Crosshair IV Formula -
A Simple Review for Non-Geeks
A Simple Review for Non-Geeks
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU | AMD Socket AM3: Phenom™II /Athlon™II /Sempron™ 100 Series Processors AMD 140W CPU Support AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ Technology Supports 45nm CPU |
Chipset | AMD 890FX/SB850 |
System Bus | Up to 5200 MT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0 |
Memory | Dual Channel Memory architecture 4 x DIMM, Max. 16 GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 ECC,Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory |
Expansion Slots | 3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual @ x16, triple @x16 x8 x8) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 2 x PCI 2.2 |
CrossFire™X Technology | Support ATI CrossFire™X Technology graphics cards |
Storage | SB850 Chipset 6 xSATA 6.0 Gb/s ports Support RAID 0,1,5,10 JMicron® JMB363 PATA and SATA controller 1 xSATA 3Gb/s port (Black) 1 xExternal power SATA 3Gb/s port on rear (SATA On-the-Go) |
LAN | Marvell 8059 Gigabit LAN controller |
High Audio Definition | SupremeFX X-Fi built-in 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC - EAX® Advanced™ HD 4.0 - X-Fi CMSS®-3D - X-Fi Crystalizer™ - Creative ALchemy - Supports Blu-ray audio layer content protection - Supports 1 Optical S/PDIF out port at back I/O - Supports 1 x S/PDIF out header - Supports Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking |
IEEE 1394a | 2 x 1394a port(s) (1 port at back I/O, 1 port onboard) |
USB | NEC® USB 3.0 controller - 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (at back I/O) AMD SB850 chipset - 12 x USB 2.0 ports (5 ports at mid-board, 7 ports at back I/O, 1 port at back I/O is also for ROG connect) |
Back Panel I/O Ports | 1 x External SATA 1 x S/PDIF Out (Optical) 1 x IEEE 1394a 1 x LAN(RJ45) port 8 -Channel Audio I/O 1 x PS/2 Keyboard port(purple) 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports 7 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (1 port is also for ROG Connect) 1 x ROG Connect On/Off switch 1 x Clr CMOS switch |
Form Factor | ATX Form Factor, 12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x24.5 cm ) |
The Republic of Gamers (ROG) is the newest line of products from ASUS catered towards, obviously, the gamers of today. To be more precise, its geared towards those enthusiast gamers who wish to push their PC systems to the limits. Obtaining a board like this will ensure that you have the bragging rights amongst your peers for a long time to come. In this simple review, I will highlight the new features that makes this board so desirable. Other than its oh-so chio looks with the red and black colour theme.
To start, this board is designed for AMD processors, which are known to be more overclock-friendly than its counterpart, Intel. This basically means that only Intel processors can be used, so if you are currently using the i5, i7 or Pentium processors, then get the Intel version of this board, the Rampage or Maximus. This motherboard supports the newest AMD socket AM3 and the new 45nm manufacturing processes, it also uses the latest AMD 890FX chipset with the Southbridge SB850 chipset as well, which is good since the Southbridge is usually neglected. The chipset has native SATA 6 GB/s and USB 3.0 support, making it future-proof for a good while more. What this means is that your transfer rates have increased from the current, 480Mb/s to a whopping 5Gb/s. This means that files less than 5GB in size will only take less than a 8 seconds to transfer. How’s that for Speed? Current hard disk technology such as SSD will seamlessly combine with this to make full use of the improvements.
The motherboard supports up to DDR3 2000(o.c) that allows for much faster data transfer rate and an increase in bandwidth to allow for more efficient computer processing, especially for gaming. The noticeable lack of lag when using this motherboard has this feature to thank. The motherboard also has 3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 which means that you can run 3 Crossfire graphics card at a time. This will be in the x16 x8 x8 configuration, which is already very speedy. This board does not support quad-crossfire so if you are into that(the last slot will be blocked if you're using a dual slot graphics card), tough luck. Bear in mind that crossfiring your Gfx card increases power consumption and heat generated so you would need a powerful system with high-end cooling to balance it. The board also comes with in-built Supreme FX X-FI sound card which is an excellent choice of bundled hardware, allowing for a much richer gaming experience.
Since this review is meant for the general public I won’t go into its overclocking potential but rest assured that this board practically begs to be put through its paces. If you want to do simple overclocking, just press the OC button on the motherboard itself and the board automatically overclocks the processor for you. Many of the software that comes with the board allows for further tweaking of the board and its components. This board is definitely a powerhouse.
Bear in mind that this board was built for those who are comfortable and knowledgeable on how to push a system and tweak it well. For an average joe, most functions would be a waste but it is still an extremely powerful board that will satisfy most if not all of your demands. For those with the know-how, this is your wet dream. Purchase the board and push it to its limits to see what this baby can do. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
References:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-crosshair-iv-formula-review/
http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-crosshair-iv-formula-review/
