[harshal]

It has been a fairly long time since I have been on and had fun benching an AMD setup.

So looking at the huge interest amongst techies in present generation Phenom II processors, I guess spending some time with a Phenom II setup was inevitable.


So I have a 965 BE and I am feeling nice - thank you very much AMD.

Now I need a good platform to unleash all that latent potential.
In comes the Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P, muchos gracias Gigabyte.



(BTW, This is not a review. This is just a summary of my experiences with this platform)

Processor Details

Originally Posted by AMD

AMD Phenom™ II Processors
Unbeatable multi-core value with AMD Phenom™ II processors. They deliver The Ultimate Visual Experience™ for high definition entertainment, advanced multitasking performance, and power-saving innovations for smaller, cooler machines that are energy efficient.

Features & Benefits
§ Smoother faster experience, even when running complex software application with native
§ Multi-Core Technology
§ Scaled performance to conserve PC power with HyperTransport® 3.0 Technology
§ Hear your music, not your PC with AMD PowerNow!™ Technology (Cool’n’Quiet™ Technology)
§ Prevent the spread of certain viruses and strengthen your network integrity with Enhanced Virus Protection (EVP)*

AMD Phenom™ II Processors Product Brief

Visual Experience

Live your life in HD. AMD Phenom™ II is for high definition entertainment, gaming, creativity, and beyond. With AMD Phenom™ II processors as the foundation, you'll enjoy a new level of responsiveness and visual intensity. AMD puts high definition computing within everyone’s reach.
Superior technologies for HD video. Enjoy a superior high definition experience for HD videos on you PC. AMD Phenom™ II processor are the powerful engine behind your fidelity, high definition video entertainment experience. Only AMD puts the Ultimate Visual Experience™ for HD video within your reach.
Enjoy entertainment beyond your media library. Get HD content online, offline, wherever you want it, however you want it. Your system can handle whatever you dish out - and serve it up on screen in full, high definition glory.*
Perfect chemistry. Combine AMD Phenom™ II processors and ATI Radeon™ HD graphics to really see the difference. Enjoy smooth video, brilliant videos and immersive games. AMD unleashes visual clarity and responsiveness for what you want to do.

Performance

Do it all. AMD Phenom™ II processors have the power to do it all. Featuring next-generation quad-core design, they crush even the most demanding tasks. So design it, render it, play it, create it, stream it, HD it.* With AMD Phenom™ II processors, if you can imagine it, you can do it.

Energy Efficient

Make a choice you can feel good about. AMD Phenom™ II processors were designed with energy efficiency in mind. Capitalizing on AMD's leadership in energy efficiency, they incorporate all of the latest technology that gives you performance when you need it and save power when you don’t.
Look for ENERGY STAR® with AMD. Thanks to AMD's power-saving innovations, you can count on machines based on AMD Phenom™ II processors for the energy efficiency you want and the performance you need.
*HD monitor required.

X4 965 Details

Sounds impressive.
But techies/geeks/nerds, technology enthusiasts in short, are a hard bunch to please. They have to have a hands-on experience before they form an opinion or pass a judgement.


Motherboard Details

Moving on to the motherboard.

Those who have owned and maybe lived their Gigabyte motherboards, especially the top-of-the-line models, will know that these things mean serious business right out of the box.
The board is the same, top quality stuff that I have been witnessing since the past few years.

Originally Posted by Gigabyte

Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P main features :

AMD 790FX + SB750 Chipset
1. Ultra Durable 3 Technology with 2oz copper cooled quality, ferrite core choke, Japanese solid capacitors for lower working temperature, improved energy efficiency and enhanced stability for overclocking.
2. Revolution energy saving design with Easy Energy Saver technology
3. Supports socket AM3 45nm AMD Phenom II series processors
4. Advanced 8+2 power phase design for- more than enough supply for AMD high-TDP 140W cpu, plus extreme DDR3 overclocking ability and 45nm CPU highly efficiency support
5. Dual Channel DDR3 1666+ for remarkable system performance
6. 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 interface with ATI CrossFireX support for ultimate graphics performance
7. 2 Gigabit Ethernet LAN with Teaming functionality
8. Power/reset/Clr CMOS onboard button for power users
9. Blu-ray playback supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC889A HD audio
10. Supports Dolby Home Theater audio to enjoy a rich surround sound experience
11. Patented DualBIOS with dual hardware BIOS protection
12. 10 SATA 3GB/s ports and RAID.

GIGABYTE - Product - Motherboard - Overview - GA-MA790FXT-UD5P (rev. 1.0)


Motherboard Pics

BIOS
As usual Gigabyte BIOS gives you full control of the chip and board.

Test setup :

AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
Intel Core 2 Duo E8600

Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P
Gigabyte EP45T-Extreme

Kingston Hyper-X 2GB PC14400
OCZ Platinum 2GB PC16000

Palit HD4870 1GB dual sonic

Seagate 7200.10 250GB

Silverstone DA-1000

Coolers:
OEM socket 939 Opteron 165 cpu cooler used for 965
Intel stock cooler used for E8600

Microsoft Windows XP and Vista were used to conduct the tests.

