The 785GPMT-UD2H is the most fully loaded of the three 785G mATX AM3 solutions offered by Gigabyte. We examine it for power consumption, and general performance in a variety of other areas.
December 6, 2009 by Lawrence Lee
Product | Gigabyte MA785GPMT-UD2H AMD AM3 mATX Motherboard |
Manufacturer | Gigabyte |
Street Price | US$95~105 |
A few months back we reviewed a pair of 785G
boards from Asus and MSI. 785G brought better integrated graphics, DDR3
memory support and a better Southbridge chip, improvements which put it just
a step behind the premium 790GX chipset. Since then, 785G has replaced 780G
as the AMD’s mainstream chipset thanks to aforementioned enhancements and the
great value they offer. Pull any 785G board out of a pile and you’ll find a
stacked feature-set and an excellent price-tag. Teaming up such a board with
one of AMD’s affordable, yet formidable Athlon
quad core processors gives a budget PC enthusiasts a cheap, fast platform
to build on.
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Today we are looking at Gigabyte’s implementation of 785G in the form of the
MA785GPMT-UD2H, mainly with regard to power consumption but in other
areas as well. The board is one of three mATX AM3 solutions offered by Gigabyte,
the others being the MA785GMT-UD2H and MA785GMT-US2H. Deciphering their
model numbers is a bit of a task. “MA” means AMD or AM2/3, “785G”
is the name of the chipset obviously, “P” denotes the presence of
Sideport memory to speed up the onboard graphics, while the “M” is
for microATX. “UD” stands for “Ultra Durable” which is explained
on the the box pictured above, and “US” must mean “Ultra ___”
— well we’ll let you use your imagination to fill in the blank. The “T”
and “2H” seem to be fillers as far as we can tell — you can never
have too long a model number. To summarize, the model we’re testing is the most
fully loaded.
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Specifications: Gigabyte MA785GPMT-UD2H (from the product web pages) | |
CPU | 1. Support for AM3 processors: AMD PhenomTM II processor/ AMD Athlon™ II processor |
Hyper Transport Bus | 1. 5200 MT/s |
Chipset | 1. North Bridge: AMD 785G 2. South Bridge: AMD SB710 |
Memory | 1. 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 16 GB of system memory (Note 1) 2. Dual channel memory architecture 3. Support for DDR3 1800 (OC)/1666/1333/1066 MHz memory modules |
Integrated Memory | 1. 128MB DDR3 SidePort memory |
Onboard Graphics | Integrated in the North Bridge:1. 1 x D-Sub port 2. 1 x DVI-D port (Note 2) (Note 3) 3. 1 x HDMI port (Note 3) |
Audio | 1. Realtek ALC889A codec 2. High Definition Audio 3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel 4. Support for Dolby Home Theater 5. Support for S/PDIF In/Out 6. Support for CD In |
LAN | 1. Realtek 8111C chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) |
Expansion Slots | 1. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX16 – conforms to PCI Express 2.0 standard.) 2. 1 x PCI Express x1 slot 3. 2 x PCI slots |
Storage Interface | South Bridge: 1. 1 x IDE connector supporting ATA-133/100/66/33 and up to 2 IDE devices |
USB | Integrated in the South Bridge: Up to 12 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 on the back panel, 8 via the USB brackets connected to the internal USB headers) |
IEEE 1394 | T.I. TSB43AB23 chip: Up to 2 IEEE 1394a ports (1 on the back panel, 1 via the IEEE 1394a bracket connected to the internal IEEE 1394a header) |
Internal I/O Connectors | 1. 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector 2. 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector 3. 1 x floppy disk drive connector 4. 1 x IDE connector 5. 5 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors 6. 1 x CPU fan header 7. 1 x system fan header 8. 1 x North Bridge fan header 9. 1 x front panel header 10. 1 x front panel audio header 11. 1 x CD In connector 12. 1 x S/PDIF In/Out header 13. 3 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers 14. 1 x IEEE 1394a header 15. 1 x parallel port header 16. 1 x serial port header 17. 1 x chassis intrusion header 18. 1 x power LED header 19. 1 x clearing CMOS jumper |
