Motherboard Asus M5A97: reviews, a review, the manual in English

The motherboard Asus M5A97, built on the Socket AM3 + platform, can hardly be attributed to an affordable budget class. And it's not at all in price (5000 rubles), which is twice the cost of inexpensive solutions on the AMD chipset. The board's functionality is intended for fans of overclocking of components (such as processor, memory and video adapter). In this article, the reader will be able to get to know the product: see a full review, learn the technical characteristics, and the owners' feedback will help you to draw your own conclusions before purchasing the motherboard.

Packing and equipment

A box with a device is quite informative, unlike cheap competitors. The back panel contains a photo of the motherboard Asus M5A97 with a detailed description of all technologies and their capabilities, which is quite convenient for both the seller and the buyer - all the functionality just does not need explanations. It should be noted that on the market there are two modifications of the same device, which have the name "EVO" and "PRO". The difference between them is not significant - in the latter there are additional ports "DIGI +".

In the standard configuration, there is nothing special: stubs, cables, drivers discs and instruction manual for the Asus M5A97 motherboard. The instruction in Russian makes it easy for novices to install when buying and installing. The device itself is packed in a tight antistatic bag.

Cooling system

The first thing that catches your eye is the abundance of installed aluminum radiators on the surface of the motherboard. In addition to the southern and northern bridges covered by the grilles, the manufacturer installed additional cooling for the power elements of the device. The opinions of users, judging by their feedback, are divided. Some believe that conventional grids will not be enough for decent cooling, small coolers would be just right. Others, in the person of owners of expensive video cards, assure that the radiator on the north bridge of the motherboard Asus M5A97 will still have to be removed, since it interferes with the installation of the video adapter. In any case, it is obvious that the device heats up very much during operation, so you need to pay attention to cooling inside the system unit.

Expansion Slots

The presence of two PCI-Express 16x expansion slots for installation of video adapters will immediately attract the attention of the owner, however, it is not necessary to rejoice, the manufacturer limited the mode of operation of the lower slot by the speed of PCI-Express 4x. Strange solution, because the motherboard Asus M5A97 is positioned as a device for players.

On the other hand, the owners of one video card will like that the two PCI slots are not closed by the cooling system of the video accelerator, as is often the case in budget motherboards. Without problems, you can install two additional devices (TV-Tuner, sound card or other device).

The designers of the company equipped their device with two PCI-E x1 slots, one of which will be exactly available after installing the video card. In the Russian market, only a few know about their intended purpose. Recently, switching to SSD drives is carried out by many users, but the SATS III mode has speed limits. To overcome the speed barrier, the market saw SSD disks for installation in the PCI-E x1 slot, running several times faster than the SATA standard. In the next decade, this technology will replace the old SATA format.

Working with disk drives

The Asus M5A97 does not have an old IDE interface, many do not need it, but there are users who own expensive DVD drives that are still perfectly performing all the tasks set for them (Plextor, for example, which will work for another decade). Four times SATA, too, look somehow unconvincing on the motherboard. There are additional 2 eSATA connectors, but in our country they somehow did not gain popularity.

The device supports the creation of arrays, performed at the level of one integrated chip and controlled by the BIOS software. As users note in their reviews, it is still more convenient to work with an external controller connected to the expansion board. So reliable, because when you change the motherboard, the integrated array can not be restored.

RAM

The manufacturer has found a place for placing four DDR3 connectors on the Asus M5A97 motherboard. Reviews in the media claim that this is the right approach to consumers. The memory operates at frequencies up to 2133 MHz, although the hardware is limited to 1886 MHz, everything else is achieved by overclocking. You can increase the amount of RAM up to 32 gigabytes, and you can install any modules. However, for Dual mode, it is better to use the same memory slots.

The BIOS of the system has an additional "MemOK!" Function, which is responsible for "grinding" all installed memory modules. In fact, it tests all the bars separately, finding the same timings in the modules. Then it sets the maximum performance mode, in which all devices can work simultaneously. Previously, the user was doing this, calculating the greatest common divisor, setting timing in the BIOS.

