Performance

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.

Five motherboards out of six do not deviate from the typical, so this aspect may be ruled out when choosing what to buy. As for the minor lag of ASRock 870 Extreme3, you won't feel it in real life unless you're conducting some special tests.

Enclosure power consumption

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

Power consumption differs much, because motherboards feature different power ciruitry. MSI 870A-G54 is the most power-efficient of the six. Which is only logical, because it has the fewest additional controllers.

Also note the substantial effect of the Green Power Utility of Biostar TA870+ that disables unused phases under light load. Not all motherboards are like that, however. For example, ASUS's EPU seems to have no effect whatsoever. As for Biostar TA870+, it's still an outsider in terms of power consumption, especially under load.

One board we should give credit to is Gigabyte 870A-UD3. It demonstrates one of the best results while being the most feature-rich.

Overclocking

* — Boots up automatically with default settings after a number of cold starts specified in BIOS.

MSI 870A-G54 performs well, but the leader is ASUS M4A87TD EVO. Another three motherboards are similar in terms of overclocking. ASRock 870 Extreme3 suddenly demonstrated the lowest result. This is strange, because ASRock usually strives to make overclocker motherboards.

Conclusions

Almost all motherboards we compared today are worth their price. The least feature-rich MSI 870A-G54 is also one of the cheapest and the most power-efficient. It also offers second-best overclocking potential and has elite Hi-c capacitors. Biostar TA870+ offers more features, including eSATA 3.0, and it's also inexpensive. If you like motherboards from major brands but still want to save some money, ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 is your choice. If you don't care about brands, ASRock 870 Extreme3 looks more interesting in terms of features. However, there are reasons to pay a bit more and go with ASUS M4A87TD EVO, too. This will get you the best overclocking potential of the six. Finally, Gigabyte 870A-UD3 is probably the most expensive, but it offers the most features of all the motherboards we compared today.

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