ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 Motherboard Review

1. Introduction2. ASUS TUF 990FX R3.0: Packaging and Bundle3. ASUS TUF 990FX R3.0: Board Layout and Features4. ASUS TUF 990FX UEFI & Software5. Testing Methodology6. Tests: CPU Related7. Tests: Memory & System Related8. Tests: Gaming Related9. Overclocking & Power Consumption10. Tests: Motherboard Features Performance11. Closing Thoughts12. View All Pages

AMD's new AM4 platform is fresh on the market but the overall investment cost is still high with the current crop of Ryzen 7 CPUs starting at more than £300. What if you have an AMD FX-series processor that you are happy with and simply want a new motherboard with a more up-to-date feature set?

Maybe your current AM3+ motherboard is on its last legs and you simply want a drop-in replacement rather than a new processor, memory, and cooling hardware. We look at ASUS' TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 to see if it's still a worthy option for AM3+ buyers.

Notable features for the ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 include AURA RGB support, a PCIe-capable M.2 connector, and 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2. All three of those inclusions show the updated nature of ASUS' motherboard as none of them was available at the launch of AMD's 990FX chipset.

Focussing on the more influential factors for buyers with power-hungry FX chips, ASUS deploys an 8+2-phase VRM that is built with digital control and ‘TUF‘ components.

Features (taken from the ASUS product page):

• Aura RGB lighting – full RGB control with a variety of exciting presets for its on-board LED illumination
• Digital gunmetal-gray camouflage PCB and Q-LED indicators
• SafeSlot – Reinvented, strengthened PCIe slot utilizes a new insert-molding process for superior retention and shearing resistance.
• USB 3.1 onboard – three Type-A port plus a reversible Type-C port
• TUF Components – [TUF Alloy Chokes, TUF Caps & MOSFETs; Certified by Military-standard]

The ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 ships in dark-coloured packaging that features information pertaining to specifications and noteworthy features on the rear side.

Four SATA cables, the rear IO shield with a vented section, ASUS’ Q-connector block, and an SLI bridge form the accessory bundle. Disappointingly, the SLI bridge is an ugly brown colour that could quickly destroy the aesthetic appeal of a system build.

The usual set of documentation is provided alongside a TUF case sticker and a certificate of reliability.

Styling for the Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 is typical for a TUF Sabertooth board. The PCB features a camo black and grey styling with a reflective finish while hints of beige and white are sprinkled around the board adding to the military-style theme. RGB lighting, primarily found on the PCIe slot connectors, can be used to add customisable colours.

A rear IO cover serves two purposes – blocking out the ugly rear ports and acting as a mounting location for a small rear fan that can be used to cool the VRM components. A heatsink on the board’s rear side cools additional components relating to the power delivery system. A healthy quota of PCIe lanes from the 990FX Northbridge means that a pair of electrical x16 slots are wired alongside two x8 links (one of which is limited to x4 usage).

Up to 32GB of DDR3 memory can be installed in the four DIMM slots. ASUS quotes support for dual-channel DDR3 at up to 1866MHz frequency but we used 2400MHz RAM without problems thanks to the high divider in ASUS’ UEFI. A Digi+ ASP1103 chip manages power for the memory.

One of the board’s two 5Gbps USB 3.0 internal headers is found below the 24-pin connector. This location is fine but ASUS’ mounting point is slightly inwards of the board’s edge and the orientation is horizontal, making cable management a more challenging task.

An 8+2-phase power delivery system feeds the AM3+ CPU socket. With TDPs as high as 220W before overclocking, that 8+2-phase system will be put to suitable work when running a high-clocked 8-core Vishera chip.

The ‘TUF’ power delivery components are made up of ON Semiconductors 4C06B and 4C09B MOSFETs for the high and low side as well as 5000-hour-rated capacitors and alloy chokes. Managing the system is an ASUS-packaged Digi+ VRM EPU ASP1000C PWM controller which seems to provide 5 true phases for the CPU that are doubled to 10 physical phases using IRC S598 EXLRP doublers/drivers mounted on the rear. Cooling for the MOSFETs looks to be proficient and clock gen duties are handled by an ICS chip.

