PCSTATS measures total system power draw (watts) with the aid of an Extech 380803 AC Power Analyzer and A-PFC compliant Seasonic SS-760KM power supply. The meter is placed between the 120V AC outlet and the PC power supply and the computer stressed. Total system power draw is recorded and compared to the PC's idle state.

Total System Power Draw Idle CPU Loaded GFX Loaded AMD A8-3850 nVidia Geforce GTX470 82W 236W 193W AMD A8-3850 Radeon HD 6550D IGP 32W 145W 94W (Idel @ desktop) (via Prime95) (via 3DM06)

Gigabyte's GA-A75M-UD2H requires very little power while operating with the AMD A8-3850's integrated Radeon HD 6550D graphics core. At idle, the system sips a little as 32W! Under CPU-load conditions this figure jumps to a not unreasonable 145W. With the IGP stressed by 3DMark the total power consumption is a modest 94W. Adding a Geforce GTX470 videocard into the mix introduces a significant power overhead, pushing total system power draw up across the board.

With this generation motherboard, the VRM is built around 'Driver MOSFETs' which combine the functions of a driver, high MOSFET and low MOSFET into one component. This integrated circuit improves power efficiency, reduces heat and has a smaller footprint than previous circuit designs. Flanking the CPU socket are Japanese made all solid-state capacitors and ferrite choke cores. This board is also built on a 2oz. copper substrate that pulls double duty as a board level heatsink for surface mount devices like the driver MOSFET.

Time to wrap this review up!

A Well Built, Well Equipped Entry Level Motherboard

Is this AMD A75 motherboard worth getting? Well, if we compare the Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H explicitly against the other AMD A75 boards PCSTATS has tested, the answer is a resounding 'yes'!

The Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H offers up the ideal mix of features, affordability and reliable build quality for the average computer user on a tight budget. The AMD A75 platform also proves itself well suited to media-center or HTPC tasks; making it very simple to output movies via HDMI cable to an HDTV. The Radeon HD 6550D IGP at the heart of the AMD A8-3850 CPU supports light DX11 gaming at modest resolutions, HDMI 1.3 output and typical media playback with ease.