The AMD 790GX Chipset Arrives – Asus M3A78-T Motherboard

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Performance of this board is just fantastic when compared to other AMD based motherboards. There is very little difference between it and the king of AMD, the 790FX board. Certainly there is not enough difference to make any real difference in the real world.

The layout and setup of the Asus M3A78-T was very good. We had no issues at all with it as we set the board up or even changed components while using it. Flashing the BIOS is easy as can be with the EZ Flash utility. Asus left plenty of room to work with on the board.

The bundle that comes with the board is not really that great. I know that cost is a factor in the bundle that is included. The battle between the 790GX boards that are released will not be related to performance, but according to bundle, and lets face it, the name on the box.

Overclocking started out as a struggle thanks to my own thick skull… But after we got things figured out, the board was actually quite easy to use for our overclocking endeavors. We will be happy to test the overclocking again once we get the BIOS issue ironed out. The board did very well using a higher multiplier though, and should turn out to be a decent overall overclocker when all is said and done.

The price of this board (and other 790GX boards) is still not known, but it is expected to be between $100-$150. This is a great price point. Most of our readers are tired of seeing (and spending) $250+ to get a board that is a fresh release and is a good performer. Kudos to AMD for targeting this price point!

This board really got me to thinking about some things. In all actuality, I have not even considered AMD to be a viable upgrade path do to its lack of performance compared to Intel processors right now. And certainly, if you can afford it, and will use the power it brings, Intel is still king when it comes to raw power. But here is where my thinking is maybe taking a second look. With the price of a Quad-Core AMD processor, and a board that is in the price range of the Asus M3A78-T, you have an upgrade that is more than powerful enough to handle anything you can throw at it, and you have it at a price that is quite a bit cheaper than a comparable Intel setup. That is not a bad thing with an economy that is tanking.

Legit Bottom Line: The Asus M3A78-T motherboard is a great performing board at a very affordable price. Asus and AMD have a winner on their hands with the new 790GX chipset!