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DFI LanParty DK 790FXB Motherboard Review
Author: Dennis Garcia
Published: Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Introduction
Upgrades are the name of the game; we enthusiasts have been doing them for years and often choose our hardware based on the upgrade potential. In terms of motherboards that would include things like expandability, features, and processor support. Then after a few months you can swap something else out and enjoy a new system once again.
Board makers do something similar from time to time usually to include a much needed feature that may have been updated or left off of the original design. The upgrade process helps to save money and also get the new product to market faster.
In this review we will be looking at the new LANParty 790FXB-M3H5 motherboard from DFI. If this board looks familiar that is because it is. The 790FXB is based on the older 790FX UT that we reviewed back in 2007. The board features the same 790FX chipset and same basic layout however a few things are different. Our 790FXB is part of the DK line meaning there will be a few less features, a basic motherboard cooling system, and hybrid analog PMW. The motherboard color scheme is also different having and orange secondary color instead of the green found on the UT line.
Board makers do something similar from time to time usually to include a much needed feature that may have been updated or left off of the original design. The upgrade process helps to save money and also get the new product to market faster.
In this review we will be looking at the new LANParty 790FXB-M3H5 motherboard from DFI. If this board looks familiar that is because it is. The 790FXB is based on the older 790FX UT that we reviewed back in 2007. The board features the same 790FX chipset and same basic layout however a few things are different. Our 790FXB is part of the DK line meaning there will be a few less features, a basic motherboard cooling system, and hybrid analog PMW. The motherboard color scheme is also different having and orange secondary color instead of the green found on the UT line.
Maybe the biggest change is processor and memory support as this edition only supports the AM3/DDR3 combo. Given that the previous AM2+ edition just needed a bios update and memory socket swap it made sense to use the previous 790FXB board layout for this design.
The back of the motherboard is typical however still features the metal heatsink reinforcement plate. This bracket is recommended by AMD and helps to prevent PCB flexing under high heatsink pressure. Now if only waterblocks could use a similar method we'd be all set.
The back of the motherboard is typical however still features the metal heatsink reinforcement plate. This bracket is recommended by AMD and helps to prevent PCB flexing under high heatsink pressure. Now if only waterblocks could use a similar method we'd be all set.
