ASUS Striker II Formula under the Microscope
by Rajinder Gill on March 19, 2008 4:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Initial Thoughts
Initial BIOS releases from ASUS were certainly a little rough around the edges, with each release completely changing how the board operates. The 1101 BIOS release is pretty much dead-on for dual-core CPU overclocking and general day-to-day use. During our time with the board, we were subjected to five different BIOS revisions, each with their own sweet-spots for performance and idiosyncrasies. Performance with the 1101 BIOS is generally good, and stability and peripheral device operation is excellent as we will see in the comparison article.
NVIDIA's 780i is on a par with the Intel X38/X48 DDR2 boards when it comes to dual-core CPU overclocking in the performance zone. ASUS has managed to supply clean power to the memory banks that allows us solid performance and 8GB memory overclocking potential, something we have not managed on other boards with the same settings.
It will be interesting to see how the reference boards measure up to the strengths of the Striker II Formula. For now, we would not hesitate to recommend this board for a dual-core SLI-based gaming system. Although 790i may be robbing this platform of the limelight, the real-world performance figures of both platforms are not enough to convince gamers that they need to make a jump over to the new DDR3-based chipset unless they have money burning in their pockets.
For the quad-core CPUs, we see the 780i coping with the 45nm Penryns in the same way we experienced when the 680i was first introduced to 65nm quad-core processors. As we expected, refinements to the GTL reference voltage circuitry has improved things a little, but the basic characteristics of the 680i SPP remain intact. The stable FSB limits of the 780i boards are still lower than we'd like - especially compared to Intel boards.
It's also interesting to note that the board behaves quite differently in its reboot cycles and failed overclock recovery when a quad-core CPU is used for testing. These effects generally begin to manifest as FSB speeds approach 400FSB, while speeds over this may require a CMOS reset to get the board up and running again. Then you can return to the prior settings before the overzealous overclocking attempt.
Our experiences using the EVGA 780i board so far have shown similar tendencies in certain ways, so the fault is down to the BIOS base code or the SPP itself. "Memory hole" issues are almost non-existent, with the Penryn quad-cores being the only ones to show any real flaws in the current BIOS. We still have some testing left to do, and our conclusion hinges upon the capabilities of the EVGA board when subjected to similar forms of testing. (The failure of the original board is naturally a concern already, however.) Of course, we are seeing the revised 750i and 650i boards hold their own in SLI performance in the midrange sector, so our final roundup of NVIDIA's current products for Intel owners should be interesting.
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joex444 - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - link
"1500QFSB (350MHz)" 2nd to last page, last paragraph.Do you mean 1400QFSB or (375MHz)?
Rajinder Gill - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - link
Sorry, 1400 is what it should read - corrected now..Thanks
Raja
Beenthere - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - link
Asus continues to produce half-baked CRAP for motherboards. They have been doing this for the past five years and people still buy their defective crap. When are consumers going to learn that a company will sell crap until people stop buying it and demand properly functioning products? People who are foolish enough to buy these defective products deserve exactly what they get.Margalus - Thursday, March 20, 2008 - link
sounds like someoone is bitter because they didn't buy an Asus board and thinks nobody else should have a decent motherboard because of that. Asus makes very good, stable motherboards.. Better than most. I don't know a single person that has had a problem with Asus. I am currently using this Striker Formula because I wanted sli and an e8400. The thing is typical Asus. Quality from the ground up, and not a single problem with it, as usual.takumsawsherman - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - link
There's no point to this board anyway. $340 and you still don't get Firewire800? Even if it does work properly and doesn't fail prematurely, it's overpriced for any benefit you could possibly derive from using such a board.skinflickBOB - Thursday, March 20, 2008 - link
If there were REAL demand for Firewire 800 on a board like this, it would probably be here. If it's such a big concern, have you thought about writing the big guns direct? I doubt anyone other than an old fart like me is really listening. Looking back at the review section (god it's been a long time since I last did), all I see is this comment about Firewire 800. Such a burning desire for an 'extra' should surely be chased down to where it matters.. But then, you would never buy a board for $300, so what's the issue?. I don't go down to the nearest Lamborghini garage and complain about the Murciélago using a 6.5 litre engine or being a low ride or whatever, cos I ain't buying the SOB. If it's such a big deal, buy yourself one of those budget 650i boards and spend the rest on a top notch Firewire card. there you go - job done.. Is that hard or something to think of?booyakasha..
Bazoo - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - link
As a previous owner (and unhappy one) of striker extreme, I would say that's a total waste of money. I heard lot's of reports of 650 and 750 based motherboards being much better overclockers and still capable of sli for much less money. It seems the little brothers are not that buggy like the 680/780 and would be interesting if anandtech dwelve in to that. In any event, only time would restore (or not...) my confidence in nvidia chipsets, even the 790 one (could be a joy in the sky) but... I would take a wait and see attitude. Then again, with intel changing socket in 9 months, I rather will sticky with my trust and fas p35 mb.Lord 666 - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - link
While I agree with you on the defective piece as the only MB that has ever died on me is an ASUS, you are a little off base with your pointless rant.Only with the 790's is the price getting a little out of hand, but MB's aren't that expensive so you can just buy another one.