ASUS Striker II Extreme: Mucho Bang, Mucho Bucks
by Kris Boughton on April 11, 2008 7:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
ASUS Striker II Extreme Specifications
| ASUS Striker II Extreme | |
| Market Segment | Ultimate Gamer / Extreme Overclocking - $349.99 (estimated) |
| CPU Interface | Socket T (LGA775) |
| CPU Support | LGA775 Core2 Duo/Extreme/Quad, Pentium EE, Pentium D, Pentium including next-generation 45nm CPU support |
| Chipset | NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI SPP and MCP (570) |
| CPU Clock Multiplier | 6x ~ 11x, downward adjustable for Core2, upward to 60x for Core2 Extreme, including half-multiplier support for 45nm processors |
| Front Side Bus Speeds | Auto, installed CPU default to 700MHz in 1MHz increments |
| System Bus Speeds | 1600 / 1333 / 1066 / 800 MHz |
| FSB Memory Clock Modes | Auto, Linked, Unlinked |
| DDR3 Memory Ratios | Auto (depends on installed CPU default FSB), 5:4, 3:2 and Sync Mode (2:1) |
| PCIe Speeds | Auto, 100MHz ~ 200MHz in 1MHz
increments PCI 2.0 bus can be adjusted separately from PCI 1.x bus |
| SPP-to-MCP Link Speeds | Auto, 200 ~ 500Mhz in 0.5MHz increments to 210MHz then 1MHz steps |
| HT Multipliers | 1x ~ 5x for SPP->MCP and MCP->SPP |
| EPP 2 Profile Support | Enabled (DDR3-2000 operation), Disabled |
| DRAM Timing Controls | Optimal or Expert (Manual) - tCL, tRCD, tRP, tRAS and CPC |
| Advanced Memory Settings | Auto or Manual - tRRD, tRC, tWR, tWTR, tFAW, tRTP, tRFC and tREF |
| DRAM Command Per Clock | Auto, 1T, 2T |
| MCH P1/P2 Adjustments | Enabled, Disabled |
| CPU Core Control | Enabled, Disabled for each core (excluding Core 0) |
| CPU Voltage | Auto, 1.10000 ~ 2.40000 in 0.00625 increments |
| Loadline Calibration | Enabled, Disabled |
| CPU PLL Voltage | Auto, 1.50V ~ 3.00V in 0.02V increments |
| CPU VTT Voltage | Auto, 1.20V ~ 2.46V in 0.02V increments |
| Memory Voltage | Auto, 1.50V ~ 3.10V in 0.02V increments |
| NB Core Voltage | Auto, 1.30V ~ 2.20V in 0.02V increments |
| SB Core Voltage | Auto, 1.50V ~ 1.85V in 0.05V increments |
| CPU GTLVREF Lane Voltages | Auto, Default, -226mV ~ +224mV for each CPU GTL reference voltage |
| NB GTLREF Lane Voltage | Auto, Default, -126mV ~ +160mV for each CPU GTL reference voltage |
| DDR3 REF Voltages | Auto, Default, -126mV ~ +160mV for each DDR3 channel |
| Memory Slots | Four 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots Dual-Channel Memory Architecture Regular Unbuffered, non-ECC DDR3 Memory to DDR3-1333, 8GB Total Supports SLI-Ready EPP 2 Memory to DDR3-2000 |
| Expansion Slots | 2 - PCIe 2.0 x16, supports NVIDIA SLI and Quad-SLI
Technology 1 - PCIe (1.x) x16, allows NVIDIA 3-way SLI with 8800GTX/Ultra 2 - PCIe (1.x) x1, one compatable with audio solution 2 - PCI Slot 2.2 |
| Onboard SATA RAID | 6x SATA 3.0Gbps Ports - nForce MCP (NVIDIA MediaShield RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5 and JBOD) |
| Onboard IDE/Additional SATA | Jmicron JMB363 SATA Controller (2 external eSATA ports) |
| Onboard USB 2.0/IEEE-1394 | 10 USB 2.0 Ports - (6) I/O Panel, (4) via
headers 2x 1394a Ports - (1) I/O Panel, (1) via header |
| Onboard LAN (with Teaming) | Dual NVIDIA nForce LAN with DualNet and FirstPacket Technology |
| Onboard Audio | 8-channel HD Audio (Azalia) CODEC |
| Power Connectors | ATX 24-pin, 8-pin EATX 12V |
| I/O Panel | 1 x PS/2 Keyboard 2 x SPDIF - (1) Optical Out, (1) Coaxial Out 2 x External eSATA 1 x IEEE-1394a port 2 x RJ-45 (LAN) 6 x USB 2.0 CMOS Reset Button 8 Channel Audio I/O (optional included SupremeFX II Audio Card) |
| Fan Headers | 8 - (1) CPU, (1) Power, (6) Chassis |
| BIOS Revision | 0511 |
Because all 790i (Ultra) boards employ a BIOS based on reference NVIDIA code, we were not surprised to note the many similarities between the ASUS Striker II Extreme and the EVGA 790i offering reviewed at product launch. The Striker II Extreme mostly expands upon the already generous voltage ranges, providing many well beyond the realm of sanity, as well as a couple other switches some may find practical.
