ASUS M4A89GTD Pro / USB3 Motherboard Pictured

[btarunr]

ASUS seems to be ready with one of its first motherboards based on the AMD 890GX chipset. This socket AM3 series of motherboards seems to come in two variants: M4A89GTD Pro and M4A89GTD Pro USB3 (with the latter having support for USB 3.0 SuperSpeed connectivity. An early development version of this motherboard was displayed at this year's CES event. Fresh pictures show a production-grade model, complete with chipset and VRM cooling, as well as a box design.

The M4A89GTD Pro / USB3 is a socket AM3 motherboard with a 10-phase CPU VRM supporting future AMD CPUs with 140W TDP, 2-phase memory VRM powering the four DDR3 DIMM slots, AMD 890GX chipset with faster DirectX 10.1 compliant graphics, and AMD SB800 southbridge. The SB800 provides six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, while an additional JMicron-made controller gives out the IDE connector (and possibly the lone eSATA port). Expansion slots include two PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 when both are populated), two PCI, and one each of PCI-E x1 and PCI-E x4. Connectivity includes 8+2 channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output, gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 ports (on the USB3 variant), FireWire, and display connectivity including DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. The M4A89GTD Pro / USB3 is expected to be launched a little ahead of AMD's launch of its six-core Phenom II X6 processors.



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[xrealm20]

Good to see that they are keeping the "core unlocker" function on the new SB.

 

[Loosenut]

Still no info on estimated price?

 

[TVman]

Usb3.0 Ftw

 

[assaulter_99]

Worthy successor of the m4a79 An m4, that sounds..sexy! Asus really have a trend with their names, crosshair, m4... rofl

 

[TVman]

there will be a exclusive edition called ASUS AK-47A89GTD Pro

 

[aj28]

Is it just me, or does this board have a rather large 8-pin AUX connector?

 

[Loosenut]

Is it just me, or does this board have a rather large 8-pin AUX connector?

It does seem rather tall doesn't it?

 

[assaulter_99]

Its better this way, it prevents big fingers from messing with things around Easier to access imo.

 

[HossHuge]

Are they going to up-date the hybrid graphics or are they going to keep producing the HD3450/HD2400 cause won't they be in short supply fairly soon?

 

[btarunr]

Still no info on estimated price?

I'm estimating $150~$170.

Is it just me, or does this board have a rather large 8-pin AUX connector?

Yes, so that it's easy to disconnect it with the large VRM heatsink next to it, when the board is fixed into the case.

 

[TheLostSwede]

The tall 8-pin connector could actually be worse, especially if you have a case with the PSU at the bottom. It would require a longer cable and the routing would most likely not be as neat.

 

[assaulter_99]

Its a safe bet to say that every cable can make it, even though its taller. I have a 922 and the cable can go behind my case, down again to connect to the mobo. They would have thought about that imo.

 

[Paintface]

any information on the 890x version? i dont require onboard video so the price could be lower.Only saw 890gx and 890fx on slides.

 

[werez]

I like the design , the board looks really nice , but i have a problem - they actually wrote "core unlocker" on the motherboard? hahaha

 

[Semi-Lobster]

Are they going to up-date the hybrid graphics or are they going to keep producing the HD3450/HD2400 cause won't they be in short supply fairly soon?

Ya, I 'd like to know what IGP they have planned for the 890GX as well. All that I know so far is that it will be DX10.1 so far all we know it very well could be the RV620 HD 3450/HD 4200 again.

 

[devguy]

Looks like a good board. Assaulter_99, this will be an 890GX board, so not a successor to the M4A79(/T). I'm sure Asus has something special in mind for the 890FX!

But seriously, what is it with Asus consistently not recognizing that standard ATX cases have 7 expansion bay slots? They almost always use 6, whereas MSI, Gigabyte (and usually DFI) use all 7. I mean, it's not like the spec for 7 slots was made recently... For example, a lot of motherboard manufactures put a pcie 1x slot right above the first x16 slot, which is perfect for pcie wireless lan card, or gigabyte ethernet (USB 3.0 controller, etc). That little 1x slot under the first x16 slot is almost guaranteed to be covered by a dual slot video card, and thus, useless.

 

[H82LUZ73]

Looks like a good board. Assaulter_99, this will be an 890GX board, so not a successor to the M4A79(/T). I'm sure Asus has something special in mind for the 890FX!

But seriously, what is it with Asus consistently not recognizing that standard ATX cases have 7 expansion bay slots? They almost always use 6, whereas MSI, Gigabyte (and usually DFI) use all 7. I mean, it's not like the spec for 7 slots was made recently... For example, a lot of motherboard manufactures put a pcie 1x slot right above the first x16 slot, which is perfect for pcie wireless lan card, or gigabyte ethernet (USB 3.0 controller, etc). That little 1x slot under the first x16 slot is almost guaranteed to be covered by a dual slot video card, and thus, useless.

this board is for HTPC users not gamers.

 

[devguy]

this board is for HTPC users not gamers.

I was commenting on Asus' lineup as a whole. Oddly, it seems that for the most part, they only use 6 slots on AM2+/AM3 and s1136 boards. On most s1156 boards, they use all 7...?

 

[Valdez]

this board is for HTPC users not gamers.

with 2 pci-e x16?

 

[Kei]

this board is for HTPC users not gamers.

lol, you clearly didn't use the previous generation GX boards did you? GX boards can be used in HTPC, but they were not made for HTPC. That's what the 785's and smaller boards are meant for...GX boards aren't dumbed down in comparison to their FX big brothers. These boards are AMAZING overclocking platforms that just so happen to still have an IGP if you need it.

I honestly prefer these boards now since I have less than no need to use more than two gpu's in a system considering how much power a single gpu has these days. If you really needed to scratch that benchmarking itch you can always use two 5970's.

Kei

 

[Polarman]

Looks like the "Leo" platform is getting ready to pounce soon.

 

[Mussels]

this + new quad core/6 core CPU = my next build, methinks.

 

[Kei]

this + new quad core/6 core CPU = my next build, methinks.

Me too

Kei

 

[aj28]

Yes, so that it's easy to disconnect it with the large VRM heatsink next to it, when the board is fixed into the case.

Suck it up, I say! I love the scars I get from heatsinks, cable ties, and other sharp objects in computer cases... Proves I'm a man!

*sob*

Alright, but seriously, the board is pretty slick. Simple, well laid-out, lots of cabling options (two different SATA orientations), and all that sort of thing... But how does it perform with a svelte new X6 processor onboard, eh?