The motherboard can hardly be called a novelty, since it is based on the AMD 760G northbridge introduced in early 2009. It was originally intended to replace the AMD 740G at the post budget model for Socket platforms AM2/AM2+, but was later adapted for later Socket AM3/AM3+. The main distinguishing feature of the AMD 760G is the presence of an integrated graphics core. AMD Radeon HD 3000, running at 350 MHz and compatible with DirectX 10. It supports a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1200 and is intended more for multimedia needs, since it is not capable of providing any acceptable performance in modern games.

As for the GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 directly, it acts as an affordable and compact model for assembling systems entry level. At the time of writing, it is offered at a price of about $70.

Let's take a look at detailed specifications solutions from GIGABYTE.

Motherboard specification GIGABYTE boards GA-78LMT-USB3:

Manufacturer
	GA-78LMT-USB3 (rev 6.0)
Chips of the north and south bridges	AMD 760G + AMD SB710
Processor socket	AMD Socket AM3/AM3+
Supported processors	AMD Phenom II / AMD Athlon II / AMD Sempron / AMD FX
Frequency of used memory	1600* / 1333 / 1066 MHz
Memory support	4 x DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 32GB of memory
Expansion slots	1 x PCI Express 2.0x16 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
Disk subsystem	AMD SB710 supports: 6 x SATA 3Gb/s 1 x IDE supporting two ATA 133/100/66/33 devices RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10, JBOD
	1 x Realtek 8111F (10/100/1000 Mbps)
Sound subsystem	Realtek ALC892 codec 2/4/5.1/7.1 channel audio
	24-pin ATX power connector 8-pin ATX12V power connector
Fans	1 x CPU fan header (4-pin) 1 x system fan connector (4-pin)
Cooling	Aluminum radiator on the elements of the processor power subsystem Northbridge aluminum heatsink South bridge aluminum heatsink
External I/O ports	3 x audio ports 1 x PS/2 (for connecting a mouse or keyboard)
Internal I/O ports	1 x USB 3.0 with support for connecting two USB 3.0 (19-pin) 2 x USB 2.0, each supporting two USB 2.0 connections 6 x SATA 3Gb/s 1 x COM connector 1 x LPT connector 1 x front panel audio output connector 1 x front panel connector block 1 x CMOS reset jumper
	2 x 32 Mbit AWARD BIOS ACPI 1.0b, SM BIOS 2.4, PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0
Equipment	user's manual warranty brochure disk with drivers and utilities 2 x SATA cables 1 x IDE cable 1 x interface panel blank
Form Factor
Products webpage

ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX Base Motherboard for Socket AM3+ Processors

The ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX motherboard is an entry-level compact microATX solution that allows you to build a system based on AMD FX, Phenom II or Athlon II processors. It is based on a pair of well-known microcircuits - AMD 760G / SB710.

Subsystem random access memory The ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX consists of two 240-pin DIMM slots that support dual-channel operation of 8GB DDR3-1866MHz modules. And for connecting drives and optical drives, four SATA 3 Gb / s ports are used.

The video subsystem of the ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX board contains an integrated graphics core from the AMD Radeon HD 3000 series, and also allows you to install discrete graphics cards with PCI Express 2.0 x16 interface. And in the set of external interfaces there are new items USB ports 2.0, D-Sub, PS/2, RJ45 and audio outputs.

Other interesting features of the ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX include:

the use of exclusively solid capacitors in the processor voltage stabilization system;

the presence of a 5.1-channel audio subsystem;

support for one gigabit network controller;

support for automatic processor optimization technology - ASRock X-Boost;

the ability to store optimized system settings into a separate file and its use in another system for the purpose of its overclocking (OC DNA technology);

support for a number of useful technologies: ASRock XFast 555, App Charger, OC Tuner and others;

full compatibility with the operating Windows system 8.