Only five SATA 6Gbps connectors are mounted on the board as one of the SB950 southbridge’s links is fed to the SATA 6Gbps-capable M.2 slot.

That M.2 connector also supports PCIe x4 SSDs up to 110mm in length, though don’t expect to max out transfer rates on your shiny new Samsung 960 EVO as the PCIe links are Gen 2, NOT Gen 3. That makes the slot capable of an effective 20Gbps bandwidth which, following efficiency conversion for 8/10-bit encoding for PCIe Gen 2, translates into a maximum theoretical transfer rate of 2GBps. Quite a way off the 4GBps capability of PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots on modern Intel and AMD platforms.

The primary graphics card slot uses ASUS’ SafeSlot design that basically means that it is thicker and reinforced to minimise PCB sag and reduce the likelihood of slot damage during shipping of a full system.

PCIe 2.0 bandwidth is fed to the grey slots at full x16 bandwidth in both single and dual card operation. Three graphics cards can run at x16/x8/x8, which makes the Sabertooth R3.0 3-way SLI and CrossFire capable. One of the black full-length slots runs at PCIe 2.0 x4 bandwidth, making it suitable for running a multi-port networking card or similar.

Both PCIe 2.0 x1 slots are likely to be blocked out by graphics cards installed in the positions above them. Slot spacing is fine – 2-card operation is comfortable and there’s a cooling gap between the boards.

An additional 5Gbps front panel USB 3.0 header is mounted on the bottom of the board, provided by an ASMedia ASM1074 hub chipset that shares its bandwidth with the other internal USB 3.0 header. Power and BIOS Flashback buttons are also found on the bottom edge.

Disappointingly, there is no 4-pin RGB header that can be used to control internal RGB strip cables.

The audio system is based around the Realtek ALC1150 chipset and features multiple power-smoothing capacitors. A Realtek R45801 amplifier is also used.

There’s no shielding for the codec but the audio tracks are on segregated PCB layers.

ASUS leverages the ample PCIe connectivity of AMD’s 990FX/SB950 combo to provide four 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports on the rear IO (3 in Type-A form and 1 Type-C thanks to an add-on EtronTech EJ179V logic chipset). 3A power output is supported over all the USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports.

Additional USB Type-A ports are provided through an ASM1074 chipset (for the 5Gbps USB 3.0 connectors) as well as the chipset for the quartet of USB 2.0 ports. The NIC is Intel’s I211AT chipset.

A TUF-branded cover can be used to install a 40mm fan next to the VRM heatsink. The fan can be set as a rear intake to force cool air directly over the hard-pushed VRM heatsink when a heavy overclock is applied.

QLED indicators on the southbridge heatsink are a smart move by ASUS. They save a user from searching across the PCB for the relevant boot functionality LED. However, they are likely to be partially blocked by a graphics card.

Six 4-pin fan headers are spread primarily around the top-half of the motherboard. The headers feed into ASUS' Thermal Radar 2 system that is managed by the ITE IT8721F chipset.

3-pin DC and 4-pin PWM fan control modes are possible on the trio of CPU-linked headers. Multiple temperature sensors are spread across the motherboard and fan speed curves can be set to react per the relevant sensor reading.

ASUS TUF 990FX UEFI

Firstly, we are pleased to report that our generic wireless mouse worked correctly in the Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 UEFI. Some mice can be troubling with UEFI support, so when a generic wireless unit functions correctly in the interface, that is usually a good sign for overall mouse support.

The ASUS UEFI is well laid-out and easy to navigate. The interface opens in the EZ Mode by default, which allows users to select several operations relating to basic system functionality. Hitting F7 takes a user into the Advanced mode.

AI Tweaker provides plenty of overclocking-related options through its own page and its various subsections. Memory dividers up to DDR3-2400MHz can be selected, which is a high frequency for a motherboard on this AMD platform. Five load-line calibration options are present and the CPU and NB voltages can be set in offset and manual operating modes. I like that ASUS uses a colour system to indicate the sensibility of the selected voltage level. For example, 1.45V is highlighted yellow for the CPU as this level is moderately high.

The RGB LEDs can be enabled or disabled during sleep and shut down states. USB 3.1 and M.2 operation can also be managed in the UEFI.