Back Panel Connectors | 1. 1 x PS/2 keyboard port or PS/2 mouse port 2. 1 x D-Sub port 3. 1 x DVI-D port (Note 3)(Note 4) 4. 1 x HDMI port (Note 4) 5. 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector 6. 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s port 7. 1 x IEEE 1394a port 8. 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 9. 1 x RJ-45 port 10. 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out/Rear Speaker Out/Side Speaker Out/Line In/Line Out/Microphone) |
I/O Controller | 1. ITE IT8718 chip |
H/W Monitoring | 1. System voltage detection 2. CPU/System temperature detection 3. CPU/System fan speed detection 4. CPU overheating warning 5. CPU/System/Power fan fail warning 6. CPU/System fan speed control (Note 4) |
BIOS | 1. 2 x 8 Mbit flash 2. Use of licensed AWARD BIOS 3. Support for DualBIOS™ 4. PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b |
Unique Features | 1. Support for @BIOS 2. Support for Q-Flash 3. Support for Xpress BIOS Rescue 4. Support for Download Center 5. Support for Xpress Install 6. Support for Xpress Recovery2 7. Support for EasyTune (Note 5) 8. Support for Easy Energy Saver 9. Support for Time Repare 10. Support for Q-Share |
Bundle Software | 1. Norton Internet Security (OEM version) |
Operating System | 1. Support for Microsoft Windows Vista/ XP |
Form Factor | 1. Micro ATX Form Factor; 24.3cm x 24.3cm |
Note | (Note 1) Due to Windows Vista/XP 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than 4 GB. (Note 2) The DVI-D port does not support D-Sub connection by adapter. (Note 3) Simultaneous output for DVI-D and HDMI is not supported. (Note 4) Whether the CPU/system fan speed control function is supported will depend on the CPU/system cooler you install. (Note 5) Available functions in EasyTune may differ by motherboard model. |
Remark | 1. Due to different Linux support condition provided by chipset vendors, please download Linux driver from chipset vendors’ website or 3rd party website. 2. Due to most hardware/software vendors no longer offer support for Win9X/ME. If some vendors still has Win9X/ME drivers available, we will publish on website. |
PHYSICAL DETAILS
The board utilizes solid-state capacitors exclusively; these are typically
found on high-end boards, and offer longer life, more stable performance.
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BIOS
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BIOS Summary: Gigabyte MA785GPMT-UD2H | |
Setting | Options |
CPU Frequency | 200 MHz to 500 MHz |
CPU Voltage | -0.600V to +0.600V in 0.025V increments |
Memory Clock | x4.00, x5.33, x6.66, x8.00 |
Memory Timing Control | Intermediate |
Memory Voltage | Normal to +0.750V in 0.050V increments |
Northbridge Voltage | Normal (1.1V), +0.1V, +0.2V, +0.3V |
Southbridge Voltage | Normal (1.2V), +0.1V, +0.2V, +0.3V |
CPU NB VID | -0.600V to +0.600V in 0.025V increments (1.2V default) |
Integrated Graphics | |
IGP Clock | 200 to 2000 MHz (500 MHz default) |
Memory Options | UMA, Sideport, UMA+Sideport |
UMA Frame Buffer | Auto, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB |
SidePort Clock Speed | 667 MHz, 800 MHz, 1066 MHz (default), 1333 MHz, 1400 MHz to 1870 MHz in varying increments |
Side Port Voltage | Normal (1.5V), +0.1V, +0.2V, +0.3V |
Fan Control | |
CPU Smart FAN Control | Enabled, Disabled |
CPU Smart Fan Mode | Auto, Voltage, PWM |
System Smart FAN Control | Enabled, Disabled |
The BIOS allows for plenty of frequency modification. Control
is limited for the various chipset voltages, but the memory voltage can be
cranked up by 0.75V and CPU voltage by 0.6V (the CPU can also be undervolted
by the same degree).
There appears to be fan control for both of the PWM fan headers,
but there are no customizable settings in the BIOS, only an on/off toggle for
each.
