Overclocking

Testbeds:

• CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 810
• RAM: 2 x 2GB Apacer DDR3-1333 CL9 9-9-9-24-1T for Socket AM3 boards; 2 x 2GB GoodRAM PRO DDR2-1066 CL5 5-5-5-15-2T for Socket AM2+ boards
• HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (SATA, 7200rpm)
• Graphics card: ATI RADEON HD4850, 512 MB GDDR3
• PSU: AcBel ATX-550CA-AB8FB
• OS: Windows Vista SP1 64-bit, Catalyst 9.2, latest chipset drivers

Benchmarks:

• 7-Zip 4.65 x64
• WinRAR 3.80
• XviD 1.2.1
• x264 r1129 x64
• FarCry 2 (Ranch Medium)
• Crysis (DX10, HOCbenchmark, VGA test, built-in demo)
• Devil May Cry 4 (built-in benchmark)
• World in Conlict (built-in benchmark)

To assess performance we measure time required to archive a 297MB set of 277 files of various types and convert a 636MB MPEG2 video using XviD and x264. We also measure frames per second in game demos. In FarCry 2 we run tests in 4 modes: low, medium, high and very high quality. The first three modes imply the aforesaid quality level, 1280x720 resolution, DX9 rendering, High Performance. The last mode implies: 1680x1050 resolution, Very High setting for both graphics and system, DX10 rendering. In Crysis we also use 4 modes at 1024x768 and 1280x1024 and run tests at Low and High quality in each mode. In Devil May Cry 4 we run two tests: 1280x720 (High DX9) and 1680x1050 (Super High DX10). In World in Conlict we run test in 4 modes: 1280x720 Low, 1280x720 Medium, 1680x1050 High, 1680x1050 Very High.

It's obvious which modes should be used with integrated graphics and which, with discrete graphics. Note that if a motherboard has no integrated graphics, performance tests are only used to check for serious layout or BIOS flaws and can be reduced to minimum. Vice versa, performance tests are indicative for motherboards with integrated graphics. And if a certain motherboard review lacks certain details, we might add respective test results to make up for it.

To assess capabilities of a motherboard and its BIOS, we overclock test CPUs (which ones depends on board's market segment) to a stable maximum with the help of Zalman CNPS9700 AM2 and Cooler Master Hyper Z600 coolers. At that we use all motherboard features, like CPU core voltage adjustments and, if needed, bus multiplier and clock adjustments (Hyper-Transport, CPU NB, etc.) For RAM we select a clock rate typical for this class of modules by adjusting its multiplier, or clock rate needed to maximize CPU core clock rate. The stability of an overclocked machine is assessed in Windows Vista with the help of AMD OverDrive stability test (all tests are run for 5 minutes). Note that since overclocking potential somewhat varies from one board to another, we are not focused on finding board's exact overclocking potential accurate to 1MHz. We just try to find out if a board hampers in CPU overclocking (due to insufficient voltage stabilizer power, etc.) and see how it performs in atypical modes, including automatic BIOS recovery in cases of overclocking issues (not requiring CMOS reset) and such.

Power consumption is assessed in the light-load mode (with text editor running) and in the heavy-load mode (FarCry 2, high quality, 1280x720). Processor's standard power-saving features are enabled. Also if a board has proprietary power-saving features, we examine their efficiency separately.

The CPU voltage range, as well as some other parameters, depends on the given processor. We publish the results of our AMD Phenom II X4 810 and BIOS v0402. Both motherboards had the same BIOS version and identical settings and values.

First of all, you can see that the BIOS GUI concept continues to evolve. The user-friendly screen will help inexperienced users who might be scared by the classic text-based interface. Anyway, except for monitoring, you can also select a power-saving mode and a bootable drive.

Other parameters, including a comprehensive set of overclocking settings, become available in the advanced mode which is also GUI-based. More expensive model may offer more settings, but there are still enough parameters to, say, fine-tune memory. There are also current and temperature monitoring options needed to overclock Socket AM3+ CPUs. Speaking of currents, there's a Turbo Core mode that allows you to raise frequencies above safe.

As you can see, both motherboards demonstrated identical results which were close to the maximum. This is also close to what other motherboards with decent overclocking capabilities can offer.

Enclosure power consumption

We measure power consumption with the wattmeter built into the PSU.

ASUS M5A97 EVO is more power-efficient than ASUS M5A99X EVO, which is a surprise, given that boards are very similar and have identical power circuitry.

Final thoughts

Both ASUS M5A97 EVO and ASUS M5A99X EVO offer all you may need to build a solid gaming rig or a decent workhorse. It's nice that things like CPU VRMs with lots of phases, high-quality circuitry and diverse interfaces have become a standard in the mid-end range.

Chipset heatsinks on both boards have no particular reserve for extreme overclocking or even passively cooled enclosures. But in case of moderate overclocking (which probably covers 90% of situations) they will do fine, including the use with standard coolers that come boxed with processors. And if you don't plan to overclock at all, everything should be just fine.

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