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Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H

The Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H motherboard is the first platform based on the new AMD 780G chipset. This new chipset includes a DirectX 10.1-compliant graphics core reused from the Radeon HD 3200; with AMD making use of ATI technology inherited from the July 2006 merger of AMD and ATI. The AMD 780G chipset enables decode acceleration of Blu-ray movie playback, second-generation PCI Express, Hybrid CrossFire, a new SB700 south bridge, and a Phenom-ready HyperTransport 3 processor link. The GA-MA78GM-S2H retails for $95.

Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
MSRP $95.00
Release date March, 2008
Brand Gigabyte
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Pros & Cons13
Reviews7
Details
Buy It
Competitors3
Comments9
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
7 reviews
87
negative
mixed
positive
7 positive
0 mixed
0 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Connect up to 4 displays with Hybrid CrossFireX - 3rd, and 4th display requires additional graphics card
+6agreedisagree

•
low power consumption
+5agreedisagree

•
DirectX 10.1 compliant
+5agreedisagree

•
Can power dual monitor right out of the box
+5agreedisagree

•
Includes 2 high quality SATA cables
+4agreedisagree

•
Best IGP solution (March 2008)
+3agreedisagree

•
GPU decoding of HD codecs makes this board HD compatible with a relatively slow CPU
+3agreedisagree

•
HDMI output
+3agreedisagree

•
Optical S/PDIF output
+3agreedisagree

•
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
+2agreedisagree

•
Nicely color-coded backplate with clear labels
+2agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
Only one DVI output; one monitor has to run VGA in dual setup.
+4agreedisagree

•
Can't use HDMI and DVI at the same time
+2agreedisagree


8 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

AMD 780G Chipset

  1. Supports AMD AM2+ Phenom/ AM2 Athlon64 series processors
  2. Solid capacitors design in CPU VRM
  3. Dual Channel DDR2 1066
  4. Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200-based graphics (DX10)
  5. Ultimate graphics performance with PCI-E 2.0 x16 interface with ATI Hybrid CrossFireX support
  6. Integrated SATA 3Gb/s with RAID function
  7. Features high speed Gigabit Ethernet and IEEE1394
  8. High quality 106dB SNR ALC889A HD audio
  9. Integrated HDMI/ DVI interface with HDCP

Refer to manufacturer's product page for more details.

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This report was started April 3, 2008 at 9:29 am by Jan
with the last edit occurring January 9, 2009 at 12:30 am by anon
This page has been viewed 9087 times, with 92 edits by 12 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Competitors

Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H is ranked 2nd among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Motherboards »
Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H

Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H

MSRP  --    Released  --
Pros
  • Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics is DirectX 10 compatible and one of the most powerful onboard graphics - perfect for light gaming and 2D/3D rendering without the cost/heat/power usage of a dedicated card
  • inexpensive for such a full featured board
  • support for CrossFireX for multiple video card gaming systems
  • support for faster DDR2 1066MHz RAM
Cons
  • DVI-D and HDMI outputs cannot be used simultaneously (either DVI-D or HDMI can be used simultaneously with VGA though)
  • Integrated Radeon HD3200 graphics uses system RAM (by default 256MB) instead of having its own dedicated memory. There is a similar model, GA-MA790GP-DS4H, with Radeon HD3300 graphics and built-in 128MB DDR3 1333MHz SidePort memory, but it is much more expensive.
ProSCORE
2 reviews
85
Vote! (3 votes)
vote Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H 33% vs. vote Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H 67%
ASUS M3A-H/HDMI

ASUS M3A-H/HDMI

MSRP  --    Released  --
ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H   vs. vote ASUS M3A-H/HDMI  
ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI

ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI

MSRP  $100.00    Released  March, 2008
Pros
  • Very good performance for the price.
  • All the major games requiring high end expensive graphics cards, can run on this motherboard with the built in graphics.
  • Dual monitor support out of the box
Cons
  • Depending on the Phenom you buy, you may not be able to use 1066 MHz RAM. Research before making decision.
  • As always most software have yet to fully utilize all cores. Thus, in most cases, a Dual Core 6400+ may be faster than most typical AMD Quad Core offerings
  • Crappy, hard-to-read backplate for motherboard I/O
ProSCORE
4 reviews
47
Vote! (2 votes)
vote Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H 100% vs. vote ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI 0%

Suggest a new competitor to add to the list of competing products.
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Comments

1.  avatar GT-D said:

Slick motherboard, if I were in the market for a new rig this is certainly a possibility.

