ASRock M3A785GXH/128M AMD Socket AM3 DDR3 Motherboard Review

Manufacturer ASRock
Name M3A785GXH/128M
Type / Chipset Socket AM3 CPU / AMD 785G Chipset (AMD SB710 Southbridge)
Dimensions ++++ 30 mm (50 mm radius) around the socket to the next capacitor or other mainboard parts – for further information see Fit for Fan. The overall size is 305 x 225 mm.
Slots ++++ 2x pci, 4x PCIe 2.0: 1×16/1×8/1×4/1×1, DDR3-800 – DDR3-1600 max. 16GB RAM
Connectors

++++ 1x Floppy, 1x UDMA133, 6x SATA II, RAID, 1x eSATA II (shared), 1x serial (optional), 1x PS/2, 1x IR (optional), 1x onBoard 10/100/1000 Mbps base-T Ethernet (Realtek RTL 8111 DL), 12x USB 2.0 (6x of them internal, slot bracket for additional ports is not included), 2x IEEE1394a (400 MBit/s, 1x of them internal, slot bracket for additional ports is not included), 8-Channel ALC 888 onboard 7.1 sound with 6x 3.5 mm connectors (1x optical S/PDIF out, 1x int. HDMI S/PDIF out, 1x int. Aux, ext. Line in, ext. Mic, ext. Front out, ext. Side out, ext. Rear out, ext. Center/Subwoofer), 1x D-Sub VGA, 1x DVI-D, 1x HDMI and 4x fan connectors.

Vcore ++++ BIOS between 0.6 Volt and 1.6125 Volt in steps of 0.025 Volt (Vcore depends on the CPU)
Multiplier ++++ BIOS between 0.5x and 13x (max multi depends on the CPU) and 1x – 10x HT / 5x – 10x NB
Host Frequency ++++ BIOS between 150 and 500 MHz (PCIe 75 – 250 MHz)
VIO/VDD ++++ VMem (DDR3 voltage) 1.48 – 2.40 Volt, NB 0.6000 – 1.6125 Volt, HT 1.30 – 1.35 Volt
Performance* ++++ Benchmark ratings with different operating systems.

SiSoftware Sandra 2009 SP3 Benchmark ratings with AMD Phenom II 710 Processor. SiSoftware Sandra 2009 SP3 Arithmetik Processorperformance in Windows Vista: 26 GOPS SiSoftware Sandra 2009 SP3 Multimedia Processorperformance in Windows Vista: 54,45 MPixel/s SiSoftware Sandra 2009 SP3 Arithmetik Processorperformance in Windows 7 RC: 26 GOPS SiSoftware Sandra 2009 SP3 Multimedia Processorperformance in Windows 7 RC: 54,5 MPixel/s

3DMark Vantage Entry test Benchmark values with AMD Phenom II 710 Processor. 1x Gigabyte GV-N250OC-1GI Nvidia GTS250 PCIe 2.0 video card: 3DMark Vantage Entry Test in Windows Vista: E29027 (GPU: 28834 / CPU: 29616) 3DMark Vantage Entry Test in Windows 7 RC: E29342 (GPU: 29192 / CPU: 29803) 1x onBoard AMD HD4200 DX10 graphics chip: 3DMark Vantage Entry Test in Windows Vista: E2334 (GPU: 1917 / CPU: 6722) 3DMark Vantage Entry Test in Windows 7 RC: E2344 (GPU: 2344 / CPU: 6699)

3DMark06 Benchmark ratings with AMD Phenom II 710 Processor. 1x Gigabyte GV-N250OC-1GI Nvidia GTS250 PCIe 2.0 video card: 3DMark06 in Windows Vista: 12621 3DMarks 3DMark06 in Windows 7 RC: 12513 3DMarks 1x onBoard AMD HD4200 DX10 graphics chip: 3DMark06 in Windows Vista: 1499 3DMarks 3DMark06 in Windows 7 RC: 1571 3DMarks

3DMark03 Benchmark ratings with AMD Phenom II 710 Processor. 1x Gigabyte GV-N250OC-1GI Nvidia GTS250 PCIe 2.0 video card: 3DMark03 in Windows XP: 41520 3DMarks 3DMark03 in Windows Vista: 40566 3DMarks 3DMark03 in Windows 7 RC: 40396 3DMarks 1x onBoard AMD HD4200 DX10 graphics chip: 3DMark03 in Windows Vista: 4142 3DMarks 3DMark03 in Windows 7 RC: 4648 3DMarks

Manual and Labeling

++ Complete and well placed motherboard description and good manual. Except for the often-mentioned missing BIOS section, it’s a detailed manual in different languages Small devaluation of the manual, because the BIOS is explained only in the PDF manual on the CDROM, which doesn’t help if you are in the BIOS. Additionally an IES- and an Instant Boot quick reference guide were included.