AMD first released its 800-series chipsets aimed at the budget-conscious consumer. The 890GX-based motherboards could provide fairly decent integrated graphics along with SATA 6Gb/s support and CrossFire compatibility not to mention many other attractive features. However, many enthusiasts were looking for something a little more powerful that would help them in overclocking and not feel the heat. For these demanding customers, AMD came out with the 890FX chipset. Let us take a quick look at how these two chipsets compare.
The AMD 890GX has architecture similar to that of the AMD 785. The Integrated Graphics Processor has a 128-bit memory interface for 40 unified shaders and also has the ability to support a 128MB DDR3 sideport memory. The new, outstanding feature in the AMD 890GX is the PCIe lanes. The AMD 785G would support only two PCIe slots at x16/x4. On the other hand, the AMD 890GX can support x8/x8. This ensures that if a single video card is used, it will run at a full x16 and if two video cards are used, there will be no bottleneck issues. This also ensures that two full 1080P playback streams can be supported without any problem. The AMD 890GX is able to provide reasonably good de-interlacing support although Vector Adaptive de-interlacing is still beyond the 40 lanes the AMD 890GX has. The only drawback with AMD 890GX is that there was no massive redesign of the chip and hence still lacks support for bitstreaming HD audio codecs.
The AMD 890FX has features very similar to the AMD 790FX and yet there are some welcome refinements too. AMD has tried to ensure that even if their new chipsets are designed to adopt new technologies, there should be enough backwards compatibility so that older devices and technologies can also be supported for a while. For example, the AMD 890FX series board features an AM3 socket – this certainly makes them compatible with the upcoming Phenom X6 products while accommodating all the current processors. Thus one can continue using the older AM2+ processors on the motherboards while upgrading one component at a time. The Northbridge makes sure that motherboards are equipped with 42 PCIe lanes – out of these 32 are dedicated to any additional graphics cards that the user chooses to use. There has been an increase in the memory from the AMD 790FX’s 1066MHz memory module to AMD 1333MHz DDR3 modules.
One of the most significant factors contributing to the long-standing reputation of AMD as a market leader has been its ability to come up with a great range of 800-series motherboards that cover almost every range and thus satisfy the needs of both the budget-conscious as well as the enthusiast. The high-end AMD 890FX though more expensive than the AMD 890GX is still not beyond the reach for many who are keen on the features it offers. If you are keen on overclocking and need the extra lanes (SLI or Crossfire Conf.), you should choose the AMD 890FX else you can go with the AMD 890GX.
We can build high-performance gaming machines with either AMD 890GX Chipset or AMD 890FX Chipset. Whether you are looking for a machine able to perform daily computing tasks efficiently or are overclockers looking for speed, We have just the right combination for you.
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