ASRock 890GM Pro3 AMD Socket AM3 DDR3 Motherboard Review

Manufacturer ASRock
Name 890GM Pro3
Type / Chipset Socket AM3 CPU / AMD 890GX Chipset (AMD SB850 Southbridge)
Dimensions +++ 22 mm (44 mm radius) around the socket to the next capacitor or other mainboard parts – for further information see Fit for Fan. The overall size of this Micro ATX mainboard is 228 x 244 mm.
Slots ++ 2x pci, 2x PCIe 2.0: 1×16/1×1, 4x DDR3-800 – DDR3-1600 (DDR3-1800 OC) max 16GB RAM
Connectors

++++ 5x SATA3, RAID, 1x eSATA3, 1x serial (optional), 1x PS/2, 1x IR (optional), 1x onBoard 10/100/1000 Mbps base-T Ethernet (Realtek RTL 8111E), 1x USB 3.0, 13x USB 2.0 (8x of them internal, slot bracket for additional ports is not included), 2x IEEE1394 (1x of them internal, slot bracket for additional ports is not included), 8-Channel VIA VT2020 onboard 7.1 sound with 5x 3.5 mm connectors (1x optical S/PDIF out, 1x int. Aux, ext. Line in, ext. Mic, ext. Front out, ext. Rear out, ext. Center/Subwoofer), 1x D-Sub VGA, 1x DVI-D or 1x HDMI and 3x fan connectors (1x 4pin and 2x 3pin).

Vcore ++++ BIOS between 0.6 Volt and 1.7500 Volt in steps of 0.025 Volt (Vcore depends on the CPU)
Multiplier ++++ BIOS between 0.5x and 13x (max multi depends on the CPU) and 1x – 10x HT / 5x – 10x NB
Host Frequency ++++ BIOS between 150 and 500 MHz (PCIe 75 – 250 MHz)
VIO/VDD ++++ VMem (DDR3 voltage) 1.30 – 2.05 Volt, NB 0.6000 – 1.7500 Volt, HT 1.20 – 1.30 Volt, SB 1.10 – 1.20 Volt, mGPU 1.09 – 1.58 Volt, Sideport Memory voltage 1.50 – 1.80 Volt.
Performance* ++++ Benchmark ratings with some video cards and benchmark tools.

SiSoftware Sandra 2010c Benchmark ratings with AMD Phenom II 710 processor. SiSoftware Sandra 2010c Arithmetik Processorperformance in Windows 7 RC: 26,4 GOPS SiSoftware Sandra 2010c Multimedia Processorperformance in Windows 7 RC: 54,33 MPixel/s

3DMark Vantage Entry Test Benchmark values with AMD Phenom II 710 processor. 1x Gigabyte GV-N250OC-1GI Nvidia GTS250 PCIe 2.0 video card: 3DMark Vantage Entry Test in Windows 7 RC: E28590 (GPU: 28490 / CPU: 28893) 1x Sapphire HD4870 512MB ATI Radeon HD4870 PCIe 2.0 video card: 3DMark Vantage Entry Test in Windows 7 RC: E17514 (GPU: 35821 / CPU: 6913) 1x onBoard AMD HD4290 DX10.1 graphics chip: 3DMark Vantage Entry Test in Windows 7 RC: E3045 (GPU: 2568 / CPU: 6862)

3DMark06 Benchmark values with AMD Phenom II 710 processor. 1x Gigabyte GV-N250OC-1GI Nvidia GTS250 PCIe 2.0 video card: 3DMark06 in Windows 7 RC: 12495 3DMarks 1x Sapphire HD4870 512MB ATI Radeon HD4870 PCIe 2.0 video card: 3DMark06 in Windows 7 RC: 13374 3DMarks 1x onBoard AMD HD4290 DX10.1 graphics chip: 3DMark06 in Windows 7 RC: 2195 3DMarks

3DMark03 Benchmark values with AMD Phenom II 710 processor. 1x Gigabyte GV-N250OC-1GI Nvidia GTS250 PCIe 2.0 video card: 3DMark03 in Windows 7 RC: 40462 3DMarks 1x Sapphire HD4870 512MB ATI Radeon HD4870 PCIe 2.0 video card: 3DMark03 in Windows 7 RC: 51809 3DMarks 1x onBoard AMD HD4290 DX10.1 graphics chip: 3DMark03 in Windows 7 RC: 5763 3DMarks

Manual and Labeling

++ Complete and well placed motherboard description and good manual. Except for the often-mentioned missing BIOS section, it’s a detailed manual in different languages Small devaluation of the manual, because the BIOS is explained only in the PDF manual on the DVD, which doesn’t help if you are in the BIOS. Additionally an IES- and an Instant Boot quick reference guide were included.