QUESTION: AMD 870 (GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3) vs AMD 890FX (ASRock 890FX Deluxe4)

[Starbuck1975]

A few months back, I put together a build and posted to General Hardware. At the time, the responses to my original build recommended the GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3.

I didn't pull the trigger then, but I am looking to now. Of course, in a matter of months, new options are on the table, to include AMD 890FX options.

I recently came across an article on the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4, and it caught my interest.

I typically hold on to systems for long periods of time. My current build is over 6 years old, and starting to show its wear.

I was partial to Abit boards on my last several builds, but am now open to other manufacturers.

What am I looking for is a rock solid stable board that will maximize the potential of an AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban and, like my current build, given me a few years of stable performance.

Since it has been a few years since my last build, the variation in MOBO options is somewhat overwhelming. I don't have a strong sense for what makes the most sense performance wise within the range of North Bridge AMD options.

I don't overclock my systems, and typically do not need motherboards with lots of extra features. I am trying to avoid on board GPU, but onboard audio is fine.

So, should I stick with the more budget priced GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3, spend a bit more for the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 to better future proof my system, or is there another board out there I should consider?

 

[Vette73]

If you don;t overclock or run more than 2 video cards then get the GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3. It supports 6cores, usb3.0, has the 850 southbridge, etc...

The big differance between the 870 and 890 is the number of PCIe lanes. That is good if you are running 2 top of the line or more than 2 video cards.

The cheapest 890 board would cost about 50% more and I don;t think you would get any where near your monies worth.

 

[Starbuck1975]

If you don;t overclock or run more than 2 video cards then get the GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3. It supports 6cores, usb3.0, has the 850 southbridge, etc...

The big differance between the 870 and 890 is the number of PCIe lanes. That is good if you are running 2 top of the line or more than 2 video cards.

The cheapest 890 board would cost about 50% more and I don;t think you would get any where near your monies worth.

Thanks Marlin for the response. I suspected that the ASRock was perhaps overkill to my specific needs. So given my desire for a stable, bareboned motherboard to support a AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban, is the GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 my best option? I always have trouble selecting MOBOs, as the system guides posted to Anand and others are so diverse in their component mix, and tend to be tailored for overclocking. As I stated previously, I have always been partial to Abit, but given that they are now defunct as a manufacturer, I am looking for a new "home". Gigabyte seems reputable, but the pull of ASUS for some reason has me second guessing the decision, but I haven't found the right ASUS board as an alternative.

 

[Vette73]

I run Gigabyte now. Asrock is a fall back I also like but Gigabyte is my first choice.

I use to run Abit before they went out. I have a Gigabyte in my main computer (socket 775 intel) and in my HTPC (Socket AM2+ AMD) and both are 100% stable and work perferct. The 775 board is several years old, a 965 chipset. I plan on replacing it next year when SB and Bulldozer come out. But still chugging along. And Gigabyte ahs update the Bios several times as the board aged. So if you go with someone else make sure they support the board. I had problems with Asus before and don;t use them anymore, but thats a whole other issue.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Thanks again Marlin. I found a few 870 board round-ups after doing a few more searches last night, and the Gigabyte clearly came out on top in most of the round-ups from a stability and feature standpoint.

 

[Starbuck1975]

One final stupid question. I currently own two SATA2 devices, and I plan on adding one additional SATA2 and one SATA3 device to my new build

I noticed that the Gigabyte has six SATA6 controllers and two SATA3 controllers.

Assume I can attach my total of three SATA2 devices and one SATA3 device to the SATA6 controllers, and that they just won't perform to that level.

 

[Vette73]

You can put them all on the Sata6 ports and they will work fine and full speed. I don;t think regular harddrives fill up even Sata3's bandwidth.
Sata6 is more for SSD drives then anything.

 

[flexcore]

Another feature of the 890FX is IOMMU, hardware virtualization support.

I too used Abit boards and am very happy with my current Gigabyte MB.

GA-GPA890-UD3H
x6 1055t
gskill 2x4gb 1600

love this setup and price.