A cynic would say that if Asustek wanted to become Apple it would have to double its prices and tell its users to like whatever it gives them. However, the truth is that Apple has got where it is because its users think it understands them and fulfills their needs.

Nah, 4 times more is more like it. How many Asus parts are in Apple products one must wonder? Asus has done far more than replace Apple anyway. They have superior products, and a much broader portfolio. Let the smug masters keep to their Apple. That way I can keep laughing at Macbook users that ask what my Eee PC is. They cry when I tell them the cost.

The Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P motherboard is a great board to be looking at to build an inexpensive powerhouse. When you consider what you get for the price and the performance, there is no reason not to look at this board if it has the features you want as well. Let’s break it down.

ASUS AND GIGABYTE are now the firm leaders in branded mainboards in both product performance and sales volumes. MSI, DFI, EVGA, Biostar, ECS and such, including Intel's own desktop group, are more or less reduced to second league status market share wise and will have to compete on quality or price. Some of the old favourites like Abit are now, well, history, and Foxconn's Quantum Force mobo brand is slated for the same fate as the giant group refocuses on OEM deals.

To summarize, the M4A78-HTPC/RC certainly can be a good base for a home theater PC, but it is not neessarily our top choice. The core hardware is excellent, but the extras that differentiate it have marginal value, in our opinion. If the audio features came at no extra cost, and the remote was made for use with MCE rather than Home Theater Gate, it would appeal fine. As it stands, we can pick out any 780G board with the appropriate feature-set and an MCE remote for functionality just as good as the M4A78-HTPC/RC package Asus is offering. The board will probably not be released in North America, so there is no official price for US/Canada. However, an online search came up with a price of 7,100 Rupees in India and 6,300 Rupees without the remote. That translates currently to ~US$150 and ~US$134, not exactly bargains in North America where mATX 780G board rarely crack $100. IT goods are often priced higher elsewhere, however, so do take our comments about value with caution.

With every new ASUS board that comes out we see them improving quality and features. The M4A79T Deluxe is definitely one of the best AMD boards we have seen with the ASUS logo branded on it. Not only does it use the high quality 790FX chipset, but it also now has the improved SB750 with additional SATA ports.