Supply system

Standard for all gaming devices six-phase scheme (4 + 2) power subsystem is unlikely to surprise owners. Is that hint at a sufficiently large dissipated power (that's why the radiators are installed). To supply additional power is used ATX12V connector, which has 8 contacts. To please users there can be no limitations with respect to the installed processors. The motherboard Asus M5A97, whose review is presented to the reader, supports all existing AM3 / AM3 + format models, with any heat dissipation. Taking into account the overclocking potential of the last eight-core device, it turns out that 140 W for the motherboard is not a problem.

However, the tests show the opposite, when the core is significantly overclocked, temperature sensors installed on the motherboard fix a significant heating of the device. In any case, it is necessary to solve the problem with the removal of hot air from the system unit by the organization of a decent exhaust, otherwise it is possible to overheat during overclocking and disabling the system board.

Oddities with interfaces

As you might expect, the Asus M5A97 gaming device does not have an integrated video output. But the manufacturer has allocated the board with acoustic capabilities in full: 6-channel sound with the presence of an optical output. There is also a network interface and IEEE1394 (which nobody in our country uses). The PS / 2 port (only one) is displayed under the keyboard and mouse of the old sample.

There are 14 USB ports. But here there is a problem: ten of them are available for use and have a USB 2.0 interface. The rest are presented in the form of wiring on ASMedia ASM1042 controller - 2 of them are for USB 2.0 standard, the others are for USB 3.0 technology. As the owners say in their reviews, the problem is solved by purchasing a remote panel on the chassis of the system unit and outputting high-speed interfaces by connecting to the motherboard.

Mounting Features

All owners of the Asus M5A97 motherboard are required to read the manual. Especially when it comes to installing the device in the system unit. After all, the manufacturer deviated from the technology in the production of ATX form factor motherboards and made a PCB of its own standard. As a result, the system of fixing the device in the system unit has changed: instead of nine screws, the user needs to use six.

It's too early to enjoy such a simple installation, as a result the board does not have a rigid mount around the perimeter, but sags in the vicinity of connecting the power system, memory modules and SATA connectors. Naturally, in the process of connecting all devices you need to rely not on physical strength, but on maximum care, because breaking the PCB is fairly easy.

Features of BIOS and its firmware

Many owners, accustomed to proprietary utilities for flashing BIOS, are indignant about the introduction by the manufacturer of ASUS proprietary technology USB BIOS Flashback. It's unclear why the developers considered that opening the system unit and pressing a button near the I / O controller would be less resource-intensive for the system owner than a single click on the utility button in the Windows operating system. As specialists note in their reviews, this is a rare stupidity on the part of the manufacturer.

If we talk about the very system BIOS motherboard Asus M5A97, then there is complete order. The UEFI graphical shell will satisfy even the most demanding user - a real control panel. Control can be any port, connector or interface - change the voltage, set limits and enable locks. Made for the mind and for people. True, the interface is in English, so you can not do without leadership at hand, since it's completely Russified.

Owner feedback

Initially, the Asus M5A97 setup is optimized for full-featured operation in the automatic mode, so before overclocking it is necessary to go into the power management menu and remove all restrictions, both overheating and voltage. In their responses, many owners note that if this is not done, then any overclock leads to an immediate shutdown of the computer. Benefit after an unsuccessful startup, the BIOS can be reset to the factory settings.

To the overclocking potential of the processor and RAM, not one user had a single question. Everything works with dignity, the motherboard allows you to perform any actions. If there is a glitch during the overclocking process, this is the problem of the device whose performance is increasing.

Finally

After reviewing the motherboard Asus M5A97, you can make an unambiguous conclusion that in the first place the device is aimed at overclockers, because the news functional for increasing productivity works flawlessly. Excellent management, many settings and capabilities, hardware and software protection - all contribute to a positive overclocking.

But ordinary users who want to create their home media center on the basis of this motherboard, the device will appear raw and non-functional. No USB 3.0, two graphics cards in compatibility mode will work at 4x speed, oddities with SATA ports - a trifle, but in combination an undeniable factor in choosing a decent platform for your computer.