ASRock G31M-GS motherboard: specifications and specifications

The motherboard with a minimum set of budget functions for the LGA 775 platform from one of the leading manufacturers of computer equipment is the ASRock G31M-GS. On its basis, you can build an excellent office system unit or even a multimedia station. In theory, on its basis, you can make a gaming PC, but in such a situation the use of such a product is not entirely justified. For this purpose, other products of the LGA 775 platform were provided.

For which PCs is it made?

The entry-level solution was the ASRock G31M-GS motherboard. The characteristics of this product is proving once again. The form factor is MicroATX and only two slots for RAM. Therefore, the niche of this product is the least productive personal computers with the lowest possible cost. In the segment of budget products, cost comes first and then productivity. It was from this position that this motherboard was an excellent solution.

The board design and its component base

ASRock G31M-GS is made, as it was previously noted, in the form factor MicroATX. Its dimensions are 183mm x 244mm. Almost in the center of the top half of the board is a LGA775 processor socket. To the left of it is a strip of peripheral wired ports, and to the right - RAM slots, power connector and hard disk connection connector. Just under the processor socket and right in the middle of the board is the north bridge of the set of system logic, which is hidden behind a massive aluminum radiator. Even lower behind him in a row lined up expansion slots of the motherboard. At the very bottom of them is the floppy disk drive connector. In the lower right corner of the board are the connectors for connecting the front panel of the PC case, the south bridge of the chipset (it is also behind the aluminum radiator) and the ports for connecting SATA drives. Separately note the capacitors that were used in this product. Instead of the usual electrolytic ones with a reduced service life, in this case, solid-state ones were used with the service life increased to 2 times.

Chipset, CPU and socket

As a set of system logic in this case was a set of G31 chips from Intel. It was designed to build the most affordable personal computers with a minimum level of performance. The socket in this case, as noted earlier, is LGA775. Well, ASRock G31M-GS motherboard could install single-core and dual-core semiconductor processors of Celeron and Pentium lines, dual-core more efficient Core 2 Duo solutions and even quad-core Core 2 Quad, which were intended for installation in the previously mentioned socket.

Ports and Slots

ASRock G31M-GS is equipped with such peripheral ports:

• 2 ports of the PS / 2 standard. One of them, green, is designed to connect to a PC manipulator. The second one is purple, and a plug from the keyboard should be installed in it.

• 4 ports of "USB" version 2.0.

• 3 3.5 mm ports for speaker system organization.

• 1 COM port.

• 1 graphics port of the VGA standard.

• 1 network port RJ-45 for connecting a PC to a local network using a twisted pair.

In turn, the list of slots for installing external controllers in this case was represented by the following list:

• 1 PCI Express slot 1X for installing new modifications of expansion controllers.

• Right under it, PCI Express 16X was introduced, and it was the only one. Therefore, only one discrete graphics accelerator could be installed in such a motherboard.

• 2 PCI slots for installing earlier versions of expansion controllers.

It should also be noted that with such a layout of the motherboard and the use of a two-slot productive video card in the PC, one of the PCI slots will be occupied by the graphics adapter, and the additional controller can not be installed in it.

Integrated graphics solution

This board is based on the G31 chipset. It included an integrated graphics accelerator - X3100 from Intel. The level of its speed is minimal, and it could be used only to build office computers, which have minimal graphics performance requirements. In other cases it was necessary to use an additional discrete accelerator.

Price

Now it is impossible to buy such a motherboard in a new state, and this is not surprising: since the times of LGA 775 Intel's processor platforms have been updated many times, and with them also sets of system logic. In the second-hand state, this solution can at the moment be purchased for 3000 - 5000 rubles on various trading floors. And it can be like the motherboard ASRock G31M - GS R 2. 0, and its older version without the index R2.0. So when buying, you need to specify which version of the motherboard in question.

Summary

ASRock G31M-GS is an excellent motherboard for creating an entry-level system unit. It is perfect for office tasks. Also, she can cope with the tasks that are entrusted to an entry-level multimedia station. And to solve more serious problems, one must already look towards more serious motherboards in a completely different price niche.