TEST METHODOLOGY
Test Setup:
- AMD
Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processor – 2.8GHz, 45nm, 95W - Xigmatek HDT-SD964
CPU cooler - Corsair
XMS3 memory 2x2GB, DDR3-1600 @ 1333MHz, 9-9-9-24 - Western
Digital Scorpio Blue notebook hard drive – 500GB, 5400RPM,
8MB cache - Asus
BC-1205PT Blu-ray drive – SATA - Seasonic
SS-400ET ATX power supply - Microsoft
Windows Vista SP1 operating system – Home Premium, 32-bit - ATI
Catalyst 9.11 graphics driver
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Measurement and Analysis Tools
- CPU-Z
to monitor CPU frequency and voltage. - CPUBurn
K7 processor stress software. - Prime95
processor stress software. - FurMark
stability test to stress the integrated GPU. - Cyberlink
PowerDVD to play video. - SpeedFan
to monitor temperature and fan speeds. - Seasonic
Power Angel AC power meter, used to measure the power consumption
of the system. - Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply, used to regulate
the CPU fan speed.
Our main test procedure is designed to determine the overall system power consumption
at various states (measured using a Seasonic Power Angel). To stress CPUs we
use either Prime95 (large FFTs setting) or CPUBurn K7 depending on which produces
higher system power consumption. To stress the IGP, we use FurMark, an OpenGL
benchmarking and stability testing utility. Power consumption during playback
of high definition video is also recorded.
Our main video test suite features a variety of 1080p H.264/VC-1 encoded clips.
The clips are played with PowerDVD and a CPU usage graph is created by the Windows
Task Manger for analysis to determine the approximate mean CPU usage. High CPU
usage is indicative of poor video decoding ability on the part of the integrated
graphics subsystem. If the video (and/or audio) skips or freezes, we conclude
the board’s IGP (in conjunction with the processor) is inadequate to decompress
the clip properly.
If available, the latest motherboard BIOS was installed. Cool’n’Quiet was enabled
(unless otherwise noted). The following features/services were disabled during
testing to prevent spikes in CPU/HDD usage that are typical of fresh Vista installations:
- Windows Sidebar
- Indexing
- Superfetch
Video Test Suite
H.264: Rush Hour 3 Trailer 1 is a H.264 encoded clip inside an Apple Quicktime container. |
WMV-HD: Coral Reef Adventure Trailer is encoded in VC-1 using the WMV3 codec commonly recognized by the “WMV-HD” moniker. |
VC-1: Drag Race is a recording of a scene from network television re-encoded with TMPGEnc using the WVC1 codec, a more demanding VC-1 codec. |
Blu-ray: Disturbia is a short section (chapter 4) of the Blu-ray version of Disturbia, the motion picture, played directly off the Blu-ray disc. It is encoded with H.264/AVC. |
Blu-ray: Becoming Jane is a short section (chapter 7) of the Blu-ray version of Becoming Jane, the motion picture, played directly off the Blu-ray disc. It is encoded with VC-1. |
Estimating DC Power
The following power efficiency figures were obtained for
the Seasonic SS-400ET used in our test system:
Seasonic SS-400ET Test Results | |||||||
DC Output (W) | 21.2 | 41.6 | 60.2 | 81.9 | 104.7 | 124.1 | 145.2 |
AC Input (W) | 32.0 | 58.0 | 78.0 | 102.0 | 128.0 | 150.0 | 175.0 |
Efficiency | 66.3% | 71.7% | 77.1% | 80.3% | 81.8% | 82.8% | 83.0% |
This data is enough to give us a very good estimate of DC demand in
our test system. We extrapolate the DC power output from the measured
AC power input based on this data. We won’t go through the math; it’s
easy enough to figure out for yourself if you really want to.
CPU Voltage
Before we get to our primary test results, we need to inform our readers of
an odd anomaly we encountered on the 785GPMT. Our initial tests revealed unusually
high power consumption when the CPU was placed on load, about 20~30W more than
the previous 785G mainboards we tested when measured from the wall. It turns
out the the board applied more CPU voltage than normal for our X3 720 processor.