Detailed table technical specification ASRock 960GM-VGS3 FX motherboard:

ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX is a new motherboard for AMD platforms"Scorpius"

Announced a new motherboard, which is based on a pair of AMD 760G / SB710 chips. The novelty is equipped with an AMD AM3 + processor socket, which allows you to create on its basis budget systems using AMD "FX", "Phenom II" or "Athlon II" solutions.

Other key components of the model include:

the presence of two 240-pin RAM slots that support dual-channel operation of eight-gigabyte modules of the DDR3-1866 MHz standard;

support for two high-speed SATA 6.0 Gb / s ports, four SATA 3.0 Gb / s interfaces and one ATA133 IDE connector, which are used to connect drives and optical drives;

the presence of an integrated graphics core AMD Radeon 3000;

having one PCI slot Express x16, which allows you to install a discrete graphics card;

support for a 6-channel audio subsystem, which is based on the Realtek ALC662 codec;

two high-speed external USB 3.0 ports.

In addition, the solution has a number of additional advantages that effectively distinguish it from the background of competitive analogues. Chief among them are:

the use of solid capacitors in power units of key components;

support for XFast RAM technology, which optimizes the use of RAM;

support for XFast LAN technology, which allows you to increase the efficiency of using the bandwidth of the network communication channel;

support for XFast USB technology, which speeds up file transfer using the USB 3.0 interface;

using the unique C.C.R. (Combo Cooler Retention), which improves CPU cooling efficiency and makes the new socket compatible with AM3 / AM2+ coolers;

support for OC Tuner technology, which allows you to optimize and monitor key parameters.

The summary table of the technical specification of the new motherboard is as follows:

Announcement of the new motherboard ASUS M5A78L-M LX3

The range of ASUS motherboards has been replenished with another new product, which is called M5A78L-M LX3. It was created in the Micro-ATX form factor based on AMD 760G (780L)/SB710 chips and equipped with an AM3+ processor socket. Thus, the new product can effectively work in tandem with AMD FX, Phenom II, Athlon II and Sempron 100 processors, the thermal package of which does not exceed 95 W.

The RAM system of the model consists of two 240-pin slots. They support dual-channel operation of installed DDR3 modules, the total volume of which should not exceed 16 GB, and the clock frequency is 1866 MHz.

The solution's disk system is exclusively served by a southbridge chip (AMD SB710) and includes four SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports. The video subsystem of the novelty is based on two components: an integrated graphics core ATI Radeon HD 3000 (support for DirectX 10 instructions) and one PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot that allows you to install an additional discrete graphics card.

The set of external interfaces of the motherboard is characterized by the presence of only the most necessary interfaces: USB 2.0, PS / 2, D-Sub, RJ-45, COM and audio outputs.

Among the additional advantages of the novelty, we note the support for a number of useful technologies:

ASUS EPU - provides optimization of power consumption;

ASUS Anti-Surge Protection - ensures that internal components are protected from excessive voltage;

EMI - protects the user from harmful electromagnetic radiation of system components;

ESD - provides protection of internal components from static discharge;

ASUS Core Unlocker - simplifies the process of unlocking additional processor cores;

FAN X-pert - allows the user to control the parameters of the internal fans.

The table of the technical specification of the new motherboard is as follows.

Introduction

The era of modern integrated graphics solutions from ATI began several years ago, when the company announced the ultra-popular chipset Radeon Xpress 200 for AMD processors. Of course, a few years before that, the Canadian company pleasantly surprised the public with the announcement of the Radeon 9100 IGP with an integrated Radeon 9200, but at that time the system logic set was intended exclusively for Intel processors Pentium 4 and their derivatives.

The Radeon Xpress 200 was a slightly different solution, because it not only carried PCI-E support on the motherboards, but for the first time it was intended for AMD processors, and not Intel, as it was before. Debuting in 2004, the Xpress 200 fit in incredibly well. huge number motherboards, actively used both in desktop computers as well as laptops. Having received the most powerful built-in graphics core of the Radeon X300 class (which, by the way, was nothing more than the “most popular video card” Radeon 9600, but under PCI-E), the user could well save a lot on the card for a future upgrade, at first being content with the “embedding” .

