Product Details
Description:
The S-series GA-MA78GM-S2H Desktop Board 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!
Quick Glance
Supported Processor: Phenom, Athlon 64 FX, Opteron, Athlon X2, Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64, Sempron
Interface Connection: Audio Line In Yes, Audio Line Out Yes, Microphone Port Yes, S/PDIF Yes, VGA Yes, HDMI Yes, DVI Yes, Network (RJ-45) Yes
System Board Style: Micro ATX
# of Memory Slots: 4
Processor Socket: Socket AM2+ PGA-940
System Chipset: AMD 780G
Memory Technology: DDR2 SDRAM
# of PCI-e x16 Slots: 1
Summary
Product Title: GigaByte GA-MA78GM-S2H Desktop Motherboard - AMD 780G Chipset - Socket AM2+ PGA-940
Manufacturer: GigaByte
Power Score: 4.5 | 21 Reviews
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Product Reviews (13)
Some bad points for this motherboard !
Strengths: Good points have already mentioned by everyone !
Weakness: No proper display driver and audio drivers for Windows Home Server (Windows 2k3 Server) and the DDR2 memory cannot be set beyond 2.1V !
Most DDR2 8500 i.e 1066MHz needs 2.1 to 2.3V to drive, I wrote to the manufacturer to ask for the BIOS to have the memory voltage to be set higher on the next BIOS upgrade. There were three updates since my request, they still have done nothing ! Further more, if four pieces of DDR2 8500 memory were inserted, It cannot be set into dual access mode (Ganged). This board is only good for DDR2 6400...
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By kpauao - Nov 9, 2008
GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G MOTHERBOARD MICRO ATX
Strengths: loads of connectors, e sata, firewire, gigabit ethernet, you name it it's got it. powerful integrated graphics processor. runs HD movies without a hitch.
Weakness: no crossfire or SLI, no DDR3 memory compatibility
this is a nice motherboard. perfect for building a home theatre PC but also great for you regular desktop PC as well due to the number of connectors it comes with. great price for everything that you get with this board. integrated graphics are strong enough for vista visuals and for play back of blu ray or hd dvds.
By buddycrack - Jun 7, 2008
Great All Around Board - Primarily for HTPC
Strengths: A ridiculous amount of uses along with a fantastic array of connectivity. DVI, HDMI, VGA, S/PDIF, eSATA... the list goes on and on. On top of this... there is definite room for overclocking.
Weakness: Drivers are still very fresh. I am using a 4400+ CPU in mine and am having some problems with deinterlacing some content. The Northbridge gets a little hot but there is no problems directly related.
This is a great board that has many useful features. You can build a very low power HTPC rig and still be able to pull off Bluray and HD-DVD playback along with mild gaming. Overclock your CPU a little bit and add in a PCI-E videocard to take advantage of the Hybrid-Crossfire technology and really have a lean machine on your hands. The HDMI supports both Video and Audio allowing you to clean up...
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By drealit - Apr 26, 2008
Excellent motherboard
Strengths: So many options for connectivity. (DVI and HDMI) Great onboard video that consumes little power. Works great with 64-bit Linux. (Use Ubuntu 8.04 beta or Fedora 9)
Weakness: None really. Don't buy if you are a hardcore overclocker. But you probably already knew that. There will probably be more OC-friendly BIOS updates soon! Still a fresh chipset.
Great rig for HTPC/green pc setups.
Gigabyte has a useful RSS feed for BIOS/driver updates. ATI's Catalyst 8.3 drivers are pretty good, will probably get a lot better next month, as this is the newest chipset.
By ghadfly - Mar 24, 2008
Great board for overclocking - Gigabyte quality
Strengths: Nice board layout; Gigabyte did a great job packing so much into a mATX board while ensuring that add-ons will fit. Great for overclocking; support for Phenom and 1066mhz ram; HDMI & PCI-E 2.0
Weakness: framerate of the ATI HD 3200 IGP - my ATI AiW Pro 9600 card had better 3D performance that this GPU.
This board is killer, but I was disappointed after reading website reviews that touted decent framerates (even at 1024x768) from the IGP. My experience was total opposite, even after installing Cat 8.4 and overclocking the GPU. I even increased the Frame buffer in BIOS, but it was pathetic (1276 3DMark03 score). After I installed an XFX 8600GT with 512mb DDR3, the mark jumped to a whopping 15375!
By alethios; - May 1, 2008