Gigabyte GA-K8N51PVMT-9 nForce 430 Motherboard Review

Integrated graphics have had a bad reputation for years, offering performance bad enough to be called “graphics decelerators” by many. Choked by relatively slow system memory and comparatively simple circuitry, integrated graphics have historically been a poor substitute for add-in cards. NVIDIA hopes to reverse this trend with its new GeForce 6150 integrated graphics processor.

Today, we’ll be looking at the GA-K8N51PVMT-9, Gigabyte’s latest entry into the all-in-one motherboard market, ideal for business PCs and media center devices. Boasting the usual array of features plus integrated CineFX 3.0 graphics, this board includes nearly everything needed to get a PC up and running for a budget price, all wrapped up in a micro-ATX form factor.

Features

• NVIDIA nForce 430 chipset
• Integrated GeForce 6150 graphics processor
• Dual-channel DDR400 support
• Gigabit LAN
• IEEE 1394 interface
• Serial ATA II
• PCI Express
• Realtek High Definition 7.1 Channel Audio
• HDTV/TV out
• NVIDIA RAID
• NVIDIA Mediashield
• NVIDIA Firewall
• MicroATX form factor

Specifications

1. Socket 939 Athlon 64 processor
2. Socket 939 Athlon FX processor
3. Socket 939 Athlon 64 X2 processor

1. NVIDIA nForce 430
2. Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 6150
3. Realtek ALC880 audio
4. VIA VT 6307 IEEE 1394 controller
5. Cicada VSC 8201 gigabit LAN

1. Four dual-channel DDR400 DIMM slots
2. Up to 4 GB

1. Two ATA133/100/66 connectors
2. One FDD connector
3. Four Serial ATA II ports
4. Two IEEE 1394 headers
5. Two USB 2.0/1.1 headers, supports four ports
6. Two cooling fan headers

1. One PCI Express x16 slot
2. One PCI Express x1 slot
3. Two PCI slots

1. PS/2 keyboard and mouse connectors
2. LPT port
3. VGA output
4. HDTV/TV output
5. Four USB 2.0 ports
6. IEEE 1394 port
7. Gigabit LAN RJ45 port