Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3 Fusion motherboard - Bjorn3D.com

Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3 Fusion motherboard - Bjorn3D.com

CONCLUSION

So was the AMD Fusion APU worth waiting for? As a replacement for the Intel Atom/ION platform, the E-350 APU certainly works well, though we did expect the CPU part to perform a bit better than just 20% faster than the aging Atom N330. In some ways the E-350 seems to have the same issue as the Atom/ION combo: an imbalance between the power of the CPU and the GPU. In fact, considering that the HD6310 GPU is even faster than the ION GPU, the imbalance feels even more pronounced. Anyone expecting to use the E-series of APU for gaming will be disappointed since the CPU part bottlenecks the performance. It does work for casual games and older games, but anything modern is simply unplayable.

We anticipate tha the E-350 APU will really shine as a Windows HTPC component once AMD, Cyberlink, andArcsoft allow HD sound bitstreaming working. The image quality is great on our Samsung 40" TV, and even with just DTS sound, the sound quality through our Denon 1611 is impressive.

As for the actual GIGABYTE E350N-USB3 motherboard, we do not have any major complaints. GIGABYTE has managed to create a nice motherboard with an impressive amount of features considering the small size. It would have been nice to have a USB3.0 header on the motherboard, but since basically no other motherboard, regardless of size, has it this feature, it's not fair to expect it on this one. The same goes for the limited overclocking features. The E-350 APU isn’t exactly made for overclockers so while it would have been nice had it included more settings for overclockers, we are happy with what we got. The fan impressed us with its low noise levels.

OUR VERDICT: Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3

Performance 8 Value 8 Quality 8 Features 8 Innovation 8 We are using a new addition to our scoring system to provide additional feedback beyond a flat score. Please note that the final score isn't an aggregate average of the new rating system. Total 8 Pro Cons Performs very well for this type of system Suitable for entry-level/casual gaming Both USB3 and SATA 6 Gb/s PCI-E-slot Quiet fan Low power consumption Plays 1080p video wihtout any problems HD-audio bitstream support Flash Player 10.2 brings GPU-rendering Heatsink needs a fan unless case has good ventilation We expected a bit more from the CPU Not suitable for more than entry-level/casual gaming HD audio bitstream needs software support Linux drivers still not at the same high standard as NVIDIA's ION drivers, making this currently less suitable for a Linux-driven HTPC. Summary: The Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3 is a great motherboard that comes with lots of nice features. This should be a great base for a Windows HTPC system. It earns the Bjorn3D Silver Bear Award.