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DFI LanParty UT 790FX Motherboard Review
Author: Dennis Garcia
Published: Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Board Layout and Features
DFI opted to employ their standard PCIe / PCI configuration that provides you with 3 16x PCIe graphics slots, 1 4x PCIe slot and 3 standard PCI slots. With this configuration you won't be able to run 4 independent graphics cards but you can get a nice 3-way going or run cards in the following configurations.
- 2-way or 4-way CrossFire at x16/x16/NC bandwidth
- 3-way CrossFire at x16/x8/x8 bandwidth
- 2-way CrossFire + Physics at x16/x8/x8 bandwidth
The graphics slot configuration is dynamic and supports a variety of different situations. For instance PCIe 1 has a full 16 lanes dedicated to it, PCIe 2 (the 4x slot) can have either 0, 2, or 4 lanes dedicated but is disabled if there is more than one graphics card in use. The 3rd PCIe slot by default has 16 lanes but is reduced to 8 lanes if the 4th PCIe slot is activated.(either by Physics card or Graphics card)
On a side note we really like the "standard" expansion slot layout that DFI uses. The spacing gives you plenty of room for extra wide coolers and also allows you a fair amount of flexibility in what you do decide to install..
- 2-way or 4-way CrossFire at x16/x16/NC bandwidth
- 3-way CrossFire at x16/x8/x8 bandwidth
- 2-way CrossFire + Physics at x16/x8/x8 bandwidth
The graphics slot configuration is dynamic and supports a variety of different situations. For instance PCIe 1 has a full 16 lanes dedicated to it, PCIe 2 (the 4x slot) can have either 0, 2, or 4 lanes dedicated but is disabled if there is more than one graphics card in use. The 3rd PCIe slot by default has 16 lanes but is reduced to 8 lanes if the 4th PCIe slot is activated.(either by Physics card or Graphics card)
On a side note we really like the "standard" expansion slot layout that DFI uses. The spacing gives you plenty of room for extra wide coolers and also allows you a fair amount of flexibility in what you do decide to install..
The DFI 790FX supports up to 8GB of DDR2 memory across 4 memory slots, the supported memory speed will vary depending on what processor you have installed. In terms of power a 24pin + 8pin power supply is highly recommended.
The onboard power supply is very unique in that it comes in a 7 phase configuration. 6 phases are dedicated to the CPU while the last phase supplies power directly to the Northbridge chip. This is designed to help with system stability and allows fora larger range of voltage options.
The onboard power supply is very unique in that it comes in a 7 phase configuration. 6 phases are dedicated to the CPU while the last phase supplies power directly to the Northbridge chip. This is designed to help with system stability and allows fora larger range of voltage options.
AM2 940pin processors are supported in a variety of core configurations. The "hot" processor of the season is the quad core Phenom, not only is it powerful but it also takes advantage of the new HyperTransport 3.0.
