Biostar TA780G M2+ and ECS A780GM-A: value products of wide capabilities
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Date: 25.04.2008 |
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Performance and conclusions
It turned out that while determining the starting HTT speed, both the boards set it at an ideal precision.
In our test setup, we used the following hardware:
Let's first take a look at the results of synthetic benchmarks.
Now on to the gaming benchmarks.
Tests of application software.
Video encoding (DivX, Xvid) was measured in seconds, i.e. the less the better.
Data compression (WinRAR) was measured in MB/sec, i.e. the more, the better.
Despite the superb results, we must admit they have been produced with only the latest BIOS versions. The thing is, motherboards based on the 780G chipset are merely about to emerge on the market, and the manufacturers are definitely not making haste about that. As a result, the software part is not yet polished to the end. In particular, the ECS A780GM-A board started supporting the Hybrid Crossfire technology only with the BIOS version 0307 as of March, 11. As regards the Biostar TA780G M2+, it demonstrated too poor performance with the starting BIOS version. But after update to version 324 (March, 26) the operating speed went up to the required level. Unfortunately, albeit Hybrid Crossfire runs at TA780G M2+, it does not give any real performance boost. Looking forward to getting the next BIOS version.
That is why today we have reviewed only the performance of motherboards based on 780G under OS Vista. Next time, we'll be looking into the speed and efficiency of the Hybrid Crossfire: let's wait until the technology is fully polished.
Final Words
Both the boards fall within the value sector and indeed offer quite an affordable price. At least, ECS A780GM-A is already available at the Moscow retail at a price about ~$80. The price of Biostar TA780G M2+ is a bit higher but is not over $100. At the same time, the prices for AMD processors have substantially gone down, which allows a really cheap system.
But which motherboard is better? At the expansion options, the ECS is better, it offers more PCI and PCI Express x1 slots, more USB 2.0 ports, and a more functional audio subsystem. As regards the overclocking, the Biostar board is better at that, it offers a wider set of overclocking tools and demonstrates much higher results. At the same time, Biostar TA780G M2+ perfectly overclocks the integrated video core (the best result of the three tested motherboards). The board also supports greater number of Biostar's proprietary technologies and a number of rather interesting features.
But to make the final conclusions, we should wait until the Biostar boards have appeared on sale (and compare the retail prices), and also look at how soon the engineers at Biostar will release a new BIOS version with support for the Hybrid Crossfire technology. However, if you are not into overclocking and if you need a cheap motherboard based on AMD 780G right now, you don't have to wait until the final conclusions are made - the ECS A780GM-A is able to cope with your tasks.
 
Biostar TA780G M2+ and ECS A780GM-A
Conclusion
Pros:
- high stability and good performance level;
- integrated graphic core Radeon HD3200;
- one PCI Express x16 (PCI-E v2.0) slot;
- support for Hybrid Crossfire and SurroundView;
- support for SerialATA II (6 links, RAID);
- support for ParallelATA (1 link);
- Gigabit Ethernet LAN controller;
- support for BIOS profiles, a utility to update the BIOS, and a monitoring utility.
Cons:
- flaws in the BIOS
(the Hybrid Crossfire is faulty).
The board's specific features:
- powerful overclocking tools
and good results;
- perfect overclocking results
for the integrated video core.
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Pros:
- high stability and good performance level;
- integrated graphic core Radeon HD3200;
- one PCI Express x16 (PCI-E v2.0) slot;
- support for Hybrid Crossfire and SurroundView;
- support for SerialATA II (6 links, RAID);
- support for ParallelATA (1 link);
- integrated 8-channel audio and Gigabit Ethernet LAN controller;
- support for the USB 2.0 (12 ports);
- low price.
Cons:
The board's specific features:
- poor overclocking tools and low results.
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