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ASUS M2R32 MVP Clocking like a Banshee
(Review by MS, Dec. 19, 2006)

Missing inhouse support for their processors by a competitive core logic has always been an Achilles heel for AMD, even though, in the last minute, the one or the other chipset manufacturer came to the rescue. Among others, VIA Technologies stepped up to lay the foundation for AMD's climb to success - but those days are long gone. nVidia's crush to fame in the chipset arena was more a symbiotic relationship with AMD - forced by a lack of licensing agreements with Intel - among other issues. All this is about to change, the current season of desperate chipwives dishes up ATI's merger with AMD to open the doors for an intimate relationship between processor and chipset under the same corporate umbrella. Needless to say that the so far strongest supporter of the Athlon64 platform, namely nVidia may have its own perspective of the situation that may not be entirely favorable. As long, however, as the AA alliance is successful, envious competitors loose their momentum - but first, this success needs to be demonstrated.

In the wake of the AA formation, the family tree of partners has been mercilessly pruned; true to Darwinian principles, only the strongest survived. Lack of strength, on the other hand has not been any problem for ASUS in recent years, a consistent quality level along with solid performance and a certain uniqueness of their boards has seen to that. Consequently, AA turns to AAA with ASUS supplying the third A. The first promising result is the ASUS M2R32 which we have here today in MVP flavor. Solid performance and stability up to 325 MHz system clock speed are all we reveal as sneak preview.

Regardless of the fact that the high end sector of the PC-platform is currently rather firmly secured by Intel's Core2 family of CPU, this particular market segment only represents a minute fraction of the entire total market. The bread and butter, a.k.a. the mid range is still subject to a fierce battle not only between the different processors but also, especially in the case of AMD's AM2 platform, between nVidia and ATI. Both platforms have quite a bit to offer, dual slot PCIe Graphics (PEG) support, abundant support for memory beyond the limitations of the current 32-bit operating systems and extensive peripheral connectivity through built-in support for more USB devices than any regular power supply can handle.

The motherboard market, only some 5 years ago the playground for some 60 different manufacturers is becoming more monopolistic by the week. Names like Soyo, Shuttle, FIC, Chaintech, and many others that once were filling the shelves at any better retail outlet have disappeared, Gigabyte has been absorbed by ASUS and rumor has it that MSI is going to share this fate shortly. Nonetheless, there is still competition, particularly in the nVidia chipset-based solutions by Foxconn and, even though currently more or less still a splinter cell, SapphireTech with their latest lineup of RADEON Xpress chipset-based motherboards.

Next to the manufacturer's reputation, other factors are important for the success of a given product, number 1 is the reception by the on-line review community, second, there is the price, and third, there is the bundle. The different categories can be balanced against each other to a certain degree, especially in a world where money still rules, it is sometimes hard to sell quality or an extensive bundle but on the other hand, a bundle attracts the enthusiast just like clever packaging does.

Of course, there is also an aspect known in real estate and insurance agencies, if an office looks too fancy, the client may shy away because of the implicit association with being overcharged rather than receiving the adequate value for the money. This value projection lives on in some of the monikers like "most valuable player" or MVP. Anyway, we don't want to jump ahead of ourselves here but what does MVP really stand for? Mexican Variety Pack? Most Very Powerful?

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