ASRock 890GX Extreme4 and 890FX Deluxe4 Motherboard Reviews

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

The ASRock name may not inspire the highest level of confidence with regards to motherboards. I think they are getting there, though. To date I have looked at four different ASRock motherboards and they have all been great to me. Until a recent change in our test bench for CPU’s I was using the ASRock 890GX Extreme3 for testing all of the AMD processors that came across my bench, and it was working great. Many of the graphics cards that I have tested were done on the ASRock X58 Extreme3 that we reviewed, and if it weren’t for a shift of parts for my main daily driver system I would still be using it for the graphics card testing. Of the four ASRock boards I have, I have zero complaints about them because they simply work.

If I had to choose between the ASRock 890GX Extreme4 and the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4, I would have to say that my pick would be the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4. While the performance of the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 was ahead of the ASRock 890GX Extreme4, that’s not why I would choose the 890FX Deluxe4. Sure, that doesn’t hurt the case for the 890FX Deluxe4, but the reasons I would use the 890FX Deluxe4 is the layout of the board. While there isn’t a great deal of change I feel there is enough of a difference to justify the slightly higher price tag.

The first of the key features that would help me decide between the ASRock 890GX Extreme4 and the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 is the layout of the SATA6 ports. On the left side of the image above we can see the SATA6 ports that belong to the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4. These ports come out parallel to the board which will eliminate interference from the SATA cables if you are planning on running a couple of the new AMD cards that are coming in some CrossfireX action. The right side of the above image shows the SATA layout of the ASRock 890GX Extreme4 and, as we can see, they run perpendicular to the board and may interfere with a second graphics card in CrossfireX.

Another of the key features that stands out against all of the motherboards that I have had cross my bench is the above SATA6 Ports. Many of the motherboards have had an additional SATA port that was aimed at being used for an e-SATA bracket. The problem was that port was near the rest of the SATA ports. This meant that you had to run a SATA cable from the expansion brackets to the opposite edge of the board. I never felt that this was the best way for this to be done. Apparently, ASRock has agreed with me; this pair of SATA ports is right against the expansion brackets. This means we no longer have to have that cable strung across our case window when the rest of the cables that we have spent several hours tucking away are all hidden neatly from view.

Currently, you can find the ASRock 890GX Extreme4 for $139.99 with $2.99 shipping and the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 can be had for a measly twenty bucks more at a price of $159.99 with $2.99 shipping. At $159 the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 is one of the least expensive AMD 890FX chipset derived boards on Newegg and it packs a serious value that you can’t ignore. Both the ASRock 890GX Extreme4 and the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 are backed by ASRock’s one year warranty to give you piece of mind with your purchase.

Legit Bottom Line: The ASRock 890GX Extreme4 and the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 are both quality boards that perform great and equally. Both boards offer the innovative front panel USB3.0 and are the first company to do so! Although, due to the few layout differences that meet my preferences, my money would be on the ASRock 890FX Deluxe4.