Today we have the ECS A790GXM-AD3 motherboard to check out. This motherboard has been designed to accommodate the new AMD Phenom II processors. However not just any Phenom II processors will work, as this is an AM3 motherboard which also means DDR3 memory is on the menu…

The ECS A790GXM-AD3 is an interesting product for a few reasons, and the main being that it is very much a no frills product. This is interesting because we are trying to work out if a no frills product has any business in the AM3 world. In fact, at this point we are still trying to decide if there is any point to the AM3 world at all.

Assuming that there is a point to it, meaning that DDR3 is of benefit to the Phenom II X4 processors, do we need a budget no frills motherboard? Although the A790GXM-AD3 is a member of the ECS Black series, it is a budget board and is priced accordingly at $110 US. Given the price, the A790GXM-AD3 looks to offer all the essential features, which is great news for bargain hunters. Continue reading →