Pros: I really can't say enough good about this board. For starters, I run a HTPC/Gaming PC mix (Low-res, but still DX11 games like BF3 and Shogun 2.) I purchased this board looking for something that was expandable (2xPCIE-2 slots, 4 DIMM slots), solid (I've been using GB for ages, had very few issues) and worked native with AM3+ FX series stuff (I don't own another AMD CPU to upgrade the BIOS) without even looking much at the rest of the features. I was very pleasantly surprised by the durability and polished feel of the board (especially for the price) and the fact that it was loaded with features. There's around 10 USB ports, and it features USB 3.0, as well as 6 SATA 3 ports, and 108db audio, CPU unlocking, and a dual BIOS. It also was very convenient, all the jumpers were color coded and clearly marked, and it was very well laid out. A lot of polish went into this board.
Cons: There's several things that are annoying with this board, but nothing seriously bad. (Aside from doa issues which are most likely people failing to ground themselves properly, there hasn't been a lot of issues with this board.) For starters, it's not full ATX. It's off by about 1-Centimeter, which was a bit annoying, but I still managed to get it securely in my case. It also doesn't support the 1600 RAM natively, if you want those speeds and up, you'll need to OC it. Again, not a big issue and I had to do the same with my DDR2 1066 on my old nForce 750i. A few more USB 3.0 slots would probably be nice down the road, but I can always add a hub. Again, no major issue. The only thing I'm a bit concerned about is the 2nd PCI-E 2 slot. It's listed as 4x which probably doesn't support SLI or X-Fire, but I really don't know as I haven't looked into this much, and if you're buying a $90 board, you probably can't afford SLI anyways.
Other Thoughts: Overall, this is arguably the most solid $90 board with 4 DIMM slots and FX series capabilities right out of the box. It's got some minor issues, but nothing major or anything that would render it inoperable. It's got some great features for the price, and best of all, is very polished and well made. You will not regret this purchase, especially if you take proper care of it. Be sure to ground yourself before installing! I would have rated it 5 stars if it weren't for that ATX issue, but don't let that phase you, for the price, I'm very satisfied. Sublime board!
[Solved] Help me find a solid AMD motherboard (will update with new build in a couple of days)
. I would like to hear first hand experience from you guys on what your motherboard has been like over the years and if you'd recommend it.
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?470432-BunnyPoopCereal-s-Workshop-FTW
Reply With Quote
