Gigabyte G41M-ES2H Intel LGA775 MAX-8GB DDR2 mATX PCIE16 3PCI

One comment

1. 

   Winston Chow on December 16, 2009 at 4:21 pm

   This was bought along with 2GB (1GBx2) PC2-6400 PNY RAM, Intel E5300 2.6/2MB/800mhz, and a DVD drive for $200 to upgrade an old system that already had a SATA HD, power supply, case, and wireless keyboard/mouse already. Sticking w/ good ol’ Windows XP pro. Main purpose was to create a HTPC. Setup computer using HDMI only to a 42″ Olevia LCD TV. Everything booted on 1st try. Install DVD installed all drivers at once or you can select which software (including 90day norton internet security). The two included SATA cables are good quality w/ secure latching connectors.

   Eventually I found the text looked jagged when using the HDMI interface on the Olevia TV which had an optimal WXGA resolution of 1366×768. I couldn’t adjust it that much on the TV. Also audio on movies sounded weird. Special effects sounded really good but dialog was extremely soft. Regular music and videos were very soft. I didn’t see any way to adjust audio on the HDMI port. When I used the analog (blue) 15pin VGA connector and RCA audio it displayed sharp text and audio was great. Played Hulu videos, HD youtube videos, and HD videos fine with lots of CPU to spare. Everything on the system is real quiet except the hard-drive during heavy use.

   I also played Battlefield Heroes (free online cartoonish first person shooter that isn’t very graphic intensive) at 1366×768 at low and medium resolutions using the integrated video. Gameplay was okay. For better gaming I’d think about adding the nVidia GT220 which can be found for $80. I don’t know about getting a HDTV tuner yet.

   I think this board is a good value for the money, especially if you are upgrading and old system. I’m giving it 4 stars because of soft audio and video “jaggies” using HDMI but I can suffice with the VGA input. Other’s might be sticklers on using just HDMI. Caveat Emptor…