ECS AMD690GM-M2

INTRODUCTION

For a long time NVIDIA’s nForce chipset was the chipset to have if you were using AMD CPU’s. True, there were some alternatives including a few chipsets from ATI, but they did not have much of a chance in pushing NVIDIA away from the AMD chipset top spot. This all changed when AMD bought ATI. While NVIDIA pledged to continue to support the AMD platform it quickly became obvious that their focus shifted to the Intel platform. This left AMD with a problem. It left them with a void. After a partner that has been providing the foundation for your CPU’s and also been a large part of the success for those CPUs leaves a void, how do you fill that void?

With the purchase of ATI, AMD also got their hands on ATI’s expertise in chipsets and thus it is no surprise that AMD’s first own chipset, the AMD 690, is the chipset that ATI would have released last year if the acquisition hadn’t happened, the RS690.

Today I am reviewing the ECS-690G, a very competent small form factor motherboard which uses the RS690 chipset.

ABOUT ECS

ECS, the Elitegroup Computer Systems, has been building motherboards since 1987. In the last few years they also have started to design and manufacture barebone and complete systems, such as notebook computers and high-end servers. Their headquarter lies in Taiwan and then distribute their products to over 60 countries in the world.

Simply Smart

For many years, ECS has been making complex design simple and simply designed products smart. The company engineered smart ideas into unique products while keeping the design simple. Its Simply Smart philosophy in design helped ECS won over 150 awards and recognitions worldwide. Today, the design philosophy has evolved, extended and become a part of the company's corporate culture. Generating smart ideas to simplify work for increasing productivity has become an everyday task at ECS. It is through this practice, the company believes it can continue to bring its customers the best products and services.