Test: ASUS A8R-MVP

Konklusion

Min generelle oplevelse med dette bundkort fra ASUS, har været rigtig god. Produktet har været fuldstændig stabilt, ydelsen har været god, og overclockingen bedre end ventet. Alt i alt et produkt, jeg godt kan anbefale. :)

Innovation/Teknologi: 3
Teknologisk set, er bundkortet ikke revolutionerende. Ati's prisbillige konkurrent til nForce4, er ganske enkelt for fattig på features. Herunder manglen på 32 PCI-E baner og den dårlige USB-ydelse. Derudover skal man bruge et indstikskort, for at have alle PCI-E banerne til rådighed på det primære slot.
Uli's chipset som ASUS har brugt som sydbro, er ganske udmærket, og klart et bedre alternativ end ATi's SB450.

Bundle/Tilbehør: 3
Set i lyset af prisen, er bundlen fornuftig. Den er langt fra prangende, men der er vedlagt hvad man skal bruge, og tilmed rigeligt at det.

Design/Layout: 4
Designet er helt fint. ASUS har udelukkende valgt passive køleløsninger, og så er de fleste mosfets tilmed kølet - super. At der er byttet om på PCI-E portene, er efter min mening fint, da der så bliver mere plads omkring CPU.

Software/BIOS: 3
Softwaren ASUS selv har skrevet, virker godt. Dog er der ikke mulighed for ændring af blæserhastigheder, og det er ærgerligt. At der medfølger antivirus er meget lækkert.
BIOS'en er ikke så omfattende, men i det hele taget fin nok. Det største minus her, er nok at man kun har mulighed for v-core op til 1,55v. Altså skal man ty til pinmod, hvis man vil udnytte bundkortets ellers høje potentiale.

Ydelse: 4
Ydelsen er helt fin - desværre vil de kun 16 PCI-Express lanes, medføre en lille ydelsesnedgang i et crossfire setup, i forhold til de 32 som Xpress 3200 og nForce4 SLi stiller til rådighed. Når dette er sagt, er der heldigvis en bonus gemt i dette value bundkort. Set i lyset af prisen, overclocker bundkortet nemlig helt fantastisk; kun overgået af 3 dyre socket 939 bundkort, her på Hardware-Test!

Pris: 4
Prisen er en af bundkortets stærke sider. 750kr er en fin pris for et crossfire kombatibelt bundkort, især når der står ASUS på æsken.

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Conclusion

My general impression of this ASUS motherboard has been really good. The product has been completely stable, its performance has been good, and overclocking has been better than expected. All in all, a product I can recommend.

Innovation/Technology 3
Technologically, there is nothing revolutionizing about this motherboard. ATI's cheap competitor to the nForce4 simply has too few features. For instance the lack of 32 PCI-E lanes and its poor USB performance. In addition, you need an adapter to make all the lanes available on the primary slot.
Uli's chipset, which ASUS has used as south bridge, is allright, and definitely a better alternative than ATI's SB450.

Bundle/Accessories 3
Considering the price, the bundle is reasonable. It is far from flashy, but it has what you need, and even plenty of it.

Design/Layout 4
The design is fine. ASUS have chosen only to use passive cooling, and most of the mosfets are even cooled - great. That the PCI-E ports have been switched, is okay in my opinion, as it leaves more room around the CPU.

Software/BIOS 3
The software that ASUS have written themselves works well. It does not, however, give you the option of changing fan speeds, which is too bad. That it comes with antivirus is very nice.
The BIOS is not extensive, but all in all it is okay. The biggest flaw is probably that you can only v-core up to 1.55v. Which means you must turn to pinmod if you want the full advantage of the motherboard's otherwise high potential.

Performance 4
The performance is fine. Unfortunately the only 16 PCI-Express lanes will result in a slight performance decrease in crossfire setup compared to the 32 lanes that both the Xpress 3200 and nForce4 SLi have available. That being said, there is fortunately a bonus hidden in this value motherboard. Considering its price the motherboard overclocks remarkably well - it is surpassed only by three expensive socket 939 motherboards here on Hardware-Test!

Price 4
The price is one of this motherboard's strong points. 750Dkk is a good price for a crossfire compatible motherboard, especially when it says ASUS on the box.