![]() TUF stands for "The Ultimate Force," and it's a term used to describe the military-grade components used in a given project because of their high tolerance for extreme conditions like shock, impact, humidity, and general abuse. Even if this is only ASUS' second "medium" option, it's still a welcome addition. With the Sabertooth 990FX R2.0, however, ASUS has managed to create a bit of confusion by taking a "small, medium, and big" approach to motherboard choices. The colour scheme they're paired with is either perfectly complementary or so garish that it makes me want to bolt an LN2 pot. At the top of the stack, where everything is soldered in place, you'll find the sculpted ceramic-covered heat sinks that belong in a museum alongside Ellsworth Kelly's Red, Yellow, Blue. Typically, when a motherboard maker releases its products to the public as potential homes for that sought-after processor, it simplifies the decision-making process for the end user. If you have the basics on hand, there's no reason to throw away a perfectly good PC part. The new Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 is out now.Since the Sabertooth 990FX is an older model, you could assume that no one is interested in it anymore.Ĭompleting all the required parts, which are also relatively outdated, can be difficult. At the other end is the Gigabit Ethernet socket and 6x 3.5mm stereo audio jacks providing 7.1 surround sound & microphone support. PS2 keyboard/mouse will keep n-key rollover lovers happy, while next to this is S/PDIF optical out. Highlighted in red is a new feature: BIOS Flashback, especially useful on AM3+ thanks to its cross compatibility with (soon) three generations of CPU, so you don't even need a CPU to update the latest BIOS should the board ever lack compatibility out the box. On the rear I/O there's more USB than you can swing a fist-full of mice at: 8x USB 2.0 & 4x USB 3.0, while there's those red SATA 6Gbps underneath. This function allows the user to regulate which software has bandwidth priority. The Gigabit Ethernet takes a leaf out of the Sabertooth Z77 book to include the Network iControl software. The Sabertooth has its unique T-Probe still (highlighted in red below), which has had an upgrade to include additional control for the case side-fan in order to regulates the extra airflow to hot graphics cards. The brown SATA ports (from the SB950 southbridge) support RAID 0,1,5,10, JBOD. Next to these is a capped USB 3.0 front panel pin-out (in green) that are 2 of the 6 USB 3.0 ports (which is an upgrade from 4 previous). There's now a full complement of 8 SATA 6Gbps ports internally, and two more eSATA 6Gbps on the rear I/O as well (whereas previously the extras were SATA 3Gbps). The PCI slot is still included for those who still have a Xonar D2, DG or DS, for example. The PCI-Express/PCI slot layout remains the same, with 3-way SLI and CrossFireX supported via the grey and brown 16x slots. This is due to Windows 8 Fast Boot function, which, while a great new asset to accelerating your PC into Windows in about 6 seconds, can also make getting into the BIOS particularly difficult. By pressing the button it sends the board straight into the UEFI BIOS upon the next boot, so no need to smoosh the Delete key into oblivion. Windows 8 ready? That will be the the DirectKey. Use this as a foundation to further tweak the memory settings if necessary. If you're ever having memory compatibility issues, hit this button and it will intelligently seek a configuration that works, allowing you to boot the system. MemOK!īy the memory slots is also the MemOK button. In place of the Thermal Armor that jackets other TUF models, the heatsinks here have specialized CeraM!X coating technology that increases the surface area, aiding heat dissipation. See our previous article for further details on its effect. T-Topology DDR3Īt the PCB level, all four memory slots have had the T-Topology workover, which enables better dual-channel overclocking and full 4-DIMM support. Between this and the new MOSFETs that now have little TUF arrows on them (see that?), this is now branded together as the TUF Engine Digital Power Design. The R2.0 has had several upgrades įirst of which is full DIGI+ Power Control, which includes a DIGI+ VRM controller for the (2 phases on the) DDR3 channels as well as another for the (8+2 phase) CPU VRMs. Much like the Crosshair V Formula-Z there's more going on under the surface than immediately meets the eye. 4x SATA cables (with 90 degree connectors for flush fitting HDD/SSD/optical drives).5 year warranty notice, certificate of component reliability (certifying TUF standards).Win 8 ready - how exactly? We'll explain over the page. Here's a quick unboxing and overview for TUF fans to see what's new: Just as the Crosshair V Formula-Z has been upgraded, the Sabertooth 990FX gets an R2.0 update as well.
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