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In the BIOS, there is a setting called “System Voltage Control” which
can be set to Auto or Manual. All it really does is toggle the ability to adjust
the various voltages, CPU, chipset, memory, etc. Strangely, when it was set
to Auto, it caused the board to deliver the equivalent of a 1.400V manual setting
to the CPU, even though the BIOS reported that it was running at 1.325V. Changing
the setting to Manual solved the problem, even though we did not actually enter
in a specified CPU voltage. This is something to watch out for as systems based
on the 785GPMT-UD2H left at stock settings could easily suck down 30W or more
than is necessary.
Test Results
Test Results: Gigabyte 785GPMT-UD2H | ||||
Test State | X3 720 BE @ 2.8GHz (C&Q on) | X3 720 BE @ 1.6GHz (0.950V, C&Q off) | ||
Mean CPU | Est. System Power (DC) | Mean CPU | Est. System Power (DC) | |
Idle | N/A | 34W | N/A | 35W |
Rush Hour (H.264) | 3% | 56W | 2% | 40W |
Coral Reef (WMV-HD) | 20% | 61W | 24% | 41W |
Drag Race (VC-1) | 28% | 66W | 31% | 44W |
Disturbia (Blu-ray H.264) | 7% | 62W | 5% | 44W |
Becoming Jane (Blu-ray VC-1) | 7% | 63W | 6% | 44W |
CPU Load | N/A | 108W | N/A | 49W |
CPU + GPU Load | N/A | 115W | N/A | 58W |
Like the previous 785G boards, the 785GPMT blew through our video playback
test suite without any difficulties. “Becoming Jane,” a VC-1 Blu-ray
recently added to our test suite played with very little CPU usage, similar
to our H.264 Blu-ray and H.264 Quicktime trailer.
When we underclocked the processor to 1.6GHz and used as little voltage as
possible while maintaining stability (0.950V), we noticed that CPU activity
remained almost constant during video playback, making it clear that the GPU
did indeed do all the heavy lifting in the decoding process. System power consumption
in this undervolted/underclocked state lowered by 16~22W during playback.
DC Power Consumption
Since our last motherboard review, we’ve begun measuring the power draw directly
from the ATX12V connector which gives us the combined energy demand of the CPU
and VRMs. Subtracting this figure from the estimated system DC power draw gives
us a good idea of how much the other components actually use, once you take
the CPU and VRMs out of the picture.
DC Power Consumption | ||||||
Test State | X3 720 BE @ 2.8GHz (C&Q on) | X3 720 BE @ 1.6GHz (0.950V, C&Q off) | ||||
Est. System | CPU + VRM | Diff. | Est. System | CPU + VRM | Diff. | |
Idle | 34W | 15W | 19W | 35W | 14W | 21W |
Rush Hour (H.264) | 56W | 32W | 24W | 40W | 17W | 23W |
Coral Reef (WMV-HD) | 61W | 38W | 23W | 41W | 19W | 22W |
Drag Race (VC-1) | 66W | 42W | 24W | 44W | 20W | 24W |
Disturbia (Blu-ray H.264) | 62W | 35W | 27W | 44W | 17W | 27W |
Becoming Jane (Blu-ray VC-1) | 63W | 35W | 28W | 44W | 17W | 27W |
CPU Load | 108W | 82W | 26W | 49W | 28W | 21W |
CPU + GPU Load | 115W | 83W | 32W | 58W | 28W | 30W |
CPU + VRM power measured from the ATX12V connector (combined DC draw of VRMs and CPU). |
At stock settings, the motherboard, two sticks of memory, notebook hard drive,
idle Blu-ray drive, mouse and keyboard use between 19W and 32W DC depending
on the load. In our undervolted/underclocked state, it was between 21W and 30W
DC.
On a side note, on full load, our Phenom II X3 720 (95W TDP) draws somewhere
around 82W, with a small, but indeterminate amount lost to VRM inefficiency.
a bit, from <75% in el cheapo consumer boards to >90% in high end server/workstation
boards. VRM efficiency has risen in general over the past few years, due to
improvements in components and the green-motivated push to reduce energy consumption.
