting some pics soon (once we find out where John Gillooly's stashed the camera - hopefully not his hotel room in Taipei). But it's arguably the most interesting of the bunch. It's the first AMD board that ASUS has launched in the TUF series, and ASUS claims it features 'aerospace-grade' cooling technology.
Maybe this is a good time to bring back frisbee-marks as a testing measurement - maybe the 990FX has some secret aerodynamic ability as well!
It also boasts thermal radar technology (ten heat sensors spaced around the board to keep track of vital components, and assist in making sure all fans are working just right), and military-grade alloy chokes and capacitors and MOSFETs. Even better, for the lazy overclockers amongst us, this is the first time that ASUS has released an AMD board with a graphical EFI BIOS.
It does, however, do away with the thermal shroud that the Intel version of the SABERTOOTH boasts. Perhaps that wasn't so popular a feature after all.
Here's the full spec-sheet on all the new boards:
Model
M5A99X EVO
M5A97 EVO
M5A97 PRO
M5A97
CPU Socket
AMD Socket AM3+ for AMD FX Series CPU up to 8-core, Compatible with AMD Socket AM3 for AMD Phenom™ II /Athlon™ II /Sempron™ 100 Series Processors
Chipset
AMD 990X/SB950
AMD 970/SB950
Memory
DDR3 2133(O.C.) / 1866 / 1600 / 1333 / 1066 MHz Support
Power Phase Design
DIGI+ VRM 6+2
4+2
PCIe x16 Slots
3
2
Multi-GPU
CrossFireX / SLI
CrossFireX
LAN
Realtek® Gigabit LAN
Audio
8 - Channel HD, DTS
8 - Channel HD
Storage
6 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x SATA 3Gb/s 1 x Power eSATA 1 x eSATA
6 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x eSATA
6 x SATA 6Gb/s
USB
4 x USB 3.0 (2 ports at back panel, 2 ports at front panel), 14 x USB 2.0
2 x USB 3.0 (back), 14 x USB 2.0
2 x USB 3.0 (back), 12 x USB 2.0
Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM
V
UEFI BIOS
TPU (with onboard switch)
V (without onboard switch)
EPU (with onboard switch)
SABERTOOTH 990FX
CPU
AMD 990FX/SB950
DDR3 1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz Support
DIGI+ VRM 8+2 phase
3 (Single@x16 speed; Dual@x16/x16 speed; Triple@x16/x8/x8 speed)
1 (Black@x4 speed)
Multi-GPU support
2 x SATA 3Gb/s
1 x Power eSATA
1 x eSATA
8-ch HD
IEEE 1394
2 (1 at mid-board; 1 at back panel)
4 x USB 3.0 (2 at mid-board at front panel, 2 at back)
14 x USB 2.0 (4 at mid-board, 10 at back)
Exclusive Features
"Ultimate COOL!" Thermal Solution
- TUF CeraM!X Heatsink Coating Tech.
- TUF Thermal Radar
"TUF ENGINE!" Power Design
- 8+2 Digital Phase Power Design
- TUF Components (Alloy choke, Cap. & MOSFET; certified by military-standard)
- ASUS DIGI+ VRM Utility
- E.S.P. : Efficient Switching Power Design
"Safe & Stable!" Guardian Angel
- ESD Guards
- MemOK!
- Anti Surge
“Other Special Features
- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface
- Front Panel USB 3.0 Support
- AI Suite II
“5 Year Warranty
Issue: 137 | June, 2012