Asus M3A78 motherboards launched

Posted on Friday, June 13 2008 @ 4:57 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Asus has released the M3A78-EM and M3A78 PRO motherboards, both models are based on the AMD 780G chipset and support Hybrid CrossFireX. One of the special features of the motherboard is Express Gate, a web-enabled instant-boot environment.
Catering to users who are looking for a powerful device to create an excellent home entertainment environment, ASUS, worldwide leader in motherboard production, has released the new ASUS M3A78 series. The new ASUS M3A78 series utilizes the AMD platform, and is equipped with exceptional support for analog/digital outputs – enabling the PC to be utilized as a home theater in the living room, and not just a computing tool in the study or bedroom. The M3A78-EM also comes with DisplayPort, a cutting-edge digital output ready for users to upgrade their monitors in the near future. Moreover, the M3A78 Series adopts an advanced new power design to support 140W powered CPUs – providing users with more flexible choices on CPU upgrades.

Multiple VGA Output Interfaces and DisplayPort
The ASUS M3A78 series provides the principal criteria to make it the centerpiece of any home theatre product – multiple VGA output interfaces. With RGB, DVI and HDMI output interface, users will do away with connecting numerous convertors for different monitors. Users will also enjoy the flexibility of monitor upgrades without worrying about different interface support.

Latching onto the latest trend, the M3A78-EM is also designed with the DisplayPort interface. The advantages of DisplayPort include delivering higher performance and improving digital display connectivity; while even more cutting-edge DisplayPort enhancements are already underway to facilitate digital applications. With the M3A78-EM, users can be one step closer to the latest, more enjoyable forefront of the digital entertainment world.

Outstanding Performance with Hybrid CrossFireX
The M3A78 series features the AMD 780G graphics integrated chipset that supports ATI Hybrid CrossFireX. To enrich multimedia content, Hybrid CrossFireX enables a discrete graphics processor and an integrated graphics processor to render simultaneously for the ultimate in graphics performance. Compared to onboard GPU performances, Hybrid CrossFireX achieves 70.82% improvement on the 3DMark Vantage benchmark (see following chart). With such excellent graphic boosts, home entertainment will reach a whole new level in enjoyment.


Specifications:

 

M3A78 PRO

M3A78-EM

CPU

AMD AM2+ / AM2 CPU Support

Chipset

AMD 780G + SB700

Memory

DDR2 1066 / 800 / 667

System bus

Up to 5200 MT/s HT3 interface

VGA

Integrated ATI Radeon™ HD 3200 GPU
Maximum shared memory of 256MB
AMD Hybrid CrossFireX™ Support (For Windows Vista only)
Supports Microsoft® DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.0, Pixel Shader 4

HDMI / DVI / D-Sub support

DP / HDMI / DVI / D-Sub support

Slots

1 * PCIe 2.0 x 16
2 * PCIe x 1
3 * PCI

1 * PCIe 2.0 x 16
1 * PCIe x 1
2 * PCI

Storage

1 x Ultra DMA 133 / 100
6 x SATA 3Gb/s ports with RAID 0, 1 and 10 support

1 x Ultra DMA 133 / 100
5 x SATA and 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s ports with RAID 0, 1 and 10 support

LAN

Gb LAN

Audio

8-channel HD

Form factor

ATX, 12"x 9.6" (30.5cm x 24.4cm)

uATX, 9.6"x 9.6" (24.4cm x 24.4cm)



About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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