As a socket AM3 motherboard, Biostar's TA890GXE is DDR3-only, with four memory DIMMs that support up to 16GB of DDR3-800/1066/1333/1600(OC) RAM. Entry level 4GB DDR3 memory kits are still hovering around $100, but much like the cost of gas prices seem to fluctuate up and down.

MicroATX motherboards are a natural fit for integrated graphics processors, and the AMD 890GX's built-in Radeon HD 4290 is one of the most full featured and powerful IGPs available on motherboards today. Just like the Radeon HD 4200 IGP found in AMD's 785G chipset, this IGP has 40 shader processors and DX10.1 support, but with a faster 700MHz core clock speed. The HD 4290 isn't of much use for hardcore gaming, but in a pinch it will get you playable frame rates in World of Warcraft, provided you fiddle with some system settings. When it comes to HD video decoding and plain old desktop 2D graphics, the HD 4290 is more than powerful enough. Biostar hasn't included any Sideport memory in this incarnation of the AMD 890GX chipset, but in practice this only has a minor impact on overall 3D performance anyway. If you need full-on 3D gaming capabilities, the TA890GXE has a PCI Express 2.0 x16 videocard slot ready and waiting.

The most compelling features of ATI's Radeon HD 4290 IGP come from its media capabilities. The IGP has support for Unified Video Decoder (UVD) 2 (MPEG2, VC-1, and H.264 formats) endowed IGP and expanded compatibility with ATI Stream Transcode. In simple terms, this means the IGP uses graphics hardware to accelerate certain types of desktop applications. The Radeon HD 4290 supports Blu-Ray 1.1 features like picture-in-picture as well. The Radeon HD 4290 IGP also powers the Biostar TA890GXE's HDMI 1.3, DVI and VGA video output from the rear panel of the TA890GXE.

Biostar TA890GXE Motherboard INCLUDES: User's Manual, Driver CD, (3) SATA cables, I/O Shield, SATA power cable. Chipsets: AMD 890GX / SB850 CPU Support: AMD Socket AM3 Memory Type: Dual Channel DDR3 Videocard Support: (1) PCI Express x16 2.0 Integrated Graphics: Radeon HD 4290 (700MHz GPU)

You can expand the Biostar TA890GXE's graphics output using a single x16 PCI Express 2.0 slot for any discrete NVIDIA or ATI graphics card. Additional expansion comes care of a PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot and a pair of legacy PCI slots for add-in cards. As in most microATX motherboards space is at a premium, but fortunately with the high levels of integration of the AMD 890GX chipset this won't be a problem for most users - the board as it is, only needs a CPU and memory to give you full functionality as a PC.

AMD's 890GX chipset is paired with the SB850, AMD's first southbridge storage controller to have native SATA 6Gb/s connections (ie. SATA III/3). The Biostar TA890GXE has five internal SATA 6Gb/s connections which support RAID 0, 1 5 and 10 modes. Biostar adds a VIA VT6330 controller for an additional eSATA II port and IDE connector.

For whatever reason the Biostar TA890GXE motherboard only has four USB 2.0 ports on the I/O panel (with three USB 2.0 headers at mid-board). Even with the headers we fell this is a little skimpy, so make sure to count the amount of USB devices you use before buying, or be prepared to invest in a decent USB hub. Rounding out the rest of the I/O panel are HDMI 1.3, DVI and VGA outputs, a 1394a firewire port, a powered eSATA port, an optical S/PDIF output, a gigabit LAN jack and 8-channel audio outputs.

If you've read the above list you'll notice that USB 3.0 support is conspicuously absent from the Biostar TA890GXE's list of features. To reach the TA890GXE's relatively inexpensive $125 CDN ($125 USD, £80 GBP) price point Biostar chose to scrap a few optional extras typically included on full size 890GX boards. Since USB 3.0 requires the integration of an extra add-in controller (typically the NEC D720200F1) it was cut. It's not difficult to find a PCI Express x1 USB 3.0 card should you need two USB 3.0 ports down the road.

Video outputs from the AMD 890GX's Radeon HD 4290 integrated graphics chipset.

The Biostar TA890GXE supports dual-display output over HDMI or DVI and VGA output, so it can output video to an analog monitor and HDTV at the same time. With specific Radeon HD 5000 series graphics cards, up to three monitors can be supported care of ATIs Eyefinity.

AMD 890GX & ATI Radeon HD 4290 Integrated Graphics Processor