Asus Crosshair II Formula motherboard review

Early this year we reviewed the Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe, a high-end Phenom supporting motherboard that featured the AMD 790FX chipset. But while gamers wanting to use Crossfire technology will no doubt be quite happy with that product, those wanting to use multiple Nvidia-based graphics cards are going to have to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately SLI support does come at a price and choice premium for AMD users. The Asus Crosshair II Formula that we will be testing today features the Nvidia nForce 780a SLI chipset, which is currently the most advanced SLI capable chipset available to AMD users. This new Asus motherboard is a member of the elite “Republic of Gamers” series, meaning that it is geared towards gaming.

Given the continued pressure from Intel in terms of price and overall value, AMD has been put in a less than comfortable situation. Back in January when we reviewed the M3A32-MVP Deluxe, the Phenom pricing strategy was already on aggressive mode, but now AMD has been forced to accommodate further. Today you can get a quad-core 2.5GHz flagship model, namely the Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition processor, for just $235. It is now also possible to pick up a triple-core Phenom for just under $150, making these new AMD processors an attractive option for bargain hunters.

http://www.techspot.com/review/101-asus-crosshair2-formula/

Please leave your feedback here. Thanks!

Nice review...

but... in terms of performance and gaming performance...
how can you compare two different processors (even if both perform closely) they'll never be the same and in every game different, why isn't the motherboard tested against the exact same computer only with changed boards?

That's exactly what you got when we tested along the Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe (AMD 790FX)... same CPU, memory, etc. Then the Intel motherboard is thrown in for further comparison.

oh ok got it!

I could have sworn I saw a different CPU...<.<
don't know how I got confused :0
It's probably because im studying for this math SAT this Monday! so don't blame me for hallucinations!! :)

well anyway,
keep up the good job!!

It seems though that the differences between the gaming performance isn't much and if aiming for a motherboard at that level, even a lower-cost one, that suits your exacts needs won't be a bottleneck to the system.

i got this board the other day along with the 9950 black and 2 gig of 1066 corsair dominator is alot faster than my old 3000+ just need to upgrade my 8600gts to the 9800x2 i would have gone the intel route being faster but its fast enough and i prefer to give amd my money :p