Testing of motherboard ASUS Crosshair IV Formula
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula enters into known series Republic of Gamers, the Ruler launched in 2006, and in its frames company ASUS lets out motherboards, videocards and notebooks. Proud logo RoG flaunts only on outstanding devices — for example, videocards with the uprated frequencies and the doubled volume of video memory. As to материнок in RoG enters at once three rulers of boards. The first, GENE, gives a maximum of possibilities in a format тАТХ. The second, Exireme, is oriented on those who and cannot live day without acceleration. The third, Formula, bears a strong resemblance Extreme, but is calculated for fans of powerful computers who once lift all frequencies to a maximum and calm down to a following upgrade.
BEAUTY OF SOFTWARE ASUS
Design ASUS Crosshair IV Formula leaves double impression. On the one hand, it is packed into a beautiful box with a thrown off cover and a huge window with a type on a board. With another — a complete set not such of what you wait from топового for a product: a heap of stickers, some SATA-cables, a double-sided USB-wire, the additional panel with pair USB 2.0 and eSATA, but additional exterior displays any to you or fans.
But most ASUS Crosshair IV Formula it would be desirable to produce a prize for the best design of a game board. The first, on what you pay attention, is монструозная cooling system. We already so got used to chipsets of Intel without the north-bridge that the heaping of huge coolers involuntarily causes respect. In ASUS delivered on a board three healthy heat sinks and through теплопроводные tubes united them in one system. Two coolers blow in processor socket АМЗ and cover feed circuits with the north-bridge, one more cools the southern chip. With power supply circuit ASUS did not begin to subtilize and organized eight phases on the processor and two — on storage. All elements are placed in one row on left side of a processor socket; condensers with small losses on heating and coils with the solid cores are used, before boards of competitors it does not give Any particular advantages, but even during acceleration about quality and stability of a supply it is possible not to worry.
On right side on decent distance from a socket four slots under random access memory DDR3 are allocated. Unfortunately, processors AMD did not receive till now the three-channel controler of storage so on Crosshair IV Formula laths work in a two-channel mode, and the total amount is restricted 16 Gb. Function AMD ВЕМР anywhere did not get to: through program AMD OverDrive it is possible to download optimal adjustments for acceleration of your laths of storage.
THE BIG PLUS
New bridge AMD SB850 allowed ASUS to select under hard disks at once six connectors SATA Rev 3 and one SATA 2. There are ports at right angle to a board so access to them is not superimposed. And here with what engineers overshot, so it with interface IDE here simply is not present. Who has till now old disk drives or hard disks, it is necessary to go to shop behind the modern changeover.
With support of videocards of any problems. On the motherboard allocated at once four PCIe Õ16 slots. Three of them work with 16 lines, and one is connected as PCIe х4 though it is fulfilled in the big form factor. What for such riches to the simple fan of games — are not absolutely clear, as to design of a board it went to harm: two PCI slots are allocated directly between main things PCIe х16 and if to deliver two powerful videocards old interfaces will not reach any more. But the minor contacts like USB or a supply of fans allocated along edges Crosshair IV Formula and access to contacts is always.
The panel of input/conclusion ASUS hammered to the full. Here at once six inputs USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0, are FireWire, eSATA and LAN. Of old ports PS/2 continue to get rid on the sly — on a board there was only one connector at once under a mouse and the keypad. Separately we mark a sound: instead of mediocre HD-audio ASUS installed chip Creative X-Fi, and it is support of principal game technology ЕАХ 4.0. The signal from the sound chip is deduced both on simple analog cables, and on digital link.
ADD GAZA
In spite of the fact that boards of series Formula are positioned ASUS as platforms for inveterate players, Crosshair IV Formula by acceleration possibilities gives odds any топовой to the motherboard.
