AMD's New 780G Chipset Has Powerful GPU

HD3400 In The Northbridge With Additional Memory

Today, AMD is unveiling two new chipsets featuring integrated graphics cores: the 780G comes with a Radeon HD3200 chip, while the 780V sports an HD3100 GPU. We tested the 780G version.

The integrated HD3100 and HD3200 GPUs offer the same functionality as the current generation of add-in graphics cards, namely DirectX 10 support, dual-GPU operation in the form of CrossFire, HDMI with HDCP, full HDTV support, and a PCI Express 2.0 interface.

The 780G chipset on the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-SH2 motherboard

The motherboard's BIOS lets you borrow 128, 256 or 512 MB of RAM from the system's RAM, to allocate it as video memory to the integrated GPU. For the first time ever, AMD is also equipping its integrated graphics chip with a separate memory interface. This allows motherboard makers and OEMs to provide dedicated graphics memory for the integrated chip directly on the board, if they find the GPU's performance unsatisfactory, or don't wish to use a shared-memory solution. In effect, this transforms the integrated on-chip graphics solution into a dedicated graphics card that just happens to reside in the northbridge. AMD has not announced yet whether any of its board partners are considering this sort of move, though.

Selecting the size of the video memory - 128, 256 or 512 MB

The SB700 southbridge on the Gigabyte board

Rendering Vista's Aero Glass user interface poses no problem for the integrated graphics chip.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Overview: AMD and Intel Chipsets
Northbridge690G780G780VG33G35
Graphics Unit:X1250HD3200HD3100GMA 3100GMA X3500
Graphics Clock Speed:500 MHz500 MHz500 MHz400 MHz667 MHz
DirectX:91010910
OpenGL:1.52.02.01.52.0
Pixel Shader:n/a4.04.02.04.0
Vertex Shader:n/a4.04.03.04.0
PCIe:1.02.02.01.01.0
Hypertransport:HT2.0HT3.0HT3.0--
HD-Video:noyesyesnono
HDMI:yesyesyesnono
HDMI 5.1-Audio:yesyesyesnono

This table compares the integrated graphics units of AMD's 690G, 780G and 780V chipsets, as well as Intel's G33 and G35.

Gigabyte's GA-MA78GM-SH2 uses the 780G chipset

Its predecessor, the GA-MA69GM-S2H, with a 690G chipset

During our tests, we were only able to get Hybrid CrossFire to work using ATI's Catalyst 8.1 driver. The more recent Catalyst 8.2 does not recognize the system's CrossFire capability.

  • rockwell73
    I would like to know can i run a video card with this mother board,with all the high demand for great video quality in these new video games such as Crysis, BioShock, Jericho and many others that require a high end video card how am i suppose to play these games without one
    Reply
  • You just put in any PCI-E video card in the X-16 slot. With the appropriate processor and beefy enough video card, games are not a problem. The real beauty is that the onboard video is plenty for casual, older games at acceptable rates and also makes for a great low power HD media center computer.
    Reply
  • dotroy
    I do not get it, how come 2600XT is more faster than 3450 ? I thought 3450 is newer than 2600XT. Please explain
    Reply
  • gerro1977rm
    What about the northbridge overheating issue everyone is talking about? I've bought this board only to find out it has idle temps of 80C at the northbridge. I'm planning on buying an after market cooler to stabilize it.
    Reply
  • gerro1977,

    What revision is your board? I just received this board and it's the new revision 1.1 which has a bigger heatsink (you can see the pictures from the gigabyte site for both revisions 1.0 and 1.1). I am getting my CPU soon and want to also check the northbridge temperatures. What can I use to measure the temps?

    Thanks
    Reply
  • I'm cooling my G780 on GA-MA78GM-S2H rev1.0 with additional pentium 3 box coller heatsink (fits perfectly) and radeon 3450 with p3 box fan :) - it works fine
    Reply
  • Does anyone know if the radeon HD4850 works on this board with hybrid graphics and crossfire.
    Reply
  • gerro1977rm
    Deleted Profile 06/23/2008 7;12 AM,

    Unfortunately, I'm using the rev 1.0 board. I fitted it with an HR05 heatsink from thermalright and its now just warm to the touch not hot. I'm using everest to monitor my temps. Aux now registers at 37 C, though I'm not really sure if its the NB temp. You can also use riva tuner among others.
    Reply
  • V3ctor
    I have a ASUS M3A78 EHM HDMI and I have a temperature of only 33ºc with my X2 BE-2350... I'm going tu put a HD3450, but i have a doubt... If i'm only in 2D graphics (like the desktop) the board switches to the HD3200? And when I need power does it "switch" to HD3450?
    Reply
  • kingsize566
    I have a GA780...DS3H rev1.0 (ATX) and the northbridge heatsink is large but made of some cheap light zinc alloy - waste of time IMHO, 70+ degrees and memory errors - but only when using a PCIex16 graphics card. The problem eased when I added a 40mm fan on top of the rubbish heatsink. I wrote to gigabyte about the issue, who said - tampering with the heatsink invalidates your warranty. Sounds like they're burying their head in the sand over the issue. According to some posts on SPCR, and here, the thermaltake HR05 replacement fits.

    I would question the QA process of a mobo manufacturer who offers not only a poor heatsink design, but a 4 phase mosfet unable to cope with the TDP of some of the higher power phenoms (see Tomshardware and Anandtech). The 780 board by XFX has a heatpipe solution on the mosfets and northbridge which looks like a better design, and similar price (cheaper if you count having to replace the deficient heatsink by Gigabyte). The Asus M3A78 possibly has a better heatsink on the northbridge.
    Reply