PCSTATS measures total system power draw (watts) with the aid of an Extech 380803 AC Power Analyzer and A-PFC compliant Seasonic SS-760KM power supply. The meter is placed between the 120V AC outlet and the PC power supply and the computer stressed. Total system power draw is recorded and compared to the PC's idle state.

Total System Power Draw Idle CPU Loaded GFX Loaded AMD A8-3850 nVidia Geforce GTX470 112W 193W 270W AMD A8-3850 Radeon HD 6550D IGP 38W 159W 133W (Idel @ desktop) (via Prime95) (via 3DM06)

Gigabyte's GA-A75-UD4H requires very little power while operating with the AMD A8-3850's integrated Radeon HD 6550D graphics core. At idle, the system sips a little as 38W! Under CPU-load conditions this figure jumps to 159W. With the IGP stressed by 3DMark the total power consumption is a modest 133W. Adding a Geforce GTX470 videocard into the mix introduces a significant power overhead, pushing total system power draw up across the board.

A Flagship Entry Level Motherboard?

If PCSTATS compares the Gigabyte GA-A75-UD4H only against the other AMD A75 boards we've tested, there's a lot to like... particularly if you have a need for many USB 3.0 devices. If not, the microATX Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H motherboard is $30 cheaper and a better buy given the performance restrictions inherent with an AMD Fusion CPU.

In any case, the Gigabyte GA-A75-UD4H offers up strong mix of features the typical computer user will need. The AMD A75 platform proves itself well suited to media-center and HTPC tasks; making it very simple to output movies via HDMI cable to an HDTV for example. The Radeon HD 6550D IGP at the heart of the AMD A8-3850 CPU supports light DX11 gaming at modest resolutions, HDMI 1.3 output and typical media playback with ease.