ECS produces a wide range of motherboards, and in recent years there has been an obvious shift away from being known as a manufacturer of budget friendly offerings to add more products with the features that enthusiasts demand. The motherboard provided for this review is something like a hybrid since it offers a reasonable price tag, but also includes a bunch of desirable features, a slick physical design, and some high-end goodies generally seen only on true enthusiast grade motherboards.
The promotional image below provides a look at the ECS A780GM-A Black Series AMD 780G motherboard, which definitely has the appearance of an enthusiast grade product. This review will take a closer look to see if it offers the features and performance necessary, or if the styling is all for show.
In lieu of posting the lengthy list of features and specifications for this motherboard, it would be best to visit the ECS website for the most complete and up-to-date information. Please visit
this page for the features, and
this page for the specifications.
Taking a look at those pages reveals that the ECS A780GM-A Black Series is an AM2+ motherboard based on the AMD 780G and SB700 chipsets, capable of supporting the latest AMD processors, including Phenoms. Other features include HD audio and video, support for DDR2 1066MHz memory, DirectX 10, PCI Express 2.0, "HDMI/HDCP for the extreme graphic performance", and implementation of AMD's new Hybrid Crossfire.
Packaging:
The box for the
ECS A780GM-A Black Series AMD 780G motherboard is shown in the two images below. While a box shouldn't be used to gauge the product inside, the black background, graphics like a tribal armband tattoo, and the fire-breathing dragon all point to this board being intended for computer enthusiasts and/or gamers. In addition to the visual elements, a variety of features and specifications are listed on the front of the box.
The back of the box provides a small image of the motherboard, as well as details on even more of the board's features and specifications.
