ASUS P8Z77-M motherboard overview: description, features and reviews

The motherboard of compact sizes with a full set of all functions necessary for today is ASUS P8Z77-M. At the heart of this solution though lies an outdated platform based on LGA 1155, but the possibilities are quite enough to create a compact and productive computer system.

Who was this product for? Technological nuances

This board is perfect for those cases when in a compact computer case you need to assemble a system with the maximum performance level. At the same time, the reliability of the operation of such a PC will not cause any complaints. Although this motherboard is made in the miniature format "MicroATiks", but it is based on the most functional set of system logic, which allows flexible configuration of parameters.

All the elements installed on the board have only passive cooling. But at the same time it is possible to install 4 coolers at once in such a computer system. One of them is designed for mounting on a central processing unit, and the other three are for mounting on a casing. Therefore, there should not be any problems with cooling in the process of overclocking (for this purpose, this product was developed) in this situation should not be.

Package Contents

ASUS P8Z77-M is completed as follows:

• Motherboard.
• Cords for connecting SATA-drives.
• An impressive set of documentation (including a warranty card).
• A metal plug for the back of the system unit.
• CD with specialized software and drivers.

All this is quite enough to build a PC, and there is no special need to buy any additional elements in this case.

Arrangement of components on the printed circuit board

244 mm by 244 mm - this is the overall dimensions of the ASUS P8Z77-M. Overview of the appearance of this component indicates the presence of three systems of passive cooling on the basis of aluminum radiators. Two of them are used to remove excess heat from the power supply system of the CPU. The third one cools the south bridge of the set of system logic. The CPU socket is located in the center of the top of the board.

On the left and on top of it are the previously mentioned cooling systems for CPU power supplies. On the right are slots for installing RAM. Further further in this direction is the power supply connector. Below the socket, expansion slots are installed to install additional external graphics adapters and controllers. To the right of the expansion slots are the ports of SATA-drives. Due to the correct location of expansion slots and RAM, as well as ports of SATA-drives, problems with installing any such component in this case should not be.

Chipset

As not difficult to understand from the name, ASUS P8Z77-M Is based on the most advanced set of system logic for the LGA 1155-Z77 computing platform. This product consists of only one chip - the south bridge, which provides information processing from expansion slots and ports of drive connection. The north bridge, which was found in earlier products of this manufacturer, in this case is transferred to the central processor. It provides interfacing with peripheral devices and RAM.

Socket and semiconductor chips

As it was mentioned earlier, ASUS P8Z77-M motherboard is equipped with LGA 1155 socket. In such a processor socket it is possible to install Kor chips of the 2nd and, of course, the 3rd generation. As a result, in this case, you can install chips "Kor Ai7", "Kor Ai5", "Kor Ai3", "Pentium" and "Celeron", which belong to the generations of semiconductor crystals cited earlier.

Given that the set of system logic in this case is Z77, it is most optimal to use central processing units with an unlocked multiplier (they have the letter "K" at the end). This will allow to maximize the potential of such a computer system.

Interface set

The motherboard ASUS P8Z77-M PRO has such ports for connecting external devices:

• One port of the PS / 2 nomenclature for the manipulator or keyboard.
• 6 ports of the YUSB. Four of them meet the specification "3.0", and two - "2.0".
• The graphics ports are DVI, HDMI and, of course, D-Sub. When connecting to the monitor during operation, only the graphic adapter that is integrated into the central processing unit will be used.
• 2 eSATA ports for external storage.
• One port for creating a local area network.
• A set of outputs and inputs of the sound card (3.5 mm audio jacks).

Expansion Slots

We note a solid set of expansion slots in ASUS P8Z77-M PRO. Overview of the technical specifications of this solution indicates only the lack of a PCI-connector. But this standard is now obsolete morally and physically. Such fees basically remain only after upgrading the obsolete computer system and are automatically transferred to the new PC when upgraded. In this situation (if you can not do without such a PCI-controller), it is better to buy a full-size ATIX board with such a connector. But it should be understood that the presence of such a component in a personal computer will reduce its performance. So there's nothing to worry about in the absence of such an expansion slot, and in practice such a card can be replaced with a similar USB adapter, for example.

Slots for RAM on this computer component 4. All the slats of the "DDR3" standard are supported. The maximum size of RAM that can be addressed by this model of the motherboard is 32 GB (4 modules of 8 GB). To install an additional internal controller in the PC, there is only one PCI-Express 1X connector. But for installing graphics adapters in this case, three PCI-Express 16X slots are allocated. Thus it is necessary to do a choice. If you install an advanced graphics card in the first slot, it will be impossible to put the controller in the PCI-Express 1X slot. Still, the miniature size of this solution in this situation imposes certain restrictions.

"BIOS" and not only

"BIOS" of this computer accessory has an impressive list of parameters, and this allows for a flexible configuration of the computer system in the process of overclocking the CPU. As a result, you can get a solid increase in performance. Also there is on this board UEFI. This software component has similar functionality, but unlike "BIOS" its interface is Russified.

Reviews

Almost the perfect solution was the ASUS P8Z77-M PRO system. The characteristics of it are really excellent, the set of interfaces is quite large, and the sizes are very small. At the same time, the price, as for a computer accessory of this level, is very democratic.

Minus in this case, only one - when installing in the main slot of a powerful graphics accelerator in the expansion slot PCI-Express 1X it will be impossible to install an additional controller. But the level of functionality of this motherboard is sufficient, and the lack of such a possibility is not so critical in this case.

The price and relevance of this hardware solution at the moment

Even before the middle of last year, it was possible to buy ASUS P8Z77-M PRO for $ 110 from stock. Now it is very difficult to find new such boards. They can only be bought in a second-hand condition at various Internet auctions. At the same time, the price for them can be from 50 to 100 dollars. It all depends on the condition of the product. There is no special reason to buy such a board for building a new computer system. There are more advanced and fresh platforms from this manufacturer (LGA 1150 and LGA 1151), which should be paid attention when assembling a new personal computer.

But this computer component can only be approached when only the motherboard failed in the PC on the basis of this out-of-date hardware platform, and the rest of its parts were not affected at the same time. Then, by replacing only one component, it is possible to quickly restore the operability of the entire machine.

Results

At the time of its release in 2012, ASUS P8Z77-M was one of the best boards for creating a compact and efficient computing system. Now it was replaced by other solutions based on more recent computing platforms. Well, this computer accessory is interesting only in the case when it is necessary to restore the working capacity of the PC after the failure of the motherboard based on LGA 1155 and on condition that other components are in good order.