The motherboard is compact in size with a full range of all the functions necessary today - this is ASUS P8Z77-M. Although this solution is based on a rather outdated platform based on LGA 1155, its capabilities are quite enough to create a compact and efficient computer system.
Who is this product for? Technological nuances
This board is perfect for those cases when it is necessary to assemble a system with a maximum level of performance in a compact computer case. At the same time, the reliability of such a PC will not be satisfactory. Although this motherboard has been made in a miniature MicroATX format, it is based on the most functional set of system logic, which allows for flexible configuration of parameters.
All 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 computing system. One of them is designed for mounting on a central processing unit, and the other three are for mounting on a chassis. Therefore, there should not be any problems with cooling during overclocking (for this purpose this product was developed).
Package Contents
ASUS P8Z77-M is equipped as follows:
- Motherboard.
- Cords for connecting SATA-drives.
- An impressive set of documentation (including a warranty card).
- Metal cap for the rear panel of the system unit.
- A CD with specialized software and drivers.
All this is enough to build a PC, and there is no particular need to buy any additional elements in this case.
Location of components on the circuit board
244 mm by 244 mm - these are the overall dimensions of the ASUS P8Z77-M. A review of the appearance of this component indicates the presence of three passive cooling systems based on aluminum radiators. Two of them are used to remove excess heat from the CPU power supply system . The third cools the south bridge of a set of system logic. The processor socket is located in the center of the upper part of the board.
To the left and above it are the previously mentioned CPU cooling systems. To the right are slots for installing RAM. Even further in this direction is the power connector. Below the socket are the expansion slots for installing additional external graphics adapters and controllers. To the right of the expansion slots are the ports of the SATA drives. Due to the correct location of expansion slots and RAM, as well as ports of SATA drives, there should be no problems installing any such component in this case.
Chipset
It is not difficult to understand from the name, ASUS P8Z77-M based on the most advanced set of system logic for the computing platform LGA 1155-Z77. This product consists of only one chip - the south bridge, which provides information processing from expansion slots and drive connection ports. The north bridge, which was found in earlier products of this manufacturer, in this case was transferred to the central processor. It provides interaction with peripheral devices and RAM.
Socket and semiconductor chips
As noted earlier, the motherboard ASUS P8Z77-M is equipped with a socket LGA 1155. In this processor socket, you can install chips "Cor" 2nd and, of course, 3rd generation. As a result, in this case, you can install the chips "Cor Ay7", "Cor Ay5", "Cor Ay3", "Pentium" and "Celeron", which belong to the previous generations of semiconductor crystals.
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” in the designation at the end). This will maximize the potential of such a computer system.
Interface set
The motherboard ASUS P8Z77-M PRO has the following ports for connecting external devices:
- One PS / 2 item port for pointing device or keyboard.
- 6 ports of "USB". Four of them meet the specification "3.0", and two - "2.0".
- Graphic ports are represented by DVI, HDMI and, of course, D-Sub. When a monitor is connected to them, in the process of work only the graphic adapter will be used, which is integrated into the central processing unit.
- 2 eSATA ports for connecting external drives.
- 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
Note the solid set of expansion slots in the ASUS P8Z77-M PRO. A review of the technical specifications of this solution indicates only the absence of a PCI slot. But this standard is currently outdated morally and physically. Such boards basically remain only after upgrading an outdated computer system and are automatically transferred to a new PC when updating. In such a situation (if you can’t do without such a PCI controller), it is better to purchase a full-size ATyks board with such a connector. But at the same time, you need to understand that the presence of such a component in a personal computer will reduce its performance. So there is nothing wrong with the absence of such an expansion slot, and in practice, such a board can be replaced with a similar USB adapter, for example.
Slots for RAM on this computer component 4. Supports all trims of the standard "DDR3". The maximum RAM size that such a motherboard model can address is 32 GB (4 modules of 8 GB each). There is only one PCI-Express 1X slot for installing an additional internal controller in a PC. But for installing graphics cards in this case, three PCI-Express 16X slots are allocated. You will have to make a choice. If you install an advanced video card in the first slot, then it will be impossible to put a controller in the PCI-Express 1X slot. Still, the miniature dimensions of this solution in this situation impose certain restrictions.
"BIOS" and not only
The BIOS of this computer accessory has an impressive list of parameters, and this allows flexible configuration of the computer system in the process of overclocking the CPU. As a result, you can get a solid performance boost. There is also UEFI on this board. This software component has similar functionality, but unlike the BIOS, its interface is Russified.
Reviews
The almost perfect solution was the ASUS P8Z77-M PRO system. Her characteristics are really excellent, the set of interfaces is quite large, and the dimensions are quite tiny. At the same time, the price, as for a computer accessory of this level, is very democratic.
In this case, there is only one minus - when installing a powerful graphics accelerator in the main slot in the PCI-Express 1X expansion slot, it will be impossible to install an additional controller. But the level of functionality of this motherboard is sufficient, and the lack of such an opportunity 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, the ASUS P8Z77-M PRO could be purchased at a price of $ 110 from stock. Now it’s very difficult to find such new boards. They can only be bought in used condition at various online auctions. At the same time, their price can be from 50 to 100 dollars. It all depends on the condition of the product. It makes little sense to buy such a board to build a new computing system. There are more advanced and recent platforms from this manufacturer (LGA 1150 and LGA 1151), which you need to pay attention to when assembling a new personal computer.
But this computer component can be suitable only if only the motherboard failed in the PC based on this outdated hardware platform, and the rest of its parts were not affected. Then it is possible, by replacing only one component, to quickly restore the efficiency of the entire machine.
Summary
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 only interesting if you need to restore the PC after a breakdown of the motherboard based on LGA 1155 and subject to the condition of the rest of its components.