Sudeep Naik, May 16, 2007 1730 hrs IST
Last week we promised you a more affordable version of a mobo based on AMD 690G. Here we go. But does its performance match up to that of the Sapphire board?
Good build, Feature rich, Capability to support 10 USB ports, 4 SATA II ports, HDMI, 8 channel sound, Value For Money, Decent onboard display, Stable board.
USB and FireWire brakcets not included in the bundle, Only two memory slots, Only one IDE Channel.
Last time we reviewed a 690G chipset Mainboard, it was the
These days a lot of manufacturers are looking at HDMI as a default port and not a luxury as against the case a year or so back. This is really paying off, and since most LCD TVs are just about within the reach of the masses these days, maybe in a few more months they could well become common in most households and that's exactly where the USP of such boards lies. You can easily make a budget HTPC fit well within the already very low budgets that we have.
Although a lot has been written about the AMD 690G, I feel one more time won't really hurt, will it now? So here goes.
This chipset series consists of two primary variants: the 690G and the 690V. The difference between the 690G and 690V is that the 690G supports on-board DVI and HDMI interfaces while the 690V does not. The big difference is the integrated graphics core, with the 690G including the higher-end ATI Radeon X1250 and the 690V using the Radeon X1200. Let's see what the 690G offers.
It features the RS690 Northbridge and SB600 Southbridge and supports the full range of Socket AM2 processors, including the Athlon 64 FX/X2, Athlon 64, and Sempron. Basic features include a 1GHz HyperTransport link, a unified memory architecture, PCI Express x16 graphics and x1 peripheral support, support for memory speeds up to DDR/800, up to 10 USB 2.0 sports, and Serial ATA.
Although specs like these are pretty common these days, the USP of the 690G is its Integrated Graphics Module; the AMD 690G's ATI Radeon X1250 is the higher-end chipset, with the best mix of features and performance. It supports 2D acceleration, OpenGL and DirectX 9.0 support, MPEG-2/4 and WMV9 decode acceleration, and TV-out, along with dual-display support and DVI/HDMI output to the mix. As it turns out, this onboard graphics module is also certified to run the Windows Vista Aero interface.
Talking more about the X1250, it's a scaled down version of the Radeon X700. Though they have the same architecture, the X1250 is clocked a little lower and has a few shaders less than the X700.
currently.... the intel Core2 Duos are way better than the AM2s... shouldnt there be an article about variuos 965/975 motherboards out there ?
by v0rt3x, Delhi, on May 17, 2007 10:56 AM, Report abuse Reply
While as processors Intel c2d is better- problem is with motherboards with onboard video integerated into MB- in this the intel C2D is much inferior to latest AMD solution i.e. 690G boards. 965G-945G is a much poorer solution in this matter of integerated video.
by vijayshimla, Shimla 171001, on May 17, 2007 01:48 PM, Report abuse
Core2Duo Boards with Integrated Graphcs are very expensive as compared to AMD Solutions. Going for Intel 965G Boards for Integrated Graphics is absolutely waste of money. NVidia and ATi should also make comparable Chipsets with Integrated Graphics so that they are available under 5k . In case of ATX Boards with no OnBoard Graphics Intel is going to face a tough time from NVidia specially when it's coming with it's NVidia 650i Ultra Chipset for low end, 650i SLi for Mid End and 680i SLi Chipsets for High End Gaming. Let's support NVidia and ATi and hence break Intel's Monopoly! Cheers!!
by Arnov Sarkar, New Delhi, on May 18, 2007 07:22 PM, Report abuse
this board has everything-lot of usb ports, 4 sata2, ethernet, 8ch. audio,firewire-and what does bracket costs, 1 ide for 2 ide devices, yes... here comes the point to note, only one ide, this is SATA era, even intel is manufacturing/shipping motherboards/chipsets without ide port. even i am using DVD writer on SATA port on my Asus P5B Deluxe motherboard. because 3rd party ide solutions are mostly proved to be troublesome. As far as this mboard is concerned it is complete pacgale looking at the features integrated.
by naveenchaudhary, meerut, on May 18, 2007 12:31 PM, Report abuse Reply
How abt a review on ASUS M2A-VM HDMI
by SpK, Chennai, on May 17, 2007 02:16 PM, Report abuse Reply
oveclockers workbench ocw for best review ASUS M2A-VM HDMI
by vijayshimla, Shimla 171001, on May 18, 2007 07:18 AM, Report abuse
can somebody please tell me where this mobo is available for 4400....... pls msg me my no is 9838008475
by dhruv, lucknow, on May 17, 2007 10:25 PM, Report abuse Reply
Cheap crap, 4 months peoblems with arise for upgrades!
by rock, gurgoan, on May 17, 2007 05:03 PM, Report abuse Reply
good performance board & good price too...but only two dimm RAM slots...
by muzux2, Srinagar, on May 17, 2007 02:01 PM, Report abuse Reply
It would be good to get a review of 690G based Jetway M2A692-GDG which is reported to be reasonably priced at only Rs.3500. Because this jetway board is the ticket to a reasonably priced computer for lots of ppl.
by vijayshimla, Shimla 171001, on May 17, 2007 01:51 PM, Report abuse Reply
THe asus m2npv-vm has dvi connector along with support for hdtv, svideo etc.
by Sam, Pune, on May 17, 2007 01:11 PM, Report abuse Reply
Just two PCI slots? I already have 3 slots occupied in my current Mobo. And where would I connect my 2 HDDs and 2 DVD drives?
by Upendra, Indoer, on May 17, 2007 09:34 AM, Report abuse Reply
There are IDE to SATA convertors available...
by Grawp, The Dark Forest, on May 17, 2007 11:37 AM, Report abuse
by parveen, delhi, on May 17, 2007 10:50 AM, Report abuse Reply
Performance comparison is incomplete without stating whether higher values are better or not.
by badvt, chennai, on May 16, 2007 08:40 PM, Report abuse Reply
I agree. Each benchmark should have a comment indicating whether higher value is better or lower value is better. This article is not meant for hardware geeks only.
by John Sam, Mumbai, on May 17, 2007 10:11 AM, Report abuse
by PRADEEP NEELAKA, VALSAD, GUJARAT, on May 17, 2007 08:15 AM, Report abuse Reply
2 RAM Slots not done. ASUS M2A-VM HDMI seems much better.
by Arnov Sarkar, New Delhi, on May 16, 2007 10:00 PM, Report abuse Reply
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Jetway M2A692-GDG< |
There are IDE to SATA convertors available...
by azhar, Hyderabad, on May 24, 2007 10:04 PM, Report abuse Reply