With DC/DC conversion such as the VRMs, it’s reasonably safe to assume ~85%
efficiency or better these days.]
Comparatives – System Power Consumption
Estimated DC System Power Comparison (X3 720 @ 2.8GHz, C&Q on) | ||||
Test State | Gigabyte 785GPMT | Asus M4A785TD-V | MSI 785GM-E65 | Asus M4A78T-E |
Idle | 34W | 40W | 31W | 39W |
Rush Hour (H.264) | 56W | 45W | 37W | 41W |
Coral Reef (WMV-HD) | 61W | 56W | 51W | 47W |
Drag Race (VC-1) | 66W | 70W | 60W | 54W |
Disturbia (Blu-ray H.264) | 62W | 54W | 41W | 53W |
CPU Load | 108W | 100W | 99W | 95W |
CPU + GPU Load | 115W | 109W | 107W | 111W |
The 785GPMT used 9W more on average than the Asus 790GX and Asus/MSI 785G boards.
The MSI 785GM-E65 in particular, shamed the 785GPMT, drawing 20W less during
H.264 playback. The Gigabyte did exhibit quite low idle power consumption though,
which is quite important since most systems sit idle for the majority of the
time that they are powered on.
Estimated DC System Power Comparison (X3 720 @ 1.6GHz, best undervolt, C&Q off) | ||||
Test State | Asus M4A785TD-V (1.025V) | Asus M4A78T-E (0.9125V) | Gigabyte 785GPMT (0.950V) | MSI 785GM-E65 (0.940V) |
Idle | 43W | 35W | 35W | 31W |
Rush Hour (H.264) | 47W | 40W | 40W | 37W |
Coral Reef (WMV-HD) | 48W | 40W | 41W | 39W |
Drag Race (VC-1) | 50W | 42W | 44W | 40W |
Disturbia (Blu-ray H.264) | 52W | 44W | 44W | 41W |
CPU Load | 57W | 46W | 49W | 45W |
CPU + GPU Load | 66W | 64W | 58W | 55W |
When undervolted to the minimum stable core voltage to sustain 1.6GHz, the
785GPMT did far better better, using only slightly more energy than the MSI
board. The Asus M4A785TD-V was easily the worst of the bunch as its BIOS has
a comparatively high minimum CPU voltage.
Cooling
Lower cost boards ship with simple heatsinks on the Northbridge and Southbridge
while those targeted at enthusiasts typically have large heatpipe coolers and
heatsinks on the voltage regulation modules near the CPU socket. A well-cooled
motherboard can deliver better power efficiency and stability.
Heatsink Temperatures | |||
Heatsink | Southbridge | Northbridge | VRM |
MSI 785GM-E65 | 50°C | 64°C | 61°C |
Asus M4A785TD-V | 57°C | 70°C | 61°C |
Asus M4A78T-E | 50°C | 85°C | 63°C |
Gigabyte 785GPMT | 49°C | 81°C | 95°C |
DFI 790GX-M3H5 | 60°C | 86°C | 80°C |
Measured with a spot thermometer at the hottest point of each location after 15 minutes of full CPU + GPU load. CPU fan reduced to 8V. Ambient temperature: 22°C |
With its lack of VRM cooling and smaller northbridge heatsink, the 785GPMT
ran very hot during full CPU and GPU load. The northbridge reached 81°C
and the VRMs a sizzling 95°C on our open testbed. Inside a case with directed
airflow around these components, temperatures will likely be substantially lower,
but the Gigabyte fares poorly compared to the MSI and Asus 785G boards, which
do have VRM heatsinks. We also noticed that system power consumption during
load increased gradually, eventually topping out at 8W higher than when the
load test was initiated. Typically we see only a 3~4W rise caused by the VRM/NB
temperature rise under extended high load.
Fan Control
To test the board’s fan control, we connected the CPU fan to a manual fan speed
controller so we could slow it down to induce higher CPU temperatures. An Arctic
Cooling 2000rpm PWM fan was connected to the CPU fan header and a 92mm Scythe
Kama 2500rpm PWM fan was connected to the SYS fan header. Fan speeds and temperatures
were monitored as the system was stressed.
