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Appeared on: Saturday, February 23, 2013
ASUS Launches MicroATX Motherboards for HTPCs

ASUS today announced a new range of microATX motherboards with onboard HDMI and DVI ports for Intel and AMD processors with integrated graphics, and USB 3.0 ports with ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology.

CPU-integrated graphics support with onboard HDMI and DVI ports The latest Intel22nm CPUs feature Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics, while AMD Socket FM2 Athlon and A-Series APUs have integrated AMD HD 7000 Series discrete-level Radeon GPUs.The processors provide high 2D and 3D graphics performance, without the need for a separate graphics card, which in turn results in lower PC build costs.

The new ASUS microATX motherboards support the integrated graphics features of both processor families, and each model features both an HDMI port for use with HDTVs and a DVI port for connection to desktop displays. The ASUS B75M-A, H61M-PLUS, H61M-A/USB3 and H61M-A are microATX motherboards designed for Intel processors; the A85XM-A, A55M-A/USB3, A55M-A are for AMD APUs. The microATX form factor and reduced cooling requirements of these new motherboards make them ideally suited for compact desktop and home entertainment PCs.

USB 3.0 has data-transfer speeds up to 10-times faster than USB 2.0. Asus claims that its new motherboards improve upon this further with ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology, for data transfer speeds up to 1.7-times faster than ordinary USB 3.0.

USB 3.0 Boost uses the industry standard USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP) to increase data throughput by using multiple channels in parallel, rather than just the one channel of ordinary USB 3.0. This allows USB 3.0 Boost to use the entire bandwidth of a USB 3.0 connection for significant time savings with large file transfers and smoother HD video streaming. UASP requires a UASP-enabled drive or drive enclosure to deliver its full performance benefits, but ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology also incorporates an optimized 'turbo' mode for data transfer speed improvements from any standard USB 3.0 device.

USB 3.0 Boost is supported by the ASUS B75M-A, H61M-PLUS and H61M-A/USB3 Intel-based motherboards and the A85XM-A and A55M-A/USB3 AMD-basedmotherboards. Both onboard HDMI/DVI and USB 3.0 Boost are also available on the new ASUS Z77-A Intel-based ATX motherboard.

ASUS Home Entertainment Motherboards feature solid capacitors that are industry rated for a lifespan of 5,000 hours at 105 degrees Celsius, which is around 2.5-times longer than traditional capacitors. Under average operating temperatures of 65 degrees Celsius, the capacitors, can last for over 50 years of continuous use. All models also feature chromium oxide-plated stainless steel rear I/O ports for corrosion resistance and an increased lifespan.

Model Z77-A B75M-A H61M-PLUS H61M-A/USB3 H61M-A H61-PLUS
Chipset Z77 B75 Intel H61 Intel H61 Intel H61 Intel H61
Power Phase 4+1 Phase 3+1 Phase 3+1 Phase 3+1 Phase 3+1 Phase 3+1 Phase
Memory Slot 4DDR3 2DDR3 2DDR3 2DDR3 2DDR3 2DDR3
Memory Frequency Up to 2400(O.C.) MHz Up to 2200(O.C.) MHz Up to 2200(O.C.) MHz Up to 2200(O.C.) MHz Up to 2200(O.C.) MHz Up to 2200(O.C.) MHz
PCIex16 1*PCIe 3.0 x16
1*PCIe 2.0x16
1*PCIe 3.0 x16 1*PCIe 3.0 x16 1*PCIe 3.0 x16 1*PCIe 3.0 x16 1*PCIe 3.0 x16
PCIex1 2 2 2 2 2 2
PCI 2 1 0 0 0 3
VGA Output HDMI/DVI/D-Sub HDMI/DVI/D-Sub HDMI/DVI/D-Sub HDMI/DVI/D-Sub HDMI/DVI/D-Sub N/A
Storage 2*SATA 6Gb/s
4*SATA 3Gb/s
1*SATA 6Gb/s
5*SATA 3Gb/s
2*SATA 6Gb/s
2*SATA 3Gb/s
4*SATA 3Gb/s 4*SATA 3Gb/s 4*SATA 3Gb/s
LAN RTL8111F Gb LAN RTL811F Gb LAN RTL8111F Gb LAN RTL8111F Gb LAN RTL8111F Gb LAN RTL8111F Gb LAN
USB 4*USB 3.0 (2@back+2@front)
8*USB 2.0 (4@back+4@front)
2*USB 3.0(2@back)
8*USB 2.0 (2@back+6@front)
10*USB 2.0 (4@back+6@front)
Audio ALC887 8-CH ALC887 8-CH ALC887 8-CH ALC887 8-CH ALC887 8-CH ALC887 8-CH
All Solid Capacitors V V V V V V
Stainless Back I/O V V V V V V
ASUS Unique Features DIGI+VRM
EPU
USB 3.0 Boost
Fan Xpert+
Network iControl
Anti-Surge
UEFI BIOS
DIGI+VRM
EPU
USB 3.0 Boost
Fan Xpert
Network iControl
Anti-Surge
UEFI BIOS
DIGI+VRM
EPU
USB 3.0 Boost
Fan Xpert
Network iControl
Anti-Surge
UEFI BIOS
DIGI+VRM
EPU
USB 3.0 Boost
Fan Xpert
Network iControl
Anti-Surge
UEFI BIOS
DIGI+VRM
EPU
Fan Xpert
Network iControl
Anti-Surge
UEFI BIOS
DIGI+VRM
EPU
Fan Xpert
Network iControl
Anti-Surge
UEFI BIOS
Form Factor ATX (30.5 x 21.3) uATX (24.4 x 17.8) mATX (22.6 x 18.0) mATX (22.6 x 18.0) mATX (22.6 x 18.0) ATX (30.5 x 19.1)

 

Model A85XM-A A55M-A/USB3 A55M-A
Chipset A85X A55 A55
Power Phase 3+2 phase 3+2 phase 3+2 phase
Memory Slot 2DDR3 2DDR3 2DDR3
Memory Frequency Up to 1866MHz Up to 1866MHz Up to 1866MHz
PCIex16 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot
PCIex1 1 1 1
PCI 1 1 1
VGA Output HDMI/DVI/D-Sub HDMI/DVI/D-Sub HDMI/DVI/D-Sub
Storage 8*SATA 6Gb/s 6*SATA 3Gb/s 6*SATA 3Gb/s
LAN RTL8111F Gb LAN RTL8111F Gb LAN RTL8111F Gb LAN
USB 4*USB 3.0(2@back+2@front)
6*USB 2.0(2@back+4@front)
2*USB 3.0(2@back)
6*USB 2.0(2@back+4@front)
8*USB 2.0
(4@back+4@front)
Audio ALC887 8-CH ALC887 8-CH ALC887 8-CH
All Solid Capacitors V V V
Stainless Back I/O V V V
ASUS Unique Features DIGI+ VRM
EPU
USB 3.0 Boost
FAN Xpert
Anti-Surge
Network iControl
UEFI BIOS
DIGI+ VRM
EPU
USB 3.0 Boost
FAN Xpert
Anti-Surge
Network iControl
UEFI BIOS
DIGI+ VRM
EPU
FAN Xpert
Anti-Surge
Network iControl
UEFI BIOS
Form Factor uATX (23.6 x18.8) uATX (23.6 x18.8) uATX (23.6 x18.8)


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