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Originally published at Internet.com
Vastly superior performance and significant reductions in heat output compared to earlier Intel desktop processors have put Intel's Core 2 Duo at both ends of the scale: It can be found in high-performance gaming machines and diminutive, efficiently packaged Mac Minis. But putting aside the extremes of big and small, it's still hard to find support for Core 2 in mid-sized enclosures. Gigabyte is looking to change all that with its GA-945GM-S2 motherboard. 
Designed for space-efficient microATX enclosures, can Gigabyte's new low-cost entry still deliver on the promise of Core 2 performance?
Layout and Features
Large enough to support midsized performance systems, yet small enough to fit audio-component-sized home theater enclosures, microATX instead finds most frequent use in small office towers. It comes as no surprise then that Gigabyte equips the GA-945GM-S2 for typical office use, even though several home theater systems and a few graphics workstations also use this form factor.
Two PCI and one PCI Express x1 slot take care of basic expansion needs, while an x16 slot makes graphics upgrades a breeze. Noteworthy for a small board are support for four SATA 3Gb/s plus two ATA100 drives, four DIMM slots (rather than the more common two), four front-panel USB connectors, and a second serial port. It supports Core 2 Duo at its current 1066MHz FSB, plus older Pentium D, Pentium 4, and Celeron LGA775 processors. 
The 24-pin ATX connector uses a wide latch to support 20-pin power supplies, the four-pin ATX12v connector is reasonably located near the top of the board, and the front-panel audio header is located behind the rear-panel audio ports, as it should be. Our only layout complaint is the floppy header placement, below the bottom expansion slot.
Anyone cautious about subcomponent reliability will be pleased to see the use of solid capacitors for CPU VRM buffering, plus Sanyo and Nichicon parts on less demanding circuits. These are attached to a Taiwan-produced PCB, giving Gigabyte the quality nod over competitors who outsource production to China. 
Artistry or omen? A flame-shaped passive sink cools the 945G Northbridge, a part that supports dual-channel mode for memory up to DDR2-667 (PC-5300) and onboard Intel GMA 950 graphics, in addition to the previously mentioned PCI Express x16 graphics card slot. 
Gigabyte uses the ALC883 8-channel HD capable audio codec and RTL8111B Gigabit LAN PHY to interface ICH7 Southbridge features. 
Rear-panel features include PS/2, Parallel, and Serial legacy ports, VGA, four USB 2.0, one Gigabit LAN, and three analog audio ports. Missing is the rear port for the optional IEEE1394 controller, and additional audio outputs require the use of an adapter bracket (not included). 
Accessories
Gigabyte includes the driver CD, CPU installation instruction sheet, manual, port cover plate, one 80-conductor ATA cable, one single-device floppy cable, and two Serial ATA cables. 
BIOS and Overclocking
As with Gigabyte's enthusiast boards, using the CTL-F1 key combo reveals advanced BIOS settings. Unfortunately, the only performance options revealed in the GA-945GM-S2 are memory timings. 
CAS adjusts from 3-6 cycles, tRCD and tRP from 2-6 cycles, and RAS from 4-15 cycles - providing a wide enough range to get optimal performance from the highest quality modules.
Even though it supports the lowest-latency memory, no overclock adjustments are available in this business-oriented board. A few home builders might miss these, but commercial builders will appreciate the added protection from buyer tampering.
Performance
It may seem unfair to compare this basic office-type platform to a performance-oriented part, but you just might be surprised at how little difference separates the field! Our configuration: Testing System Configuration Motherboards Gigabyte GA-945GM-S2
Asus P5B Deluxe WiFi-AP Edition Video cards EVGA 7600GT CO SuperClocked Edition
Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics RAM Super Talent T800UX2GC4 PC2-6400 CPU Intel Core2 Duo E6300, 1.86GHz Hard Drive Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 SATA 3.0Gb Optical Torisan CD-ROM Floppy Samsung 1.44GB 3.5" PSU Antec Phantom 500W OS Windows XP Service Pack 2 Drivers Intel INF 8.0.1.1002
nVidia ForceWare 84.21
First up is SiSoft Sandra 2005, a synthetic benchmark suite that shows raw performance for a variety of system components. Included are both integrated and discrete graphics configurations, to show any impact integrated graphics has on system performance. 
Sandra Memory Bandwidth Benchmark shows the difference between Intel's mainstream-performance and budget parts, or perhaps Asus's more aggressive hidden values. Sharing memory with graphics has the expected negative impact on the integrated configuration. 
CPU Arithmetic scores are close enough that a simple difference in bus speed (of less than 1MHz) could be the deciding factor. In 2D mode, the integrated graphics appear to use no additional CPU cycles! 
Similarly tiny performance differences between the low-budget and high-end boards are found in CPU Multimedia scores, where once again the integrated graphics appear to have zero impact on CPU performance when in 2D mode.
We continue with discrete graphics numbers in DirectX Performance comparisons. The main point of bothering to test the 3D capabilities of the integrated GMA 950 graphics is to make sure it supports the newer features, which can be used in applications other than games, of course! 
One thing is worthy of note in our DirectX benchmarks: The newest versions are increasingly dependent on graphics hardware, whereas older versions see a greater effect from CPU and memory performance. Given those expectations, it's no surprise to see Asus's high-end board lose its edge progressively as DX tests get newer. Perhaps unexpectedly, the onboard graphics also finished all tests, and was fast enough to run five-year-old benchmarks smoothly. 
Here in SPECviewperf 8.1, the low-cost GA-945GM-S2 matches the high-end P5B Deluxe WiFi-AP in most OpenGL viewsets when discrete graphics are used. The integrated GMA 950 controller was also able to view most models adequately, but manipulated them so slowly in Catia and UG so as to score no points.
Conclusion: More than enough for the office
The GA-945GM-S2 is everything the office user typically wants in a motherboard: It's fast, stable, small, and relatively inexpensive. Top that off with support for Core 2 Duo's lower cooling requirements (compared to typical P4 office systems), and productivity should go through the roof - at least in theory.
Getting more in-depth towards value, "relatively inexpensive" can be stated only in comparison to currently available Core 2 compatible boards, most of which are performance parts. An average Web price of $100 isn't a bargain compared to previous LGA775 boards, but it's about the best you can do for Core 2, especially considering the cost advantage of using integrated graphics.
And so Gigabyte provides a fine board for moving the average office system up to new CPU technology. We only wish it had gone a bit farther by including more audio ports on the back panel and an IEEE1394 controller, to lure the HTPC crowd as well.
Pros: * Quality Taiwan PCB production * Quality capacitors increase longevity * Four DIMM slots and dual-channel mode on a microATX board * Full set of legacy ports eases office upgrades * Good overall performance * Good overall layout * Onboard graphics with PCI Express x16 upgrade path
Cons: * Few analog audio ports on back panel * No digital audio ports on back panel * No availability of optional IEEE1394 FireWire controller
The Verdict: An adequate office platform at an adequate price, the GA-945GM-S2 is missing a few key features that could extend its usefulness into Home Theater PC markets. SysOpt Product Info
Product:
GA-945GM-S2
Category:
Motherboard
Avg. Price:
$100
Manufacturer:
Gigabyte Technology
U.S. Headquarters
17358 Railroad St.
City of Industry, CA 91748
(626) 854-9338
Availability:
Now
Ratings: (Best of four stars)
Features: 
Performance: 
Value:
Best for:
High-performance office PC
Author: Thomas Soderstrom
Read article at Internet.com site