AMD IGP Chipset Comparison: 780G, 740G, 8300, 8100

HardwareZone compared 4 IGP motherboards for AMD AM2/AM2+ processors. The reviewed motherboards were:

• AMD 780G chipset: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H (US$80)
• AMD 740G chipset: Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2 ($54)
• NVIDIA GeForce 8300 mGPU chipset: Zotac GeForce 8300 ($85)
• NVIDIA GeForce 8100 mGPU: Zotac GeForce 8100 ($58)

"... it's hard to argue against the AMD 780G for either power/heat or its graphics prowess. ... On that same note, the AMD 740G is definitely not for the HTPC enthusiast. HD video playback suffered from the lack of dedicated hardware while the graphics performance was mediocre when compared to the 780G. It's likely to be cheaper than the 780G so that could be its selling point, though even then, we aren't too keen to recommend it - especially not for the HTPC seekers." [HardwareZone | AMD IGP Chipset and Motherboard Showdown]

"Between the Gigabyte 740G and the GeForce 8100, it's a tougher choice and frankly, both are not that appealing, but we'll have to say the GeForce 8100 does come out slightly better for both graphics performance and HD video playback. To conclude, we'll recommend paying more for the beefier chipsets like the GeForce 8300/8200 or the AMD 780G for low-cost HTPC fulfillments." [HardwareZone]

When building an HTPC (Home Theater PC), the best route as of now is either go for the GeForce 8300/8200 or the AMD 780G chipset. Also, if you intend to build a low-cost PC based on the AMD AM2/AM2+ processor, and have plans to add a discrete graphics card later (as the budget permits), the mentioned mainboards are a nice solution.

IceRocket : 740g, 780g, 8100, 8300, amd igp chipset

AMD 790GX Integrated Graphics Chipset Reviewed

The AMD 790GX is an integrated graphics chipset that has the following features:

• HT 3.0/5,200 MT/s Processor Interface
• PCI Express 2.0/26 lanes/2x8 Graphics support
• RV610 integrated core (same with AMD 780G)
• DirectX 10.1 / OpenGL 2.1
• 700 MHz Graphics Clock
• DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, VGA Display Outputs
• Hybrid CrossFireX, CrossFireX Multi-GPU support
• SB750 Southbridge (AMD 780G uses SB700)
• A-Link Xpress (4 x PCIe 1.1) Interconnect
• RAID 0, 1, 10, 5 support (AMD 780G lacked RAID 5)

Tom's Hardware compared the Gigabyte MA790GP-DS4H (790GX) with the Gigabyte MA78GPM-D2SH (780G) and ASUS M3N78 PRO (GeForce 8300) motherboards:

"... The SB750 is AMD's real strength here. Otherwise, we'd probably go for the inexpensive 780G with a Radeon HD 3870 or 4850. But with ACC and RAID 5 support wrapped up into AMD's new southbridge, the company finally has a platform to tie the assets it acquired from ATI into its own processor lineup. Naturally, it helps that the onboard RV610 core is now running at 700 MHz and aided by side-port memory. The main story here is ACC and what AMD is doing to make its processors more attractive in the face of a formidable opponent." [Tom's Hardware | AMD 790GX: RV610 For Enthusiasts?]

AnandTech previewed the 790GX:

"The 790GX Northbridge is actually a 780G that has its stock core clock speed increased from 500MHz to 700MHz along with a graphics core name change from Radeon HD 3200 to HD 3300. Sideport Memory, now called Performance Cache, is a "requested" feature on the boards that improves IG performance about 5% on average, sometimes less, sometimes more. The SB750 Southbridge is basically a SB700 with RAID 5 operation and the new ACC interface. Mix the two parts, stir, and you have the highest performing integrated graphics solution on the market today." [AnandTech | AMD 790GX - The Introduction]

The bottom line is that if you are decided with going with the AMD chipset route for your system build, the 790GX is the right choice if you need RAID 5, and are interested in some overclocking (thanks to the Advanced Clock Calibration).

Technorati : 780g, 790gx, 8300, amd, chipset, graphics, igp, integrated, nvidia, overclock, review, test

Integrated Chipsets: AMD 780G vs. Nvidia GeForce 8200

When planning an AMD rig build using integrated chipsets, the usual question is which chipset to use: AMD 780G or Nvidia GeForce 8200?

