Specs: Chipset: AMD 785G/SB710; Max memory: 16GB (DDR3-1666); GPU: ATI Radeon HD 4200 (VGA/DVI/HDMI outputs); Slots: 1 PCI-E x16 2.0, 1 PCI-E x1, 2 PCI; Ports: 1 Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 400, 5 SATA 3Gbps, 1 eSATA, 6 USB 2.0

Small. Quiet. Fast. Those are the three qualities you look for when you’re building a business desktop or HTPC. Gigabyte’s MA785GMT-UD2H motherboard delivers an ideal feature list for either usage model, thanks in large part to its AMD 785G chipset. The board supports Phenom II processors through an AM3 socket interface. It enables dual-channel memory configurations via four DDR3 slots. And it includes a new integrated Radeon HD 4200 graphics core.

Sadly, the DVI and HDMI outputs can’t be used at the same time. If you want to drive dual displays with this board, you’ll either need to use the analog connector or buy a discrete card to drop into its PCI Express x16 slot. Our review sample also wouldn’t get along with Dell’s 30-inch monitor, displaying a garbled screen at resolutions larger than 1,024 x 768. Of course, the 30-inch Dell display requires dual-link output; this board should be able to handle single-link DVI LCDs at higher resolutions.

Though it’s newer than the 790GX/SB750 chipset combo, the 785G/SB710 is actually more of a mainstream part, hence the MA785GMT-UD2H’s $89.99 price. And although AMD’s integrated Radeon HD 4200 GPU sounds more advanced than the 790GX’s Radeon HD 3300, gaming performance is actually a little slower. Where the 785G’s graphics engine takes a big step up is its UVD 2 support, accelerating all three codecs used to encode Blu-ray movies.

Clearly set up to excel in environments heavy on A/V, the MA785GMT-UD2H is a well-rounded platform that you can convert into an inexpensive gaming system with the addition of discrete graphics.

by Paul Cross

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