ECS A55F-M4(1.0) FM1 AMD A55 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard $20 AR with Free Shipping

From my experience ECS products can be flaky, but customer service is on point.

wow, so small. Looks like it would be great for a HTPC.

Quote from dizzie : wow, so small. Looks like it would be great for a HTPC.

Yes, a smaller PC is better in the living room. The toughest part is accepting an included case PSU, as non-atx psu standards sem to be an oxymoron (nothing aftermarket seems to fit a mini case).
Combine this with 2 sticks of 8GB ddr3-1600 or 1866, an A6-3600 or A8-3800, 65W TDP quad core locked parts that have been around since 8/11, and skip the video card (this will x-fire, though).

Didn't see this listed:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6813135325

Use this rebate:

http://images10.newegg.com/upload...13cd12.pdf

Can someone tell me what I can use AMD APU builds for? The benchmarks are very low.

Quote from rsx1213 : Can someone tell me what I can use AMD APU builds for? The benchmarks are very low.

I'm not a fan of FM1 socket, we have to stick with Liano APU forever, and have not much choice for upgrading. If you don't mind, put A3300/A3400 APU Dual Core with this one, this is great for HTPC/Office/Torrent system. Ortherwise, you should get AM3+ socket for Gaming, Design PC.

FM1 is totally dead for the future, but if you just want a one-purpose PC like for a kid or media center, it's a great start.

for people comparing this mobo to the msi in the frys bundle: the ecs isn't exactly the same. while it might be easier for htpc (hdmi, so doesn't need converter for tv's), it has 2 fewer sata ports.

I would love to buy this at this price but I cannot trust the ECS reliability... Every ECS board I have ever purchased has died rather than having to be retired. I would use caution when considering ECS motherboards!!! Is the price savings worth the headaches and hassle?

The last 4 I’ve had become flakey and eventually died due to bad (bulging) capacitors (i.e. aluminum electrolytic). Even Fry’s has stopped carry them.

The bad caps issue became mainstream in the early 2000s... I hoped this would have been long resolved at this point (but its not).

It appears this is still a problem with ECS. They also will not extend the warranty or provide assistance in shipping or other concessions due to the cheap components used in their products. Even though one of my board was still in warranty... it did not make sense to send it back... as it was out of labor warranty. I would have to pay to ship it back and pay ECS labor charges to replace their defective components. The problem was obviously bad caps, one had blown and the others were visually bulging at the top.

In the past, some vendors have have used the bad parts been willing and have stepped up to the plate due to the cheap component failures but I had no luck with ECS. 4 of the 5 ECS boards I have purchased have died. A July 13, 2011 press release boasts ECS is now using "solid capacitors around the CPU power area". While this is a step in the right direction I am still gun shy... in fact my last ECS board (A740GM) had a bad cap near the memory slots (and of course it was not a solid capacitor).

My experience with the ECS 6100... Bought 3 and 3 became flakey and died. #1 at 14 months, #2 lasted less than 2 years, #3 had to be retired recently due to random resets (and has bad caps).

I've had great luck with the A4-3400 / MSI A55M-P33 Fry's November $50 combo. The system makes a decent desktop and will make a great HTPC. It plays full HD quality MP4 files (via HMDI with DVI to HMDI cable) without breaking a sweat (even while surfing the web in its dual monitor output).

This is a very capable low power low price solution.

