| ASUS F1A75-M PRO FM1 Motherboard |
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Reviews -
Featured Reviews: Motherboards
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| Written by Hank Tolman |
| Monday, 11 July 2011 |
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Page 7 of 16
Testing and Results
Before I begin any benchmarking or overclocking, I thoroughly stress the CPU and memory by running Prime95 on all available cores, normally for 12 hours. In this review I stressed them for 6 hours. If no errors are found, I move on to a gaming stress test. To do this, I use Prime95 again to stress the processor, while running an instance of FurMark's stability test on top of this. If the computer survives this test for 2 hours without lockup or corruption, I consider it to be stable and ready for overclocking. After achieving what I feel is stable overclock, I run to these tests again for certainty. The goal of this stress testing is to ensure the clock speeds and settings are stable before performing any benchmarks. I adopted this method from another writer here at Benchmark Reviews and it seems to do a great job of flushing out what only seem to be stable overclocks.
Once the hardware is prepared, we begin our testing. Each benchmark test program begins after a system restart, and the very first result for every test will be ignored since it often only caches the test. This process proves extremely important in many gaming benchmarks, as the first run serves to cache maps allowing subsequent tests to perform much better than the first. Each test is completed five times, with the average results displayed in our article.
Since the A8-3850 competes in price with the i3-2100, we will be looking specifically at the comparison between the two. I have also included other processors for comparison. The Phenom-II X4-840 should be of particular note because it is very close in specifications to the A8-3850.
AMD FM1 A-Series Platform
- Motherboard: ASUS F1A75-M PRO
- Processor: 2.9GHz AMD A-Series A8-3850 APU ($135 MSRP)
- CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen II
- System Memory: 2x2GB Patriot Gamer Series DDR3
- Primary Drive: Filemate Solid GO 60GB SSD
- Power Supply Unit: Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W 80-Plus Certified
- Graphics Adapter: APU Radeon HD 6650D; ASUS GT430 (Forceware 275.50)
Intel H67 Test Platforms
- Motherboard: Intel DH67BL with BIOS 1596
- Processor: 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) Intel Core i5-2500K ($225)
- CPU Cooler: Scythe Yasya
- System Memory: 2x2GB Patriot Gamer Series DDR3 (1333MHz@7-7-7-21)
- Primary Drive: Filemate Solid GO 60GB SSD
- Power Supply Unit: Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W 80-Plus Certified
- Graphics Adapter: MSI NVIDIA GTS450 Cyclone (Forceware 260.99)
Intel P67 Test Platform
- Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth P67 B3
- Processor: 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) Intel Core i5-2500K
- CPU Cooler: Scythe Yasya
- System Memory: 2x2GB Patriot Gamer Series DDR3
- Primary Drive: Filemate Solid GO 60GB SSD
- Power Supply Unit: Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W 80-Plus Certified
- Graphics Adapter: MSI Radeon HD 6870 Twin Frozr III (Catalyst Control Center 11.5)
Intel X58 Test Platform
- Motherboard: MSI X58 Pro LGA1366 Intel X58 ATX
- Processor: 2.66GHz Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield/Nehalem BX80601920 ($280)
- CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen II
- System Memory: Kingston 6GB (3 x 2GB) KVR1333D3K3/6GR DDR3 1333MHz (PC3 10666) (CL7-7-7-20)
- Primary Drive: Filemate Solid GO 60GB SSD
- Power Supply Unit: Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W 80-Plus Certified
- Graphics Adapter: MSI NVIDIA GTS450 Cyclone (Forceware 260.99)
AMD 890GX Test Platform
- Motherboard: Biostar TA890GXB-HD (890GX/SB850)
- Processor: 3.6GHz AMD Phenom-II X4-975BE HDZ980FBK4DGM (MSRP $195)
- Processor: 3.6GHz AMD Phenom-II X4-975BE HDZ980FBK4DGM (MSRP $175 - Adjusted for 980BE release)
- Processor: 3.2GHZ AMD Phenom-II X4-840 HDX840WFK42GM (MSRP $105)
- Processor: 3.3GHz AMD Phenom-II X2-560BE HDZ560WFK2DGM ($110)
- Processor: 3.1GHz AMD Athlon-II X4-645 ADX645WFGMBOX ($110)
- Processor: 3.1GHz AMD Athlon-II X3-445 ADX445WFK32GM (~$79)
- Processor: 3.2GHz AMD Athlon-II X2-260 ADX260OCK23GM ($70)
- CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen II
- System Memory: 2x2GB Patriot Gamer Series DDR3 (1333MHz@7-7-7-21)
- Primary Drive: Filemate Solid GO 60GB SSD
- Power Supply Unit: Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W 80-Plus Certified
- Graphics Adapter: MSI NVIDIA GTS450 Cyclone (Forceware 260.99)
AMD 990FX Test Platform
- Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair V Formula (990FX/SB950)
- Processor: 3.7GHz AMD Phenom-II X4-980BE HDZ980FBK4DGM
- System Memory: 2x2GB Patriot Gamer Series DDR3
- Primary Drive: Filemate Solid GO 60GB SSD
- Power Supply Unit: Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W 80-Plus Certified
- Graphics Adapter: MSI Radeon HD 6870 Twin Frozr III (Catalyst Control Center 11.5)
Benchmark Applications
- Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit
- AIDA64 Extreme Edition v1.1
- PassMark PerformanceTest 7.0b1019
- Futuremark PCMark Vantage v1.0.2.0 64-Bit
- TV and Movies
- Gaming
- Music
- SiSoftware Sandra 2010.1.16.92 CPU Test
- Maxon CINEBENCH R11.5 64-Bit
- Street Fighter IV benchmark
- x264Bench HD 3.0
- Handbrake 0.94 video transcoding
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Comments
How is that a con ?