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Even though the video core was slightly cut compared to its discrete counterpart in clock speeds, and the video memory was scooped from the RAM, it was enough for users in full. One way to increase the performance of the integrated Radeon Xpress 200 solution was to wire up 16 or 32 MB GDDR video memory chips on the motherboard. At their cost, such improvements were cheap, but they raised the overall performance quite noticeably, because in every game such “tuning” responded with extra FPS.

The Radeon Xpress 200 chipset lived for a long time, and until 2007, with some changes, it was actively used in various laptops and on motherboards as the main video subsystem. True, the manufacturer managed to change the name of the integrated video core first to Radeon X1100, and then to Radeon X1200 \ X1250, that's just the performance this decision remained at about the same level as at the end of 2004.

It was becoming clear that ATi/AMD integrated graphics required fundamental changes, especially since by that time DirectX 10 and shaders numbered 4.0 were already actively used in most mid-priced and cheap solutions.

Integrated Radeon HD

The endless evolution of the Radeon X200 finally culminated in a revolution when, in 2008, AMD introduced a line of completely new AMD 780G chipsets with an integrated Radeon HD 3200 video core. This time, the prototype for it was something in between the Radeon HD 3450 and Radeon HD2400. The chip received 40 scalar processors, 4 texture units and 4 ROP "s - such a powerful hardware filling was enough to get the performance level of the Radeon X1600 and play most modern games, easily digesting even games on the Unreal Engine 3 engine.

Owners ATI graphics cards Radeon 3000 Graphics will require the installation of a basic driver and possibly additional software to fine tuning component to improve its performance. You can install the necessary files different ways, and in this article we will look at 4 available options.

Information before installing the driver for ATI Radeon 3000 Graphics

After ATI was bought out by AMD, all previously released products and their support continued to be released and updated, slightly changing their name. For this reason, the name "ATI Radeon 3000 Graphics" likewise ATI Radeon HD 3000 Series, so next we will talk about installing the driver, titled that way.

Due to the fact that these graphics adapters are quite outdated, you should not wait for firmware updates - latest version came out a few years ago with the addition of support for Windows 8. Therefore, if you are a Windows 10 user, the correct operation of the driver is not guaranteed.

Method 1: AMD Official Site

AMD keeps software for all of its graphics cards, whether latest models or one of the first. So here you can easily download required files. This method is the safest, since quite often drivers saved from unverified sources are infected with viruses.

1. Go to the AMD support page from the link above. Using the product list, select the following option:

   Graphics > AMD Radeon HD > ATI Radeon HD 3000 Series> model of your video card > "Send".



2. A page with a list of supported operating systems will open. As mentioned above, there is no adapted version for Windows 10. Its owners can download software for the G8, but the developers do not guarantee that it will work 100% correctly.

   

   On the plus, expand the appropriate tab and select the desired driver version. The stable version is called Catalyst Software Suite, and it is recommended that most users download it. However, in certain cases it may be preferable to download Latest Beta Driver. it updated version software, in which single errors are eliminated. You can view their list by expanding the spoiler Driver Details.



3. Having decided on the version, click on the button "Download".



4. Run the downloaded installer. Change the decompression location, if necessary, and click Install.



5. Wait for the files to unzip.



6. In the appeared manager Catalyst installations specify, if required, the interface language, and proceed further.



7. To perform a quick installation, select "Install".



8. First of all, specify the path where the directory with the driver will be installed. It is recommended to leave the default location. after that mark active type installations - "Fast" or "Custom". Then - "Further".



9. The configuration will be analyzed.



10. The steps vary depending on the type of installation you choose. If "Custom", you will be prompted to cancel the installation additional component PC AMD APP SDK Runtime, with "Fast" this stage is absent.



