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This motherboard has brought some surprises. First, the fact that the chipset used it is very old: we reviewed ECS C51G-M754, a socket 754 motherboard based on this chipset more than three years ago. And three years is a lifetime in computer hardware terms. surprise was when i took a look at the board carefully: near the CPU socket i could see an "AM2+" marking. Even though AM2+ processors (and even AM3 under certain conditions) are compatible with AM2 motherboards, that does not mean that this board is really an AM2+ model. The chipset determines if the board is AM2 or AM2+ (or even AM3) and GeForce 6100 is an AM2 one. Thus, this writing seems to be misleading advertising, trying to make the consumer to believe that the product is something that it is really not. The next surprise was when we look at the board carefully: near the CPU socket we could see an "AM2+" marking. Even though AM2+ processors (and even AM3 under certain conditions) are compatible with AM2 motherboards, that does not mean that this board is really an AM2+ model. The chipset determines if the board is AM2 or AM2+ (or even AM3) and GeForce 6100 is an AM2 one. Thus, this writing seems to be misleading advertising, trying to make the consumer to believe that the product is something that it is really not. The only explanation for a major manufacturer to launch a motherboard based on a near obsolete chipset is the buying a large quantity of these chips for a very low price. Of course, not all customers need the maximum performance. Sometimes a computer doesn't require a lot of performance and the lowest cost of acquisition (picture a large store offering several in-store price consulting terminals for their customers, for example), and there is certainly a market for equipment that would be too basic for the domestic consumer. A pity this is not the case with M61PME-S2P, because many current motherboards (some of them offering a real socket AM2+) can be found in stores for similar ou even lower prices. You can install a Sempron, an Athlon X2, a Phenom or even a Phenom II CPU on this motherboard, but in the case of AM2+ processors using HyperTransport 3.0 bus, they will work at a lower HT speed (4,000 MB/s transfer rate offered by HyperTransport 2.0), will not use DDPM technology and the memory controller will work at a lower clock rate (1.6 GHz). To learn more about these limitations, please read our HyperTransport Bus Used By AMD Processors and Inside AMD K10 architecture tutorials. Another problem with GeForce 6100 chipset is that its on-board video is obsolete, with a DirectX 9.0 (Shader 2.0) graphics engine. Conclusions What to say about a "re-heated" motherboard, based on an obsolete chipset, launched in the market by a large manufacturer with a marking that suggests that is an up-to-date product? If you find this board costing far less than updated competitors it would be an interesting choice for those who don't need an updated computer. But it costs the equivalent or more than many value motherboards, which are based on newer and less limited chipsets, like AMD 780 or GeForce 8200. M61PME-S2P is not really a bad motherboard, it is compatible with newer AMD processors, has a good voltage regulator circuit, RAID support, and even with some interesting options for overclocking. But if you have the option to buy a newer motherboard paying the same price, why buying an outdated product? http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/Read full review
I bought this board second hand to replace the same board after I tried to use the BIOS Update function and chose the wrong BIOS. The original board kept going for years without fault. All the attached hardware was OK spec and I just wanted to use the system to test Linux OS's I haven't used (Mint, Arch and Tiny Core). I have had great success with all the Gigabyte boards I've had. This one hasn't let me down, reliable although very dated in 2014.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
good quality...
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
It seems like a very reliable motherboard. The only thing I don't like about it is that it has no overclocking abilty in the bios. I have alaways had good luck with Gigabyte motherboards. Overall it is a very good reliable motherboard, I have had no problems of any kind with it.
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