Memory Performance Gains On The Crosshair V Formula-Z & Sabertooth 990FX R2.0

The new Crosshair V Formula-Z and Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 are the 2012 upgrades to ROG and TUF's premium AMD boards. With subtle improvements for AMD's existing FX 'Bulldozer' and future 'Piledriver' architecture, there are feature revisions that both can and can't be seen. One of these is an improved memory performance through higher attainable frequencies - even when using 4-DIMM - thanks to the same T-Topology that ASUS Z77 and ROG Maximus V boards already use, and DIGI+ VRM controlling the power regulation to the memory channels. To learn more about T-Topology, read our earlier article. Below we have listed the typical performance using a 4-DIMM G.Skill kit of 16GB 2,400MHz DDR3 (with an initial QVL listed below). We'll follow up with more Crosshair V Formula-Z and Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 news in the coming days, so keep an eye on ROG front page, AMD fans!

Crosshair V Formula-Z: 2,540MHz CL9

Sabertooth 990FX R2.0: 2,528MHz CL10

Initial 2,400MHz DDR3 QVL list

Configuration Advice:

• 2 DIMM: Insert one pair of DIMM modules into either the beige slots or the brown slots for dual-channel memory configuration. Channel A (brown) is preferred for high-performance configurations.
• 4 DIMM: Insert DIMMs into both the biege and brown slots as two pairs of dual-channel memory configuration. For high performance, one '4-DIMM kit' is recommended over combining two, dual-channel kits due to manufacturer assured compatibility.