Six AMD 780G HTPC Motherboards To Choose From
I always get asked the question about which platform is right for building a HTPC. Almost all of the time the choice come down to either AMD or Intel.
With AMD’s 780G Chipset having been out for a while now is the perfect time to think about building that HTPC or to give your system a refresh of its hardware.
What makes the AMD the perfect choice for building a dedicated HTPC is their included onboard graphics on their 780G chipset motherboards.
With a dedicated graphics solution onboard it is easier than ever to build a HTPC that you can be sure will work and no more hunting around for the right graphics card to fit inside you HTPC case.
Below I have listed some of the motherboard manufactures which currently have products on the market which are using AMD’s 780G Chipset all of the boards listed below are Micro-ATX.
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ASUS BC-1205PT SATA Blu-ray Disc Optical Drive
Enjoy High Definition movie playback
The ASUS BC-1205PT is BD-ROM/DVD±R/RW/CD-RW drive capable of reading data from and writing data on DVD+R/RW/DVD-R/RW/ DVD-RAM formats. The dual compatibility feature of the BC-1205PT allows you to create DVDs that can be played or read by most DVD-ROM drives and DVD players. This function provides you with flexibility and efficiency in terms of multimedia data storage and sharing.
The ASUS BC-1205PT is BD-ROM/DVD±R/RW/CD-RW drive capable of reading data from and writing data on DVD+R/RW/DVD-R/RW/ DVD-RAM formats. The dual compatibility feature of the BC-1205PT allows you to create DVDs that can be played or read by most DVD-ROM drives and DVD players. This function provides you with flexibility and efficiency in terms of multimedia data storage and sharing.
Multi Function: (X Multi)
Max. 5X BD-ROM/R/RE Read
Max.12X DVD±R/ 6X DVD+RW/ 6X DVD-RW/ 4X DVD±R (DL) Write
Max. 24X CD-R/ 24X CD-RW Write
Max. 12X DVD-ROM/ 32X CD-ROM Read
Max: 5X DVD-RAM Write / Read
Liquid Crystal Tilt Technology – Precision on Uneven Discs
LCT (Liquid Crystal Tilt) technology provides enhanced pick up head accuracy during recording and playback on discs with uneven curvature and thickness.
FlextraLink™ Buffer Underrun Errors Prevention Technology
Built-in FlextraLink™ prevents users from buffer underrun problems and eliminates the creation of unusable discs. Throughout the recording process, FlextraLink™ consistently monitors the data buffer status to ensure best recording quality under high-speed operation.
FlextraSpeed™ Optimal Writing Speed Adjustment Technology
Built-in FlextraSpeed™ and AI Auto Speed Adjustment Tech. enhance accuracy and reliability when reading/writing/re-writing across a broad range of certified media in different formats. FlextraSpeed™ continuously monitors the recording media and sets the optimal writing speeds to ensure best recording quality. The ASUS proprietary FlextraSpeed™ occupies minimal system resources so the PC remains full operational and available for other applications even during recording process.
Superior Stability with DDSSII
The DDSSII technology is designed to minimize the vibration caused by the spindle motor and resonance between components as well as the drive and PC cases. The ASUS patented DDSSII stabilizes, both horizontally and vertically, the pick-up head, achieving more precise tracking and focusing, while reducing vibration and noise caused by high-revolution spindle motors.
Smart laser Driver technology
The smart laser driver technology is to combine the strategy circuit into the laser driver in the OPU. The main PCB only sends the data and clock signal through the connectors and cables. Even there is distortion in the data and clock signal, the strategy circuit in the OPU will correct them back to normal status and would not let the distortion effects the recording quality. Especially for high speed recording drive, the smart laser driver technology is the key to get stable recording quality.
Compatible with a Wide Range of Disc Formats
Operates on Horizontal or Vertical Mounting
ASUS Unique Live Firmware Update Tool
Windows XP/ 2000/ Vista Supported
Benchmark Reviews have posted their review of the ASUS BC-1205PT SATA Blu-ray Disc Optical Drive “What’s Blu-ray, if not a shining star? It seems like anything wearing the BD badge these days just seems to look better. But maybe it’s just me, and my desire to touch all new technologies. Either way, ASUS has done a good job of reining in my attention and keeping the carrot just within my reach. The retail package tells the consumer everything they would want to know about this product, and allows them to compare it side by side to other products which might be on the shelf.