Quote from free_bird : I would love to buy this at this price but I cannot trust the ECS reliability... Every ECS board I have ever purchased has died rather than having to be retired. I would use caution when considering ECS motherboards!!! Is the price savings worth the headaches and hassle? The last 4 I’ve had become flakey and eventually died due to bad (bulging) capacitors (i.e. aluminum electrolytic). Even Fry’s has stopped carry them. The bad caps issue became mainstream in the early 2000s... I hoped this would have been long resolved at this point (but its not). It appears this is still a problem with ECS. They also will not extend the warranty or provide assistance in shipping or other concessions due to the cheap components used in their products. Even though one of my board was still in warranty... it did not make sense to send it back... as it was out of labor warranty. I would have to pay to ship it back and pay ECS labor charges to replace their defective components. The problem was obviously bad caps, one had blown and the others were visually bulging at the top. In the past, some vendors have have used the bad parts been willing and have stepped up to the plate due to the cheap component failures but I had no luck with ECS. 4 of the 5 ECS boards I have purchased have died. A July 13, 2011 press release boasts ECS is now using "solid capacitors around the CPU power area". While this is a step in the right direction I am still gun shy... in fact my last ECS board (A740GM) had a bad cap near the memory slots (and of course it was not a solid capacitor). My experience with the ECS 6100... Bought 3 and 3 became flakey and died. #1 at 14 months, #2 lasted less than 2 years, #3 had to be retired recently due to random resets (and has bad caps). I've had great luck with the A4-3400 / MSI A55M-P33 Fry's November $50 combo. The system makes a decent desktop and will make a great HTPC. It plays full HD quality MP4 files (via HMDI with DVI to HMDI cable) without breaking a sweat (even while surfing the web in its dual monitor output). This is a very capable low power low price solution.

Fry's stopped carry ECS and other brands because of a kickback scandal involving their VP of purchasing.

All the ECS boards I've gotten from those incredible Fry's CPU-Mobo combos are still going strong. In the post-ECS era, I've had a bunch of Biostar G41-M7 boards go bad though...those were from the amazingly priced Fry's E3300 bundles. Biostar RMA is pretty crummy.

I'll have to wait around for another $50 combo from Fry's.

Quote from free_bird : I would love to buy this at this price but I cannot trust the ECS reliability... Every ECS board I have ever purchased has died rather than having to be retired. I would use caution when considering ECS motherboards!!! Is the price savings worth the headaches and hassle? The last 4 I’ve had become flakey and eventually died due to bad (bulging) capacitors (i.e. aluminum electrolytic). Even Fry’s has stopped carry them. The bad caps issue became mainstream in the early 2000s... I hoped this would have been long resolved at this point (but its not). It appears this is still a problem with ECS. They also will not extend the warranty or provide assistance in shipping or other concessions due to the cheap components used in their products. Even though one of my board was still in warranty... it did not make sense to send it back... as it was out of labor warranty. I would have to pay to ship it back and pay ECS labor charges to replace their defective components. The problem was obviously bad caps, one had blown and the others were visually bulging at the top. In the past, some vendors have have used the bad parts been willing and have stepped up to the plate due to the cheap component failures but I had no luck with ECS. 4 of the 5 ECS boards I have purchased have died. A July 13, 2011 press release boasts ECS is now using "solid capacitors around the CPU power area". While this is a step in the right direction I am still gun shy... in fact my last ECS board (A740GM) had a bad cap near the memory slots (and of course it was not a solid capacitor). My experience with the ECS 6100... Bought 3 and 3 became flakey and died. #1 at 14 months, #2 lasted less than 2 years, #3 had to be retired recently due to random resets (and has bad caps). I've had great luck with the A4-3400 / MSI A55M-P33 Fry's November $50 combo. The system makes a decent desktop and will make a great HTPC. It plays full HD quality MP4 files (via HMDI with DVI to HMDI cable) without breaking a sweat (even while surfing the web in its dual monitor output). This is a very capable low power low price solution.

Badcaps.net will teach you to replace the capacitors yourself. Not that you should have to, of course, but it is less work and cheaper than replacing motherboards. It is worth learning how, I am amazed how many times I have had monitors, graphics cards, etc that were easily repaired by replacing capacitors.

Shows $44.99 minus $20 rebate plus $5.99 shipping for me?

Quote from johnbegone : Shows $44.99 minus $20 rebate plus $5.99 shipping for me?

Deal was posted over a week ago, appears to be dead now...