AMD Motherboard Players
Currently, there are only two motherboard chipset manufacturers for AMD processor; AMD itself and Nvidia. The latest chipset model by AMD is 790 series while for Nvidia, it is 8300 chipset. Since reading the reviews, there are a lot of bad experiences with AMD motherboard controllers while Nvidia seems to be less problematic.
Asus M3N78-EM
Ok. Previously, I was saying that I will be using Asus M3N78-VM but I have changed my mind since. Most probably, I will opt for Asus M3N78-EM. So, what is the difference? To be exact, I do not really know. One thing I know is the chipset. The VM version is using GeForce 8200 series chipset while the EM version is using the latest 8300 series. The price is about the same and I do not really think there will be much difference in terms of speed. And since the price is about the same, it might be better to go for the latest chipset.
Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
I had a thought about Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H which uses AMD 780G chipset and ATI graphic chipset. However, there are a lot of reviews commenting that the chipset is too hot when in operation. Gigabyte has since introduced two revisions which enhanced the chipset heatsink. The problem is that websites do not state the revision of the motherboard. Yes, emailing or calling the website sales support may know the answer but I am just worried that they might send a wrong revision in the end.
You know, the process of exchanging items bought online will normally be quite painful and troublesome. Asus, on the other hand, relies on updating its BIOS which is probably the safe but also the dangerous way.
Asus M3N78-EM VS Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
Ultimately, I like to go for something new. Asus is using the latest GeForce 8300 chipset but Gigabyte is using the older 780G chipset. Gigabyte price is about the same as the Asus, if not, higher. I am very confident in Gigabyte motherboards but was put off with this one because of the chipset’s temperature. Its 790 chipset models are expensive.
After reading lots of reviews, expert and non-expert, 8300 chipset performs better when comes to videos while AMD chipsets triumph in graphics rendering. However, graphics can be easily made up by installing a graphic card instead of using the onboard graphic chipset.
Another thing which I am very concern about is the compatibility of memory modules. Gigabyte motherboard only support up to 2.1V which is quite limited as higher performance memory modules can go up to 2.2V. Asus, on the other hand, supports up to 2.24375V which is good for overclocking. By reading the manuals of both motherboards, I get more control on Asus BIOS.
Final Decision
For now, I am almost certain that I will be getting Asus M3N78-EM even though I really really really want to go for Gigabyte. I have used Intel, Gigabyte, Asus, ASRock and MSI motherboards before and I must say that Intel and Gigabyte motherboards were the most stable. MSI was not bad either but I got problems with its memory slots. Well, it would be easily solved by updating the BIOS which I did not do. I am using ASRock P4i65 at the moment but the BIOS options are too simple. Guess that is what I get for the price I pay. Only time will tell.
The hot chipset in Gigabyte motherboard really puts me off unless I can be sure that I will get the latest revision of the motherboard. Asus is not bad either and it is using the latest GeForce chipset.
Finally, I noticed that Asus support actually replies to users who are not satisfied with the product. At the Newegg US website, there are several comments that were answered by the Asus Support Team, requesting the unhappy customers to contact them directly. Well, that in US and I wonder what it will like in UK.
