ECS A780GM-A v1.0

Last month we had looked at the Radeon HD 3200, which is part of the AMD 780G Chipset. In that Linux-based review we had found the performance to be admirable for being an integrated graphics processor (IGP) and it was quickly supported by the proprietary fglrx driver, aside from AMD not yet introducing the CrossFire/Hybrid Graphics Linux support. To deliver those Radeon HD 3200 benchmarks we had used the ECS A780GM-A Black and today we're publishing our full run-down on this AMD 780G motherboard that's paired with the AMD SB700 Southbridge. The A780GM-A boasts support for AMD Phenom processors, DDR2-1066 memory, PCI Express 2.0, and an HDMI port in addition to one VGA output.

Specifications:

Processor
- AMD Phenom processor (Socket AM2+)
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core/ Athlon 64 / Sempron processor
- High-performance HyperTransport 3.0 CPU Interface
- Supports transfer rate up to 5200 mega-transfers per second

Chipset
- AMD 780G & AMD SB700
- North Bridge: AMD 780G
- South Bridge: AMD SB700

Graphics
- On Chip (AMD 780G-based with ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics)
- Integrated DirectX10 graphics processor

Memory
- Dual-channel DDR2 800 memory architecture
- 4 x 240-pin DDR2 DIMM socket support up to 32GB
- Support DDR2 1066/800/667/533/400 DDR2 SDRAM

Expansion Slot
- 1 x PCI Express x16 slot
- 2 x PCI Express x1 slots
- 3 x PCI slots

Storage
- Support by AMD SB700
- 2 x Ultra DMA133/100/66 devices
- 5 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s devices
- RAID0, RAID1, RAID10 configuration

Audio
- Compliant with HD audio specification
- IDT 92HD206 8-channel audio CODEC

Networking
- ATHEROS L1 Gigabit Fast Ethernet NIC

BIOS
- AMI BIOS with 8Mb SPI ROM
- Supports Plug and Play, STR/STD, Hardware monitor, Multi Boot, DMI, HDCP
- Supports ACPI revision 3.0 specification

Contents:

Generally, graphics card boxes are far flashier than motherboard packages, but ECS EliteGroup has spread a fire-breathing dragon across the front of the A780GM-A packaging. This 780G + SB700 motherboard is part of the ECS Black series; hence, the product packaging itself is also black. On this packaging are also a variety of decals and advertisements for the various features of this mainstream motherboard. ECS is generally known for their price-minded motherboards, and with that said, their included accessories is usually on the slim side of things. The ECS A780GM-A motherboard had shipped with two Serial ATA data cables, one ribbon IDE cable, one ribbon floppy cable, one I/O panel, one ECS Black support CD, one quick start guide, and the ECS user's guide.