The Gigabyte AM1M-S2H ($35, as tested) is one of several offerings for AMD's low-priced AM1 CPU platform, an upgradable desktop platform that offers a basic feature set for an extremely affordable price. Gigabyte's MicroATX board measures just 6.7 by 8.9 inches, which is even smaller than the standard 9.6 inches square that define the category.

Despite the smaller size, the Gigabyte AM1M-S2H still has a good set of features. The board is equipped with one full-length PCI Express slot (running at x4), two PCIe x1 slots (a unique feature), and a trio of USB headers. On the I/O panel you'll find a pair of PS/2 ports for older peripherals, HDMI and VGA ports (but no DVI), four USB ports (two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0), and a Gigabit Ethernet jack.

The design has good points and bad. A pair of SATA ports is awkwardly placed in the center of the board, below the CPU socket area and behind the two DDR3 RAM slots. On the other hand, Gigabyte uses white plastic spacers on some of the board's pin headers (the CPU fan, USB headers, and front panel connectors) to make them easier to identify at a glance, even in a dim PC case. The board also comes with a better audio codec than that offered on others at this price, using a Realtek ALC887 codec, which supports eight-channel audio, and even gives the option for adding an S/PDIF optical connector bracket (not included).

The AM1M-S2H also has a graphical Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) BIOS. It's fairly simple, with thumbnail images up top serving as buttons to take you to the various text-based settings, but it doesn't really need any frills beyond that.

The Gigabyte AM1M-S2H is a good option if you're looking to build a low-cost system in a case that can accommodate a MicroATX motherboard.

For more details, check out the Gigabyte AM1M-S2H review on our sister site, Computer Shopper.

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