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ASRock AM2V890-VSTA VIA K8T890 Socket AM2 Motherboard Review
ASRock AM2V890-VSTA VIA K8T890 Socket AM2 Motherboard Review  - PCSTATS
The ASRock AM2V890-VSTA Socket AM2 motherboard is the first motherboard to cross PCSTATS test bench based on the VIA K8T890 chipset.
 75% Rating:   
Filed under: Motherboards Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: ASRock Aug 16 2006   Max Page  
Home > Reviews > Motherboards > ASRock AM2V890-VSTA

Overclocking the ASRock motherboard

Overclocking Results:
stock max. oc
motherboard speed: 200 mhz

230 mhz

if you're new to Overclocking and not sure what to do, check out these two excellent Guides for some pointers:
Overclocking the CPU and Memory
Overclocking the Videocard

Even though ASRock openly advertises the overclocking features of its motherboards, you should not forget that most of ASRock motherboards are still targeted towards the entry level markets. At its heart, ASrock maybe a division of ASUS, but it is by no means on overclocking brand.

Before beginning to overclock the ASRock AM2V890-VSTA motherboard, the CPU clock multiplier was adjusted to 6x and the memory to run in DDR2-533 MHz mode. these changes ensure that neither the processor nor memory will hold the motherboard back.

Starting from a motherboard clock speed of 200 MHz, the clock speed was increased in 2-5 MHz intervals. The ASRock AM2V890-VSTA motherboard easily passed 220 MHz, but just as quickly topped out at around 230 MHz. We tried a few higher settings, but system stability was mediocre and thus unacceptable. The ASRock AM2V890-VSTA did not post the best overclock we've ever seen, but I suppose it's not too bad for a non-overclocking pedigree budget motherboard.

The ASRock BIOS:

The BIOS that ASRock employs with the AM2V890-VSTA motherboard is a bit different from the standard layout were mainly familiar with. The options are in different locations, but they are all there aside from extensive overclocking tweaks.

The AM2V890-VSTA motherboard clock frequency can be adjusted between 200-300 MHz in 1 MHz increments. You can also adjust the PCI Express and PCI frequencies. It's a good idea to leave those at stock speeds. ASRock includes multiplier controls, and you can raise the CPU voltage slightly as well. In the case of the Athlon64 FX-62 processor PCSTATS uses for testing that translated into a maximum of 1.45V.

In the same menu you'll find a comprehensive list of memory options. From CAS Latency to RAS-to-CAS Delay, Burst Length and more, they're all there. Advanced memory timings are somewhat unnecessary with a budget minded motherboard such as the AM2V890-VSTA, so we'd suggest you just leave them alone.

DDR2 memory voltage can be set from 'Normal' to 'Ultra High', whatever that means. Several basic peripheral adjustments can also be set. Now it's time to benchmark this motherboard

Prelude to Benchmarks

The details of how the ASRock AM2V890-VSTA motherboard test system was configured for benchmarking, including the specific hardware, software drivers, operating system and benchmark versions are indicated below. In the second column are the general specs for the reference platforms this socket AM2 VIA K8T890 based motherboard is to be compared against. Please take a moment to look over PCSTATS test system configurations before moving on to the individual benchmark results.

PCSTATS Test System Configurations
test system reference system #1 reference system #2
processor: amd Athlon64 FX-62 Intel Pentium D 940
Clock Speed: 14 x 200 MHz = 2.8 GHz

16 x 200 MHz = 3.2 GHz

Motherboard: ASRock AM2V890-VSTA (VIA K8T890)

Asus M2N32SLI-DLX (NF 590 SLI)
Foxconn C51XEM2AA (NF 590 SLI)

Foxconn 975X7AA-8EKRS2H (975X)
Videocard: MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E
Memory: Corsair Twin2X2048-8500
Hard Drive: 74GB Western Digital Raptor WD740
CDROM: AOpen Combo 52x
PowerSupply: PC Power & Cooling TurboCool 510 SLI
Heatsink: AMD Athlon64 FX-62 Reference

Thermaltake Jungle 512

Software Setup:

Microsoft WindowsXP SP2
VIA 4in1 5.09a
nVIDIA Forceware 91.27

Microsoft WindowsXP SP2
nVIDIA Forceware 9.35
nVIDIA Forceware 91.27

Microsoft WindowsXP SP2
Intel INF 7.22
nVIDIA Forceware 91.27

Benchmarks:

SYSMark 2004
Business Winstone 2004
Content Creation 2004
Super Pi
SiSoft Sandra 2005
PCMark05
3DMark05
3DMark06
FarCry
Doom 3

Quake 4

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Contents of Article: ASRock AM2V890-VSTA
 Pg 1.  ASRock AM2V890-VSTA VIA K8T890 Socket AM2 Motherboard Review
 Pg 2.  ASRock Motherboard Highlights
 Pg 3.  Socket AM2 Heatsink Specs and Retention
 Pg 4.  — Overclocking the ASRock motherboard
 Pg 5.  Benchmarks: SYSMark2004
 Pg 6.  Benchmarks: Office Productivity, SiSoft Sandra, Super Pi
 Pg 7.  Benchmarks: PCMark05, 3DMark05
 Pg 8.  Benchmarks: 3DMark06, FarCry
 Pg 9.  Benchmarks: X3: Reunion, Doom 3, Quake 4
 Pg 10.  Vintage VIA K8T890 for AM2 Worthwhile?

 
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