Note 1: I am adding an Intel setup for comparision. Components used are solely chosen on the basis of what was available conveniently.
Note 2: Tests will be conducted at stock cpu speeds and higher than stock cpu speed too.

Super Pi
"Super Pi" does not need an introduction. One of the most popular benchmarks for testing CPU performance.









PCMark05 Performance

Another popular PC benchmark, PCmark05 analyses the performance of your pc and determines its strengths and weaknesses.

[harshal]

3Dmark Performance

A 3DMark score is an overall measure of your system’s 3D gaming capabilities, based on comprehensive real-time 3D graphics and processor tests.


3Dmark06 tests your system's DirectX 9 performance.




3Dmark Vantage tests your system's DirectX 10 performance.



Gaming Performance: Crysis

One of the most awaited and visually stunning games of the present times. Crysis brings most gaming rigs down to their knees.











As you can see, the graphics card is the bottleneck here.



Gaming Performance: Far Cry 2

A hit or miss with gamers, Far Cry 2 still stands as one of the decent games to test the gaming performance of one's system.











Cinebench R10
MAXON CINEBENCH runs several tests on your computer to measure the performance of the main processor and the graphics card under real-world circumstances.

CPU @ Stock:




CPU @ 3800:



Max Overclocks (on AIR)

The following results were obtained with a Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme cpu cooler, coupled with an Antec 120mm 78cfm 2000rpm fan.





To extract a little more, something we all crave for, the gpu was overclocked to higher than stock speeds


Anything higher than this on CPU and it will not allow to complete the benchmark run.

[harshal]

My experience with this setup.

Phenom II X4 965: As indicated by the huge excitement generated around the Phenom II line-up of processors, the X4 965 Black Edition being the premium flag bearer it surely does not disappoint. The processor is fast enough for most daily computing needs at stock speed and has a fair enough overclocking headroom. Thanks to the unlocked multipliers which make it a breeze to run it at higher than stock speed. There is a marked improvement in performance over the previous generations. Considering the combined prices of a retail 965 processor and a top notch motherboard (to extract the maximum), the AMD platform still falls behind in overall performance compared to an Intel Core i7 system selling at an almost similar price point. Last but not the least, AMD is slowly but steadily trying to reach the performance levels set by the new generation Intel processors.

Now MA790FXT-UD5P:
What's become the norm for Gigabyte motherboards continues with the 790FXT. The board reeks quality from every slot to SMD. The new heatpipe cooling system has a distinctly neat look and finish and the board has all the features typical of boards boasting the Ultra Durable 3 technology. Not once did the board even seemingly falter when put through it's paces. Anyone going the AM3 way should definitely consider the Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P before finalising their shopping list.
This boards gets my vote as one of the best boards out there for the AM3 platform.



Finally, a sneak peek at what's to come up soon...

[xMExHKSx]

Is all AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition?

[lzxhenry]

Originally Posted by xMExHKSx

Is all AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition?

yes yes. with that unlocked multiplier manz.

[tensor]

woot long time no see.
nice benchmarks

[harshal]

Originally Posted by tensor

woot long time no see.
nice benchmarks

Hey, Yeah I have been roaming/traveling in n around India as well as abroad! Just getting back to benching and since GB sent retail board with the whole package. I thought more visibility wont hurt

As for benchmarks... the not so extreme numbers (for AMD) will be posted soon.

[ah_khoo]

hi harshal, thanks for sharin d review...

can share d load temp for other component such as nb & pwm (if there's any)? would like to know how well is d stock coolin b4 gettin it... thx again...

[harshal]

Even under load the temps were around 40C for motherboard and idle it was 36C [ambient was 29-30C] so I would say the sinks on other componenets [NB as well as PWM] is very very efficient.

PS: My tests were conducted on an open table... temps would go up by 5-6C, inside a cabinet. Even more if cabinet isnt the one with good airflow.

[ah_khoo]

Originally Posted by harshal

Even under load the temps were around 40C for motherboard and idle it was 36C [ambient was 29-30C] so I would say the sinks on other componenets [NB as well as PWM] is very very efficient.

PS: My tests were conducted on an open table... temps would go up by 5-6C, inside a cabinet. Even more if cabinet isnt the one with good airflow.

thanks again mate. i'm considerin this board to be my last for am3 platform, still thinkin whether it worth d money becoz it's twice d price of my current board > biostar 790gx a3+ that's good enuf for my unlockable x2 550be.

[clon22]

Nice stuff Harshal.
I think I have a 785 board coming.
Hope I have time to do up some tests by this weekend.
Too bad I only have an X2 550.
Hope the board unlocks well. :p

[harshal]

785G boards are capable of some damages man.. specially under cold. Lok from HK proved it.
So All the best bro