ASUS' fan and monitoring section is strong. The TUF motherboard supports PWM and DC fan control and ships with three pre-set fan profiles in addition to the option for manual tuning. ASUS' manual fan curve tuning is conducted in a numerical fashion, which isn't as intuitive as a graphical approach (as is present in the OS software). The CPU fan cannot be set to operate at 0%, which is disappointing and removes a level of user control.

Up to eight settings profiles can be saved and renamed.

UEFI Summary:

The TUF motherboard's UEFI is easy to use, has plenty of functionality, and provides strong control for frequency tweaking. The fan control functionality is strong but a graphical interface would be better. Support for memory dividers up to 2400MHz is another clear strength. I would have liked to see better explanation of the load-line calibration settings by using a visual graph to show voltage adjustment as a curve.

Software

Thermal Radar 2 is the system management software for ASUS' TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 motherboard. This is basically the same as AI Suite found on non-TUF solutions.

An element of CPU and DRAM power control is allocated inside the software utility. While this is a reasonable inclusion, we highly doubt that overclockers will use it in favour of the bulletproof UEFI approach.

ASUS' Thermal Tuning function can be used to automatically optimise the running characteristics of system fans. No less than 10 temperature sensors are spread across the motherboard, with their data feeding back in the Thermal Radar 2 software tool. This is great to see as widespread thermal measurement has long been one of the strengths for TUF motherboards.

Individual fan speed curves can be set for each of the fan headers. There are four preset modes to choose from or manual tuning can be applied. ASUS gives each of these graphs a name for them to be more easily tied to the fan that they are designed for. Multiple profiles can be saved and loaded, allowing you to select a set of curves for gaming, daily tasks, and overnight silence, for example.

Aside from the ten thermal probes, further monitoring readouts are displayed across the bottom of the page. These include frequency, voltage, and fan speed measurements that all adjust in real-time.

USB 3.1 Boost can be used to speed up transfer rates on relevant external drives. We tested this with a pair of SSDs in RAID 0 connected to USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports and found that enabling USB 3.1 Boost delivered a strong increase to performance.

USB BIOS Flashback is a straightforward way for updating the BIOS. This is another worthwhile inclusion as performing a BIOS update is a daunting task for some users (granted not those in this board's target audience).

The AURA RGB LED tool provided for ASUS' TUF motherboard is clearly more basic than the version found with newer Z270 and AM4 motherboards. With that said, I also found the circle and slider colour control easier to use than the updated version, so that's a positive for the TUF offering. Multiple modes can be selected, including one that changes the lighting colour with respect to CPU temperature.

Only the PCIe slot latches feature LED control through AURA. There is no 4-pin RGB header on this motherboard, so no ability to control external lighting.

We will be outlining the ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 motherboard’s performance with the AMD FX-8370 CPU and 16GB of 2400MHz G.Skill TridentX DDR3 memory.

AM3+ Motherboard Test System:

• Processor: AMD FX-8370.
• Memory: 16GB (2x8GB) G.Skill TridentX 2400MHz DDR3 @ 1.65V.
• Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX Titan X Pascal (custom fan curve to eliminate thermal throttling).
• System Drive: 240GB Patriot Wildfire SATA 6Gbps SSD.
• Games Drive: 960GB SK Hynix SE3010 SATA 6Gbps SSD.
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14.
• Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Anniversary Update).

Compared AM3+ Motherboards:

• Gigabyte 990FX-Gaming.

Software:

• ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 BIOS v0212.
• GeForce 376.19 VGA drivers.

