4.5
The Asus M3A78-VM is compatible with AMD processors with the Socket AM2+ socket.
It has 8 GB DDR2 maximum RAM and conforms to the UTX form factor standard.
 | CPU Socket | Socket AM2+ | | SLI Support | 1 graphics cards | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Compatible Make | AMD | | Crossfire Support | 1 graphics cards | ||
| CPU Chipset | AMD 780G/SB700 | | Onboard GPU | yes | ||
| Form Factor | UTX | | PCI Slots |
| ||
| Max RAM | 8 GB DDR2 | | SATA 1.0 | 0 | ||
| RAM Slots | 4 x DDR2 | | SATA 2.0 | 6 | ||
| Memory Channels | 2 | | SATA 3.0 | 0 | ||
| Compatible RAM Speeds |
| | RAID Support | yes | ||
| USB 2.0 Internal Slots | 6 | | Internal I/O |
| ||
| USB 2.0 Rear | 6 | | Back Panel I/O |
| ||
| Graphics Card Interface | VGA |
The Asus M3A78-VM uses the AMD Socket AM2+ CPU socket. Any compatible AMD CPU will have the same socket entry. It uses the aging DDR2 memory type, with maximum speeds of up to 1066 MHz, and 4 DDR2 slots allowing for a maximum total of 8 GB RAM. DDR2 memory is exceptionally out of date, and considering how cheap DDR3 RAM is, using a motherboard with only DDR2 compatibility in a modern system build would be a very bad idea.
The UTX, or uATX form factor is analagous to the Micro-ATX form factor. The UTX Asus M3A78-VM should fit into all ATX cases, but its smaller size allows you to downsize your system build as a whole. Its size comes at the cost of features, so there are likely to be far fewer connections and expansion options available than in a larger motherboard.
The Asus M3A78-VM has 6 SATA 2.0 hard drive slots. These allow for data speeds of up to 3GB/s. SATA 2.0 is a very common standard, and despite the emergence of SATA 3.0 - whose potential is difficult to reach currently - SATA 2.0 remains a viable option.
The Asus M3A78-VM supports onboard graphics. This allows for integrated graphics when paired with a compatible CPU that supports them. Integrated graphics are a cheap alternative to using a graphics card, but should be avoided when frequently using modern applications or games that require intense graphical processing. There are 1 PCIe x16 slots on this motherboard. This means it is perfectly capable of accommodating the latest graphics cards, although it is important to try and use a graphics card with the same graphics card interface of VGA, as anything below will not reach the motherboard's potential, and anything above will have its performance slashed to the bandwidth maximum of the Asus M3A78-VM's VGA. The Asus M3A78-VM does not support multiple graphics cards via Nvidia SLI or AMD Crossfire.
The Asus M3A78-VM has 12 USB 2.0 slots but no USB 3.0 slots. While USB 3.0 slots are so far by no means necessary, and with a plethora of USB 2.0 peripherals to choose from, the USB functionality on this motherboard should be fine. If planning on building a new system, a motherboard with USB 3.0 is likely to have a longer life cycle, however.