Features common to both chipsets:

• 940 pins AM2+ processor socket
• HT 3.0 (1.8 GHz) CPU interface
• DDR2-667/800/1066 Dual Channel DDR2 memory support (up to 8GB)
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 12x USB 2.0
• 5x 32 Bit PCI 2.3 support
• 6x SATA/300 w/ NCQ
• Blu-ray, Betamax/HD-DVD HD video
• Direct X 10.0, Shader Model 4.0
• D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI w/ HDCP
• HDMI 1.3

AMD 780G Features:

• dual chipset design
• AMD Sb700 Southbridge
• PCIe x4 (2GB/s) chipset interlink
• 26 PCIe 2.0 Lanes PCIe support
• 0, 1,10, JBOD RAID modes
• Radeon HD2400 (RV610)-based graphics core
• 40 Graphics stream processors
• Crossfire X possible (Option: Radeon HD 2400/3450)
• ATI Avivo HD video decoding

Nvidia GeForce 8200 Features:

• Single chipset design
• 19 PCIe 2.0 Lanes PCIe support
• 0, 1,10, 5, JBOD RAID modes
• GeForce 8400 GS (G86)-based graphics core
• 16 Graphics stream processors
• Hybrid Graphics-only (Option: GeForce 8400 GS/8500 GT)
• Power Saving: HybridPower switches off discrete graphics in 2D
• Nvidia PureVideo HD

"Both chipsets have reached a level of integration, performance and efficiency that is far above what most of us associate with the term "integrated chipset". The AMD 780G and Nvidia's GeForce 8200/8300 include all features and interfaces for a modern desktop solution, multimedia system or HTPC. ... They don't deliver less performance than high-end chipsets, and they even come with decent graphics engines, which are excellent for office and multimedia, and for playing HD video from Blu-ray in FullHD resolution. ... If you don't specifically want to run dual, three-way or quad graphics, or need more sophisticated platform features such as hardcore overclocking options, these motherboards do in fact suffice - and they still provide a nice upgrade path for graphics. Nvidia was more consistent in executing its platform strategy with Hybrid Power, while AMD offers better video features (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, Display Port) and FullHD video decoding efficiency." [Tom's Hardware | AMD and Nvidia Platforms Do Battle : Hybrid Graphics Platforms to Fire Up Multi-GPU Rendering?]

So, it boils down to what to choose. As the above article states, the 780G won in video (FullHD video decoding), while the 8200 won in graphics (Hybrid Power implementation).

Fudzilla.com tested four 780G and one 8200 motherboards:

"While AMD might not be the gaming platform of choice, it is a good choice for HTPC. Geforce 8200 consumes less power compared to 780G, but AMD still has the superior graphics-power and the better multimedia support. Using a 45W TDP CPU such as the AMD Athlon X2 4850e, this configuration is the best possibility to go for." [Fudzilla | Four 780G and one GeForce 8200 tested]

If you are more inclined to choose the chipset with the lower power consumption, the 8200 should be your best bet (Further reading: IGP Chipset Power Consumption Compared). Also, it's also helpful to note that some Linux users tend to experience less video driver compatibility problems with Nvidia graphics than ATI ones, in case you are looking to use a Linux distro as your operating system.

AnandTech tested six (6) motherboards with integrated graphics. The chipsets were: GF8300, GF8200, AMD 790GX, AMD 780G, Intel G35, and Intel G45:

"... it is difficult to declare a true winner at this time, especially given the fact that the new NVIDIA chipsets are launching shortly. However, if we had to choose one chipset for primary HTPC usage, it would be the NVIDIA GeForce 8200. The GF8200 offers 8-channel LPCM output, no hassle 1080P/24 fps playback capabilities, modest pricing, and a relatively low power envelope when paired with an appropriate processor such as the Phenom X3 8750 or Phenom X4 9350e." [AnandTech | AMD 780G vs. Intel G45 vs. NVIDIA GeForce 8200]

As of now, it seems the GF 8200 and AMD 780G chipsets are the ideal choices, with the GF 8200 more favorable for HTPC usage.

Technorati : 780g, 790gx, 8200, 8300, amd, chipset, g35, g45, geforce, graphics, igp, integrated, nvidia