The mid-level motherboard based on the AM3 + platform from AMD, with a good functional set and a very modest cost, is the ASUS M5A78L. Its characteristics, specifications and other important information related to the configuration and operation of this solution will be discussed in the proposed material.
Equipment
The usual list of configurations boasts the motherboard considered in this material. The manufacturer included the following in this list:
- System Board M5A78L.
- A cap made of a metal plate for the back of the case of a personal computer.
- Complete installation, switching, and setup guide in multi-language design.
- Disk with diagnostic software and drivers. Also on it you can find an electronic version of the documentation on the M5A78L.
- A set of interface cords for connecting drives.
- Warranty card.
The junior modification of the ASUS M5A78L - LX3 motherboard, which also belongs to this model range, also boasts a similar configuration list. The key difference in size: the solution without the LX3 prefix comes with ATX dimensions, and the youngest board in microATX format.
Socket for installing a processor device. Chipset
This motherboard is focused on the installation of processors of the AM3 + family. This is the first and second generation of AMD processors from AMD. But also this motherboard can quite successfully work with the processors of the previous generation, which belong to the computing platform AM3. The chipset in the ASUS M5A78L-M consists of two components: the north bridge - 760G and the south - 710SB.
Processors
As noted earlier, the processor of two generations supports ASUSM5A78L. The first generation is AM3-based solutions. It includes such models of central processors:
- The least productive chips belonged to the Septron family. They had low performance and were perfect for solving office problems. Basically, on their semiconductor substrate there was only one computing core, less often - two.
- Higher in the hierarchy were Athlon processors. In this case, the number of computing modules was 2, 3, or 4. The clock speed also increased, and the cache size increased. This allowed them to be used even in entry-level gaming systems.
- The flagship chips in this case were the Phenom series CPUs. A higher level of performance was achieved by integrating the third level of the cache on the CPU semiconductor chip.
Also, this motherboard supported processors of the AM3 + family. These are the FX series chips with 4-8 computing cores and higher speed.
RAM and its features
The motherboard ASUS M5A78L allows you to install up to 32 GB of RAM DDR3. The maximum clock frequency of the RAM chips could reach, according to the manufacturer, 2000 MHz. In reality, in nominal mode, this value could not exceed 1866 MHz for the reason that AMD processors could not interact with RAM at a higher frequency. The number of slots on the system board was 4. In this case, in the maximum configuration, 4 brackets of 8 GB could be installed.
Separately, it should be noted that the controller, which is part of the north bridge of the set of system logic, is two-channel. Therefore, it is more correct to install two smaller modules in such a personal computer than one large one. For example, the performance of a computing system will increase by 10-15 percent if, instead of 1 module per 8 GB, 2 modules of 4 GB are installed.
Slots for installing internal controllers
The following expansion slots for installing internal controllers can be found on the M5A78L motherboard:
- 1 16X revision PCI-Express slot for installing a discrete graphics system. Accordingly, it was not necessary to count on installing a second adapter and it was necessary to immediately buy one high-performance accelerator.
- 3 PCI slots made it possible to install various internal controllers. It could be a sound card, and a network adapter, or even a television tuner.
- It was also possible to install an internal controller in a new version in such a board. For these purposes, one PCI-Express slot 1X revision was provided.
The younger model, the ASUS M5A78L-LX3, also boasted a similar set of expansion slots. Only she went in microATX format, and due to size reduction she had only one instead of three PCI slots.
Overclocking capabilities
Impressive overclocking capabilities are implemented in the ASUS M5A78L. This board supports almost all chips for AM3 +. Only processors with a thermal package of more than 125 W are not included in this list, but these are the flagship CPUs of the FX-9XXX series. Otherwise, it should be noted that all processors of the AM3 + computing platform have an unlocked clock multiplier. Therefore, they can be dispersed easily and simply by raising the value of the multiplier.
In this case, it is necessary to take into account that an advanced cooling system and a power supply with a large margin of safety should be installed in the computer. As practice shows, with air cooling, such processors can be overclocked to 4.8-5 GHz. If we replace the air heat sink system with a liquid one, then we can fully count on reaching 5.5 GHz.
Summary
Indeed, the ASUS M5A78L was a universal solution within the framework of the AM3 and AM3 + platforms. It could be used as part of entry-level personal computers. And advanced specifications and characteristics, in turn, could be involved in creating a high-performance computing system. Similarly, the younger model - ASUS M5A78L-M LX3 could also be used.