Optical drives have very little opportunity to make a lasting impression. Sure, the ASUS BC-1205PT wears a Blu-ray Disc badge that stands out across the room but other than that the appearance is not different than every other drive with a black bezel. I still like my idea of having a glowing blue logo, just for added ‘wow’ factor, but I think that ASUS has done as much as they realistically could to make this an appealing product.
You might think that all optical drives are constructed the same, but you would be wrong. As a technician, I find myself replacing more optical drives then almost every other component (second only to the power supply unit). Although the drive tray action uses a rubber-band on pulley assembly instead of gears (sacrificing long-term longevity for noise reduction), the remainder of the BC-1205PT is solid… almost literally. This SATA optical drive seems to have a bit of heft to it, since it felt heavier than standard DVD-burners.
With the ability to read three different generations of disc media (four counting mini-discs), the BC-1205PT matches legacy CD read and write functions with the current standard of DVD single and dual-layer functionality, and tops it all off with a touch of Blu-ray Disc for the future. CD and DVD performance is notably slower than the average SATA optical drive, but this combo-drive has to make some sacrifices for housing a blue laser for BD read capabilities.”
ASUS BC-1205PT SATA Blu-ray Disc Optical Drive Webpage
ASUS Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1
Dolby Home Theater Technologies & Richest Gaming Audio Effects for best PC audio upgrade - Powered by complete Dolby Home Theater technologies
- Supports latest DS3D GX 2.0 for gaming on Vista & XP
- VocalFX voice processing technologies to make gaming and online chat more lively and attractive
- Delivers ~35 times cleaner audio quality (116dB SNR) than most motherboard audio (85dB SNR)
Dolby Home Theater Technologies & Richest Gaming Audio
Effects for best PC audio upgrade
Complete Dolby Home Theater technologies
Inheriting from D2 and D2X, Xonar DX also provides complete valuable Dolby Home Theater technologies for games and all home entertainments:
Dolby Digital Live:
Real-time 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound encoders
Dolby Pro-Logic IIx:
Converts stereo or 5.1 sounds to seamless 7.1 surround soundfield
Dolby Headphone:
Delivers a realistic and spacious 2-to-5.1 surround or 3D positional soundfield over any set of stereo headphones
Dolby Virtual Speaker:
Simulates a highly realistic 5.1-speaker surround sound listening environment from as few as two speakers.
Supports latest DS3D GX 2.0 for gaming on Vista & XP
DS3D GX 2.0 not only revives EAX and DirectSound effects in games on Windows Vista as GX 1.0, but also incorporates Dolby Home Theater Technologies (Dolby Virtual Speaker, Dolby Headphone, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby PrologicIIX) to provide best gaming audio experience.
Innovative VocalFX makes gaming and online chat more lively and attractive
VocalFX is an innovative voice processing technology to let your voice get into the realistic game landscape (VoiceEX) or to emulate the background scenes in online chat (ChatEX). It also allows you to change your voice pitch to disguise who you are (Magic Voice). These features dramatically increase the fun for voice communication on PC.
Delivers about 35 times cleaner audio quality (116dB SNR) than most motherboard audio (85dB SNR)
The noise on Xonar DX audio card is only 1/35 (2.8%) of the noise level from most motherboard onboard audio. In addition, Xonar DX also produces as little as 1/32 (-105dB) of the total harmonics distortion from motherboard audio does (-75dB).
