![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Wednesday, August 22, 2007
- Author:
- Morry Teitelman
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H
Don’t let size fool you. GIGABYTE’s latest AM2 based board, the GA-MA69GM-S2H, packs a wallop in its Micro ATX package. It easily stayed with or ahead of the rest of the AM2 crowd, and even managed to close the performance gap with the Intel Core2 based systems.
BIOS
The GA-MA69GM-S2H’s BIOS is built using the Phoenix AwardBIOS format, with version F3A shown below. Note that GIGABYTE chose to hide more advanced options from the end user, which can be accessed only by pressing the CTRL-F1 key combination from the main menu.
The Advanced BIOS Features screen contains options for configuring system boot and initialization operation, including those concerning hard drive access order. With a properly detected USB 2.0 hard drive type device connected to the system, the USB device is listed within the Hard Disk Boot Priority submenu. The access order of the items listed can be changed using the PgUp and PgDn or the (+) and (-) keys.
The Integrated Peripherals menu contain various submenus and options for configuring the included onboard devices, including the SATA 2 ports, the USB 2.0 ports, the IEEE 1394 ports, the LAN controller, and audio controller. The IDE configuration submenu contains options for configuring the onboard ATA-133 IDE port. The operating mode of the SATA II ports is configured via the OnChip SATA Type option, with the RAID boot BIOS enabled with the RAID setting selected. Note that only SATA 2 connected drives can be configured for use in a RAID array. The boot BIOS does not allow for inclusion of IDE connected devices to be included in a RAID array.
The PnP/PCI Configurations menu contains settings and submenus pertaining to IRQ and interrupt configuration. The menu allows for limited IRQ port assignment for the 2 on-board PCI slots, allowing for manual assignment of an IRQ port between 3 and 15. With the Resources Controlled by option set to Manual, the IRQ Resources submenu becomes user configurable. Note that this submenu allows for assignment of individual IRQs to a specific resource pool
The PC Health Status menu contains options for configuring system response to pre-defined temperature events, as well as real-time display of voltage and fan speed status. Note that the BIOS does not display voltage numbers, rather relying on a word based system, with the word OK signifying that the monitored the voltage falls within expected BIOS parameters. The System Warning Temperature and CPU Warning Temperature options set threshold temperature levels, over which the system emits a warning beep. The CPU Smart FAN Mode option sets the BIOS fan header voltage control state, with Voltage mode used for 3-pin fans and PWM mode used for 4-pin fans.
GIGABYTE chose to include a BIOS flash utility, dubbed Q-Flash, accessible from within the BIOS itself. The Q-Flash utility is accessed by pressing the F8 key from within the BIOS screens. Note that a BIOS ROM file can be loaded using any attached hard drive type device, including properly detected USB devices.