ASUS Crosshair IV Formula AM3 890FX Motherboard Review

It has been a few months since we first previewed the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula motherboard. Since then, we have thoroughly examined other ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) offerings, including the Rampage III Extreme LGA1366, the Maximus III Extreme LGA1156, and a ROG-branded video card. However, for some reason or another, the Crosshair never got the attention that it deserved – until now. For our beloved readers who are anxiously waiting for our review, please sit tight because this will be a very long read since ASUS packed this board full of features.

Today, we finally take an in-depth look at the Crosshair IV Formula. It is currently ASUS’ most expensive motherboard for the AMD platform, and it is marketed towards the high-end enthusiast. It sports an 890FX/SB850 chipset combo, and is priced at a costly $260 CDN which is actually not that bad for an enthusiast-level product. To put things into perspective, the Phenom II X6 1090T processor, AMD’s top-of-the-line consumer CPU, only retails for $330 CDN. So why would someone spend so much money on a motherboard which is arguably negligible in determining a system’s computing power and performance?

The answer to that question lies in the legacy and the reputation of the ROG brand. The ROG lineup of products caters to diehard gamers and enthusiasts who want to push their hardware to the absolute limit. In other words, every conceivable feature that allows for easier and higher overclocks is featured on this motherboard. By using the Crosshair IV, you should be able to tweak your CPU and RAM to speeds not achievable through any other motherboard. What is the end result? Setting new world records for 3DMark Vantage and ultimately fragging your online buddies through the use of unprecedented frame rates.

For this review, we will focus heavily on the capabilities of this to push our AMD Phenom II X6 1090T to the absolute limit. Furthermore, we will take an in-depth look at the long, long list of features ASUS equipped this board with. Based on an 890FX/SB850 chipset combo, it naturally offers its users CrossfireX and SATA 6.0Gbps support also items such as TurboVEvo, ProbeIt!, MemOK, RoGConnect, and many more.

Without further delay, let’s take a look at the best AMD-based motherboard that ASUS has to offer.