MSI A78M-E35 Versus Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-D3H

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Test System Configuration

Though this APU has enough graphics muscle to drive decent frame rates at lower detail levels, the motherboard review team decided to put in a low-power GPU to help put both AMD and Intel budget systems on a level playing field. For that, a Gigabyte GeForce GT 730 was installed for graphics workloads so that I can test system stability and repeatability across platforms. Both motherboards do support AMD Dual Graphics technology, allowing you to install a discrete GPU for CrossFire with your APU.

To power these test boards, I am using the same PSU used in Four LGA-1150 Motherboards Under $60, be Quiet!'s Straight Power 10 500W.  Since it is 80 PLUS Gold-rated, this unit will prove to be more efficient in low-load conditions.

Benchmark Settings

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Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings
PCMark 8Version: 2.3.293 Work, Home, and Creative Benchmarks
SiSoftware SandraVersion: 2015.01.21.15 CPU Arithmetic, Multimedia, Cryptography File System Bandwidth Memory Bandwidth
Cinebench R15Version: R15.0 x64 CPU Single- and Multi-Core
3D Tests and Settings
3DMarkCloud Gate Version: 1.1, Skydiver Version: 1.0 Test Set 1: Cloud Gate, 1920x1080, Default Preset Test Set 2: Skydiver, 1920x1080, Default Preset
Unigine Heaven 4.0Version 4.0, Built-in Benchmark DirectX 11, Low Detail, 1920x1080, No AA, No Tessellation
Unigine Valley 1.0Version 1.0, Built-in Benchmark DirectX 11, Low Detail, 1920x1080, No AA

Comparison Products