ASUS M2A-VM Review

Introduction

I would like to thank AMD for supplying us with the tested motherboard.

AMD/ATI recently launched their first new chipset, called the AMD 690 which is based on the RS690G/V. ASUS being one of the biggest motherboard manufacturers in the world was one of the premier partners to develop a board for this new platform. The M2A-VM is a value oriented MicroATX motherboard that supports all the new features like integrated Radeon X1250 graphics and VGA/DVI/HDMI output. HDMI is implemented via an addon card that goes into the PCI-E x16 slot and is sold only with the ASUS M2A-VM HDMI, we did not receive the HDMI card, so the tested board is the ASUS M2A-VM.



For more information about the chipset, read our AMD 690 Preview.

Features

Specifications

CPU Support

• AMD® Socket AM2 Athlon64 / Athlon64 FX / Athlon64 X2 / Sempron
• AMD Cool 'n' Quiet™ Technology
• AMD64 architecture enables simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit computing
• AMD Live!™ Ready

Chipset

• AMD 690G
• ATI SB600

Front Side Bus

• 2000 / 1600 MT/s

Memory

• Dual channel memory architecture
• 4 x 240-pin DIMM, support max. 8GB DDR2 800/667/533 ECC and Non-ECC,un-buffered memory

VGA

• Integrated ATI Radeon X1250-based graphics
• Maximum shared memory of 256 MB
• Supports DVI-D with max. resolution 2560x1600 (@ 60Hz)
• (It may not display 1080p smoothly when playing HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc due to current version player limit)
• Supports RGB with max. resolution 2048 x 1536 (@85Hz)
• Dual VGA output support:
• RGB & DVI
• Note: DVI-D can not be converted to output RGB Signal to CRT.

Expansion Slots

• 1 x PCI Express x16
• 1 x PCI Express x1
• 2 x PCI

Storage

• 1 x UltraDMA 133/100
• 4 x Serial ATA 3Gb/s supporting RAID 0, RAID 1,RAID10

LAN

• PCIe Gb LAN
• Audio ALC883 High Definition Audio 6-channel CODEC
• Supports Jack-Sensing, Enumeration, and Jack-Retasking
• Supports S/PDIF out interface

Overclocking Features

• SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection) from 200MHz to 400MHz at 1MHz increment
• Adjustable CPU Voltage at 0.0125V increment
• ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)

USB

• 10 USB2.0/1.1 ports

Special Features

• ASUS MyLogo2
• ASUS CrashFreeBIOS3
• ASUS EZ Flash2
• ASUS Q-Fan
• ASUS O.C Profile
• ASUS Music Alarm

Back Panel

• I/O Ports 1 x Parallel
• 1 x PS/2 Mouse
• 1 x PS/2 Keyboard
• 1 x DVI
• 1 x VGA
• 1 x RJ45
• 4 x USB 2.0/1.1
• 6-channel Audio I/O

Internal I/O Connectors

• 3 x USB 2.0 connector supports additional 6 USB 2.0 ports
• High Definition Front panel audio connector
• COM port connector
• CD audio-in connector
• 1 x S/PDIF output connector
• CPU / Chassis/ Power Fan connectors
• Chassis Intrusion connector
• 24-pin EATX power connector
• 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector

BIOS

• 8Mb Flash ROM, Award BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SMBIOS 2.3

Manageability

• WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PXE, WOR by PME

Support

• CD Drivers
• ASUS PC Probe II
• ASUS LiveUpdate Utility
• Anti -virus software(OEM version)

Accessories

• User' s manual
• 1 x Serial ATA cable
• 1 x SATA power cable
• 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
• 1 x FDD cable
• 1 x I/O Shield

Form Factor

• uATX Form Factor, 9.6" x 9.0" (24.5cm x 22.9cm)