Gigabyte 790X vs ASRock 980FX ?

[Blue Shift]

So, I'm currently chosing between a Gigabyte 790X and an ASRock 890FX board. The 790x is compatable with my current build, but the shortage of both pcix16 slots and bandwidth for them are comparative disadvantages of the Gigabyte board going forward. The ASRock apparently has a higher chance of supporting AMD's future processors, as well... But can an ASRock board be trusted to last that long?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128416

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157196&cm_re=890fx-_-13-157-196-_-Product



In case anyone's wondering, here's the build plan:

AM3 Mobo with USB 3.0 and Crossfire support
4Gb ddr3 memory (1333Mhz, if you must know)
Phenom II X4 965
Radeon HD 5770

Upgrade path: Second 5770 for Crossfire, faster processor if necessary, solid state boot drive when possible.

This system will be used for multithreaded apps and some gaming, with modern titles on a 1440x900 screen. If I upgrade my monitor, I'll probably grab a second 5770.


Thoughts? Is ASRock's board here likely to last past three or four years?

 

[Face2Face]

With out a doubt I would go with the ASrock (790FX dated now). But you might not need to spend all that money on a 890FX when a 880G or 880GX would suit you. I just ordered the ASrock 880G extreme 3 and for a $113.00 w/shipping from newegg, it's a killer deal. It has three Physical PCI-E 16X slots and 8x8 when 2 cards X fired--The 5770's wouldn't feel much bandwidth pinch maybe see 3-5% lower Frames at the most from 16x16--Not noticeable. I too am going the 5770 X-fire route when I sell my current CPU, Ram and Mobo. I know that ASrock has improved there quality over the years. I usually use to Gigabyte and Asus boards but I wanna try something different and for the price---Man you can't beat it.

 

[Blue Shift]

But you might not need to spend all that money on a 890FX when a 880G or 880GX would suit you. I just ordered the ASrock 880G extreme 3 and for a $113.00 w/shipping from newegg, it's a killer deal. It has three Physical PCI-E 16X slots and 8x8 when 2 cards X fired

The 890GX is an 890FX +IGP, and AMD states that 880G does not support "crossfireX" (new name?), or multiple PCIe x16 interfaces. At all. Even in 2x8 mode, which the 890GX is explicitly stated to support in addition to 1x12.

Source: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk.../amd-8-series-chipset-feature-comparison.aspx

Also, "killer deals" are great until they stop working. Does anyone have an ASRock board that's been running for longer than a couple years?

 

[busydude]

The 890GX is an 890FX +IGP

Wrong!! 890 FX supports crossfire at X16 whereas 890GX is at X8.

 

[Face2Face]

That's wrong. Look at the specs for the motherboard and see for yourself. Why would they lie about it?? So they have 3 PCI-E Physical 16X slots so they can't be X fired ??

 

[Blue Shift]

That's wrong.

AMD's spec sheets are wrong?

 

[Face2Face]

Look dude, We are just trying to help you. Believe what you want to. I personally would go with the 880G, but the 890FX is better --Both are more future-proof than a 790FX.

 

[Face2Face]

Here read the spec sheets on the ASrock website---


http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=880G%20Extreme3

And read this review.

http://en.ocworkbench.com/tech/excl...d-with-ucc-to-uncover-the-hidden-cores/all/1/

 

[busydude]

AMD's spec sheets are wrong?

No, you are reading it wrong. If 890GX = 890FX + IGP, how do you justify the price difference between them? 890 GX is around $130 and 890FX is $170 or higher.

Currently, 890FX is the flagship chipset for AMD, Personally I would not recommend a $170 MoBo for AMD setup's and, as greenhell pointed out, 5770's in crossfire do not saturate PCIe lanes even at x8 speeds, worst case scenario you take 5% performance hit.

If you are inclined on saving $70 without taking much performance hit. This is a better product(The same one greenhell purchased).

 

[deimos3428]

Of the two listed, I would pick the Asrock 890FX. However, given your build plan I wouldn't recommend either one. 890FX is overkill for 5770 CF, you'll just pay money for performance you can't access. The 790X is older and poor value at this point.

I'd recommend you get an 880G board with 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots (make sure they will do x8/x8 in CF, not x16/x4). Put the money you save (~$50) towards your 2nd 5770!

You don't actually need the onboard graphics at all, but the price difference between the 870/880G is negligible so you may as well get the IGP for free, in case something should happen to the 5770.

[edit: Another big reason: the 870 chipset doesn't support CF. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_800_chipset_series#Feature_comparison_matrix ]

Given that you're already considering Asrock, I think this is the board for you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157191

 

[heyheybooboo]

I'm late to this party but the thing is the AsRock 890FX (which was probably a bargain at $155) opens the door to a 3-way CrossFire in the future.

That makes things a bit more interesting.




--

 

[Face2Face]

The 880G Extreme with do 3 X Crossfire aswell but @ 8x8x4--Still with three 5770's the Bandwidth wouldn't be a big deal (4x is still ok for a 5770). But three 5770's don't really scale all that well--Better off going with 2.


I just received my 880G Extreme, had to send my PSU off to Corsair because the fan stopped working. So about another 2 weeks and I will get it back--So I am taking apart my computer to paint the case and what not--I will let you know when the 880G is installed and let you know what I think.