An AMD 890FX chipset-based motherboard; what can we expect from the new top-end platform?
ASUS make motherboards, AMD make chipsets, and we make computers. Therefore it makes sense for all three of those things to be in tune, giving us some great boards and computers, ones that we can overclock senseless and mod to our heart's content.
This board, the Crosshair IV Formula, is built upon AMD's newest top-end enthusiast chipset, the 890FX. It's not a huge improvement on the previous 790FX chipset, but the biggest changes come rather from the south.
The SB850 Southbridge chip makes a showing here, giving some hardware SATA3 lanes and removing the need for ASUS engineers to add one in, though USB3 is still powered by an additional chip.
Engineers have also thrown in an audio chip by Creative - well, that's what they'd like you to think. The plate that hides the chip's true origin is removed in the gallery of photos, so jump in and take a look at what looks to be another solid ASUS board.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012