ASRock M3A780GXH/128M
Back in April we reviewed the ASRock X58 SuperComputer and found it to be a phenomenal motherboard for use with Intel Core i7 processors. While ASRock is regarded as being a budget manufacturer, this affordable Intel X58 motherboard could overclock quite far, ran well with Linux, and offered a great set of features. While that was a very nice Intel product, how are ASRock's current offerings on the AMD side? In this review we have our hands on the ASRock M3A780GXH/128M to see how well this AM3 Socket motherboard with a 780G + SB710 Chipset performs under Linux.
Features:
Processor
- Support for Socket AM3 processors: AMD Phenom II X4 / X3 (except 920 / 940)
and Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2 processors
- Supports CPUs up to 140W
- Supports AMD OverDrive with ACC feature (Advanced Clock Calibration)
- AMD LIVE! Ready
- Supports AMD's Cool 'n' Quiet Technology
- FSB 2600 MHz (5.2 GT/s)
- Supports Untied Overclocking Technology
- Supports Hyper-Transport 3.0 (HT 3.0) Technology
Chipset
- Northbridge: AMD 780G
- Southbridge: AMD SB710
Memory
- Dual Channel DDR3 memory technology
- 4 x DDR3 DIMM slots
- Supports DDR3 1600(OC)/1333/1066/800 non-ECC, un-buffered memory
- Max. capacity of system memory: 16GB*
BIOS
- 8Mb AMI BIOS
- AMI Legal BIOS
- Supports "Plug and Play"
- ACPI 1.1 Compliance Wake Up Events
- Supports jumperfree
- SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support
- CPU, VCCM, NB, SB Voltage Multi-adjustment
- Supports Smart BIOS
Graphics
- Integrated AMD Radeon HD 3200 graphics
- DX10 class iGPU, Pixel Shader 4.0
- Max. shared memory 512MB
- Built-in 128MB DDR3 1333(OC)/1200MHz SidePort Memory
- Three VGA Output options: D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI
- Supports HDCP function
- Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) / HD-DVD playback
Audio
- 7.1 CH Windows Vista Premium Level HD Audio (ALC888 Audio Codec)
LAN
- PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
- Realtek RTL8111DL
- Supports Wake-On-LAN
Expansion / Connectivity Slots
- 3 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (green @ x16 mode, blue @ x8 mode, orange @ x4
mode)
- 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot
- 2 x PCI slots
- Supports ATI CrossFireX, Hybrid CrossFireX and 3-Way CrossFireX
Unique Features
- ASRock OC Tuner
- Intelligent Energy Saver
- Instant Boot
- Hybrid Booster
- CPU Frequency Stepless Control
- ASRock U-COP
- Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G.)
Form Factor
- ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 8.8-in, 30.5 cm x 22.4 cm
- All Solid Capacitor design (100% Japan-made high-quality Conductive Polymer
Capacitors)
Contents:
For years we would see pretty much the same basic product packaging from ASRock, however, with the past few motherboards we have reviewed from them their designs have been much more creative and appealing. The M3A780GXH/128M packaging highlighted the AM3 Socket support, AMD Phenom II capable, Instant Boot technology, DDR3-1600MHz support in an overclocked mode, 3-Way CrossFireX, HDMI, and other features. Besides the ATX motherboard also included were four Serial ATA data cables, one ribbon IDE cable, one ribbon floppy cable, one 4-pin molex to SATA power adapter, I/O panel, driver CD, and the motherboard manual.