Asus A8R-MVP: Mainstream Rocket

Basic Features: Asus A8R-MVP

Asus A8R-MVP
CPU Interface	Socket 939 Athlon 64
Chipset	ATI RD480 Northbridge - ULi M1575 Southbridge
Bus Speeds	200 to 400MHz in 1MHz Increments
Memory Speeds	DDR200, 266, 333, 400 (433, 466, 500 with Rev. E AMD)
PCIe Speeds	100 to 150MHz in 1MHz Increments
PCI/AGP	Fixed at 33/66
Core Voltage	Auto, 0.8V to 1.45V in 0.025V increments PLUS 0.2V with vCore Over-voltage (Maximum vCore 1.65V)
CPU Clock Multiplier	4X-25.5X in 0.5X increments
DRAM Voltage	Auto, 2.65V to 3.2V in .05V to .1V increments
HyperTransport Frequency	1000MHz (1GHz)
HyperTransport Multiplier	Auto, 1X to 5X
PCI Express Voltage	1.2V, 1.3V, 1.4V, 1.5V
Southbridge Overvoltage	Enabled (+0.1v)
PEG Link Mode	Auto, Disabled, Normal, Fast, Faster
PEG Bugger Length	Auto, Short, Long, Longer, Longest
AI Overclocking	Manual, Auto*, Standard*, Overclock Profile *Set CPU Frequency and Other Parameters Automatically
Overclock Profile Options	3%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30%
Memory Slots	Four 184-pin DDR DIMM Slots Dual-Channel Configuration Regular Unbuffered or ECC Memory to 4GB Total
Expansion Slots	2 PCIe x16 1 PCIe x1 3 PCI Slots 1 Asus MVP Switch Card in Secondary (Black) PCIe Slot
Onboard SATA/RAID	4 SATA2 Drives by ULi M1575 (RAID 0, 1, 1+0, 5, JBOD)
Onboard IDE/IDE RAID	Two Standard ATA133/100/66 (4 drives)
Onboard USB 2.0/IEEE-1394	8 USB 2.0 ports supported by ULi M1575 2 1394 Firewire by TI 1394
Onboard LAN	1 Gigabit Ethernet PCI Ethernet by Marvel Yukon 88E8001
Onboard Audio	Azalia HD Audio by ADI AD1986A Soundmax codec
BIOS Revision	AMI 0037 (11/17/05) Beta

While the BIOS adjustments are not as extensive as the Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe or the DFI RDX200, most of the adjustments needed for overclocking control are definitely here.

This includes memory voltage to 3.2V – much wider than most boards and the equal of the Asus A8N32-SLI. Memory voltage does not extend to 4.0V as it does on the DFI, but the only memory requiring these high voltages is OCZ VX and Mushkin Redline, both of which have been discontinued.

After our initial testing showed the A8R-MVP to be an excellent overclocker, we suggested to Asus that they support the higher memory ratios of the Revision E and above AMD Memory Controller and include additional adjustments for memory. Asus added the ratios and a few more memory controls, which will be available on-line as the board begins shipping this week.

The arrangement of options in AMI BIOS has not always been the most intuitive. You will find memory adjustments under “Advanced”, “CPU Configuration”, “Memory Configuration”, and “Memory Timing Configuration”. The logic of this menu nesting is obscure, but once you drill down to memory timing adjustments, you will find a fairly complete range of options. In most cases, you will need to change from “Auto” to “Manual” to bring up the adjustments.