MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 Motherboard Review

Specifications

We won’t get into too much technical detail about the 790FX chipset, as it’s certainly not a new platform. It was released way back in 2007, and not a whole lot has changed with the introduction of AMD’s AM3 processor line-up. The only significant change between the AM2+ Phenom II processors – like the 940BE – and the most recent AM3 models is their onboard DDR3 memory controllers. Since the memory controller resides on the CPU itself, there is really no need for any modification to the chipset. They continue to interface with the CPU using the same Hyper Transport 3.0 BUS and are still made using the same low-power 65nm process. Board makers simply keep the “guts” of the board intact and simply add the required DDR3 circuitry and components.

Perhaps the best and most distinguishing features of the 790FX in comparison to other 700 series chipsets is the abundance of PCI-Express lanes on tap. The grand total is no fewer than 42 version 2.0 lanes to be exact. Thirty two of these lanes are reserved for graphics and can be split in a number of different ways. A board with four slots - like the GD70 - can operate in 16x/16x mode with two cards or further split the lanes down for 8x/8x/8x/8x operation. Given that an 8x second generation PCI-E slot is plenty of bandwidth for the majority of video cards out there, a whole lot of video power can theoretically be packed onto a 790FX board. The remaining six lanes are each split into individual 1x lanes and can be used for various onboard components as well as 1x expansion slots.

Along with the potent 790FX can be found AMD’s newer SB750 southbridge, which supports six SATA II ports, AHCI, four RAID modes, up to twelve USB 2.0 ports, and one legacy parallel ATA channel. This southbridge also features “Advanced Clock Control”, which – among other things - allows the unlocking of disabled cores on some Phenom II X2 and X3 processors. We’ll be trying our luck at unlocking a new X2 550 processor a bit later on in the review for anyone interested in this wonderful undocumented feature.

Below are the MSI 790FX-GD70 specifications taken from the MSI website: