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Foxconn’s G45M-S microATX board sits in the middle of the LGA775 motherboard price range but doesn’t have any particularly innovative or remarkable features.
It has a single PCI-E x16 slot as well as an integrated Intel GMA X4500HD graphics processor. The latter can handle HD video but you’ll need a dedicated graphics card if you want to play most games. There’s a PCI-E x1 slot, which would be rendered useless by a dual-slot graphics card, and two PCI slots. The G45M-S has six SATA ports, although you can convert one into an eSATA port using the provided bracket and cable. There are also the usual IDE and floppy ports for older drives. Four memory slots allow you to add up to 16GB of RAM.
The back of the board provides a wide range of ports, including VGA, HDMI and, unusually, a DisplayPort. There’s no DVI connector, so you’ll have to use an HDMI-to-DVI adaptor if you want to connect to a DVI-only monitor. There are two PS/2 ports for older mice and keyboards, which could be handy as there are only four USB ports on the back. An additional four USB headers on the board allow you to add up to eight additional ports, either connected to your case or a rear bracket. There’s also a single FireWire port.
Unfortunately, this motherboard delivered a particularly unimpressive performance in our tests, scoring just 75 overall. If you need a microATX motherboard, you’re better off saving £13 and opting for Gigabyte’s cheaper GA-EG41MF-S2H.