Tests:

• Cinebench R15 – All-core CPU benchmark (CPU)
• HandBrake 0.10.5 – Convert 6.27GB 4K video recording using the Normal Profile setting and MP4 container (CPU)
• SiSoft Sandra 2016 SP1 – Processor Arithmetic Test (CPU) and Memory Bandwidth Test (Memory)
• 7-Zip 16.04 – Built-in 7-Zip benchmark test (CPU & Memory)
• 3DMark Fire Strike v1.1 – Fire Strike (1080p) test (Gaming)
• Ashes of the Singularity – Built-in benchmark tool CPU-Focused test, 1920 x 1080, Extreme quality preset, DX12 version (Gaming)
• Grand Theft Auto V – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Maximum quality settings, Maximum Advanced Graphics (Gaming)
• ATTO – M.2, USB 3.1, and SATA 6Gbps transfer rates (Motherboard)
• RightMark Audio Analyzer – Record and playback test using a line-in to line-out loopback with a 3.5mm audio cable (Motherboard)

Cinebench R15

Cinebench is an application which renders a photorealistic 3D scene to benchmark a computer’s rendering performance, on one CPU core, all CPU cores or using the GPU. We run the test using the all core CPU mode.

Sandra Processor Arithmetic

SiSoft Sandra 2016 is a multi-function utility program that supports remote analysis, benchmarking and diagnostic features for PCs, servers, mobile devices and networks. We run the application’s processor arithmetic test to gauge the CPU performance on each tested motherboard.

Handbrake Conversion

Handbrake is a free and open-source video transcoding tool that can be used to convert video files between different codecs, formats and resolutions. We measured the average frame rate achieved for a task of converting a 6.27GB 4K video using the Normal Profile setting and MP4 container. The test stresses all CPU cores to 100% and shows an affinity for memory bandwidth.

CPU-based performance is close to that of Gigabyte's 990FX-based competitor.

Sandra Memory Bandwidth

SiSoft Sandra 2016 is a multi-function utility program that supports remote analysis, benchmarking and diagnostic features for PCs, servers, mobile devices and networks. We use the SiSoft Sandra memory bandwidth test to provide a set of memory bandwidth results.

7-Zip

7-Zip is an open source Windows utility for manipulating archives. We measure the Total Rating performance using the built-in benchmark tool. The test stresses all CPU cores to 100% and shows an affinity for memory bandwidth.

ASUS' support for DDR3-2400 memory gives it a performance lead in 7-Zip, compared to Gigabyte's limit of 2133MHz.

3DMark

3DMark is a multi-platform hardware benchmark designed to test varying resolutions and detail levels of 3D gaming performance. We run the Windows platform test and in particular the Fire Strike benchmark, which is indicative of high-end 1080p PC Gaming.

Ashes of the Singularity

Ashes of the Singularity is a Sci-Fi real-time strategy game built for the PC platform. The game includes a built-in benchmark tool and was one of the first available DirectX 12 benchmarks. We run the CPU-focused benchmark using DirectX 12, a 1080p resolution and the Extreme quality preset.

Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V remains an immensely popular game for PC gamers and as such retains its place in our test suite. The well-designed game engine is capable of providing heavy stress to a number of system components, including the GPU, CPU, and Memory, and can highlight performance differences between motherboards. We run the built-in benchmark using a 1080p resolution and generally Maximum quality settings (including Advanced Graphics).

Aided by the faster memory, gaming performance on ASUS' board is stronger than on the 990FX-Gaming.

Manual CPU Overclocking:

To test the ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 motherboard’s CPU overclocking potential, we first increased the CPU Voltage to 1.45V and NB Voltage to 1.30V.

We maintained the DRAM frequency at 2400MHz to take its stability out of the overclocking equation.

We managed to hit a 4.6GHz all-core overclock while also using a 2.6GHz NB frequency. Adjustments to the LLC profile would enable better voltage accuracy as our settings resulted in a very large reduction in CPU voltage under heavy load.

This is an area where ASUS needs to offer better control for the user – if 1.45V is selected, 1.45V should be delivered (provided it is safe). The user can then manually check their temperatures and adjust voltage accordingly. Deploying this method in some form of ‘Expert' mode would be a better solution to give knowledgeable overclockers greater control.

Overclocked Performance

Cinebench showed a 100-point improvement with all cores running at 4.6GHz.

Power

We leave the system to idle on the Windows 10 desktop for 5 minutes before taking a reading. For CPU load results we run the Prime95 Small FFTs test and take a reading. The power consumption of our entire test system (at the wall) is shown in the chart.

Load power consumption jumped up by more than 60W when overclocked. The high core count FX chips are not power efficient (they never really were) so ASUS' strong power delivery solution is clearly put to work.

