BIOSTAR A770E AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: I have been using this MoBo since February 2011. I bought the board around July 2010. I took care of the Bios flash immediately for the Phenom II x6 which I intended to get first, but had to get my hands on a rare 95 watt version and couldn't for a long time (no thanks to newegg who didn't have them till like a week ago here in Nov. 2011), BIOS flash took. Works great with AHCI and my Corsair SSD. Corsair xms2 RAM works great. Can O.C. my x6 from 2.8 Ghz stock to 3.6 Ghz on air with Katana III. MoBo temp doesn't change a whole lot during OCing despite the MoBOs already warm temps. Windknight case moves LOTS of air, so everything stays really really cool IMHO.

Cons: North-bridge chip runs pretty hot, can't fit a fan on the heat-sink, there really is no good reason for this. C xms2 RAM will not OC no matter what!. I think the MoBo killed 2 WD Blues (not in RAID). WD sent back 2 Black Drives though (so IDC), and it has been fine for a long time now with the new drives. Used to BSOD when OCing and now it doesn't after Win 7 updates. I have rebuilt this system 6 times, first time with Vista, board killed drives, put in used drive till new drives came used 7 setup, then installed 7 again on new drives, then bought SSD and set up 7 again, then bought x6 after using Athlon II x4 at first and set 7 up again (did that wrong 1x so did it 2x actually). I totally figured out this board, and problems most people are having with it seem to me that there was definitely some simple thing overlooked in many of these cases. This board has worked pretty much great in multiple setups and has let me do things that I couldn't believe for the price range at the time.

Other Thoughts: I have gotten this build mastered, and have absolutely no problems with it anymore. As far as NB temps I mean it runs hot for my personal taste, but it is still well within healthy operating temps. Biostar was great for the RMA process, and sending the MoBo back to me in good condition. Motherboard used to BSOD 1 or 2 times per month until I refined my setup. Super stable. They were also great when I was upset a couple times calling them thinking that the board was not functioning properly, and they helped me out and everything has been fine with it since. I am really glad for the over-volting ability because it allowed me to fine tune my overclocking to do some pretty amazing things for a board I bought for $79 over a year ago. Using this board takes patience and ability, but once it is set up, it is rock solid performance, and stability.

Pros: Relatively Inexpensive with Combo Deal, Overclocks Athlon II 240 to 3.63Ghz

Cons: Only one PCIe 16x
Only two PCIe 1x
Incompatible SATA or SATA chipset problem with WD Drives

Other Thoughts: I bought two of these boards with a combo deal for some extra equipment to run backup Linux Software raid servers using several older 160G drives from various manufactures. When the drives started dropping like flies trying to set up the raid, I bought 6 WD 160 refurbs. I troubleshooted this config for many days until I finally stuck two Rosewill 216 SATA PCIe SATA ports in to test the configuration. The onboard SATA do not work properly.

Pros: The board was cheap and the ability to support AM3 plus the nice RAM support is nice. Lots of sata ports

Cons: No display. tried everything i could think of and the display will not come up, press delete, leads to a blinking mouse cursor. tried reseting CMOS, and still nothing. Plan to return board and shell out for a better one. i LOVE the Asus 890GX i have on my other board.

Other Thoughts: It doesnt pay to go the cheap route.

Pros: lower price, seems to work well. i actually really like the way it looks, came in red and black instead of the pictured color.

Cons: when i fully realized what i was missing out on for the cheaper board, (one fan plug, only DDR2, etc.) i felt like it wasn't worth it compared to what you can get for not much more money.

i think the placement of the memory slots deserves at least minus one egg as well. i upgraded the cpu fan/heatsink and the simple process took me a long time because i couldn't fit it correctly, and definitely would not be able to do it with all my memory. so i had to get rid of half, 2x 1GB i'd salvaged from another computer a while back. at this point, i'll just be working with the two slots that aren't blocked to upgrade memory in the future.

my computer actually randomly restarted once, possibly twice, but that was a while ago, and it hasn't done it since. I also don't know if it would be related to the motherboard at all.

Other Thoughts: maybe i would like it more if i had something to compare to, this is the first time i've "built" a computer.

Pros: BIOS is really nice to work with..
I've always had good experience working with biostar

Came in red/black unlike picture, however this looks better and alot more sleek

Cons: Building for friend, was going to install my older 6400+ in the tower, however on boot up "The max power of the CPU is over 95w, prepare for shutdown"

Which is completely my fault forgetting the 6400 takes 120watts

Purchased a 7850, runs fine

Other Thoughts: Now I have an extra AMD 6400 which is an odd CPU to have laying around.. lol

Pros: Inexpensive. That's really it. Took a chance when it was on sale for $40. I won't do that again.

Cons: Like most everyone else, it just shuts down. Runs for a minute or two, and dies. Won't reboot unless you wait for 10 - 30 minutes. Yes, I have swapped out everything else during troubleshooting - memory, video card, power supply, hard drive, operating system, etc. It's the board. BUYER BEWARE!

Manufacturer Response:

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but based on your symptom sounds like CPU may be overheating. Or contact our support staff to see if they can help you, 626-581-1055 menu select 2 or email support@biostar-usa.com

Pros: This is my 2nd review...mostly to vent about the RMA process at Biostar. Not to many pros at this point...

Cons: Lack of service...board was DOA...sent it back though they had it for a week, (not including Thanksgiving) They have not even looked at it. I asked them how long until I received a replacement they said maybe a few days someone would look at it. I guess I need to stick with Gigabyte, EVGA and Asus...rarely have issues with them and when I do they take care of it quickly. I guess I should have remembered...you do get what you pay for.

Pros: it is good for am3 as well. it is not the same color as it is on the picture. Mine is black and red wich is very very nicer looking than the chrismast one on the picture.

Cons: You have to be carefull when you put your cpu inside because each socket will fit in a different direction.
I was trying to fit it as the Am2+. Finnaly, I figure, it wasnt working .......( I had to fit it face the cpu in a other direction.)

IT Doesnt say how to install a AM3 in the book...

DDR2

Other Thoughts: Nice looking board and works great with my quad core am3

Pros: when it does work, it works well enough.

Cons: Very picky about memory used. randomly locks system after sustained use and stays dead until unplugged for a few hours then works again not very good for gaming.

Other Thoughts: worked long enough to be out of return policy then died going to try return to manufacture. will not buy anything biostar again.

Manufacturer Response:

Please don't hesitate to contact Biostar support staff to assist in any issue you may have. support@biostar-usa.com or phone us at 626-581-1055 menu select 2

Pros: PATA and SATA

Cons: After a couple months running fine and on spec, my comp started freezing and/or restarting at random. Checked OS, drivers, memory, etc. It finally failed to post yesterday.

Other Thoughts: I might try flashing the BIOS after asking BIOSTAR about the Limited 1 year warranty. But mobo's shouldn't fail to post or reboot for no apparent reason, especially within 6 months.

Manufacturer Response:

Sorry to hear of your troubles, Biostar offers 3 year warranty on motherboards, you can contact support@biostar-usa.com or call 626-581-1055 menu 2 for assistance.