The AMD platform for motherboards has evolved into a split into the AM2+ market and the AM3 market, the former for those wanting to update the motherboard without updating the CPU and memory the latter for those wanting the latest and greatest without spending the extra money that a Core i7 platform would entail. AMD has released the full gamut of AM3 CPUs including a 3.2GHz Black Edition called the Phenom II X4 955 which is the best of the best from AMD.
Gigabyte has been around making video cards, motherboards, and many other computer accessories for over 23 years. They have over 7000 employees and aim to “Upgrade Your Life” as their motto. They have innovated in recent times with the launch of the M1022 Booktop, 2oz Copper PCB, the swivel screen mobile PC (M912) and many other innovations that are designed to bring new features to motherboards or video cards. Today’s review is on the Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard based upon the AMD 790FX chipset with support for the AM3 CPUs.
- Ultra Durable 3 Technology
- Revolution energy saving design with Easy Energy Saver technology
- Supports Socket AM3 45nm AMD Phenom II series processors
- Advanced 8+2 power phase design for 45nm CPU highly efficiency support
- Dual Channel DDR3 1666+ for remarkable system performance
- 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 interface with ATI CrossFireX support for ultimate graphics performance
- Features high speed Gigabit Ethernet and IEEE1394
- Blu-ray playback supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC889 HD audio
- Supports Dolby Home Theater audio to enjoy a rich surround sound experience
- Patented DualBIOS with dual hardware BIOS protection
- EC AOD ACC Support
- AMD OverDrive Support
- ATI CrossfireX support
- 2oz Copper PCB
- Ultra Cooling-Low RDS(on) MOSFET Design
- Low Power Loss-Ferrite Core Choke Design
- 50,000 Hours Japanese Solid Capacitors
- EasyTune6
- DualBIOS
- Dolby Home Theater
- Windows Vista Premium Logo Certified
The AMD 790FX platform brings support for the AM3 CPU via the new Socket 758 interface. As the memory controller on AMD CPUs has been located on the CPU since the Athlon 64 launch, Gigabyte outfits this board with DDR3 memory. Note that due to the different pin configurations the board cannot support the AM2+ CPUs, meaning you will need to purchase an AM3 CPU to work with this board.
AMD AM3 CPUs require a lot of power (125W TDP for the high end 955). This requires the motherboard manufacturers to build systems with more power phases. The MA790FXT-UD5P board has 8 phases+ 2 phase power for the maximum support of high end AMD CPUs. The board has 2oz of Copper in an inner layer providing better cooling, more efficient power, lower temperatures, and better overclocking. Before 2008, motherboards had a 1oz copper layer. Ultra Durable 3 has 2oz copper PCB layers, Japanese Solid Capacitors with a 50000 hour operation time, Ferrite Core Chokes, and Lower RDS (on) MOSFETs that feature lower resistance which reduces power consumption and heat generation. Ferrite Core Chokes have higher energy efficiency compared to the iron core chokes.
