Needs/Specs:
I'm aiming for a cool, quiet, and reasonably inexpensive PC with a relatively small footprint for multimedia use.
The case will be the NSK-3480 w/ stock Antec 380 PSU.
The processor either be a 5000+ Brisbane or a BE-2400.
If the retail HSF with CnQ is too loud, I will install a Minja or Ninja with some flavor of low-speed 120x25mm fan.
Some single-slot flavor of HD 3850 (with DVI-HDMI adapter) will be used instead of IGP for both HD playback and light gaming.
The RAM will be 2x2GB DIMMs of DDR2 800 @ 1.8v, probably with heat spreaders (voltage negotiable).
The HDD and disc player will be a Samsung SP1213N (P80) and Lite-On DVD combo drive now, Samsung SP1213N (P80) and a Blu-ray player later.
OS will be XP now, Vista later (kicking and screaming).
I will not be using more than 6 channels of sound.
This being SPCR, my mobo choice is primarily concerned with layout/heat output/airflow as it affects noise (stability should, of course, go without saying). Secondarily, there are certainly other differences between the boards I would like to take into account, such as solid state caps and better onboard audio. Underclocking is probably not going to be needed for my ears if CnQ works well enough.
AFAIK, the major difference between the 690V and 690G chipsets, on the one hand, and the 7025 and 7050 chipsets, on the other hand, is the capability of the IGP. Please remember that I will not be using the IGP.
Now, I've read at least the following threads on this subject here at SPCR:
What to get AMD 690G or Nvidia 7050?
Which chipset for AMD HTPC
My Biostar TA690G Review: mATX Overclocking Gem
My Biostar TF7025-M2 Review: Biostar Raises the Bar
ASUS M2A-VM HDMI
GA-MA69GM-SH released yet?
User experiences, when taken with equal weight, appear mixed and ambiguous. The power consumption of the 690G chipset appears lower for some, while the power consumption of the 7050 chipset appears lower for others. Then there is the issue of that German site that seems ready to declare lower CPU usage for the 7050 based on the testing of only one mobo for each chipset, including an MSI for the 690G that no one actually uses. For some the northbridge on a given board gets burning hot to the touch, for others the same board the northbridge only gets warm to the touch. Etc.
Ultimately, in addition to helping choose a motherboard for my own needs, I want to synthesize a wide range of experiences and opinions on the current crop of mATX AMD mobos to help others in making their own decisions. That said, please differentiate in your comments between recommendations you are making for me and recommendations you are making for, say, IGP solutions. Since I put in the effort to make it, please use the poll to represent what you think would serve my needs best.
The attached poll includes all of the most popular choices on SPCR as well as a few that aren't so popular. Here they are on Newegg if you like. Remember, this is not necessarily a survey of what you are using now, but what you would get today if you were me. Thank you!
Which mATX, AMD board? Ultimate Edition ;)
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
I recently noticed something promising about the GIGABYTE GA-M68SM-S2: its northbridge and southbridge appear to be under one heatsink, and the position of this heatsink may allow installation of the HR-05 SLI or the HR-05 IFX SLI while still allowing use of the PCI-E 1x slot and one of two PCI slots. I wonder if the base of the aforementioned northbridge coolers is a good fit for the surface area of the stock heatsink base and if it can be mounted in its place.
The exception to this is the Abit AN-M2. Of all the 7025/7050 boards I was considering, the M68SM-S2's placement of the 'unibridge' looks the best for airflow considerations in my case. Because of its layout, decent onboard sound, firewire, and fairly low price, I've ordered this board.oso wrote:I believe all the Nvidia 7025/7050 boards are using one heatsink. One less heatsink crammed in there seems like a good idea to me.
Hopefully it will not have any problems either accommodating the Ninja with those tall capacitors near the CPU bracket or mildy raising the RAM voltage.
Update: The Ninja Rev. B does not fit on the M68SM-S2. Its heatpipes on one side slam into this row of five tall capacitors:
It's not even close; it's not even to the point where I'd consider bending capacitors back. This is very disappointing. Now I will either ditch the Ninja or pick a new board, assuming I can still return either of them without a huge loss in my pocket.
It's not even close; it's not even to the point where I'd consider bending capacitors back. This is very disappointing. Now I will either ditch the Ninja or pick a new board, assuming I can still return either of them without a huge loss in my pocket.
I'll try the Asus M2N-VM next. Again, the tall capacitors on the side are the potential issue. The Ninja has been confirmed to (barely) fit its 690G cousin, the M2A-VM, without bending or touching anything. Because I could find no accurate measurements for the distance between the mounting bracket and the tall caps (nor the height of the caps) on either board, I'll just hoping ASUS has kept a greater or equal distance between the mounting and caps on their 7050 board.
On second thought, I can't know if the capacitor on the other side of the mounting bracket will interfere either. With this many unknowns, I won't be getting this board.
I forgot to mention that the Gigabyte boards are all out of the running- apparently the Ninja touches the capacitors of every single one of them.
Also, I was wrong earlier when I listed the Abit board as an exception- it does have the northbridge and southbridge under one chip- the larger heatsink on the board is not for the northbridge but for the MOSFET cooler.
On second thought, I can't know if the capacitor on the other side of the mounting bracket will interfere either. With this many unknowns, I won't be getting this board.
I forgot to mention that the Gigabyte boards are all out of the running- apparently the Ninja touches the capacitors of every single one of them.
Also, I was wrong earlier when I listed the Abit board as an exception- it does have the northbridge and southbridge under one chip- the larger heatsink on the board is not for the northbridge but for the MOSFET cooler.