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has the integrated Radeon HD 3200... Best integrated video out there. Can play TF2, L4D, Crysis Demo decently...

Best integrated graphic for $47. GeForce 9300/9400 mGPU and AMD's own 790GX are better

Isn't the 780G with the side port memory the best? Not all 780G have this and I don't believe any of the 790G do. I could be wrong. If someone knows more about this chime in. I want to build a new HTPC and want to get the best integrated graphics solution. I prefer AMD due to the hybrid option available on some boards. Integrated low power under light loads, high power add in card kicks in only when needed. If I add a high power card in the future. Thinking 4870.

You should defl'y do more research on the compatible hybrid crossfire cards before you make a purchase decision.

from what I know, the 780 and 790 are only compatible with the lower end Radeon cards- I don't think the 4870 is one of them.

As for sideport I don't know much about it or do I have any experience with it since I got a first-gen 780g it was never available for my card. If you go with 64-bit OS, you could probably contribute more CPU RAM to VGA RAM...

...but for an htpc, i think this is a fantastic motherboard..

There's only limited cards supporting ATI Hybrid and the 3450 is the basic mainsteam (also see the attached chart) that work. You can get Hybrid Crossfire with most 780* some 790GX and 760G (see the chart) and double check with the mobo makers specifations. While I don't believe it actually able to power down the add-in board and run only on the IGP.
I believe Nvidia was trying to do that, although never heard any more. They called it Nvidia HybridPower and thought it would be for desktops when introduced, though I only see it as Hybrid SLI for Notebooks now.

http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/ati-hybrid-graphics/Pages/ati-hybrid-graphics.aspx

http://game.amd.com/us-en/content/images/crossfirex/CF_combo_chart.jpg

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2272629,00.asp

http://hothardware.com/Articles/AMD-780G-Chipset-and-Athlon-X2-4850e-Preview-/?page=1

http://www.nvidia.com/object/hybrid_sli.html

damn fine job cutter

The best integrated video is nForce 8200. Why? Because nVidia has better video drivers, and because it's stupid to pretend any integrated video is worth chosing for gaming when a $20 AR video card easily beats them all.

... and no, you should definitely not waste your time researching hybrid crossfire because it's a piddly insignificant difference compared spending a mere $50 on a normal video card, let alone more for a gaming card.

Main point is, there is no point talking about performance when it's a contrast of the slowest options out there besides Intel's integrated video. There isn't much difference in power consumption either if comparing a video card that merely gets double the performance of the best integrated video, when it's in 2D mode instead of 3D gaming.

Then there's the other reasons to avoid this, that it's ECS and has a rebate. You're not saving THAT much money over other options, the only real consolation here is that at least it's Newegg selling it so you won't have as much of a hassle if you need to return it.

I lost all interest in this MB when I saw the word "rebate".