discussion Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7 AM3 Motherboard Review

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Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetic Benchmarks

Lavalys Everest Ultimate v5.02

Everest Ultimate is the most useful tool for any and all benchmarkers or overclockers. With the ability to pick up most voltage, temperature, and fan sensors on almost every motherboard available, Everest provides the ability to customize the outputs in a number of forms on your desktop. We selected two of Everest's seven CPU benchmarks: CPU Queen and FPU Mandel. According to Lavalys, CPU Queen simple integer benchmark focuses on the branch prediction capabilities and the misprediction penalties of the CPU. It finds the solutions for the classic "Queens problem" on a 10 by 10 sized chessboard. At the same clock speed theoretically the processor with the shorter pipeline and smaller misprediction penalties will attain higher benchmark scores. The FPU Mandel benchmark measures the double precision (also known as 64-bit) floating-point performance through the computation of several frames of the popular "Mandelbrot" fractal. Both tests consume less than 1 MB system memory, and are Hyper-Threading, multi-processor (SMP) and multi-core (CMP) aware.

Lavalys Everest Ultimate v5.02

Everest Ultimate is the most useful tool for any and all benchmarkers or overclockers. With the ability to pick up most voltage, temperature, and fan sensors on almost every motherboard available, Everest provides the ability to customize the outputs in a number of forms on your desktop. In addition to this, the memory benchmarking utility provides a useful tool of measuring the changes to your memory sub-system.

ScienceMark v2.0

Although last updated almost 3 years ago, and despite its rudimentary interface, ScienceMark v2.0 remains a favorite for accurately calculating bandwidth on even the newest chipsets.

While interesting, these are all the synthetic benchmarks, so will the results be any different in real-life applications? Let's find out.

 

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System Benchmarks

System Benchmarks

SuperPi Mod v1.5

When running the SuperPI 32MB benchmark, we are calculating Pi to 32 million digits and timing the process. Obviously more CPU power helps in this intense calculation, but the memory sub-system also plays an important role, as does the operating system. We are running one instance of SuperPi via the HyperPi 0.99b interface. This is therefore a single-thread workload.

Cinebench R10

Cinebench R10 64-bit
Test1: Single CPU Image Render
Test2: Multi CPU Image Render
Comparison: Generated Score

Developed by MAXON, creators of Cinema 4D, Cinebench 10 is designed using the popular Cinema software and created to compare system performance in 3D Animation and Photo applications. There are two parts to the test; the first stresses only the primary CPU or Core, the second, makes use of up to 16 CPUs/Cores. Both are done rendering a realistic photo while utilizing various CPU-intensive features such as reflection, ambient occlusion, area lights and procedural shaders

PCMark Vantage x64

PCMark Vantage Advanced 64-bit Edition (1.0.0.0)
PCMark Suite / Default Settings
Comparison: Generated Score

The main focus of our General Tasks category lies with the most recent installment of the PCMark series, Vantage. While still classified under the description of a Synthetic benchmark, PCMark Vantage uses many of Vista's (Note - Vantage is Vista-only) built-in programs and features along with its own tests, so it is "real-world" applicable in regards to CPU performance. The following is a general list of the tests in the PCMark suite, very much in line with tasks of an average user: Data encryption, Data compression, CPU image manipulation (compression/decompression/resize), Audio transcoding,Video transcoding,Text editing,Web page rendering, Windows Mail, Windows Contacts, and CPU game test.

Photoshop CS4

For the image editing portion of this review, we will use Photoshop CS4 in coordination with Driver Heaven’s Photoshop Benchmark V3, which is an excellent test of CPU power and memory bandwidth. This is a scripted benchmark that individually applies 15 different filters to a 109MB JPEG, and uses Photoshop’s built-in timing feature to provide a result at each test stage. Then it’s simply a matter of adding up the 15 results to reach the final figure.

