14 DAY TRIAL // The 890FX core-logic is the high-end 8 Series chipset developed by Advanced Micro Devices for its new six-core Phenom II X6 Thuban CPUs. Eager enthusiasts will likely have noticed that two of the chips have already been put up for order/pre-order. As such, said end-users may even be considering what motherboard to buy that will handle the newcomers. To expand such consumers' options by one, MSI has come forth and unleashed its latest AMD high-end platform, known as the 890FXA-GD70.
As it is quite obvious from its name, the new MSI motherboard is based on the AMD 890FX chipset. This chipset is composed of the RD890 and SB850 chips and is the big brother (so to speak) of the AMD 890GX, used in the 890GXM-G65 that started selling last month.
The 890FX has overall higher capabilities than those of the 890GX, such as a faster RAM and broader feature set, but it lacks an integrated graphics solution. This is understandable, considering that it is an enthusiast platform and, thus, quite unlikely to be used in configurations without PCI Express x16 graphics adapters. In fact, the mainboard lays special emphasis on support for multi-GPU configurations, being equipped with five PCI Express x16 slots.
In addition to the five graphics slots, the MSI 890FXA-GD70 has four DDR3-2133 memory slots, six SATA 6.0Gbps ports, one SATA 3.0Gbps connector, dual Gigabit Ethernet, a pair of USB 3.0 connectors, an eSATA port and 7.1 channel audio. These specs are complemented by a number of MSI's own technologies.
The company used Military Class components, namely Hi-c CAPs, Solid CAPs, and Icy Chokes (low-temperature inductors) to improve stability and reliability. Secondly, there is support for core unlocking and overclocking via OC Genie. Finally, the product supports DrMOS, APS (Active Phase Switching) and features the company's instant-on OS known as Winki. Unfortunately, although the board itself should reach stores soon, its price has not been disclosed.