ECS G45T-M2 (Intel G45)
Author:
Date: 05.11.2008 |
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During the June's Computex, Intel officially announced the 4th series of chipsets which includes products with integrated video cores. These are the chipsets G45 and G43 which by their specifications meet the chipsets P45/P43, and also offer integrated graphics.
The Intel G45 chipset has the most powerful Intel GMA X4500HD core which supports the hardware acceleration of HD-video (codecs H.264, VC-1), DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, as well as OpenGL 2.0. At the same time, there is support for HDMI and Display Port, let alone the customary DVI and VGA. The cheaper Intel G43 chipset has a somehow simplified graphic subsystem based on the GMA X4500 core. We also note that chipsets of the G series offer the integrated memory controller with support for DDR2 and DDR3 memory. The maximum supported regimes are DDR2-800 and DDR3-1333, respectively. The remaining specifications: the maximum nominal FSB speed supported by the G45 chipset is 1333 MHz (QPB), there is support for the PEG slot to which 16 PCI Express x16 v2.0 bus lanes are allocated. The engineers have also got 6 available PCI Express v1.1 lanes which can be used for expansion slots or plugging in Gigabit LAN controllers.
All the new north bridges are equipped with the same south bridge ICH10(R). As compared to the previous - ICH9(R) - there aren't any radical improvements. The south bridge ICH10(R) supports 12 USB2.0 ports, 6 SerialATA II links, Gigabit LAB connection, HDA audio subsystem, and 6 PCI Express x1 slots.
For a detailed idea of the Intel G45 chipset, we test the ECS G45T-M2 motherboard which appears to be a regular "workhorse".
ECS G45T-M2 Specifications
| ECS G45T-M2 |
| CPU |
- Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott (2M)/Gallatin/CedarMill), FSB1066/800 MHz
- Dual-core Intel Pentium D / EE (Smithfield/Presler) with the FSB speeds 1066/800 MHz
- Intel Celeron-D (Prescott/Conroe-L), FSB800 MHz
- Support for Intel Core 2 (Kentsfield (4 cores), Conroe (2 cores)), FSB1333/1066/800 MHz
- Support for Intel Yorkfield, Wolfdale, FSB1333/1066/800 MHz
- Socket LGA775
- Support for HyperThreading processors
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| Chipset |
- North bridge Intel G45 (GMCH)
- South bridge Intel ICH10
- Interbridge communication: DMI
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| System memory |
- Four 240-pin slots for DDR2 SDRAM DIMM
- Maximum memory capacity 16 GB
- Supported memory DDR2 667/800
- Dual-channel memory access
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| Graphics |
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| Expansion options |
- Two 32-bit PCI Bus Master slots
- One PCI Express x1 slot
- Twelve USB 2.0 ports (4 integrated + 8 additional)
- High Definition Audio 7.1
- Gigabit Ethernet LAN controller
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| Overclocking options |
- FSB adjustable within (200) 333 MHz to 500 MHz in 1MHz increments
- Adjustable voltages on the memory
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| Disk subsystem |
- Support for SerialATA II (6 links; ICH10)
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| BIOS |
- 8 Mbit Flash ROM
- AMI BIOS with support for Enhanced ACPI, DMI, Green, PnP Features
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| Misc |
- one port for FDD
- one serial COM port
- one parallel LPT port
- ports for PS/2 mouse and keyboard
- STR (Suspend to RAM)
- SPDIF Out
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| Power management |
- Wake-up from modem, mouse, keyboard, LAN, timer, and USB
- Main 24-pin ATX power connector
- Additional 4-pin power connector
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| Monitoring |
- CPU temperature
- system temperature
- Vcore, Vmem voltages
- rotational speeds of the two fans
- SmartFan technology
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| Dimensions |
- MicroATX form factor, 244x244 mm (9.62" x 9.62")
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Package
Package bundle
- motherboard;
- User's Guide + Quick Setup Manual;
- Software & drivers CD;
- 2x SerialATA cables;
- a cap for the rear panel of the housing;
- DVI=>HDMI adapter.
This is a standard package bundle for an entry motherboard, with minimum number of items. By the way, regular cables are missing. In fact, the board does not support ParallelATA, and the regular 3.5" FDD these days are used by almost none.
ECS G45T-M2 Board Layout
There are no special traits about the PCB design: this is a regular configuration of a MicroATA board. The G45T-M2 model has all the typical attributes of the ECS produce, namely - a metal sticker on the south bridge (instead of a full-featured radiator), an absolutely inconvenient latch for the PEG slot, and the proprietary aubergine color.
Near the CPU socket, there is a 4-pin CPU_FAN connector for a matching cooler.
Besides it, there is one more 4-pin connector SYS_FAN near the additional power connector. On the north bridge, there is a radiator of mid-size:
Under the north bridge, there are four 240-pin DIMM slots for DDR2 memory modules. They are partitioned into two groups with two slots in each. The first two slots refer to the first controller channel, with the other two to the second controller.
The board offers support for DDR2-667/800, and the maximum memory capacity makes 16 GB.
Expansion options
The board uses a PCI Express x16 slot which is meant for video cards.
Besides it, ECS G45T-M2 uses two more regular PCI slots, as well as a PCI Express x1 slot. As regards the south bridge, there is an ICH10 chip on it. In the end, the board supports six Serial ATA II ports, without support for RAID arrays.
There is no support for the ParallelATA, which will be disappointing for the owners of old drives and IDE hard disks.
Then, the board uses 12 USB2.0 ports: 4 on the rear panel, with 8 more plugged in with brackets (missing in the bundle). ECS G45T-M2 offers integrated 8-channel Intel High Definition Audio, with the RealTek ALC888VC chip used as the codec. A few words on the network support: the board uses a high-speed RealTek 8111C (Gigabit Ethernet) LAN controller connected to the PCI Express (x1) bus.
The board's rear panel has the following configuration:
The engineers at ECS have given up positioning COM ports in favor of video outputs (VGA and DVI). In fact, the board does support for one COM port with a bracket (missing in the bundle). However, the PCB design provides for the second COM port, but it is not unsoldered on our board.
Now on to the BIOS settings.
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