Package Contents
XonarTM DX 7.1 Channel PCI Express Audio Card
Driver CD (including Portable Music ProcessorTM Lite and RMAA V6.0.6 utilities)
S/PDIF TOSLINK optical adaptors *1
Quick Start Guide
System Requirements
One PCI Express 1.0 (or higher) compatible slot for the audio card
One available 4-pin power cable from PC’s power supply unit
Microsoft® Windows® Vista(32/64bit)/XP(32/64bit)/MCE2005
Intel® Pentium®4 1.4GHz or AMD Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU
>256 MB DRAM system memory
>60 MB available HDD space for driver installation package
CD-ROM drive (or DVD-ROM drive) for software installation
High-quality headphones, powered analog speakers, or a Dolby Digital or DTS decoder, to enjoy the ultra-high fidelity sounds of the card
Hot Hardware has posted their review of the ASUS Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 “With the Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Audio card, ASUS aimed to deliver a more affordable upgrade to integrated audio than previous offerings, while providing an experience that rivals more expensive audio card options. We’d say ASUS has definitely attained that goal with the Xonar DX. The Xonar DX delivers significant improvements over integrated audio, inregards to both features and quality. We were quite impressed with the overall performance of the Xonar DX and in several instances could not distinguish the audio quality from that of the pricier Xonar D2 Ultra.”
ASUS Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Webpage
ASUS Crosshair II Formula
The Ultimate Gaming/Overclocking Platform - AMD® Socket AM2+ for AMD Phenom™ FX / Phenom / Athlon™ / Sempron™
- HyperTransport™ 3.0
- Dual-channel DDR2 1066 / 800 / 667
- CPU Level Up
- Voltiminder LED
- SupremeFX II
- LCD Poster
- Hybrid SLI / 3-Way SLI Support
- HDMI/DVI Support
Supports AMD® Socket AM2+ Phenom™ FX / Phenom X4 / Phenom X2 / Athlon™ X2 / Sempron™
This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM2+ multi-core processors with unique L3 cache and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption. It features dual-channel DDR2 1066 memory support and accelerates data transfer rate up to 5200MT/s via HyperTransport™ 3.0 based system bus.
Supports AMD Socket AM2 Athlon 64 X2 / Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64/ Sempron
This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM2 single-core Athlon™ 64 / Sempron™ and dual-core Athlon™ 64 X2 / Athlon™ 64 FX processors with 2MB / 1MB / 512KB L2 cache based on 64-bit architecture. It features 2000 / 1600 MT/s HyperTransport™-based system bus, dual-channel un-buffered DDR2 800 memory support, and AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ Technology.
NVIDIA nForce®780a SLI™ Chipset
The NVIDIA nForce®780a SLI™ chipset supports the NVIDIA® Scalable Link Interface (SLI™) technology that allows three graphics processing units (GPUs) in a single system. It´s designed for enthusiast, extreme overclocking capability, ultimate gaming performance with SLI technology support. It´s definitely one of the fastest platform in the world. The NVIDIA nForce®780a SLI™ chipset also supports six (6) Serial ATA 3 Gb/s devices, PCI Express™ x16 slots with NVIDIA® SLI™ support at dual x16 mode or at tripple x8 mode, and up to 10 USB 2.0 ports.
Elite Bastards has posted their review of the ASUS Crosshair II Formula “Without laying the rhetoric on too thickly here, it seems safe to say that, as far as NVIDIA and AMD’s motherboard chipsets go, what we’re seeing here is the future. With power saving becoming an ever more important selling point of new hardware, and these two company’s graphics expertise and investment in Hybrid SLI and CrossFire from a marketing standpoint, the launch of the nForce 780a marks out the future of the high-end motherboard chipset as shipping with an on-board graphics core to enable this new functionality. Of course, for all its benefits this progression also brings us fresh nightmares of vendor lock-in - We already have to buy an NVIDIA motherboard to enjoy SLI, and now owners of NVIDIA graphics boards will have to plump for an NVIDIA motherboard to enjoy Hybrid SLI too, while AMD graphics board buyers will have to stick solely to that company’s platform for Hybrid CrossFire. Will Intel trump them both when Larrabee emerges by pairing with their own integrated graphics offerings? Who knows.”
ASUS Crosshair II Formula Webpage
ASUS EN9600GT Silent 512MB
Supporting PCI-E 2.0 and HD content hardware decoding!
