Review: AMD RS780G - integrated graphics redefined!

by Tarinder Sandhu on 4 March 2008, 10:49

Tags: 780G Chipset with ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics, GA-MA78GM-S2H, ASUS P5E-VM HDMI, Gigabyte (TPE:2376), ASUSTeK (TPE:2357), AMD (NYSE:AMD)

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Final thoughts

AMD's 780G chipset, limited to the company's own AM2(+) processors, ushers in a new era for gaming with respect to graphics integrated into a motherboard. That bold statement is predicated upon the performance of the Radeon HD 3200 core - the beating heart of the 780G northbridge.

Generally analogous to the make-up of the discrete, low-end Radeon HD 2400 - albeit with an upgraded version of the video-decoding UVD ASIC - the 500MHz-clocked IGP offers playable frame-rates, at 1,024x768 and at low-to-medium settings, in a variety of first-person shooters, which, really, is something that's not been possible up until now. Our overclocking tests have shown it to scale to 850MHz with consummate ease, too.

The 780G's IGP also offers an eclectic range of display outputs and its 3D performance can be further augmented by adding a low-end, discrete ATI 3K card and combining the two, via Hybrid CrossFire, for around 20 per cent additional performance over and above the discrete card's.

The paired SB700 southbridge is competent, if not exceptional, and the duo combines to offer a compelling reason for purchase, with retail boards starting at around the £60 price-point.

The feature-set is such that 780G makes for an ideal base for an HTPC as well as a general workhorse/casual gaming machine for Mr. Average.

AMD's lined up a bunch of partners for 780G's official launch and Gigabyte's effort, priced at around £75, is decent enough in most respects. The layout and BIOS are both good, and when paired with a power-efficient AMD Athlon X2 4850e, the overall proposition, at £130, is enticing.
Bottom line: AMD's DX10-toting 780G chipset improves on the incumbent 690G in almost every way. It's leagues ahead of any other IGP-based solution currently available. NVIDIA and Intel will need to raise their respective games, substantially, if they're to have a better solution in H1 2008. Let's sit back, wait and see what MCP78/7A and G45 bring to the IGP table.

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AMD 780G chipset and Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H


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Impressive stuff for an IGP motherboard! :)

I didn't think SB700 was ready just yet…

A bit of a pity the review wasn't a full motherboard review, since others have shown this particular one to be a decent overclocker too - in my experience another great benefit to these kinds of boards, as most IGP boards I've seen usually have the CPU options limited or non existent. Nice to see the option to get maximum value from your kit!
Tarinder, can you elaborate or possibly explain why HDMI output was “smooth if somewhat fuzzy”?

I'd be looking to upgrade to a 780G based HTPC with a very similar spec to your AMD test system but would want some reassuring that it would be fit for purpose! (i.e. play HD content via HDMI and achieve acceptable picture clarity and quality)
There's a video on youtube about the AMD 780 Chipset.

1-youtube.com/watch?v=rcbGV6Pfb6Q
How is linux support for the chipset and the integrated graphics? I read the whole article and there was not a single mention.

My last Linux computer was AMD, my current one is Intel. When I built my current Linux box a couple of months ago, I would have loved to use AMD, and I would have sacrificed a little performance in order to do so, but at the time the only diecent chipsets with integrated graphics support where AMD/ATI based, and they have historicaly had very poor Linux support. I would like to know if this is the case with this latest effort.

The reason I would like to go for and AMD based system is because of their much better CPU scaling support. My old system, which I built in 2004 had good CPU scaling and could quickly switch between 3 clock speeds, the lowest of which was slow enough that the thermal output from the CPU was very low, so that my system ran cool and Quiet. More recent AMD CPU improve on that by allowing different cores to run at different speeds in order to better match the clock speed to the workload.

In contrast my Current Intel Core2Duo based system (see the ‘My System’ Link), only has two CPU frequencies, the slowest of which is 1600MHz, which is to fast and hot for background idling, and if any thread on the system maxes the CPU core it is on, the whole CPU has to switch to 2400MHz, wasting even more power.
Try this (very good) review: AMD's 780G chipset - The Tech Report - Page 1

I've got a media center to build soon for a friend and this thing looks amazingly perfect for the job :)