Asus PRO Socket AM3/AMD 890GX | MAXIMUM COMPUTER HARDWARE

The ASUS M4A89GTD Pro USB3 delivers staggering versatility to any PC builder looking to get the most bang for their buck. Being the most awarded and most trusted motherboard maker, ASUS injects the rock solid M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 with performance enhancing features. This easy-to-tweak motherboard is equipped with a wide array of exclusive innovations such as Core Unlocker that unlocks processor cores, Turbo Unlocker to optimize individual core frequencies, and GPU Boost to accelerate onboard GPU performance on the fly.

True to its name, the Core Unlocker feature instantly activates up to two hidden processing cores potentially doubling the processing performance. To take the performance even further, Turbo Unlocker dynamically adjusts individual processor core frequencies for the task at hand in a simple click of a button via the ASUS TurboV Evo software utility. Sporting the AMD 89GX chipset, the M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 supports the latest AMD socket AM3 Phenom II X6 6-core processor and dual channel DDR3 memory architecture. It also comes with an integrated ATI Radeon HD 4290 graphics built onboard with ASUS’ exclusive GPU Boost super-charging the performance even further.

Key Features :

AMD Socket AM3 Phenom II x6 compatible (140x support)

AMD 890GX Chipset and integrated ATI Radeon HD 4290 graphics

4-DIMMs supporting up to 16GB of DDR3 2000 (overclocked) max

2x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots supporting ATI Hybrid CrossFireX

ASUS Core Unlocker activates hidden cores to maximize processing potential1

ASUS Turbo Unlocker dynamically and intelligently optimizes each processor core for the task at hand1

ASUS GPU Boost delivers up to 40-precent better performance for integrated graphics via TurboV Evo interface1

USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s for unsurpassed data transfer speed

Warranty : The M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 carries a 3 year limited product warranty. ASUS product warranty is based on the serial number printed on the box.
What's in the Box The entire ASUS M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 package contains the following: M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 motherboard, User's manual, 2 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s cables, 2 x Serial ATA 6.0Gb/s cables, 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100 cable, ASUS Q-Shield, 2-in-1 Q-Connector, 1 x VGA Switch card, Support Disc: Drivers, Anti-virus software (OEM version), ASUS Update, ASUS Utilities

User Review By Jason Walker (OR,USA):

This is actually my first ASUS board. I have been using MSI products for the last few years with no issues, so why the change? Upon reading the specifications of the new MSI, I liked the fact that ASUS has more features including the core unlocker that allows all cores to achieve full performance capabilities, also I've heard from friends that ASUS makes some really good bios chipsets. This board has some really noticeable features like USB 3 and SATA 6 which don't have so much of an impact on users now, but will soon in the future.

Another feature which I have not seen before is the easy bios upgrade feature that allows a user to upgrade bios in bios and checks the file to be sure its compatible with the chipset. There are many other feature which I haven't had the chance to mess around with yet, like the Hybrid CrossfireX technology and ASUS TurboV EVO, not to mention even more overclocking features, however, I must admit I'm not one to overclock even with liquid cooling installed, mostly since I'm not a millionaire and can't afford to overheat a cpu, but if you have the money and experience this board will definitely take advantage of what your processor can do, also this will support the new 6 cores; also this new chipset features the Radeon HD 4290 onboard GPU that supports 512mb and has direct X 10.1 features and comes with multiple VGA outputs, HDMI, DVI, RGB. I only used the onboard when first firing her up, so I didn't get a chance to see what it could do in games like Bioshock or Battlefield Bad Company, but I can imagine being able to play at 1920 X 1080p with just about every setting maxed.

If there is one negative thing about this board it would have to be that it has no floppy drive support, and while you don't really need one anyways, I did buy a brand new one, along with floppy disks, but that's just being to used to older tech since it was required to have a floppy disk to create partitions and for RAID drivers in the past.Overall, the price and technology in this board is more than exceptional and had it up and running with the first power on without any problems, ASUS also gives you some pretty good software on their driver CD like ASUS Probe 2 which has a great interface and shows motherboard and cpu temperatures. Now I just need to save some money for another Radeon card then I can give crossfire X a test run. -Great board.

User Review By Elc :

Bought this board since it was an AM3 socket which was what i was looking for, overall im very impressed by the board, had a bit of a problem installing the board in my case, since there wasnt quite enough room for the back panel cover. The board has a great design too, love the mem ok button, had some initial problems with my RAM (it doesnt accept 1600MHz RAM right off the bat), but thats simple to get around, just put the RAM in, and use the MEM-OK button and it will work perfectly fine, then just go to the BIOS and change the frequency to the 1600MHz that you wanted.

The BIOS is also great for this board, lets you tweak allot of stuff very easily and the layout is very user friendly. If you want to take a gamble, you can opt to try the core unlocker, some AMD processors have locked cores, for example the Athlon II and Phenom II X2 and X3 models are models with locked cores, if you are lucky enough, the locked cores will be in workable condition, therefore, adding 1 or maybe even 2 more cores to your processor. just a bit of a warning and note on that, the X2 and X3 models are usually designated that because of manufacturing defects on the locked cores, so remember that theres no guarantee you will get extra cores, and also if you do unlock the cores, you may have to fiddle with the settings to get them to be stable. but hey, if you buy a dual/triple core and try the unlocker, you cant loose, at worse you will just be stuck with the processor you paid for, which is still pretty good since AMD offers very good prices for their products, the best is getting a hell of a lot more bang for your buck by getting a quad core for the price of a dual.

A bit of a side note, the GTD version(this one) comes with a decent integrated video card (ATI Radeon HD 4290) which you can change the amount of integrated memory it uses, up to 512mb, so you can have a 512mb DDR3 video card right off the bat without paying for a video card, and i must say, the integrated video card impresses me, you cant do anything past light gaming with it, but it runs TF2 (high settings) and Fallout 3 (medium settings) pretty well, i have even heard you can play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on minimum settings smoothly. you should be able to play almost every game on minimum settings smoothly at the very least as of now (Oct 2010).

So, if you are on a budget, you can forgo buying a video card temporarily with this board, which is what i did, I eventually got myself an ATI Radeon HD 5770. Overall, I highly recommend this mobo, its feature set will come in handy for users of nearly any level, plus, you wont need to upgrade the mobo itself for years since its built for upgrading.