11. Agree to the terms license agreement button "To accept".

The driver will be installed along with Catalyst. During the procedure, the screen will dim several times for a short period of time. At the end of the installation, restart your computer - now you can configure the video card settings through Catalyst or immediately begin to fully use your PC.

Method 2: Programs for installing drivers

An alternative to the above method would be to use software from third-party developers. Such software installs drivers for any number of computer components and peripherals that need to be connected or updated.

This solution is especially relevant if you are going to reinstall operating system or just want to update the software part of the equipment. In addition, it is absolutely not necessary to install all drivers at the same time - you can do it selectively, for example, only for a video card.

In our other article, the best of these programs are discussed in detail.

The most popular applications from this list are DriverPack Solution and DriverMax. Despite the fact that the principle of working with them is simple, novice users may have certain questions. For this category, we have prepared instructions on how to install drivers through these programs.

Release GPUs The Radeon HD 3850 and 3870, held in November 2007, immediately influenced the balance of power in the entire line of AMD video cards. The Radeon HD 3870, having a performance that is not worse (and in some cases even better) compared to the Radeon HD 2900XT, has become the most performance card, while the Radeon HD 3850 actually demonstrated what it really should be gaming graphics card, chosen taking into account the ratio of price and performance (former cards of the level "below" 2900XT (from Radeon family HD 2600) frankly fell short of the requirements of modern games). But two cards, by modern standards, cannot the lineup, so the development of a line of video cards based on chips manufactured according to the 55 nm process technology was not long in coming, and in both directions, both cheaper cards and the new flagship.

On the occasion of such an undoubtedly remarkable event, a press conference was held in the Moscow restaurant "Dacha on Pokrovka", to which not only local journalists, but also colleagues from all over Eastern Europe were invited this time. The keynote speaker was Giuseppe Amato, already familiar to our readers, Technical Director of Sales and Marketing for AMD in the EMEAI region. Let's go straight to the point.

In list strengths, which in 2008 AMD plans to use as competitive advantage of their GPUs, includes:

• DirectX 10.1 support, first introduced with the Radeon HD 3850/3870, will be rolled out to all upcoming graphics cards (whereas NVIDIA has no plans to move beyond DirectX 10 just yet);
• The ability to combine video cards in CrossFire, including modes with more than three cards, will also belong to almost all cards, however, for the cheapest, this feature will traditionally be implemented in software, without using hardware bridges;
• Support digital interface DisplayPort and further development of a specialized UVD block for hardware decoding of video compressed in H.264 and VC1 formats used on Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs;
• The most advanced process technology (55 nm) among those used for the production of graphics processors and PowerPlay technology, which dynamically controls the on and off of functional blocks in the chip, which reduces energy consumption in modes of partial use of the power of the graphics accelerator;
• Additional benefits when installing AMD graphics on a platform also built on components (chipset and processor) from AMD. We have already talked about what is a platform for enthusiasts, released last fall, and mobile, which is scheduled for release this year, we have already talked about. At the heart of the platform for office and "home-media center" PCs called Cartwheel will be motherboards on a chipset with integrated AMD 780G graphics, with support for DirectX 10, which will appear very soon, and should go on sale no later than March. An "additional advantage" in this case should be the Hybrid CrossFire technology, which allows, when installing a video card, to combine the resources of it and the graphics core in the chipset.

This is how the Radeon HD 3000 line will look from now on. As for the leader, dual-processor video radeon cards HD 3870 X2, since samples are already in our lab and a detailed hands-on material will be released soon, we won't dwell on it. After all, the success of such a card is directly related to performance, compared to equal-priced competitors in demanding 3D games. In the meantime, let's look at what advantages the upgrade of inexpensive video cards from the segment of less than $100-150 (by the way, the most massive one) should bring, where everything is not so simple. If only because no one buys such cards in order to play at maximum quality settings and high resolutions, and often the owners of such cards are not interested in those games (usually fast-paced "shooters"), which are widely used to measure the performance of cards, preferring quieter genres and other entertainment, in particular, watching movies.

