Ever since the AMD 790GX chipset launched, I wanted to get my hands on a nice 790GX board. The new feature set greatly interested me; especially the inclusion of side port memory for the IGP and Hybrid CrossFireX, and the potential for improved overclocking.
You may well ask why I was so interested - it's rather simple. Beyond those features above, I am a home theatre enthusiast, and the 790GX chipset seems to be perfect for HTPC's.
And as you may have noticed in my past articles, I am also into overclocking - and as I had previously been dissapointed in the overclocking headroom of Phenom processors, I was greatly looking forward to seeing if the "Advanced Clock Calibration" found in the 790GX would help.
The Asus M3A78-T (why on earth did they not call it an M3A79?) arrived in a shiny box that proclaimed all the wonderful features of the 790GX chipset.
There was more detail on the back.
In order to save your eye sight, here are the specifications for the board, taken from the Asus web site:
Specifications
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CPU
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AMD Socket AM2+ / AM2 Processors
AMD Phenom™ FX / Phenom / Athlon™ / Sempron™
AMD Cool'n'Quiet™ Technology
Support CPU up to 140W
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Chipset
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AMD 790GX/SB750
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System Bus
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Up to 5200/MT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0 interface for AM2+ CPU
2000 / 1600 MT/s for AM2 CPU
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Memory
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4 x DIMM, Max. 16 GB, DDR2 1066/800/667 ECC,Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel memory architecture
*Due to AMD CPU limitation, DDR2 1066 is supported by AM2+ CPU for one DIMM per channel only.
**Please refer to www.asus.com or user manual for Memory QVL(Quality Vender List).
***When installing total memory of 4GB capacity or more, Windows® 32-bit operation system may only recognize less than 3GB. Hence, a total installed memory of less than 3GB is recommended.
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Expansion Slots
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3 x PCIe x16 (Support PCIe 2.0 / 1.0 Architecture ) (Dual x8 or Dual x16/x4; Triple x8/x4/x8)
1 x PCIe x1
2 x PCI 2.2
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VGA
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Integrated ATI Radeon™ HD 3300 GPU
SidePort Memory - onboard 128MB DDR3 1333 memory
Supports HDMI™ Technology with max. resolution up to 1920 x 1200 (1080P)
Supports Dual-link DVI with max. resolution up to 2560x1600 @60Hz
Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 2560x1440 @ 75Hz
Hybrid CrossFireX™ Support (For Windows Vista only)
HDMI/DVI/RGB Support
Supports Microsoft® DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.0, Pixel Shader 4.0
Maximum shared memory of 512MB
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Storage
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Southbridge
1 xUltraDMA 133/100
5 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s ports with RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 support
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LAN
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Gigabit LAN
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Audio
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Realtek® ALC1200 8 -Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
-Coaxial S/PDIF out port at back I/O
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USB
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12 USB 2.0 ports
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ASUS Unique Features
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ASUS Express Gate
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution:
- ASUS AI Gear 2
- ASUS AI Nap
- ASUS Q-Fan2
- 4+1 Phases ASUS Power Design
ASUS Crystal Sound
- ASUS Noise Filter
ASUS EZ DIY:
- ASUS Q-Shield
- ASUS Q-Connector
- ASUS O.C. Profile
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
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Overclocking Features
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Intelligent overclocking tools:
- AI Overclocking (Intelligent CPU Frequency Tuner)
- ASUS AI Booster Utility
Precision Tweaker 2
- vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.125V increment
- vChipset (N.B.): 25-step voltage control
- vDIMM: 35-step DRAM voltage control
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection)
- FSB tuning from 200MHz up to 600MHz at 1MHz increment
- Memory tuning from 533MHz up to 1066MHz
- PCIe frequency tuning from 100MHz up to 200MHz at 1MHz increment
Overclocking Protection:
- ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)
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Special Features
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Uses 100% All High-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors!
ASUS MyLogo 2
AMD OverDrive Support*
* Advanced cooling system is required when advanced overclock functions of AMD OverDrive are enabled.
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Back Panel I/O Ports
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1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse
1 x S/PDIF Out (Optical)
1 x HDMI
1 x DVI
1 x D-Sub
1 x External SATA
1 x IEEE 1394a
1 x RJ45 port
6 x USB 2.0/1.1
8-Channel Audio I/O
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Internal I/O Connectors
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3 x USB connector (6 ports)
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
1 x IDE connector
5 x SATA connectors
1 x CPU Fan connector
2 x Chassis Fan connectors
1 x Power Fan connector
Front panel audio connector
1 x IEEE 1394a connector
1 x S/PDIF Out Header
Chassis Intrusion connector
CD audio in
24-pin ATX Power connector
4-pin ATX 12V Power connector
System Panel
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BIOS
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8 Mb Flash ROM
DMI 2.0
AMI BIOS
PnP
WfM 2.0
SM BIOS 2.3
ACPI 2.0a
ASUS EZ Flash 2
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Accessories
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UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
FDD cable
SATA cables
SATA power cables
Q-Shield
User's manual
3 in 1 Q-connector
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Support Disc
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Drivers
Express Gate
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS Update
AMD AOD
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
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Form Factor
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ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.5 cm )
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