Network, USB, Firewire & Disk Controller Performance

Both the ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe and the Epox MF570SLI are based on the same IO chip - the new nForce 590 MPP. It is called the nForce 570 in mainstream applications and some super high-end 590 features are not available, but the core IO functions are exactly the same. Since both boards use the already-tested nForce 500 chipsets, we did not repeat Network, USB, or Disk Controller performance.

For more information on the performance of nForce 500 IO, compared to other chipsets, please refer to the comparison graphs in NVIDIA nForce 500: Biostar and MSI Aim for the Gold and the chipset launch review nForce 500: nForce4 on Steroids?

In Part 4 retail ATI RD580 AM2/SB600 motherboard(s) will be reviewed. Network, USB, Firewire & Disk Controller Performance will be compared between the ATI and NVIDIA chipsets and will be reported in that final installment of the AM2 Motherboard Roundup.

Overclocking Comparison Audio Performance
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  • Missing Ghost - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - link

    yep the choice of I/O ports on the back panel is pretty poor
  • Larso - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - link

    Perhaps someone should clarify this for me. I have been noticing how there is a growing interest in how the motherboard makers have done the power conversion for the CPU. Why has this become an issue to investigate?

    I don't think there was a similar focus on the power converters for the netburst chips, which I believe soaked a lot more juice than these AMD chips. I believe they managed to deliver stable power to the netbursts without needing an 8 phase converter cooled by heatpipes??

    I'm fearing that the motherboard producers will start to create extravagant and foolishly designed converters to please the reviewers. I believe there is no good reason to go for an 8 phase design, when a 4 phase would do the job, considering the money that can be spend on each phase. And that ASUS need to cool the converter by heatpipe seems to indicate that the convertion have a bad effeciency, is this really a step forward?

    I really enjoy reading more about the technical solutions on the motherboards, but it just seems to me that the power converter should be less of an issue now, than with the power hungry netburts?
  • Operandi - Friday, June 30, 2006 - link

    A 8 phase design is more efficient then a 4 phase, not less.
  • Missing Ghost - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - link

    It seems to me that the heatpipes are more for cooling the chipset in fact.
  • erwos - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - link

    What WiFi chipset does it use? "It has WiFi" is not terribly precise.

    -Erwos
  • Wesley Fink - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - link

    The WiFi chip used on the Asus WiFi module is Realtek RTL8187L. The Features have been updated to reflect this.
  • Wesley Fink - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - link

    Asus refers to the Wi-Fi in specifications as "WiFi Home USB wireless module supporting IEE 802.11 b/g". There is no mention at all of the supporting chip. The module is attached to the motherboard and the chip is loacated behind heatpipes. We can't read the model number, but the logo is clearly Realtek.
  • highlnder69 - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - link

    On page 8 under Half Life 2 - SLI Gaming Performance, I think that the Asus Single/SLI results are labeled incorrectly. It's currently showing the Single card configuration with the highest FPS results and the SLI with the lowest.
  • Wesley Fink - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - link

    You are correct, the labels were reversed. They are now corrected.
  • DigitalFreak - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - link

    Someone needs to teach the idiots at Asus about how to design the proper motherboard layout. With an SLI setup with dual width cards, there's no PCI-E slots available.

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