Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H rev. 1.x
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One of the most affordable microATX motherboards with an AM4 processor socket and support for older first and second generation AMD Ryzen 3/5/7 (Pro) CPUs with typical heat dissipation up to 105W. Also compatible with 7th generation A-series APUs and Athlon X4 models with socket AM4. The manufacturer is positioning itself as a low-cost product for creating home and office configurations for entry-level and mid-level performance.
The Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H motherboard is built in accordance with the proprietary Gigabyte Ultra Durable concept, which uses improved fiberglass and high-quality element base (solid-state capacitors, LowRDS MOSFETs, case chokes). Equipped with two slots for installing DDR4-2666/2400/2133 RAM modules with a maximum total capacity of up to 32 GB (only when installing an AMD Ryzen CPU).
The board is equipped with a rich set of interfaces (D-Sub/DVI-D/HDMI) for displaying images from the video core built into the processor. The PCI-E Gen3 x16 slot allows you to install high-performance discrete video cards into the system. There is one M.2 port for connecting high-speed NVMe SSD drives and 4 SATA3 ports for standard SSD / HDD drives. The Realtek ALC887 8-channel audio codec is responsible for processing and outputting sound, and an integrated Gigabit Ethernet controller is provided for network connections. There are 12 USB ports, including 6xUSB 3.1 Gen1 (up to 5Gb/s).
Smart Savings
The Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H is an inexpensive motherboard that has been saved wisely. On the one hand, it doesn't need a heatsink for CPU's power system, on the other hand, it's designed according to Ultra Durable principles (high-quality audio capacitors, an anti-noise screen, improved fiberglass, etc. are used).
For those who do not need overclocking
In general, this is a motherboard from the “does a little, but works reliably” category. For enthusiasts, it does not look very attractive. First, only 2 RAM slots (maximum 32 GB) limit the room for expansion. If you now take the standard 2 sticks of 4 GB each to work in multi-channel mode, then you won’t be able to buy new ones for them over time. The second point is the impossibility of overclocking the processor and RAM due to the peculiarities of the A320 chipset. Although, for some reason, there is an item with overclocking in the BIOS of the motherboard itself.
If we accept this fact and do not expect miracles, then the Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H looks very attractive.
NVMe SSD support
The board is equipped with a rich set of interfaces including DVI-D, 6 USB connectors, 4 SATA ports for standard SSD / HDD drives, an M.2 connector for connecting high-speed SSD NVMe drives and HDMI, which is not a given for inexpensive motherboards. The configuration of the rear I/O panel will appeal to the owners of "rare" components: PS/2 connectors for a mouse and keyboard are displayed on it. For complete happiness, I would like a USB-C output, but it is almost impossible to find it in the price range under $100.
Support for the entire line of Ryzen processors
Plus, the board is absolutely omnivorous and supports the entire Ryzen 3.5 and 7 family of lines, as well as 7th generation A-series APUs and Athlon X4 models with socket AM4. That is, it can be used as a transit point with inexpensive Athlon, and then, for example, switch to a more performant Ryzen. But again, given the impossibility of overclocking the processor.