The most simple method to receive a maximum from the system — to use the dial-up of buttons allocated on edge of a board. Besides customary Power and Reset, here there are two more. The first is called Core Unlocker and is responsible for firm function ASUS for an unblocking of kernels on the processor. As AMD receives two and трехъядерные processors by reduction of high crystals at due luck there is a quite good chance to return the disconnected kernels to life. However, what for to carry out such function on the separate button, not clearly, after all to use to it it is necessary once without dependence from result of experiment. The second key, Turbo Key 2, is more important: after reboot of the computer the motherboard tests system and lifts frequencies of the processor and a random access memory. Naturally, functions of these buttons продублированы in BIOS as to open for the sake of them the case wants nobody. Business is not restricted to automatic adjustments: BIOS too gives a heap of possibilities for computer control in parameters. Here there is everything, beginning from the multiplier of the processor and finishing pressure on buses PCIe х16.
But all is trifles in comparison with function RoG Connect. One more recipe from ASUS — management from a notebook. An idea following: put on лэптоп the software, connect a notebook to parent ппате on USBt push button RoG Connect get access to adjustments. To regulate frequencies of the processor and storage it is possible directly during game, without quitting in BIOS or Windows. It looks so funny how much and it is useless for the ordinary user.
For control from under Windows it is offered at once two utilities. One is developed most ASUS and is called TurboV EVO — its possibilities are a little restricted, but for initial level of acceleration suffices. If it wants большего it is better to address to firm utility AMD OverDrive. Here both the expanded adjustments, and the competent built in assistants. For at whom with acceleration not so, ASUS thought over bug tracking system. Besides the customary POST-codes, on a board LEDs are used; at computer loading on them it is possible to trace, at what stage of check зависла system. Also ASUS carried out on edge of a board contacts for pressure check on each of components of system By means of a house multimeter it is possible to measure, how many the volt is necessary on the processor, a random access memory and so on. Also about it it is possible to learn on LEDs near to each of components — depending on level of pressure of a bulb light up green, orange or red light.
SOFTWARE OF THE COUNTER
The assembly of system for tests transited without problems. To begin with we installed processor AMD Phenom II Х4 955 Black Edition. Then removed standard plastic support under a cooler and set up on Cooler Master Hyper N620 crystal. We typed the Random access memory two laths Kingston HyperX DDR3-1666 on 2 Gb everyone. For video answered Power Color Radeon HD 5870, on a system supply the unit from OCZ has been sent 850 W, all Was controlled it from under Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. Any incidents during the assembly did not happen, the processor cooler easily went in between heat sinks round a socket and at all did not superimpose ports under a random access memory. Strained only absence IDE: it was necessary to change the regular disk drive for more modern model with interface SATA.
To speak about productivity parent ппаты special sense is not present, therefore briefly we tell about разгонном potential. To begin with we tried the button of automatic acceleration on the board. After reboot the processor was accelerated with 3,2 to 3,4 GHz. Result quite comprehensible though in game applications such acceleration will be hardly noticeable. So we passed to BIOS. Here all is extreme simple. Delivering a processor factor on 18,5 and setting the bus frequency of 205 MHz, on an output we got stable operation for the speed of 3,8 GHz. For processors AMD an increase in 600 MHz — serious result.
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula it turned out definitely curious. The abundance of possibilities for acceleration interests any advanced user and that the most important thing, helps simple players to increase system performance on the automatic machine. However, it is necessary to reflect on sense of some functions. So, hardly someone will use for acceleration of the computer a notebook to pay for it it is necessary. And though the motherboard costs the order of 7000 roubles (not so expensively for топового a product), even this price could be lowered at the expense of a failure from a row of unnecessary functions.
As to new chipset AMD 890FX/SB850 by the built in possibilities it on a head exceeds standard decisions from Intel. We remind that last while flatly refuses to connect support SATA Rev. 3, and vendors of motherboards should seek decisions elsewhere. The same it is necessary to tell and about lines PCIe, AMD 890FX allows to create high-grade sheaf CrossFireX under the circuit x16tx16 while standard chipsets of Intel under new LGA1156 offer a maximum х8+х8. However, on chipsets AMD we вряд пи wait operations with SLI while the Intel supports it for a long time.
The author: OLEGator
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