The Emaxx EMX-MCP61D3-iCafe uses the AMD Socket AM2+ / AM3 CPU socket. Any compatible AMD CPU will have the same socket entry. It uses the DDR3 memory type, with maximum speeds of up to 1333 MHz, and 2 DDR3 slots allowing for a maximum total of 8 GB RAM.

The Micro-ATX Emaxx EMX-MCP61D3-iCafe should fit into all ATX cases, but its smaller size allows you to downsize your system build as a whole. Its size comes at the cost of features, so there are likely to be far fewer connections and expansion options available than in a larger motherboard.

The Emaxx EMX-MCP61D3-iCafe supports onboard graphics. This allows for integrated graphics when paired with a compatible CPU that supports them. Integrated graphics are a cheap alternative to using a graphics card, but should be avoided when frequently using modern applications or games that require intense graphical processing. There are 1 PCIe x16 slots on this motherboard. This means it is perfectly capable of accommodating the latest graphics cards, although it is important to try and use a graphics card with the same graphics card interface of PCIe v2.x, as anything below will not reach the motherboard's potential, and anything above will have its performance slashed to the bandwidth maximum of the Emaxx EMX-MCP61D3-iCafe's PCIe v2.x. The Emaxx EMX-MCP61D3-iCafe does not support multiple graphics cards via Nvidia SLI or AMD Crossfire.

The Emaxx EMX-MCP61D3-iCafe has 2 USB 2.0 slots but no USB 3.0 slots. While USB 3.0 slots are so far by no means necessary, and with a plethora of USB 2.0 peripherals to choose from, the USB functionality on this motherboard should be fine. With so few slots, however, you would have to use a USB expansion hub. As such, we would highly recommend a different motherboard, preferably with USB 3.0 functionality as well.