Their inclusion adds functionality. It may be a function you have no need for , but it is there.
HDMI, DVI + D-Sub.... your logic... I dont need HDMI or DVI so it is a con that they have those ports.
That makes no sense at all.
The funny thing is, almost no one uses CRT monitors anymore and LCD monitors are inherently digital. If you have an old VGA LCD then you are losing twice since you signal has to be converted to analog to go through the cable, then back to digital to be read by your monitor.
If you see it as a Pro, then good for you. I see it as a con. That's just my opinion.
-Hank
Thanks for review, I found it very informative.
PS--Don't feed the trolls.
Passmark 7.0, where it's second place only to the i5.
PCMark Vantage Music test, where the score is extremely low.
Either there's an error in the graphs, or these results should be investigated.
As for the CPU tests in Passmark 7.0, those are correct too. It might have a lot to do with the fact that the "northbridge" was moved onto the die so communication between the CPU and other parts of the system is dramatically increased. Check out the Cinebench results, too. You have a 2.9GHz CPU that is very close to the same performance as a 3.2GHz CPU. A lot has changed with the architecture and different tests will respond in different ways to those changes.
Nice review. And one question i can't understand here, on z68 and so on:
if 1st PCIE is x16 and 2nd is x4, with XFire and 2 dedicated video boards, it will work in x8/x8? or only in x16/x4? that means no AFR like?
Thanks a lot in advance for anyone's answer.
Michael.
I was wondering wether the F1A75-M PRO is a MB that you would personally buy for its value? Would you recommend any other MB's for around the same price, for I am in a jolly of a pickle in choosing the optimal MB. I would be using it for video processing, video games, and etc.
Thanks in advance,
Mosi.
1st of all, take my advice w/ a grain of salt. My pov could be biased, or at least not entirely fitting your needs.
my 1st choise is usually Asus, no matter is AMD or Intel. but i do respect Gigabyte, MSI, EVGA and i do believe AsRock is a good value.
Remember, in entry/main level big brands usually will charge u extra just for the brand. I mean in entry/main u DO have alternatives. otherwise, the MB is ok, BUT:
before, a little philosophy about video boards (GPU). i always pick a MB w/ BOTH SLI and XFire. cause never now when i'll switch between NVidia and AMD-ATI and which will be my pick in dual GPU boards. But with those new CPU w/ integrated video, philosophy may change a little. if its AMD CPU, we should go AMD GPU. the video in 3850 amd cpu it's way more powerful than intel i3, even i5 competition. but the CPU is below i3 2100 a little. not much. anyway your MB of choice despite it has 2 pcie slots, it will work in x16/x4 mode only AFAIK! so 2 discrete AMD board, even XFire scale better than SLI, will not be a perfect choise if u plan, i repeat, to go w/ 2 discrete graphic boards. but if u don't the MB u've picked is OK. but the
F1A75-V EVO will work on x8/x8.
this whole GPU discussion it's about hardcore gaming (let's say metro2033) at big resolutions. Today a top/near top AMD GPU will handle with no problem but in a year or some, maybe u,ll need more power and the future proof solution is to get yourself a 2nd GPU and bam! u're "safe" for another 1-2 year.
!!! if u planned this way BUY A GOOD PSU, at least 750W. never underestimate the PSU!!!
If it's A, the processor should be fine, I mean the biggest, A8-3850, and u'll have to invest more in RAM (8G at least) and in powerfull HDD's: use RAID 0 with 2 HDD FULL 7200, not GREEN. i' working with Velocyraptors and older Raptors (all 10 000 RPM). if u have enough money, go SSD, BUT, u should pick powerfull and big ones which cost u a lot. A good solution COULD be Hybrid SSD-HDD new harddiscs, but i didn't dig enough to recommend this. Anyway, for video editing u should work in a RAID 0 config with 2 HDDs.
if it's B, video rendering, IMO the processor it's on the limit, i rather go if AMD with a 6 core proc (likeX6 1100T) skt AM3+. or intel starting on i5-2400.
in amd variant u'll not have integrated video in CPU, but u have to decide what fits your needs.
So your MB choise is very decent for the money, just be sure 'll use just one discrete GPU.
Both series from intel i3 and amd A IMO are for laptops and decent desktops. but that's all. told u in he beginnig i'm a little biased towards hardcore games and video editing. And in high end the choice is, unfortunately, only one.
It's hard to recommend, in the end the amount of $ make the difference. and the needs. and the management, and little things, and so on :)
And i don't pretend my pow is perfect. no way. Everyone feel free to upgrade it.
Good luck
If you are using this for high-end gaming or video processing, you should probably go with a completely different setup. The A series processors aren't meant for high end performance. They compete with the i3s. I'd go with a H67 for price and an i5 and a good discrete GPU for better performance, unless Bulldozer comes out soon and we can see how they perform.
10x Hank for forming me that MB's like that are ONLY x16/x4 and NOT x8/x8 too. for a vast majority of user it's ok. for me is BS.
Back to your toughs about Mozyz rig: as i saw, he hasn't enough money and my assumption is that he's only on the beginning on the road in video editing (escuse if wrong, but let's say a few cuts and transitons + a titler for youtube). and maybe medium gamer and so on. So, my philosopy was just don't go top of the top when u don't know the differences and just testing the path. Otherwise, i just made a config for a friend, video editor but with no much $ to spend: yes, it starts with i5.
nice day.
-Hank
Try DVI/HDMI Cable. It works but powerdvd downscale about 10%, totalmedia theater 5 work find but no sound in few ISO.
Any one try 3D bluray playback with HDMI 1.4 in this motherboard?
Windows7 64bit/Asus F1A75-M pro/AMD 3650
Thanks.