Fan Control: Gigabyte MA785GPMT-UD2H | ||
Criterion | CPU Fan (2030 RPM) | System Fan (1500 RPM) |
Min. Fan Speed | 1250 RPM | 470 RPM |
Trigger Temp. | 36°C | N/A (constant) |
Max. Fan Speed Temp. | 60°C | N/A (constant) |
Ambient temperature: 22°C |
The board’s fan control had the CPU fan spinning at about 60% of maximum speed
to start and it began to rise when the CPU temperature reached 36°C. The
CPU fan speed increased smoothly, ramping up linearly with the CPU temperature,
before topping out at 60°C. The secondary fan spun constant at about 1/3
of its rated speed throughout.
If you leave fan control up to the board, the CPU fan will start at a moderate
level and increase in speed smoothly, while the SYS fan will run quietly, but
never ramp up.
SpeedFan Support
For Windows users, SpeedFan is our application of choice for fan control. It
can be configured to raise or lower multiple fan speeds to designated limits
when any specified temperature threshold is breached.
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SpeedFan reported fan speeds from all three headers as well as the “CPU”
and “SYS” temperatures indicated by Gigabyte’s monitoring software.
We found that “SYS” was code for the southbridge as placing a fan
over that area triggered an almost immediate temperature reduction. The Temp3
sensor seemed related to the CPU temperature — the amount varied, but it
was consistently lower throughout testing.
SpeedFan can fully control both the CPU_FAN header and SYS_FAN headers using
either 3-pin or 4-pin PWM fans. To enable fan control, select the “IT8718F”
chip in the Advanced tab of the Configuration menu and set all the PWM modes
to “Software Controlled.” Doing so will unlock the Speed01 and Speed02
controls.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Most of the 785GPMT’s appeal stems from the use of the 785G chipset with its
impressive integrated graphics and onboard Sideport memory, and its affordability
which allows manufacturers like Gigabyte to load up on features without breaking
wallets. The board sports HDMI, DVI, S/PDIF, eSATA, FireWire, RAID and an all
solid-state capacitor design. To Gigabyte’s credit they delivered a very liberal
BIOS with regard to frequency and voltage manipulation and the fan control is
smooth though somewhat limited in its default state. Fortunately Windows users
can utilize SpeedFan to unlock full customizable control of two fan headers.
It was not all roses and sunshine though. Pitted against the Asus
and MSI 785G boards, the 785GPMT’s power efficiency was excellent at
idle but not as good a higher loads. Once we fixed the initial CPU voltage bug,
we expected better, but the board averaged almost 10W more power than the competition
when we played video or put the CPU/GPU on any type of load. We believe that
cooling was a factor as the Gigabyte was the only board without a VRM heatsink.
Both the northbridge and VRM temperatures soared with the system on load for
an extended period, and power efficiency worsened more than usual. Given that
the pricing of the three boards is so similar (within $10 of one another), it
would have been prudent for Gigabyte to spend a couple of bucks on a VRM heatsink.
If doing so improved the board’s energy efficiency, it might have been a clear
winner in our books.
The MSI 785GM-E65 has the best power efficiency overall, but poor fan control.
The Asus M4A785TD-V EVO is a slightly different type of board, as it is ATX
and supports CrossFire, but it too has problems including high idle power consumption
and limited undervolting ability. Although the Gigabyte MA785GPMT-UD2H has poor
cooling and power efficiency, it is otherwise quite competitive. [Editor’s
Note: Kpee in mind that in a carefully configured system with judicious
airflow for the VRMs and NB chip, it’s possible that the Gigabyte’s efficiency
could be substantially improved.]
Gigabyte MA785GPMT-UD2H | |
PROS |
* Feature-rich
* Liberal BIOS options
* Undervolts well
* Excellent HD video playback
* Low idle power consumption
* Well-priced
* High power consumption in general
* Runs hotter than competition
Our thanks to Gigabyte
for the MA785GPMT-UD2H sample.
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