Unprecedented 10°C Cooler with ASUS Exclusive V-cool Heatsink - ASUS Exclusive V-cool Heatsink: 10°C Cooler
- HDMI support
- PCI Express & PCI Express 2.0
ASUS Features
- ASUS Exclusive V-cool Technology: 10°C Cooler than reference design board
- HDMI support (with DVI-to-HDMI adaptor)
- PCI Express & PCI Express 2.0 support
- ASUS Splendid:
Watching movies on PC is as good as on Top-of-the-line consumer television - ASUS Gamer OSD:
Real-time overclocking, benchmarking and video capturing in any PC game! - ASUS Smart Doctor:
Your intelligent hardware protection and overclocking tool
Graphics GPU Features
- NVIDIA® GeForce 9600GT
- Full Microsoft® DirectX® 10 Support
- HDCP compliant
- NVIDIA SLI Technology
- Dual Dual-link DVI Support: Able to drive the industry’s largest and highest resolution flat-panel displays up to 2560×1600
- NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology—Essential for the Ultimate HD Movie Experience on a PC
I/O Specifications
- PCI-Express 2.0
- HDMI
- HDTV-out
- DVI * 2
- D-Sub
- HDCP compliant
Techgage has posted their review of the ASUS EN9600GT Silent 512MB “I can’t find a single reason to not like this card. It may be bulkier than other 9600 GT’s, but that’s the trade off for having pure silence. Plus, despite it’s thicker body, it’s still perfectly suited for SLI mode, for those interested in even more performance while retaining a quiet machine. This card would compliment both an HTPC or desktop rig where low-noise is a concerned, and as a bonus, it’s priced right. I didn’t have to think too hard about awarding the EN9600GT Silent an Editor’s Choice award. It well deserves one.”
Asus M3A78-EMH HDMI
Redefined Your Entertainment World
- AMD AM2+/AM2 Platform
- Support AMD Phenom™ Quad-Core Processor
- Dual-Channel DDR2 -1066/800/667/533
- Hybrid CrossFireX
- Full HD(1080P) Playback Support
- Playback of Bluray / HD DVD
- Multi-Display support (HDMI/DVI/RGB)
Supports AMD® Socket AM2+ Phenom™ / Athlon™ / Sempron™
This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM2+ multi-core processors with unique L3 cache and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption. It features dual-channel DDR2 1066 memory support and accelerates data transfer rate up to 5200MT/s via HyperTransport™ 3.0 based system bus.
HyperTransport 3.0 Support
Provides 2.6 times more bandwidth than HT1.0 that radically improves system efficiency for a smoother, faster computing environment
Dual DDR2 1066
This motherboard is the first AMD® platform with native DDR2 1066 support. It provides faster data transfer rate and more bandwidth to increase memory data transfer rate and computing efficiency, enhancing system performance in 3D graphics and other memory demanding applications.
*DDR2 1066 is supported by some of the AM2+ CPUs only. Refer to www.asus.com for the supported CPU models.
Supports AMD Socket AM2 Athlon 64 X2 / Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 / Sempron
This motherboard supports AMD® Socket AM2 single-core Athlon™ 64 / Sempron™ and dual-core Athlon™ 64 X2 / Athlon™ 64 FX processors with 2MB / 1MB / 512KB L2 cache based on 64-bit architecture. It features 2000 / 1600 MT/s HyperTransport™-based system bus, dual-channel un-buffered DDR2 800 memory support, and AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ Technology.
64-bit CPU support
64-bit computing, the next generation technology to replace the current 32-bit architecture, delivers advanced system performance, faster memory access and increased productivity. This motherboard provides excellent compatibility and flexibility by supporting either 64-bit or 32-bit architecture.
AMD 780G/SB700
The AMD 780G Northbridge is the latest AMD chipset designed for both HT1.0 and 5200MT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0 (HT 3.0) interface speed and external graphics in PCI Express™ 2.0 standard ,.It features the integrated DX10 compliant ATI RV610-based graphics ,which supports dual VGA outputs including DVI/HDMI interface with HDCP compliant ,and incorporates AMD´s UVD with hardware acceleration of H.264, VC1 and Mpeg2 used in HD DVD and BluRay disks. Meanwhile it can also support the future mainstream Hybrid crossfire technology that significantly optimizes your 3D performance.