AT functional characteristics The Radeon HD 3650 does not have any truncations compared to the HD 3850/3870, there is also support for CrossFire, and a UVD decoder, among the supported interfaces there are both Dual Link DVI and HDMI, and the most modern DisplayPort, which is double throughput and royalty-free, unlike HDMI, which should speed up its adoption.

Surprising quantity options, in which cards based on the Radeon HD 3650 can be produced, manufacturers will be able to install both GDDR3 and DDR2, and in both cases (which is not quite correctly noted on the slide), different amounts of memory can be installed (256 or 512 MB GDDR3 or 256, 512 or 1024MB DDR2). Of course, the relevance of cards with a gigabyte of DDR2 memory is not great, and other options will surely find their customers.

Of course, provided that the retail prices correspond to the recommended ones, since in this case the comparison with the Radeon HD 2600 Pro from the previous line is correct, in which the 3650 confidently wins. Compared to the GeForce 8600 GT, the advantage is also promised everywhere, even in the game Crysis and others, associated with a high load on shader units.

Although the descriptions of cards from the Radeon HD 3400 family contain references to high (for their price) 3D performance, since the price itself should be less than $50, according to official positioning, these cards are no longer designed for fans of modern 3D games. Rather, in the first place, designed for consumers of HD-video content.

AMD compares the cost of such a card with a pair of HD-DVD drives, such costs really seem like a proportionate investment. Despite the fact that such cards can do a lot, they can be used to assemble media centers and home theaters in a compact package. Due to the extremely low heat dissipation, most manufacturers will package such cards passive cooling. And compared to earlier implementations of integrated HDMI support, there is now such a useful addition as support for the transmission of 5.1-channel audio in Dolby Digital and DTS formats through this interface.

The Radeon HD 3470 also has compatibility with the upcoming 1440p HD video format.

Reference cards assume active cooling with the help of cheap small-sized coolers, however, as already noted, such cards will hardly make up the majority (maybe only the cheapest ones), more likely passive radiators will prevail. However, it is interesting to note that the reference version of the HD 3450 has a low-profile format and is equipped with an HDMI output; an adapter will be used to connect the monitor via DVI. These cards will be the first to support Hybrid CrossFire technology, which is worth a few words.

The main purpose is to ensure that, despite such a low cost for the platform as a whole (after all, motherboards based on chipsets with integrated video, especially in the mATX format, also traditionally have attractive prices), still provide users with the opportunity to play modern games. Of course, in a purely practical sense, there is no question of any outstanding results in tests with maximum graphics settings and artificially twisted anisotropic filtering settings, and full-screen anti-aliasing. The second advantage of having two graphics cores consists in the possibility of automatic transition to the use of a more economical graphics core integrated into the chipset, when the functions of the video card for accelerating 3D or video content are not in demand. Finally, multi-monitor functionality, although it does not directly relate to Hybrid CrossFire technology (on the contrary, it is implemented when it is disabled), will allow, as in the case of motherboards based on the AMD 690G chipset, to connect up to four monitors to an inexpensive computer. That, as prices for LCD monitors decrease, it becomes more and more practical, since it can be useful in a variety of situations, to increase comfort and productivity, although it is still perceived by many in the old fashioned way as something exotic and not accessible to many.

How effective will it be to combine the capabilities of integrated video and graphics core on a video card? For the forthcoming AMD 780G chipset, which will have hybrid crossfire support, and the Radeon HD 3470 cards, the following relative values ​​are given, namely, the performance should more than double if we take the speed of the graphics core in the chipset as a unit. Which in absolute terms in a number of popular games should correspond to the difference between the "unplayable" mode and the "playable" one. It sounds tempting, since the gap between the needs of games and the capabilities of graphics cores (even the most successful ones) in chipsets, as well as in the cheapest video cards, that has existed so far is well known, and it would be nice to do something to improve the situation. Of course, as soon as the opportunity arises, we will test and find out how successfully this idea is implemented.