Lame Front End

Lame Front End v1.0 is a single-threaded application, which means that it only utilizes a single processor core. This will obviously limit performance but it will allow us to see the benefits of Lynnfield aggressive Turbo Boost with single-threaded loads. We will be encoding a WAV rip of Santana’s Supernatural album and converting it to MP3 using the highest fidelity VBR 0 quality preset.

x264 HD Benchmark

x264 HD Benchmark v1.0
Test: MPEG-2 HD 720P Video Clip Conversion to x264
DVD Video Length: 30 Seconds
Comparison: FPS of Second Pass

x264 is quickly becoming the new codec of choice for encoding a growing number of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC videos. Think of it as the new Divx of HD and you can understand why we felt it critical to include. Tech Arp's recent development of the x264 HD Benchmark takes a 30 second HD video clip and encodes it into the x264 codec with the intention of little to no quality loss. The test is measured using the average frames per second achieved during encoding, which scales with processor speed and efficiency. The benchmark also allows the use of multi-core processors so it gives a very accurate depiction of what to expect when using encoding application on a typical full length video.

WinRAR

WinRAR 3.8.0
Test: Compression of 1GB of Assorted Files
Comparison: Time to Finish

One of the most popular file compression/decompresion tools, we use WinRAR to compress a 1GB batch of files and archive them, timing the task until completion.

 

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I/O Benchmarks

I/O Benchmarks

HD Tach 3.0.4 - SATA

HD Tach 3.0.4 - USB 2.0

HD Tach 3.0.4 - USB 3.0

 

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Gaming Benchmarks

Gaming Benchmarks

Futuremark 3DMark06

3DMark06 v1.1.0
Graphic Settings: Default
Resolution: 1280X1024

Test: Specific CPU Score and Full Run 3Dmarks
Comparison: Generated Score

The Futuremark 3DMark series has been a part of the backbone in computer and hardware reviews since its conception. The trend continues today as 3DMark06 provides consumers with a solid synthetic benchmark geared for performance and comparison in the 3D gaming realm. This remains one of the most sought after statistics, as well as an excellent tool for accurate CPU comparison, and it will undoubtedly be used for years to come.

Futuremark 3DMark Vantage

3DMark Vantage v1.0.1
Graphic Settings: Performance Preset
Resolution: 1280X1024

Test: Specific CPU Score and Full Run 3Dmarks
Comparison: Generated Score

3DMark Vantage is the follow-up to the highly successful 3DMark06. It uses DirectX 10 exclusively so if you are running Windows XP, you can forget about this benchmark. Along with being a very capable graphics card testing application, it also has very heavily multi-threaded CPU tests, such Physics Simulation and Artificial Intelligence (AI), which makes it a good all-around gaming benchmark.

Crysis

Crysis v1.21
Resolution: 1680x1050
Anti Aliasing: 0
Quality Settings: High
Global Settings: DX10 / 64-Bit

Test 1: Ice benchmark_CPU2 demo
Comparison: FPS (Frames per Second)

Still one of the most hardware intensive game on the market today, Crysis has been chosen for its obvious ability to be able to showcase the differences between platforms and to showcase just how far one will need to go in the quest for maximum performance. The game also features the renowned CryEngine, the power behind the incredible graphics, which is expected to be foundation of future titles.

Far Cry 2

Far Cry 2 1.02
Resolution: 1680x1050
Anti Aliasing: 0
Quality Settings: Very High
Global Settings: DX10 Enabled

Test 1: Ranch Long Demo
Comparison: FPS (Frames per Second)

Far Cry 2 is the hot new new first-person shooter from Ubisoft's Montreal studio, and the first game to utilize the new visually stunning Dunia Engine, which will undoubtedly be used by numerous future games. Using the included Benchmarking Tool, we ran the Long Ranch demo in DX10 mode at 1680x1050 with all settings set to very high.

Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead (Latest Update)
Resolution: 1680x1050
Filtering: 4X MSAA / Anisotropic 8X
Graphic Settings: High
Shader Detail: Very High
Test 1: HWC Custom Timedemo
Comparison: FPS (Frames per Second)

Left 4 Dead is the latest disorienting, fast-paced zombie apocalypse mega-hit from Valve. L4D uses the latest version of the Source engine with enhancements such as multi-core processor support and physics-based animation. We test here at 1680x1050 with in-game details set to their highest levels, with MSAA 4X and AA 8X. For benching, we used a pre-recorded 20 minute timedemo taken on the No Mercy campaign during The Apartments mission.

Street Fighter 4

Street Fighter 4 Demo
Resolution: 1680x1050
Anti-Aliasing: 0X
Graphic Settings: High
Test 1: Built-in Timedemo
Comparison: FPS (Frames per Second)

Street Fighter IV is a 2008 arcade game produced by famous developer Capcom, that has finally been released on the PC platform. This game has not been 'ported' since the Street Fighter IV arcade machines actually have PC internals, with circa 2005 components. As a result, the version of the game released on the PC is considered the definitive version. With a fully multi-threaded engine and an astounding hybrid 2D/3D graphics style, this game is sure to please all fans of the Street Fighter series.

World in Conflict

World in Conflict v1.010
Resolution: 1680x1050
Anti-Aliasing: 4X
Anisotropic Filtering: 4X
Graphic Settings: Very High
Test 1: Built-in Benchmark
Comparison: FPS (Frames per Second)

One of the most visually stunning real-time strategy games in recent history, World in Conflict can really push systems to the brink, which is what we attempt by running the game in DirectX 10 mode at 1680x1050 with all settings maxed out. For this test we used the in-game benchmarking tool.

 

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Voltages / Temperatures / Power Consumption

Voltage Regulation / Power Consumption

Our voltage regulation testing will focus on the various voltages and the differences encountered between what is selected in the BIOS, what is reported by EasyTune6 (when available), and what is reported by a digital multi-meter (DMM). We have found eight voltage read points on the motherboard so the vCore, CPU/NB, CPU PLL, HT Link, NB/PCIe/PLL, NB, DRAM, and DDR VTT will be recorded with our DMM. The ground point used for all readings were a screw hole. Here are a few images showing the various read points used.

Click on image to enlarge​

Now that we have established where the read points are, let’s have a look at the results. These measurements were taken at stock system speeds, with C1E and Cool 'N Quiet disabled in the BIOS. Here are our extensive findings:

Based on the above results, we have nothing to negative to say about the 890FXA-UD7's voltage output and regulation. What you select in the BIOS is quite accurately what the motherboard outputs, and even under full load scenarios there's no appreciable vDroop anywhere.

Given how important vCore is to system stability, let's take a closer look at its characteristics under full load with a one-hour OCCT run. During the stress test the processor was running at a default 3.0Ghz with 1.35Vcore.

Straigth as an arrow. No dips or spikes, you can't ask for any better than that.

Temperature Testing

For this test we wanted to see how well the northbridge heatsink did at cooling the 890FX chipset, both in stock form and with the Silent-Heat Pipe 2 attached. There was zero airflow applied to the northbridge area, except for the suction of the CPU cooler's fan. The system was left to idle for 30 minutes for the idle temps, and was running both Prime 95 In-place large FFTs and OCCT GPU stress test for 30 minutes for the load temps. We measured temperatures at the base of the northbridge heatsink itself, not actual chipset diode temperatures since there was no such readout to be found.

As you can see, in stock form (ie: with the dry water block in place) the northbridge heatsink will run fairly hot under full load conditions, but not hot enough to bother worrying about. With the Silent-Heat Pipe 2 installed, there is actually a measurable reduction in heatsink temperatures, but overall it wouldn't have an appreciable effect on the system functioning.

Power Consumption

All motherboard manufacturers boast that their products have the lowest power consumption and feature the latest new development in energy efficiency. Well that is what we are here to find out. For this test, every BIOS option was reset to its stock setting and the Windows Vista power plan was changed from High Performance to Balanced.

For our idle test, we let the system idle for 15 minutes and measured the peak wattage through our UPM EM100 power meter.

