Biostar TA890GXB-HD Motherboard Review

With the release of the new 6-core Thuban processors, AMD unveiled their latest chipset to go with it; the 890FX/GX. Very similar to the 790FX chipset, the 890GX is the first ever to support native SATA 6Gb/s 6Gb/s. In this article Benchmark Reviews takes an in depth look at one of the Biostar's latest motherboards built around the 890GX chipset. The Biostar TA890GXB-HD mATX AM3 Motherboard is an entry-level board that, as the G suggests, pairs with onboard graphics in order to give budget minded users the option of using the latest technologies with the option of taking some of the pressure off their pockets. AMD has a reputation, especially recently, of making good quality products available to the everyday users and enthusiasts that might not be able to afford their hobby otherwise. The 890GX chipset is recommended for use with Phenom-II processors and it pairs quite well with the Athlon-II series as well, which are the most likely pairing for the Biostar TA890GXB-HD AM3 Motherboard, given its price. We will be pitting the TA890GXB-HD against the older 785G chipset to see just what type of performance the new chipset offers.

AMD has been stepping up their game over the last few years by releasing stable and effective chipsets that motherboard manufacturers have decided to use in their products. The recent trend for these valuable chipsets is to integrate them with graphics. The 780G and 790GX, and later the 785G chipsets showed that AMD is serious about their products. The 890GX chipset continues this trend by offering the newest AMD chipset combined with the Radeon HD 4290 integrated graphics processor. While the Radeon HD4290 offers no real improvement over the 785G chipset's Radeon HD 4200, it still offers a valuable IGP that has been outperforming even the most recent Intel IGP options found on die with the new i3, i5, and i7 processors.

The 890GX chipset pairs with either the SB850 southbridge, which brings with it the bulk of the changes found in the new chipset. The SB850 offers and additional two PCIe lanes, opening a lot of potential for USB 3.0 controllers and increases in potential bandwidth. The most prominent feature of the new southbridge is, of course, the support for native SATA 6Gb/s 6.0 Gb/s. A couple additional USB ports and a GbE MAC round out the new southbridge.

With its support for Thuban 6-core processors, the core unlocKING function, and extreme overclocking capabilities, the Biostar TA890GXB-HD offers a motherboard with plenty of features into an entry-level arena with its low price point and mATX form factor. Just how well can the Biostar TA890GXB-HD hold up against the similarly priced 785G chipset? Follow along as we put it to the test. With the northbridges being nearly identical, can the 890GX really offer that much potential difference for an entry-level user? It is unlikely that the market targeted by the TA890GXB-HD will be focused on buying a 6-core processor immediately. Even the SATA 6Gb/s functionality will likely be lost on someone looking for an inexpensive system. But the key here is upgradeability. While 6-core processors and drives that push bandwidth past the limits of SATA II are still expensive for entry-level users, they soon won't be. And the TA890GXB-HD will then have much more to offer than it's older counterparts.

About Biostar Microtech International Corp.

Defining a common goal and value to all employees

Gathering talents who share the same interest and ambition jointly to pursue common course in creating business niche, BIOSTAR offers an environment that allows optimal development for the individuals in self-actualization and self-recognition, organizes a highly motivated and aggressive elite team.

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With excellent product quality and perfect service, BIOSTAR is paid positive recognition from its customers and oriented by maintaining full command of timely and accurate market information to keep in line with the market dynamics. Therefore, we stick to each and all our commitments to the customers by offering the perfect product quality, providing bona fide satisfactory customer services, achieving reasonable production cost reduction, and minimizing wastes for feeding back our customers more benefits and most favored prices while establishing long-term mutual benefits. At BIOSTAR, we insist our conviction of sharing profits and glories with the general public and have our ultimate goal of pursuing a win-win situation.

Continuous operation with honest

We run our company always with the most sincere attitude and actions. Any major decision-making must have survived after the strict and careful assessment. Most importantly, we never duck away from consequences of our decisions. BIOSTAR continues to grow bigger and stronger by following through our corporate mission of permanent operation.

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