Upgrading to Gigabyte GA-M720-US3

Almost two months ago, my PC broke down. After doing some diagnostics, I've determined that the motherboard, abit NF-M2S, a rather cheap board was the culprit. The PC just goes off at certain points, regardless of software. I can't even get Windows 7 installer working.

I decided to buy a new motherboard as soon as I get my money, almost two weeks ago. After a little research, the GA-M720-US3 is chosen for it's price and features. At RM280, its pretty rich in features. A beefy NVIDIA nForce720d chipset, 6 SATA ports, 4 DDR2-1200 slots, supports AM3, AM2+ & AM2 CPUs, a PCI-e 2.0 slot, SPDIF outputs (digital & optical), a couple of IEEE 1394 (Firewire) ports, 8 USB 2.0 ports, and a 7.1 onboard sound system. Oh, and it features Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 Classic, which means it has 2oz copper PCB, solid capacitors, and DualBIOS.

The best part though, is that it has the ability to unlock the hidden/disabled cores on Phenom II's X2 & X3 series. It's not mentioned in Gigabyte's website nor in the manual, but reviews do mention about this hidden ability. Should I upgrade my current CPU (Athlon X2 5000+ Black Edition) to a Phenom II X2 (dual core) or X3 (triple core), I should be able to unlock those cores to make it into an X4 (quad core), at a cheaper price. There's a little gamble though, where not all Phenom II X2s and X3s have their disabled cores in good condition.

So what's in the box? Pretty much the standard package. The motherboard inside a static-proof bag, a manual, a driver DVD, a backplate, a couple of SATA cables, an IDE cable, a floppy cable, a Gigabyte sticker, and a sponge padding. I wished they gave screws and studs as well, but it's not included. Alas, I have to use the ones from the old motherboard. But the new one is an ATX motherboard, unlike the old one which is micro-ATX, so I need additional screws.

After setting it up, it gets rolling in no time :D

Through the BIOS I find that it has plenty of overclocking options, just what I expect from a motherboard with an nForce 720d chipset. Which is good, as I can now utilize the unlocked multipliers of Black Edition CPUs. Unlocking the hidden cores is done via the BIOS, using NVIDIA Clock Calibration, but then again the option is hidden, until you press Ctrl+F1, not mentioned in the manual.

Now using Windows 7 x64, I've noticed some performance improvements, noted in Windows Experience Index. Initially, when I was using the old abit NF-M2S & Windows Vista x64, my CPU score is 5.1. Now, it gives me 5.6. Oh yeah, this is a really damn good motherboard! Thank you NVIDIA & Gigabyte!

I'd say after using it for two weeks, I'm really happy with this motherboard. It's of good quality, and it performs very well. Pretty much a good gem if you'd say it :D