For our CPU load test, we ran Prime 95 In-place large FFTs on all available threads for 15 minutes, measuring the peak wattage via the UPM EM100 power meter.

For our overall system load test, we ran Prime 95 In-place large FFTs on all available threads for 15 minutes, while simultaneously loading the GPU with OCCT v3.1.0 GPU:OCCT stress test at 1680x1050@60Hz in fullscreen mode.

While the 890FXA-UD7 has the highest power consumption in this group, it is very justifiable.You have to consider that the 890FX chipset consumers 10W more than any other AMD chipset in this chart, and the UD7 also has significantly more onboard controllers and PCI-E slots than the other models.

 

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Conclusion

Conclusion

The 890FXA-UD7 is the motherboard that GIGABYTE created to dominate every other AM3 motherboard on the market, and although it is a very well designed product, I'm not convinced that it achieved its stated objective. From a popularity standpoint alone I can tell you that based on my scouring of various enthusiast forums, the similarly-priced ASUS Crosshair IV Formula appears to be outselling the 890FXA-UD7 ten-to-one. Why? Well with the ASUS board you can see where your money is going. It has gadgets and features galore, as well as distinctly superior software suite. The 890FXA-UD7 on the other hand is fairly straightforward, with its most distinguishing feature being support for quad CrossFireX. That's not enough to warrant the $250 price tag though. The MSI 890FXA-GD70 is also 4-way capable, and it is $60 cheaper, and to add insult to injury it's the standard ATX size.

The fact that the 890FXA-UD7 is based on the XL-ALX form factor really shouldn't be overlooked since there are very few cases that have been certified (Warning: PDF file) to support this motherboard. Specifically, this model needs a case with eight slots, or one with extra clearance under the seventh slot, which would still prevent you from installing a fourth graphics card in the bottommost PCI-E x16 slot. Having said that, you don't put a motherboard like the 890FXA-UD7 in a case, it is destined for a test bench. Quad graphics card configurations aren't designed for gaming. They are meant for hardcore benchmarkers and dedicated Folding@Home enthusiasts, both of whom tend to favour the open-air approach to computing.

Aside from the size and price issues, the 890FXA-UD7 really doesn't have any glaring flaws, at least none that aren't shared by nearly every other 890FX motherboard. It has a convenient layout, a great VRM with excellent voltage regulation, a user-friendly and option-rich BIOS, proven manual overclocking capabilities, and a quirky yet surprisingly capable cooling system with an integrated water block. On the connectivity front, this motherboard has few equal equals since it it has dedicated ports and connectors for USB 2.0, USB 3.0, SATA 3Gb/s, SATA 6Gb/s, eSATA, and two types of FireWire.

Ultimately though, none of this changes the fact that the 890FXA-UD7 is really only suitable for one market: enthusiasts who want to run four Radeon graphics cards in CrossFireX on an AMD platform. For everyone else, save some money and check out the 890FXA-UD5. It is ATX sized, it's significantly cheaper, it supports 3-way CrossFireX, and it otherwise shares all the UD7's positive attributes.


Pros

- Solid performance.
- Convenient layout.
- 6 mechanical PCI-E x16 slots.
- 4-Way CrossFireX capability.
- Very good overclocking capabilities.
- Excellent regulation & output.
- Supports SATA 6Gb/s & USB 3.0
- On/Off Charge USB header & 3X USB Power Boost.
- Easy to use, option-rich BIOS.
- Dual BIOS chips.
- Capable and flexible cooling system (water & air-cooling options)


Cons

- Pricey.
- Unorthodox XL-ATX form factor is incompatible with most cases.
- Large CPU coolers + tall memory heatspreaders can cause installation annoyances.
- EasyTune6 needs to be redesigned for the AMD platform.
- No integrated bluetooth to take full advantage of the bluetooth-based software utilities.
- No voltage read points.
- Not enough temperature and voltage readouts in the BIOS and EasyTune.

Our thanks to Gigabyte for making this review possible!​

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