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#709 - ECS C51GM-M AM2 Motherboard |
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Written by Zach Jeffers
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Thursday, 03 August 2006 |
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Page 5 of 5
Testing and Conclusion:
The provided memory for this system was a single stick of PC2-3200 running at 400mhz. Obviously the Dual Channel support would not be utilized for this test, but the overall package is not geared for gaming, rather, more for building a system of the average internet and/or office user. Using Dual Channel memory will increase the response times of memory demanding applications, but if you are just surfing the web, a single stick is cost effective. We mounted this system in our previously reviewed POWMAX 3304 mATX case without any problems other than the HSF clearance issue noted in the 3304's review. After a week of testing, this system has run very stable and very snappy! When comparing my last system with an AMD Barton 2500+ (stock speeds) with 512mb PC-3200, together on a Gigabyte GA-7VAXP (KT400 Chipset), to the new AM2 system, everything seems faster. Using Sandra 2007, there is about a 20% increase in performance right off the bat, before Windows optimization... and that is using a Sempron! Playing games on the 6100 IGP is going to be painfully slow, though games are playable at low resolutions with low graphic options. If you are planning on playing any newer games like HL2, FEAR, or B&W2, you will want to upgrade to a PCIE video card! When testing with an nVidia 6600 series card, games ran smooth and were only held back by the lack of the dual channel memory and the half cached Sempron. Once again, a big thank you to Geeks.com for providing the Sempron and Memory, along with the C51GM-M, for this review!
Now for those of you that are thinking that you might be able to squeeze out a few more FPS by over clocking the ECS C51GM-M, you will be sadly disappointed. There are absolutely no features to over clock this board. You can modify the voltages of the CPU/MEM, but that will not do anything but create more heat in your case. This board is geared toward the "install it and forget" it crowd. The C51GM-M runs very stable and very quick and is a great choice for anybody looking to put together a mATX system.
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Pros |
Cons |
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- Great Quality
- Error Free Installation
- Run Solid and Fast
- Great Layout
- Small in size
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- Not For Overclockers
- Not a whole lot of included options
- Only one PCIE x16
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