Test: Foxconn A79A-S DigitalLife

Konklusion

Foxconn's bud på et high-end AM2+ bundkort med 790FX chipsæt, har vist sig at imødegå vores forventninger til fulde. Kortet overclocker også rigtig flot, og ud fra vores test, så var det CPU'en og ikke boardet der satte begrænsningen i den sammenhæng. Chipsættet muliggør understøttelsen af hele fire stk. PCIe grafikkort sluttet til i en  x16+x16 eller 4* x8 konfiguration og derfor kan vi vidst godt tillade os at kalde dette board for et enthusiastboard.

Innovation/Teknologi - N/A
(Her vil senere blive tilføjet noget omkring chipsættet).

Bundle/Tilbehør - 3
Jeg synes ikke rigtig der er noget i den her bundle, der minder os om at det skulle være high-end. Kabler en masse er ikke nok, set ift. f.eks den umådelige mængde der følger med til f.eks Foxconn BlackOps. Derfor en helt og aldeles jævn score her.

Design/Layout - 3
Boardet er tydeligvis ikke spyttet ud fra fabrikken, før man har overvejet om layoutet er klassificeret som funktionelt. Ud over de fire PCIe-tilslutninger og det lille fejlsøgningsdisplay, er der dog ikke meget der umiddelbart ser ud til at kategorisere boardet som værende high-end.

Software/BIOS - 3
Hvis vi starter med BIOS, så var her alle de funktioner vi havde brug for, for at presse CPU'en til det yderste. Til gengæld var der ingen mulighed for at gemme BIOS-indstillingerne på en separat chip, sådan at man hurtigt kan genskabe en bestemt profil efter en CMOS-reset. Det var forfra hver gang. Softwaren der er med, kan de fleste ting som at aflæse temperaturer, opdatere software/BIOS osv. Ikke noget ud over det forventede i denne kategori.

Ydelse - 4
Ydelsen for boardet var meget tilfredsstillende. Det var ikke boardet, men CPU'en der satte begrænsningerne for vores overclock. Yderligere, så lægger boardet sig også i den bedre halvdel af de boards vi sammenlignede med. Det udløser et 4-tal.

Pris - 2
Med en pris på knap kr. 2000,- dkr. i Danmark og omkring kr. 1700,- dkr. uden porto når vi kigger uden for landet grænser, så må boardet her anses som ganske kosbart for den almindelige forbruger. For hvem er det der køber AMD-gaming rigs? Det er menesker der enten er entusiaster, eller også vil de meget gerne spare penge ift. at købe et Intel-setup. Var Crossfire eksklusivt tilhørende AMD-chipsæts, som SLi lige nu er det for Nvidia-chipsæt, så var prisen mere end retfærdig, men når man kan hive et Intel-baseret bundkort ned fra hylden med samme egenskaber til næsten den halve pris, så er der i hvert fald en 500-lap mere at handle CPU for, og så er der hverken noget at spare, eller yderligere funktionalitet at gå efter til den højere pris. Derudover, så er bundlen slet ikke i nærheden af at indeholde noget der ligner det vi ellers har set fra Foxconn (f.eks BlackOps). Man skal med andre ord være mere end moderat entusiast før boardet er interessant.

 UK summary

The Foxconn A79A-S is a high-end AM2+ motherboard with 790FX chipset that has fullfilled our expectations fully. The board also clocks really well. Actually we found that it was the CPU, and not the board that stopped us in this regard. The chipset supports as much as 4 PCIe graphics cards connected in either a x16+x16 or an 4* x8 configuration, and with that in mind, I think its safe to say the board is for ethusiasts.

Innovation/Technology - N/A
(Score based upon chipset - will follow later)

Bundle/Accessories - 3
It doesn't seem like there is anything in the bundle, reminding us that this is supposed to be a high-end motherboard. A s**tload of cables is just nothing compared to ie. Foxconn BlackOps. Therefore an even score here is justified.

Design/Layout - 3
The board has clearly not been rushed out of the factory, before a decision of whether the layout is functional or not has been made. Besides the four PCIe connectors and the little error-display, there is however little evidence that this board can be classified as high-end.

Software/BIOS - 3
Beginning with the BIOS, we found all means necessary to squeeze the CPU to it's limits. On the other hand, there was no option to save the BIOS-configuration/profile on a separate chip, to quickly recreate all adjustments after a clear CMOS. It was all over from scratch each time. The included software does most common tasks like reading temp. probes, upgrade software/BIOS aso. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Performance - 4
The performance was wery satisfactory. It wasn't the board but the CPU that limited our overclocking. Furthermore, the board places itself among the better group of motherboards that we compared it to. This is rewarded with 4 points.

Price - 2
With a pricetag of almost DKK 2000,- in Denmark and around DKK 1700 abroad without shipment costs, this board must be to expensive for the average buyer. Because who buys an AMD gaming-rig? It's people either looking to save a few bucks (as apposed to buying an Intel-setup), or people who are enthusiasts. If Crossfire was exclusive to AMD-chipsets, as SLi is right now to Nvidia-chipsets, then the price would have been more than fair. But when you can get en Intel-based motherboard with the same attributes, for almost half the price, then there is a minimum of DKK 500,- to buy a better CPU for. So as you can see there's nothing to gain either performance nor money-wise. Besides that, the bundle is not even near that of fx. the Foxconn BlackOps. In other words, you have to be more than moderaty enthusiastic, before this board becomes interesting.

Test: Foxconn A79A-S DigitalLife

Bundle - Tilbehør	3
Design - Layout	3
Software - BIOS	3
Ydelse	4
Pris	2
Samlet	60%