Regardless of how you feel about subjecting your 45nm processor to exceedingly high voltages - up to 2.4V minus a nominal droop is possible with this board - more than a few onboard components as well as installed DDR3 memory modules will be damaged if you test the upper limits of each range. To make safeguarding your investments easier we have created this simple to follow voltage limit reference when it comes to overclocking the 790i MCP and a 45nm CPU. Our maximum recommended values are based on safe, reliable, sustained 24/7 operation of each component using either conventional air-cooling or more efficient water-cooling.
Those that plan to pair an older 65nm processor with their 790i motherboard may have a little more margin when it comes to the application of higher CPU core voltages; in this case we would recommend no more than 1.55V. Moreover, the limits listed should be read as maximum in-BIOS selections as these values already take into account any droop in actual voltages. Finally, as a general disclaimer, it is important to recognize that overclocking can subject components to additional stresses that may result in damage, degradation in performance, or even premature failure.
| Voltage Limits | |||
| Highest Voltage Setting Available in BIOS |
Maximum Recommended for Sustained Operation |
Near Instant Damage Occurs at... |
|
| CPU Voltage | 2.40V | 1.50V | 1.80V |
| CPU PLL Voltage | 3.00V | 1.60V | 2.00V |
| CPU VTT Voltage | 2.46V | 1.36V | 2.00V |
| Memory Voltage | 3.10V | 2.00V | 2.40V |
| NB Core Voltage | 2.20V | 1.60V | 2.00V |
| SB Core Voltage | 1.85V | 1.60V | n/a |
Worth noting is that our board disallowed any FSB lower than the installed CPU's default value - a rather odd precept when it comes to overclocking. We would like to see this changed though as there is no obvious benefit to this policy (it only serves to hamper troubleshooting efforts with problems possibly related to higher bus speeds). The Striker II Extreme permits FSB speeds as high as 700MHz, which is more than enough headroom for even extreme overclocking. Reaching such high FSBs is a different story, of course.
Nearly the same as the 790i reference board, PCIe bus interfaces associated with the SPP and MCP can be overclocked separate from one another. Slot 1 and 2 PCIe link resources are provided by the 790i SPP, a PCI Express 2.0 capable part, while Slot 3 hangs off the 570 MCP and conforms to PCI Express 1.x specifications only. The difference is that with the Striker II Extreme, unlike the NVIDIA reference design, PCIe Slot 1 and 2 each receive their master clocking signal from the same physical PLL instead of separate circuits with individual oscillators.
Although we're not absolutely certain, this is perhaps the reason why we were utterly unsuccessful in overclocking the PCIe 2.0 interface with our Striker II Extreme, while the reference design sailed well past 150MHz with relative ease. This was disappointing as earlier testing with the EVGA 790i-based board showed significant 3D performance gains (up to 10%) attributable to this change alone.
Another major drawback with the platform as a whole is the incorporation of an MCP absent a PCIe 2.0 interface, an issue we have been critical of with Intel in the past. Intel's decision to release their X48 Express chipset prior to the availability of their new ICH10(R) Southbridge undoubtedly allowed NVIDIA the opportunity to forgo the design and production of a competitive MCP - making us the real losers in the end.
This may be one of the reasons 3-way SLI shows only moderate gains over traditional 2-way configurations. The addition of a third graphics card theoretically enhances a system's ability to handle larger 3D workloads (provided the CPU power is there), but in most circumstances data transfer constraints imposed by the slower SPP-to-MCP PCIe link inhibit the effective employment of all available GPU resources. It is probably unfair to point finger at Intel for the lack of innovation in NVIDIA products, but it is not far from the truth. When it comes to desktop chipsets, most of the time NVIDIA is simply struggling to keep up with Intel.
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Rodriguez - Friday, June 20, 2008 - link
Can anyone here indicate how to reach FSB 500 (2000) with Striker II Extreme & QX9770 C1, most I can get is 1900FSB.I've seen Kris reach this speed in this article & was eager to get to this speed as soon as I received my new CPU, but it has been more difficult than I thought, I was sure that if with my previous Q6600 G0 y could easily get 1900/1950FSB, now with QX9770 would be peanuts. The main reason I bought this CPU was to run 2000FSB linked & synced with Ballistix 2000 SLI.
