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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Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-SH2
The GA-MA78GM-S2H is GIGABYTE’s next generation, high performance platform based on the new AMD 780G Chipset and support for the new AMD Phenom™ quad-core processors, with the latest AM2+ platform support, integrated DDR2 1066 memory controller, HyperTransport™ 3.0 technology links and 128-bit Floating Point Units. In addition, GA-MA78GM-S2H features with two innovative S features- Safe, Smart technologies, further providing reliable and user friendly computing and reaching the maximum system performance easily via personalized software settings. GIGABYTE S series motherboards, the champion’s choice for AMD AM2+ platform!
Stable system operation depends upon the quality of CPU VRM (voltage regulator module). GIGABYTE adopts Conductive Polymer Aluminum Solid Capacitors for CPU VRM to ensure a longer lifespan for systems in daily operation and boost system stability under extreme conditions. CPU VRM with Solid Capacitors featuring better electronic conductivity, excellent heat resistance enhances system durability even operating in high temperature environment.
The AMD 780G Chipset is the system logic of the latest AM2+ (HyperTransport 3.0) platform from AMD that enables its next generation Phenom™ processors. The AMD 780G chipset integrated ATI Radeon™ HD 3200-based graphics architecture. This unique combination of Integrated Graphics Processor (IGP) creates a single motherboard featuring a world-class DX10, Shader Model 4.0 graphics, ATI Avivo™ Technology, and brand-new ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology and AMD UVD (Unified Video Decoder) Technology for faster and smoother game-play, a high quality video processing engine for advance quality of video and DVD playback.
HDMI is able to provide up to 5Gb/s video transmitting bandwidth and multi-channel high quality audio all through a single cable. Able to transmit superior, uncompressed digital video and audio, HDMI ensures the crispest rendering of digital content up to 1080p without the quality losses associated with analog interfaces and their digital-to-analog conversion. GA-MA78GM-S2H has obtained the latest HDMI 1.3* certification, able to support Full HD 1080p multi-media and HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) which allowing Blu-ray/ HD DVD and other protected contents playback.
* HDMI 1.3 certified in video spec only.
Overclockers Club has posted their review of the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-SH2 “I went into this review with a mindset that this board is geared to being used in a workstation or Home Theater PC and at that, it does very well. In the science benchmarks, the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-SH2 pulls off some impressive numbers compared to competing boards using the same chipset. The Gigabyte board has an array of features and capabilities that would make any system like this drool for more. I liked how Gigabyte included all three video ports for this board because if you are like me and lose adapters easily, you will not be left out from using them down the road. Another feature of note i absolutely loved is the number of USB headers available. For a media PC or workstation, that is a great move. I am always using USB for my external drives, keyboards, mice, Thumb Drives, and all sorts of things, so it is nice to have the ability to add more ports without having to buy expansion cards to do it. It would have been nice to have included a bracket or two to use the headers, but that is a personal preference. I also like that Gigabyte went with the mATX design, which makes this a great board for those cramped HTPC cases.”