Will have to see at the end of the summer.
Apr 04, 2008 10:59am
2.  avatar Erik said:

I think HTPCs are making a comeback, largely because of mobos like this one. Low power, low cost, loaded with features (HDMI out, S/PDIF), and the ability to decode HD video make this very attractive. Have a look at the 46 Watt HTPC link above from Coding Horror for a parts list for your next build.

I'm hoping that HTPCs can replace your cable box, Blu-ray transport, Apple TV, and media streamer sometime soon.
Apr 29, 2008 10:21am
3.  avatar yaminb said:

anyone know if ubuntu (linux) is supported with this mobo?
Jun 25, 2008 5:47pm
4.  avatar Erik said:

Sounds like it:

http://www.phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8211
Jun 25, 2008 5:52pm
5.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

Also, you can check here. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport

If it's listed there, it definitely is. If not, that doesn't mean it's not supported.
Jun 26, 2008 8:41am
6.  avatar Erik said:

I just checked, and this mobo isn't listed, however the previous gen 690G mobo (Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H) is compatible. I think that this motherboard is also compatible with Ubuntu based on that thread I linked to, and the fact that it's not yet listed on the Ubuntu wiki is more of a function of it being new and the wiki not being up to date.
Jun 26, 2008 11:34am
7.  avatar yaminb said:

well i just costed a similar system as the one above. Not bad. I got a nice system built for around 430.00. Blasted windows costs too much. Something in my head thought the oem would be like 50 bucks. Turns out that vista basic oem is over 100.

should be comiing soon.

Maybe not the right place, but anyone have any experience with paid linux distros (suse, redhat, mandrake?). I use ubuntu on my laptop. Its decent but sometimes updates break things and stuff...and i have a quick upgrade trigger finger :P I'm going to use this as my main entertainment systme on my tv... i don't want things to break :)
Jun 29, 2008 12:03am
8.  avatar Erik said:

The performance of the video card sucks for some reason with my setup. Tasks such as dragging tabs in Google Chrome, and moving charts in Excel are PAINFULLY slow. I'm on XP Pro. Anybody experience this or know of a good workaround? New drivers? Dedicating more RAM to the video card?
Oct 21, 2008 5:05pm
9.  avatar Erik said:

Get the new ATI chipset/VGA drivers. Makes a huge difference.

A word of caution: when upgrading, I did boot into incompatible drivers the first time around so I was only running a painful VGA setup, but then I reinstalled and rebooted, and that fixed it.
Oct 23, 2008 10:22am
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

Erik

avatar
May 28, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
83
negative
mixed
positive
10 pros
2 cons
have ithave it
love itlove it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Connect up to 4 displays with Hybrid CrossFireX - 3rd, and 4th display requires additional graphics card
  • low power consumption
  • DirectX 10.1 compliant
  • Can power dual monitor right out of the box
  • Includes 2 high quality SATA cables
  • Best IGP solution (March 2008)
  • GPU decoding of HD codecs makes this board HD compatible with a relatively slow CPU
  • HDMI output
  • Optical S/PDIF output
  • Nicely color-coded backplate with clear labels

Cons

  • Only one DVI output; one monitor has to run VGA in dual setup.
  • Can't use HDMI and DVI at the same time

Comments

"I think HTPCs are making a comeback, largely because of mobos like this one. Low power, low cost, loaded with features (HDMI out, S/PDIF), and the ability to decode HD video make this very attractive. Have a look at the 46 Watt HTPC link above from Coding Horror for a parts list for your next build.

