AMD 890GX Gigabyte vs. ASRock

AMD 890GX
Gigabyte vs. ASRock

Two motherboard with AMD 890GX chipset

Author:	Jouni 'Jipa' Vasama
Published:	27.07.2010
Product Group:	Motherboards
In English Suomeksi

Integrated Graphics

AMD 890GX<br>Gigabyte vs. ASRock - Two motherboard with AMD 890GX chipset

To give you an idea of the HD4290 performance we also ran the X3: Terran Conflict-game test with the integrated graphics. As a benchmark here we used the HD 5450 graphics card, which is the slowest card in Ati's current 5-range of cards. Even compared to this the integrated HD4290 just doesn't cut it. It serves its purpose in 2D use excellently, but for gaming it's hopeless.

Conclusion

Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H PROS 2PCI IDE/FDD connectors CONS* -	Gold Award!
ASRock 890GX Extreme3 PROS e-SATA 3* PCI-e x16 On-board power and reset switches CONS No IDE/FDD	Gold Award!

The performance of the 890GX chipset seems to be just in par with the previous generation top of the range 790FX. Both 890GX boards also performed so nearly identically you can't really recommend one over another in terms of performance. Anyway there are some other differences between the boards that make them differ from each other. First of all the expansion slot layouts greatly differ from each other. There's only one PCI-e X1 on the Asrock, but three PCI-e X16s. Also the Asrock features a single e-SATA port in the rear I/O, which may or may not be on your list of requirements. Then again the Asrock lacks the IDE and FDD-connectors, which may still be required for some.

The small differences are sure worth taking a close look at before making the choice between these or any other 890GX-boards, but other than that both these are solid performers and can be recommended for any system builders out there.