Please give all detailed BIOS setup options for this CPU if possible
Nobody in Asus forum using this setup has been able to reach 2000FSB, but I have seen a few reviews (like Anandtech's) & posts showing it's possible
By the way, memory has been tested unlinked at 2000Mhz 9-8-8-24, 1.9v P1/P2 Enabled & works great
System:
QX9770 rev. C1 3.2Ghz (watercooled)
Asus Striker II Extreme BIOS 801, ver 1.02G (watercooled)
PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 1200W
4 x 1GB Crucial Ballistix PC16000 SLI EPP2 , 2000Mhz 1800 8-7-7-24- 1T - 1.9v
SLI Leadtek PX8800 Ultra Leviathan (factory watercooled)
SLI Leadtek PX8800 Ultra
Asus Physx card (removed)
Dlink DWA556 PCIx Xtreme N Wireless card
2x WD Raptor 150GB Raid 0 300GB
1x Seagate 400GB Sata
X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty Champion
24' Benq FP241VW Gamer
Innovatek XXD Rev 2 + G-Flow water cooling
CoolerMaster Cosmos 1000 case
Saitek X52 Flight system
TrackIR 4 + Trackclip Pro
Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit
parkerdw - Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - link
I used the same motherboard and cpu, but I liquid cooled it using the gigantic Kandalf Liquid Cooled case. My memory is different as well since I use 4 GB of Patriot Viper memory (2 x 2GB). Other than the memory settings in the BIOS, I set everything to match this guide. My system runs at 4.0Ghz and the cpu runs at no more than 88 degrees fahrenheit even while playing something like Crysis with everything set to Very High. Crysis runs between 35 and 60 fps on Very High on my system using a single 9800 GX2 at 1280 x 720. It's a HTPC connected to my older 56 inch DLP set via DVI, so I can't go any higher than that, but I fully expect to run great at 1080p when I get my new large screen set later this year. I don't have my bios settings in front of me, but setting everything to Auto for the memory works PERECTLY at 4.0 ghz. Pretty cool. I think it's running at 8,8,18 or so and 1.9v.Also, Asus just released a patch to the bios that fixes the data corruption issue mentioned in this artcle. Released on 5/29/08 I think.
hardist - Monday, April 21, 2008 - link
The water block seems to have leaking issues , I am wondering why it was not covered in this review since it is a major feature of this board ......Heatlesssun - Sunday, April 20, 2008 - link
This is a sweet motherbaord! Now I've not overclocked the FSB, just bumped up the multiplier of my QX9650 from the default of 9.5 to 10, and I'm not running RAID. We shall see but I feel good. To get this up and running with Vista x64 in a day so smoothly was pretty good I thought.electricx - Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - link
So this board is going for the aforementioned amount on newegg... The EVGA and the XFX 790i boards are going for $350... The ROG name carries that much of a premium? I mean, come on?! I'm sure ASUS will fix this data corruption issue and you typically do pay more for the privilege(?) of being a beta tester for high end hardware but $1000 over competing products seems a bit much... The EVGA board is looking to be a clear winner here to me. Time will tell I suppose.FightingEagle - Friday, April 18, 2008 - link
After the second EVGA 790i and full of bugs I just sent it back. I was interested in the ASUS X48 and the 790i, but the 790i over $400 is hard to grasp. EVGA has good looking heat sink but not very good at cooling. I may wait for all the bugs to leave but as now im sitting on $320 dollars worth of DDR3 and a E8400.electricx - Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - link
Edit: That should have been $100 not $1000UK1Man - Sunday, April 13, 2008 - link
Help please!!I'm currently in the process of building a computer but can only afford to buy a couple of parts a month, I have already purchased some DDR2 (1066) memory for an FXF 780 motherboard (not yet purchased) but am now considering the Asus striker II extreme.
Will my DDR 2 memory work with this?
seamusmc - Monday, April 14, 2008 - link
This board/chipset, 790i, only supports DDR3.ianken - Saturday, April 12, 2008 - link
Can it go into S3 suspend and come back out and have the NICs still work? The Striker 2 Formula cannot.Can the SATA controller handle hot swap? The Stiker 2 Formula and the previous 680i boards could not. The 680i bios even had an esata setting that did NOTHING.
The latest crop of Asus boards, particularly the NV chipset rigs, have been pretty buggy and basic functionality has been borked.
But hey, who cares of the basics don't work right? it's got a water block for X-TREME OVERCLOXORS! YO! VTEC!