Hybrid CrossFireX
Greatly boost the graphics performance with onboard graphics and discreted card.
*Due to AMD Hyvrid CFX driver is not ready, you can´t use this funtion right now. When the driver is OK , we will put it on www.asus.com as soon as possible. You can enjoy this function by update the new driver and bios.
PCIe 2.0 support
This motherboard supports the latest PCIe 2.0 devices for double speed and bandwidth which enhances system performance.
HDMI™ Interface
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first and only industry-supported, uncompressed, all digital audio and video interface via a single cable and is HDCP compliant allowing playback of HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc and other protected content.
DVI Interface
DVI (Digital Visual Interface) provides high visual quality of digital display devices such as LCD monitors.
Dual VGA Output
The interface of this motherboard supports dual VGA output both HDMI/DVI and RGB and is HDCP compliant allowing playback of HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc.
SurroundView™
Provide four independent monitors display with additional ATI VGA card for multi-tasking.
PCI Express Architecture
PCI Express is the latest I/O interconnect technology that will replace the existing PCI. With a bus bandwidth 2 times higher than that of AGP 8X interface, PCI Express x8 bus performs much better in applications such as 3D gaming.
Serial ATA 3Gb/s
This motherboard supports next-generation SATA hard drives based on the new SATA 3Gb/s storage specification. The onboard SB700 southbridge allows RAID 0, RAID 1,RAID 10 configurations for six SATA connectors.
Gigbit LAN
The on-board LAN controller is a highly integrated GbLAN controller. It is enhanced with an ACPI management function to provide efficient power management for advanced operating systems.
High Definition Audio
Enjoy high-quality sound system on your PC! The onboard 8-channel HD audio (High Definition Audio, previously codenamed Azalia) CODEC enables high-quality 192KHz/24-bit audio output, jack-detect feature,which automatically detects and identifies what types of peripherals are plugged into the audio I/O jacks and notifies users of inappropriate connection, meaning there will be no more confusion of Line-in, Line-out and Mic jacks.
ASUS Q-Fan
ASUS Q-Fan technology intelligently adjusts CPU fan speeds according to system loading to ensure quiet, cool and efficient operation.
Max. 12 USB 2.0 ports
USB 2.0 is the latest connectivity standard for next generation components and peripherals. Backwards compatible with current USB 1.1 peripherals, USB 2.0 delivers transfer speeds up to 40 times faster at 480Mb/s, for easy connectivity and ultra-fast data transfers.
ASUS CrashFree BIOS3
The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 allows users to restore corrupted BIOS data from a USB flash disk containing the BIOS file. This utility saves users the cost and hassle of buying a replacement BIOS chip.
ASUS EZ Flash2
With ASUS EZ Flash, you can update BIOS before entering operating system. No more DOS-based flash utility and bootable diskette required.
C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
When the system hangs due to overclocking failure, there is no need to open the case to clear CMOS data. Just simply restart the system, the BIOS would show the previous setting and then users can amend the CPU setting again.
MyLogo2
Personalize your system with customizable boot logo You can convert your favorite photo into a 256-color boot logo for a more colorful and vivid image on your screen.
GreenASUS
The motherboard and its packaging comply with the European Union´s Restriction on the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). This is in line with the ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and recyclable products and packaging to safeguard consumers´ health while minimizing the impact on the environment.
Techware Labs has posted their review of the Asus M3A78-EMH HDMI “M3A78-EMH HDMI provides a very nice home theatre environment as it has the HDMI cable and supports 1080p. Only downfall of using it as a home theatre pc is that if you do not want to using the audio output from the HDMI cable, then you are going to have to purchase a discrete sound card because there is no coaxial or optical output on the motherboard. A plus is that the new AMD 780G supports AMD Live, which is where you are going to get the majority of your home theatre experience. Overall this mircoATX motherboard will fit into your home theatre case with no problem and offer amazing performance.”
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