Test Setup
I am transitioning some of my tests to utilize new, fast SSDs. So unfortunately, a lot of the previous results from boards do not translate as they used a fast 7200 RPM spinning disk drive. I compared the Crosshair V Formula-Z to its predecessor, the Crosshair V Formula. In the weeks to come I will be comparing these results to Intel based boards when those reviews come out.
Eight SATA-6G ports, six of which are native to the SB950.
I am also using the latest, top end AMD CPU. The FX-8350 is the Piledriver based product that runs at a base 4 GHz with a 4.2 GHz turbo mode. The CPU features four modules/eight cores, 8 MB L2 cache, and 8 MB of L3 cache. This CPU is not overclocked, so the memory controller and cache run at the standard 2.2 GHz featured with this architecture. The memory used runs at DDR-3 1866 speeds with XMP profiles enabled.
The northern part of the board is pretty busy with buttons and diagnostic lights.
The test still uses the trusty AMD HD 5870 graphics card. Since the tests I am using are not GPU bound, it is a nice companion to the test setup. The latest Catalyst 13.1 drivers are used for testing. A fresh install of Windows 7 64 bit SP1 is done with the latest updates and drivers available.
The motherboard is actually mounted in a case throughout testing. I feel this is important as airflow will be more representative of usage as compared to an open test bench. Corsair provided the Carbide 300R case for testing purposes. This is a nice, roomy case with very good airflow and acoustics. Thanks again to Corsair for providing the 300R and the TX750M (modular) power supply for testing.
The VRM portion is nicely designed and keeps the socket in compliance with AMD's design specs.
Components
AMD FX-8350 CPU
GSkill DDR-3 1866 memory @ 9.10.9.28 timings
WD Caviar Black 1 TB HD (OS)
Samsung 256 GB 840 Pro SSD (File Tests)
Lite-On Blu-Ray Drive
Corsair TX750M Power Supply
Corsair Carbide 300R Case
Windows 7 64 Bit
Catalyst 13.1 Drivers
Well, speaking from a true
Well, speaking from a true Asus/AMD fan (no not a troll), I currently love my Asus Crosshair V Formula Z board. I got it all up and running maxed out on speed & RAM. Just saving up my money to get 2 high end MSI video cards for it. But if any of you are interested to know, that I currently still run and still use the original ROG motherboard. What is the original ROG motherboard? I am talking about the original release ROG Crosshair 1 board from 2008; even though BIOS just simply calls it “Crosshair”. I first saw this board on Amazon back then when I was building my new high end system, and it interested me enough to try it. It continues to run strong and fast to this day, just changed the CMOS battery earlier this year! 🙂 Goes to show how good ROG boards are! I am a ROG fan for as long as they make them for AMD CPU’s. 😀
I have a pc it has cross-hair
I have a pc it has cross-hair a fx chip 16 gig of memory and radieon 7990hd black edition gfx and it works ..dam i dont know how they do it but it works i can play games surf the net and stuff, (giggles) there was this one time right i went all out and talked to my friends while i played a game and surfed the net on another monitor i know right it was a little naughty but hey you only live once right.
so all i can say is i have no problems and as long as thats the case im happy.
and thats all thats important to me
Just got one, more then
Just got one, more then impressed, trying to get 5 ghz stable.
Thanks for the write-up. I
Thanks for the write-up. I enjoyed reading the results of your planning and hard work. I have been privileged to work on some sweet AMD and INTEL systems in my employment for many years but always wanted some of that quality and power in my home system design. I bought the crosshair v formula z and wasn’t dissappointed. The board holds its own under heavy loads and I don’t regret the expense. I’m a tightwad and will choose simplicity and quality over fancy useless fluff any day but this main board is exceptional. I believe most people’s experience is highly dependent on what ram and cpu they pair it with. I have 32gb of hyperx with an 8320 and it works just fine. It’s also more affordable than I thought. I am usually a gigabyte or asrock fan but I have built three of these for people and businesses and haven’t been dissappointed with its flexibility. I chose AMD because my experience is that they will keep the drivers updated and take feedback from end users.
I bought this board and a
I bought this board and a black edition FX-8350 the moment they were released, it is now 2018 and I have been running this combo on a moderate overclock(4.6ghz)for about 350 days a year since first install, it has been moved into a new case, got a bigger cooler,RAM capacity has been maxed and other components have changed around it, but it has performed flawlessly the entire time.
This year it will finally be retired to media server duties, but it has been an awesome board, I certainly got my money’s worth out of it.