Biostar Releases TA890FXE Motherboard with BIO-unlocKING

[btarunr]

BIOSTAR MICROTECH INT'L CORP., a professional manufacturer of motherboards today reveals its new "TA890FXE" motherboard with "BIO-unlocKING" utility that makes it possible to turn a budget quad-core version of a CPU into full six-cores for significant computing gains.

AMD new Phenom II X6 processor with 890FX chipset combination, a high-powered computing platform designed to meet the demand of today's gaming enthusiasts. The AMD Phenom II X6 processor can switch between utilizing two or three cores for functions such as running productivity software to six cores for content creation and immersive 3D applications.



BIOSTAR famous T-Series "TA890FXE" is ready for up to four ATI Radeon HD graphics cards and award winning ATI EyeFinity multiple-display technology; and South Bridge SB850 that provides native support for SATA 6.0 Gb/s, Gigabit Ethernet, HyperTransport 3.0 technology, and PCI Express Generation 2.0. "TA890FXE" motherboard is powered by a 6 phase PWM, supporting 140W processors, four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots supporting ATI CrossFireX technology, apart from two legacy PCI slots. 7.1 channel HD Blu-Ray audio, Gigabit Ethernet, and FireWire make for the rest of it.

BIOSTAR "BIO-unlocKING" utility, an exclusive development from BIOSTAR that provides an ease of use interface for overclocking the hidden CPU cores. This time it is not only limited to unlock a 2 core processor into a 4 cores, but also capable of unlocking a 4 core processor into a 6 cores. BIOS will automatically detect the numbers of hidden cores during installation; users just simply press the "F6" button to unlock. The "BIO-unlocKING" utility is available on every BIOSTAR 8xx series motherboard.

Please Note: Unlocking disabled cores is not guaranteed to work with every Phenom II chip.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[DriedFrogPills]

would like to figure out how apart from two 5970's this board can support crossfireX beyond two GPUS

 

[AlienIsGOD]

4 5450's LOL!!!

 

[Kitkat]

the unlocking gimicks are always so corny i wish it was just a feature that everyone knew about so they wouldn't have to advertise it.... omg wait... its is lol

 

[[Ion]]

would like to figure out how apart from two 5970's this board can support crossfireX beyond two GPUS

Quad HD5670s, HD4850s, etc. But the PCI-E slot configuration is really stupid, they should space them out further

 

[aj28]

So here's a question: Does the 890FX not include a gigabit NIC onboard? It seems like everyone (including Biostar) is still using a Realtek chip. Not that I have anything against Realtek, as I've had nothing but good luck and good performance with mine, but I would think they of all people would save the cash and use the NIC AMD provides!

As for the quad-Crossfire, I suppose it'd be nice for using a few low-end cards to make a cheap Eyefinity array. I don't know that I would quad-up on any of the current single-slot mid-range though... I mean, a 5750/5770 is probably a better buy no matter how you slice it. Granted, if we could get a single-slot 5750, it'd be a sweet little setup for an expandable gaming rig.

Oh, and "BIO-unlocKING" is definitely one of the better (i.e. more hillarious) marketing terms I've heard from a motherboard manufacturer lately. Right up there with "ProbeIt!" from ASUS...

 

[ASharp]

the unlocking gimicks are always so corny i wish it was just a feature that everyone knew about so they wouldn't have to advertise it.... omg wait... its is lol

I don't think it's a bad idea to mention that the board has unlocking capabilities. The unlocking ability of older boards came as a consequence of using ACC. SB8xx does not have ACC so the board manufacturers have to implement the core unlocking feature through other means. Some boards may not have the feature while others will which is why mentioning it is a good idea.

So here's a question: Does the 890FX not include a gigabit NIC onboard?

AMD does not have any NIC on the chipset which is why a Realtek chip has to be used.

 

[Kitkat]

I don't think it's a bad idea to mention that the board has unlocking capabilities. The unlocking ability of older boards came as a consequence of using ACC. SB8xx does not have ACC so the board manufacturers have to implement the core unlocking feature through other means. Some boards may not have the feature while others will which is why mentioning it is a good idea.

i dont either but unlocKing comon. dont name your board after it or put CORE UNLOCKER! on the board physically. I dont mind them mentioning it like everything else.

 

[TheLostSwede]

You don't "have to" use Realtek, you could use anything, but Realtek is the cheapest so...

 

[Fourstaff]

Quad HD5670s, HD4850s, etc. But the PCI-E slot configuration is really stupid, they should space them out further

Its configured in such a way that if you don't need the PCI slots, you can dremel the chip to fit in a mATX case.

 

[Para_Franck]

Likes the colour scheme + dislikes the board layout = No go

 

[Easo]

What is bad in Realtek NIC? I pretty much doubt that it or soundcard adds a lot of cost...

 

[aj28]

AMD does not have any NIC on the chipset which is why a Realtek chip has to be used.

You are correct: Apparently only the new-new chipsets (890GX) have the integrated NIC. Still, the same question applies to 890GX manufacturers, but that's a bit OT for this thread... Anyway, given they developed one for the 890GX, it's stupid to leave it out of the FX!

What is bad in Realtek NIC? I pretty much doubt that it or soundcard adds a lot of cost...

They're a couple bucks apiece I think.

 

[chaotic_uk]

another lame biostar mobo

 

[runnin17]

Mono layout fail. Haven't they figured that most PC enthusiasts that actually know what quad crossfire is will be able to spot a poorly designed board from a mile away???

Biostar sometimes makes pretty solid boards, but this one has "CUTting CORners KING" all over it.

Biostar you fail. Morons!