Asus A8R32-MVP Deluxe: First ATI RD580
by Wesley Fink on March 1, 2006 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Test Setup
Tests used OCZ PC4800 Platinum (current equivalent to standard OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev. 2), which uses Samsung TCCD chips. All memory ran at 2-2-2-8 timings in all benchmarks.
We tested with the NVIDIA 7800GTX on the Asus A8R32-MVP to provide test results that could be compared to the most up-to-date performance results. Resolution in all benchmarks is 1280x1024x32 unless otherwise noted. 3DMark and Aquamark3 benchmarks use "Standard Score" setup, which is 1024x768 video resolution.
We also tested using the latest ATI X1900XT to provide comparison results to the NVIDIA 7800GTX. Additional ATI Crossfire testing was performed on the Asus A8R32-MVP at a resolution of 1600x1200, with antialiasing and anisotropic filtering, to provide comparison results to the Asus A8N32-SLI NVIDIA SLI results - NVIDIA Dual x16 to ATI Dual X16.
The NVIDIA 7800GTX and ATI X1900XT are readily available for purchase in the marketplace. Since the 7800GTX 512 is not available for sale anywhere and has not been available for weeks, it seemed unfair to compare x1900XT results to products that are not available for purchase.
Results for the Asus A8R32-MVP are in light green for 7800GTX, orange for X1900XT, and red for x1900XT Crossfire. Similarly, test results for the Dual x16 NVIDIA Asus A8N32-SLI are in light green for the single 7800GTX and dark green for 7800GTX SLI. Results for other boards in the comparisons are light blue and represent test results with a 7800GTX.
| Performance Test Configuration | |
| Processor(s): | AMD Athlon 64 4000+ (2.4GHz) Socket 939 |
| RAM: | 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3200* Platinum Rev. 2 *The current equivalent OCZ memory is OCZ PC4800 |
| Hard Drive(s): | Seagate 120GB 7200 RPM SATA (8MB Buffer) |
| Video AGP & IDE Bus Master Drivers: | ATI 6.2 Catalyst NVIDIA 6.70 |
| Video Card(s): | MSI X1900XT ATIX1900XT Crossfire MSI NVIDIA 7800GTX MSI NVIDIA 7800GTX SLI |
| Video Drivers: | ATI Catalyst 6.2 NVIDIA nForce 81.98 Release |
| Operating System(s): | Windows XP Professional SP2 Direct X 9.0c |
| Motherboards: | Asus A8R32-MVP (ATI RD580/ULi1575) Asus A8R-MVP (ATI RD480/ULi1575) Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe (nF4 Dual x16) DFI LANParty UT RDX200 (ATI RD480/SB450) DFI LANParty nF4 SLI-DR (nForce4) |
Tests used OCZ PC4800 Platinum (current equivalent to standard OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev. 2), which uses Samsung TCCD chips. All memory ran at 2-2-2-8 timings in all benchmarks.
We tested with the NVIDIA 7800GTX on the Asus A8R32-MVP to provide test results that could be compared to the most up-to-date performance results. Resolution in all benchmarks is 1280x1024x32 unless otherwise noted. 3DMark and Aquamark3 benchmarks use "Standard Score" setup, which is 1024x768 video resolution.
We also tested using the latest ATI X1900XT to provide comparison results to the NVIDIA 7800GTX. Additional ATI Crossfire testing was performed on the Asus A8R32-MVP at a resolution of 1600x1200, with antialiasing and anisotropic filtering, to provide comparison results to the Asus A8N32-SLI NVIDIA SLI results - NVIDIA Dual x16 to ATI Dual X16.
The NVIDIA 7800GTX and ATI X1900XT are readily available for purchase in the marketplace. Since the 7800GTX 512 is not available for sale anywhere and has not been available for weeks, it seemed unfair to compare x1900XT results to products that are not available for purchase.
Results for the Asus A8R32-MVP are in light green for 7800GTX, orange for X1900XT, and red for x1900XT Crossfire. Similarly, test results for the Dual x16 NVIDIA Asus A8N32-SLI are in light green for the single 7800GTX and dark green for 7800GTX SLI. Results for other boards in the comparisons are light blue and represent test results with a 7800GTX.
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superkdogg - Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - link
If you had been working for half the time you have been whining on every forum you can find, you could have bought two SLI-Experts or whatever motherboard you think has no problems.Dude, get over it. The A8R was not exactly as reviewed here. Is that disappointing? Yep. Unfair? Maybe. Fact is, anybody who bought it for the "serious overclocking" that you're referencing would do a vMod and get on with it. I have two A8R's. One is dead because I was stupid and tried a vMod. My soldering needs work. I bought a second one on refurb for $75 because I realized that in the best case, that vMod might get me another 150 MHz. You know what else would get me 150 MHz? Dusting off a Pentium Pro in my basement. I could also get the 2% benefit that 1T timing would give me from chance, since most 'marks are + or - 2-3%.
I was burned by the same problem you were. I have learned to live with it and am currently happily running 300x9 with ram @ 2.5-4-4-9, 2T (166/200). That's not bad for standard blue heatspreader Patriot that runs about $80 per gig.
DigitalFreak - Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - link
Omid, is that you?yacoub - Sunday, February 19, 2006 - link
Should have run the 3DMark benches with the 7800GTX like all the other boards so at least we could see if the board itself (the object of review) offered any particular performance gain or loss. :[yacoub - Sunday, February 19, 2006 - link
oic now, thanks. :)green bars. tricksy hobbitses!
Missing Ghost - Sunday, February 19, 2006 - link
I am unhappy with the pictures of the board included in this review. I can't see anything on them because they are too dark. I couldn't even tell if they were a firewire port on the back.Wesley Fink - Wednesday, March 1, 2006 - link
The pictures are not overly dark on several monitors we tried in reading the review. I'm sorry I don't have advice in that area.As stated in the review, both Firewire ports are on an accesory bracket included with the motherboard. The bracket will fit in an empty slot or can be routed to case firewire ports.
Googer - Sunday, February 19, 2006 - link
What Phase Power is this motherboard using? 2,3,4,8,24?Beenthere - Sunday, February 19, 2006 - link
Any properly designed 3-phase or greater CPU vcore circuit that complies with AMD's VRM64/T specs will work just fine. If however a mfg. delivers a poor circuit design or uses inferior MOSFETS, caps, etc., then you experience Vcore instability which causes all kinds of operational Hell. More phases just lowers the ripple and spreads the load across more MOSFETS.Beenthere - Sunday, February 19, 2006 - link
BTW, if you check the A8R-MVP, the A8N series and the Asus P5GL-MX you'll see that all of these mobos have been confirmed to have vcore instability problems when tested at the mobo with a DVM or scope. Asus seems to have some significant mobo engineering issues they can't resolve... and that are not present on other brands of mobos using the same chipsets.Ecmaster76 - Sunday, February 19, 2006 - link
Do you work for DFI or Abit or something? This is the third site where I have ran into you flaming Asus constantly!(where did I put that troll repellant)
Seriously, link some proof of said Vcore instability. Show me scope printouts of the Vcore lines (and the 12v rails that were used to drive it)