ATTO Disk Benchmark

The ATTO disk benchmark is a Windows-based utility for testing storage performance of any storage drive or controller. We use the default benchmark setup.

M.2 PCIe Performance

For M.2 testing we use a Toshiba OCZ RD400 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD.

M.2 PCIe SSD performance is limited to a top speed of around 1.6GBps due to the use of four PCIe 2.0 lanes. This will be sufficient for older M.2 SSDs but it will pose a significant bottleneck for newer drives such as the Samsung Polaris-based models.

USB 3.1 Performance

We test USB 3.1 performance using a pair of Corsair Force LE 120GB SSDs in RAID 0 connected to an Icy Box RD2253-U31 2-bay USB 3.1 enclosure powered by an ASMedia ASM1352R controller.

USB 3.1 Gen 2 performance is decent but it's a long way off the pace set by Intel-based competitors. The use of ASMedia's ASM1143 chipset is a limitation but it's a fair trade-off given the PCIe 2.0 lanes available through AMD's platform. ASUS' software-based boost functionality delivered an impressive performance increase.

SATA 6Gbps Performance

For SATA 6Gbps testing we use a SK Hynix SE3010 960GB SSD.

SATA 6Gbps performance is without issues.

Audio

Rightmark Audio Analyser is a freeware benchmarking utility designed to objectively test the performance characteristics of audio solutions. We setup a line-in line-out loop and execute the record/playback test before generating the results report you see below. A sampling mode of 24-bit, 192 kHz was tested.

ASUS' audio solution deployed on the Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 is rated as ‘Very Good' by RMAA.

The ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 is a well-built motherboard that offers the old AM3+ platform a selection of features that allow it to maintain relevance in the modern era.

Overclocking performance from the motherboard is strong, thanks in large to the well-built, well-cooled power delivery system and proficient UEFI. Support for DDR3-2400MHz memory is another strength as many motherboards on the AM3+ platform do not offer dividers past 2133MHz.

Four 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, including one in the Type-C form factor with 3A power delivery, make this motherboard more USB 3.1-friendly than most Z270 and AM4 offerings. Let that sink in for a moment. While the quantity is strong, transfer rates were limited by the chosen ASMedia controller. However, ASUS' own USB 3.1 Boost software helped to push transfer rates past the 700MBps level, which is faster than a single SATA 6Gbps SSD.

A PCIe-capable M.2 connector is another worthy addition that allows a high-speed SSD to be utilised alongside graphics cards (though at reduced transfer rates of up to 1.6GBps). Multi-GPU support is as strong as it always has been for AMD's 990FX northbridge that is laden with PCIe connectivity.

 

The colour scheme and overall styling will appeal to buyers who have shown a preference for TUF motherboards over the years. Superb thermal monitoring and fan control are staple features for TUF products and this Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 is no different in those aspects.

We certainly are not suggesting that you should go out and buy a £180 990FX motherboard, an FX-series CPU, and DDR3 memory. However, if you already have those final two components and are in search of a new motherboard to replace your ageing, or possibly dying, AM3+ board, the ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 is an option worthy of consideration.

Its price is high but the inclusion of a PCIe-capable M.2 connector, four 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, and a small amount of RGB lighting help it seem more reasonable in today's market. Match those with the strong power delivery solution, that should keep an overclocked Vishera CPU pumping out data when overclocked, and the ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 is a worthy life-extending option to AM3+ users.

The ASUS TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0 is available for around £188 from Amazon.

Pros:

• Robust power delivery solution.
• Smart cooling considering given to the VRM.
• Strong temperature monitoring and fan speed control.
• Four 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports and a PCIe-capable M.2 connector.
• RGB lighting for the PCIe slot latches.
• Good audio solution performance.

Cons:

• No 4-pin RGB header.
• High price for a platform that has been past its prime for a long time.
• Noticeably more expensive than ASRock, Gigabyte, and MSI 990FX competitors (but also more feature-heavy).
• The entire AM3 platform shows its age when ASUS partners it with supposedly high-speed storage interfaces.

KitGuru says: A well-built 990FX motherboard that's worthy of consideration if you want to extend an AM3+ system's life.

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