Asus M3N78 Pro Review

[MikeC]

Our review of the Asus M3N78 Pro motherboard, which is based on NVIDIA's GeForce 8300 chipset for AMD processors, has been posted.

http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/asus_m3n78_pro/images/motherboard_1s.jpg

For a budget motherboard, the M3N78 Pro offers leading-edge features like support for the latest AMD Phenom processors, PCI-Express 2.0, NVIDIA's Hybrid SLI Technology, which is available on Windows Vista only, and dual-channel DDR2 memory. Although this motherboard does not support traditional SLI using multiple discrete graphics cards, it does offer GeForce Boost and HybridPower technologies.

Check it out here - http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/asus_m3n78_pro/index.shtml

[CaptNKILL]

I really want one of these for a HTPC.

:)

[crainger]

Same here. Just add a few Gb of cheap RAM and a low heat AM2 cpu and you have a great little HTPC for hardly anything at all.

[CaptNKILL]

Same here. Just add a few Gb of cheap RAM and a low heat AM2 cpu and you have a great little HTPC for hardly anything at all.

Yep. :)

And with the 8300\8200 Hybrid Power you could add a good graphics card for gaming without pumping out a ton of heat while the system is just sitting idle at the desktop.

Add a 640Gb WD hard drive for $90, 2Gb of DDR2-800 for $40...

The only things that aren't amazingly cheap for an HTPC right now are BD-ROM drives and high quality HTPC cases. You can get a cheap case with a crappy power supply for under $50, but anything decent will cost $100-$200.

Also, I still haven't found the ideal keyboard\mouse setup for an HTPC. I use a wired mini trackball mouse for my sort-of-HTPC system (my Atari ITX) and its ok but its a bit hard to use and the wires hanging all over the place can be a pain, and if I need to type I either have to mess with the onscreen keyboard or use the wired keyboard in the entertainment center.

[crainger]

diNovo mini is great, it's small, bluetooth and has a trackpad. I myself use a mini rechargeable keyboard I picked up in Asia, has a built in trackball. One of the best finds ever and I honestly haven't seen anything like it since. Best thing is it recharges from USB and takes standard AAA ni-cd batteries.

[CaptNKILL]

diNovo mini is great, it's small, bluetooth and has a trackpad. I myself use a mini rechargeable keyboard I picked up in Asia, has a built in trackball. One of the best finds ever and I honestly haven't seen anything like it since. Best thing is it recharges from USB and takes standard AAA ni-cd batteries.

Wow, that is cool.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126039

Wish it was a little bigger though. Those keys are tiny.

$140 though... :o

Is there any name brand on the thing you picked up? I'm interested in getting something like that.

These are really cool and are "only" $70 at NewEgg:
http://www.adesso.com/products_detail.asp?productid=336
http://www.x-gene.biz/products/wirelesskb/wirelesskb.html

(same product, two different companies)

I love how it has 3 mouse buttons and a scroll wheel. I just wish it could recharge via USB like the one you mentioned.

[crainger]

The keys are small, but it you've ever used a HTC Hermes, Tilt or even the 360 chatboard you'll know it's not too bad, just type with your thumbs. ::D:

[goofjb]

Good review, I do appreciate the close to last line of it. "Note that overclocking tests were not conducted due to having damaged the processor by accident while removing the heatsink from the motherboard." Happens to the best of us.

[MikeC]

Good review, I do appreciate the close to last line of it. "Note that overclocking tests were not conducted due to having damaged the processor by accident while removing the heatsink from the motherboard." Happens to the best of us.Yeah, I should have warmed up the processor prior to removing the heatsink. The thermal paste acted like glue and when I pulled up on the heatsink, the processor actually came out of the socket even though the retention lever on the motherboard was engaged. I think I pulled a little too hard :)

[Redeemed]

Yeah, I should have warmed up the processor prior to removing the heatsink. The thermal paste acted like glue and when I pulled up on the heatsink, the processor actually came out of the socket even though the retention lever on the motherboard was engaged. I think I pulled a little too hard :)

lol- I've done that. With some old s754 and s939 rigs the retention lever was under the heatsink (aftermarket cooler) so in order to release the CPU I had to remove the heatsink first- and out popped the CPU still attached to the heatsink. :lol:

The chip still worked though- and OC'd like a champ. ;)

[CaptNKILL]

Yeah, I should have warmed up the processor prior to removing the heatsink. The thermal paste acted like glue and when I pulled up on the heatsink, the processor actually came out of the socket even though the retention lever on the motherboard was engaged. I think I pulled a little too hard :)

Damn that sucks.

Did the pins get bent or something?

[crainger]

MikeC doesn't know his own strength.

Remember all those Chuck Norris jokes we did about MikeC?? ::D:

[CaptNKILL]

Remember all those Chuck Norris jokes we did about MikeC?? ::D:

:lol:

Oh man... you have to find them now. :D

[MikeC]

Damn that sucks.

Did the pins get bent or something?Yeah, a few of them were severely bent.

[crainger]

n00bC ::D: