Great Value Board
Pros: Compatible with pretty much everything. Great legacy support. Good IGP.
Cons: Limited Overclocking, no DDR3 support. Shady Crossfire options.
Quick review:
Purchased this board 2 years ago to replace my dead ASUS. At the time I figured I'd buy something future-proof and I couldn't be more pleased with that decision.
Started out using it with an AM2 proc.(Athlon x2), recently swapped it out for an AM3 Phenom II x2. That's 3-generations worth of tech without having to replace the motherboard or RAM, saved me a lot of money. It even supports core-unlocking, I was able to turn that Phenom into a Quad-core in about 10 seconds. Easiest $75 I ever made, or saved.
Regarding RAM, the board uses DDR2 to be AM2 compatible...making it a little unfriendly for AM3. Not sure how much of a difference DDR3 makes when paired with a high-powered x6 proc, but I'd imagine it makes some sort of impact.
Not only that, but for a long time I used it without a dedicated card. The Radeon 4200 IGP is surprisingly capable, handles all media-related tasks without breaking a sweat, even used it for light gaming with Call of Duty 4 and Left 4 Dead. Unfortunately it doesn't have side-port RAM and leeches onto system RAM. Having 3 video-out connectors is awesome, I used VGA but anyone looking for an HTPC would really appreciate the HDMI. It's even possible to run 2 monitors with the IGP, and it supports Hybrid Crossfire(but who uses that?). Regarding Video Cards.....don't be deceived by the 2 PCIe ports. The board *technically* does NOT support Crossfire, but I've heard of people using it regardless. Can't confirm but I wouldn't bet on it. The 2nd slot only runs at x4 so your options would be limited regardless. My board has hosted a gtx 280, and now a 6970, running both to their full capacities. No problems here.
Now here's where the board really shines: compatibility. You can use LPT, IDE, COMM, FDD, and more without buying any expansion cards. Everything's integrated. That with all the modern standards like SATAII, on-board RAID, and more.
Where the board falls short is overclocking. With only 4+1 power phases and no mosfet cooling, every multiplier bump becomes that much more stressful. Gigabyte's product page has it rated at 140W, even supporting the 6-cores, but I'm a little skeptical. Granted I've been using my Phenom at 3.6ghz without problems, but I'd really look into aftermarket cooling for anything beyond that.
So to sum it up...this board was great for its time, but there are obviously better options now. For anyone looking for a solid HTCP build, or something for all their legacy needs, this board will do the job and more. Just pick it up used.
Purchased this board 2 years ago to replace my dead ASUS. At the time I figured I'd buy something future-proof and I couldn't be more pleased with that decision.
Started out using it with an AM2 proc.(Athlon x2), recently swapped it out for an AM3 Phenom II x2. That's 3-generations worth of tech without having to replace the motherboard or RAM, saved me a lot of money. It even supports core-unlocking, I was able to turn that Phenom into a Quad-core in about 10 seconds. Easiest $75 I ever made, or saved.
Regarding RAM, the board uses DDR2 to be AM2 compatible...making it a little unfriendly for AM3. Not sure how much of a difference DDR3 makes when paired with a high-powered x6 proc, but I'd imagine it makes some sort of impact.
Not only that, but for a long time I used it without a dedicated card. The Radeon 4200 IGP is surprisingly capable, handles all media-related tasks without breaking a sweat, even used it for light gaming with Call of Duty 4 and Left 4 Dead. Unfortunately it doesn't have side-port RAM and leeches onto system RAM. Having 3 video-out connectors is awesome, I used VGA but anyone looking for an HTPC would really appreciate the HDMI. It's even possible to run 2 monitors with the IGP, and it supports Hybrid Crossfire(but who uses that?). Regarding Video Cards.....don't be deceived by the 2 PCIe ports. The board *technically* does NOT support Crossfire, but I've heard of people using it regardless. Can't confirm but I wouldn't bet on it. The 2nd slot only runs at x4 so your options would be limited regardless. My board has hosted a gtx 280, and now a 6970, running both to their full capacities. No problems here.
Now here's where the board really shines: compatibility. You can use LPT, IDE, COMM, FDD, and more without buying any expansion cards. Everything's integrated. That with all the modern standards like SATAII, on-board RAID, and more.
Where the board falls short is overclocking. With only 4+1 power phases and no mosfet cooling, every multiplier bump becomes that much more stressful. Gigabyte's product page has it rated at 140W, even supporting the 6-cores, but I'm a little skeptical. Granted I've been using my Phenom at 3.6ghz without problems, but I'd really look into aftermarket cooling for anything beyond that.
So to sum it up...this board was great for its time, but there are obviously better options now. For anyone looking for a solid HTCP build, or something for all their legacy needs, this board will do the job and more. Just pick it up used.