I'm hoping that HTPCs can replace your cable box, Blu-ray transport, Apple TV, and media streamer sometime soon."
"Sounds like it:

http://www.phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8211"
"I just checked, and this mobo isn't listed, however the previous gen 690G mobo (Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H) is compatible. I think that this motherboard is also compatible with Ubuntu based on that thread I linked to, and the fact that it's not yet listed on the Ubuntu wiki is more of a function of it being new and the wiki not being up to date."
"The performance of the video card sucks for some reason with my setup. Tasks such as dragging tabs in Google Chrome, and moving charts in Excel are PAINFULLY slow. I'm on XP Pro. Anybody experience this or know of a good workaround? New drivers? Dedicating more RAM to the video card?"
"Get the new ATI chipset/VGA drivers. Makes a huge difference.

A word of caution: when upgrading, I did boot into incompatible drivers the first time around so I was only running a painful VGA setup, but then I reinstalled and rebooted, and that fixed it."

Competitors

Erik prefers Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H over ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

dialupinternetuser

avatar
June 26, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
85
negative
mixed
positive
11 pros
2 cons
want itwant it

Pros

  • Connect up to 4 displays with Hybrid CrossFireX - 3rd, and 4th display requires additional graphics card
  • low power consumption
  • DirectX 10.1 compliant
  • Can power dual monitor right out of the box
  • Includes 2 high quality SATA cables
  • Best IGP solution (March 2008)
  • GPU decoding of HD codecs makes this board HD compatible with a relatively slow CPU
  • HDMI output
  • Optical S/PDIF output
  • Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
  • Nicely color-coded backplate with clear labels

Cons

  • Only one DVI output; one monitor has to run VGA in dual setup.
  • Can't use HDMI and DVI at the same time

Comments

"Also, you can check here. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport

If it's listed there, it definitely is. If not, that doesn't mean it's not supported."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

killory

avatar
July 30, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
89
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
1 con

Pros

  • Connect up to 4 displays with Hybrid CrossFireX - 3rd, and 4th display requires additional graphics card
  • low power consumption
  • DirectX 10.1 compliant
  • Can power dual monitor right out of the box
  • Includes 2 high quality SATA cables
  • GPU decoding of HD codecs makes this board HD compatible with a relatively slow CPU
  • Optical S/PDIF output
  • Integrated Gigabit Ethernet

Cons

  • Only one DVI output; one monitor has to run VGA in dual setup.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

anon

avatar
January 9, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
71
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
2 cons

Pros

  • Connect up to 4 displays with Hybrid CrossFireX - 3rd, and 4th display requires additional graphics card
  • DirectX 10.1 compliant
  • Can power dual monitor right out of the box
  • Includes 2 high quality SATA cables
  • Nicely color-coded backplate with clear labels

Cons

  • Only one DVI output; one monitor has to run VGA in dual setup.
  • Can't use HDMI and DVI at the same time

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Jan

avatar
April 10, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Connect up to 4 displays with Hybrid CrossFireX - 3rd, and 4th display requires additional graphics card
  • low power consumption
  • DirectX 10.1 compliant
  • Best IGP solution (March 2008)
  • HDMI output

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

GT-D

avatar
April 4, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
0 cons
want itwant it

Pros

  • Connect up to 4 displays with Hybrid CrossFireX - 3rd, and 4th display requires additional graphics card
  • low power consumption
  • DirectX 10.1 compliant
  • Best IGP solution (March 2008)
  • HDMI output

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"Slick motherboard, if I were in the market for a new rig this is certainly a possibility.

Will have to see at the end of the summer."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

rabidpotatochip

avatar
May 28, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
0 cons
want itwant it

Pros

  • Can power dual monitor right out of the box

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

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This product is also known as:

GA, MA, 78, GM, S, 2, H, GAMA, MA78, 78GM, GMS, S2, 2H, GAMA78, MA78GM, 78GMS, GMS2, S2H, GAMA78GM, MA78GMS, 78GMS2, GMS2H, GAMA78GMS, MA78GMS2, 78GMS2H, GAMA78GMS2, MA78GMS2H, GAMA78GMS2H