Konklusion
Det lille MA78GM-S2H ser måske ikke ud af så meget, men vi har i vores test lært, at det i hvert fald ikke er størrelsen det kommer an på. Det er nok et af de bedste mATX bundkort på markedet idag, hvis man har HTPC/Mediecenter for øje. Med mulighed for at afspille HD-DVD og BlueRay, og de hele fire forskellige video udgange, både med og uden integreret lyd, har man altså alt hvad man skulle ønske i et bundkort i denne klasse. Ikke nok med det, så performer kortet også rigtig godt generelt, og muligheden for at overclocke både RAM, CPU og den indbyggede grafik stiller altså intet tilbage at savne.
Innovation/Teknologi - 5
Det splinternye 780G chipsæt er nok det bedste bud på det perfekte HTPC/Mediecenter chipsæt vi endnu har set. På trods af, at den integrerede grafik yder rigtig godt, og tilstrækkeligt til at afspille HD-materiale under de rette omstændigheder, så er varmeudvilkingen så lav, at Gigabyte har valgt at bruge de absolut mindste heasinks undertegnede til dato endnu har set, på et bundkort med integreret grafik i denne klasse. De fire understøttede video udgange, er også med til at understrege mulighederne på dette chipsæt, og også hvem det henvender sig til.
Bundle/Tilbehør - N/A
Design/Layout - 4
De fleste porte sidder velplaceret, og der er ikke noget der springer i øjnene, som værende ugennemtænkt, måske lige med undtagelse af PCI-E x1 porten, der i nogle tilfælde måske vil give pladsproblemer pga. Northbrige køleren. Det eneste der for alvor vækker en smule undren er placeringen af front audio pins'ne i den "forkerte" ende af kortet.
Software/BIOS - 4
Vi fik alle de muligheder vi forventede os, og lidt mere til. Det mest bemærkelsesværdige var muligheden for at overclocke den integrerede grafik. Den medfølgende software derimod, fik vi ikke megen glæde af, da det skulle vise sig at stort set intet af det fungerede. Vi formoder det er et generelt problem for serie 700-chipsæt'ene, som afventer kompatibilitet i form af nye drivere, eller at softwaren mangler en opdatering.
Ydelse - 5
Der er ikke en finger at sætte på det ydelsesmæssige område. Vi formåede at overclocke både CPU og den integrerede grafik samtidigt, og det uden at chipsættet blev mere end håndlunt. Muligheden for at få både lyd og billede ud i et enkelt kabel, uden at skulle investere i et grafikkort, er et kærkomment tiltag der nok skal blive taget godt imod.
Pris - 5
Det er endnu for tidligt at vide hvad man kommer til at slippe for dette bundkort på det danske marked, men det lykkedes os at finde en pris på det i Tyskland på små 600,- kr. Det må siges at være en absolut konkurrence-dygtig pris, og hvis den kommer til at holde stik for det danske marked også, så kan vi simpelthen ikke forestille os hvordan man på nuværende tidspunkt, skal kunne komme uden om MA78GM-S2H i sine overvejelser, såfremt man er på udkig efter et bundkort til HTPC/Medie center.
Test: Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H
| Innovation / Teknologi | 5 |
| Design - Layout | 4 |
| Software - BIOS | 4 |
| Ydelse | 5 |
| Pris | 5 |
| |
| Samlet | 92% |
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hereUK summary
The little MA78GM-S2H may not look like much, but we have certainly learned in our test, that size really doesn’t matter. It's probably one of the best available motherboards for HTPC/Media center on the market today. With the ability to playback HD-DVD and BlueRay, and the astonishing four different video outputs, both with and without integrated sound, you really have everything you could possibly need in a motherboard of this class. This is not to forget the excellent performance of the board In general, and the ability to overclock both RAM, CPU as well as the integrated graphics. All of this, left for us with nothing to miss.
Innovation/Technology - 5
The brand new 780G chipset is probably the best one for HTPC/Media center we yet have seen so far. Despite the fact that the integrated graphics perform so well, and adequate enough for playback of HD material under the right circumstances, the heat output was so low, that Gigabyte chose to use the smallest heatsinks yours truly has ever seen, on a motherboard with integrated graphics of this class. The four supported video outputs, is also a good indication of the possibilities of this chipset, as well as what audience this board is meant for
Bundle/Accessories - N/A
Design/Layout - 4
The majority of connectors are well placed, and nothing stands out, as being not well thought out, except maybe the PCI-E 1x connector, that might end up causing some problems, with the lack of space in the presence of the Northbrige heatsink. The only thing that caused us to scratch our heads, was the placement of the front audio header in the “wrong end” of the motherboard
Software/BIOS - 4
We got all the options we expected in the BIOS, and then some. The most remarkable thing was the ability to overclock the integrated graphics. We didn’t get much out of the included software, as it would turn out, that we couldn’t get any of it working properly. We are assuming this to be a general problem with the new 700-series chipset, and is most likely due to incomplete drivers, or maybe the software needs an update.
Performance - 5
The performance was absolutely excellent. We succeeded in overclocking both the CPU and the integrated graphics at the same time; meanwhile the chipset didn’t get much warmer than our hands. The ability to get both picture and sound out, in a single cable, without having to invest in a graphics card, we are sure will get well received by the consumers.
Price - 5
It's still too early to say what the exact price for this board will be on the Danish market, but we did however find a price on it in Germany of approx. DKK 600,- One would have to agree, that this a very competitive price and if this price tag holds up on the Danish market, then we simply can't imagine how MA78GM-S2H as of this time, could not be thought of when looking for a motherboard for HTPC/Media center.
