An excellent budget-level motherboard for creating an office personal computer is the ASRock H61M-GS. Its parameters make it possible to solve simple problems without problems, and the price is really able to surprise.
Product niche
ASRock H61M-GS targets the niche of the most affordable personal PCs. At the same time, there are no serious requirements for its speed and performance, but the price is really important. Therefore, the destiny of this component is office computers. The most optimal combination with this product will look like entry-level chips with two physical cores and two logical information processing flows: Pentium and Celeron. You can, of course, use more powerful CPU models in combination with the H61M-GS, but in this case the level of functionality of this motherboard will be a limiting factor that will not allow you to maximize the use of all the features of a more powerful central processor.
System Board Package Contents
The standard equipment for this product is designed to solve entry-level tasks. It includes the following:
- The operation manual and warranty card are a complete list of documentation.
- Installation disc with software. In addition to typical motherboard drivers, there is also specialized application software.
- The motherboard itself H61M-GS.
- 2 cords for connecting to the system board drives.
- Dummy metal plate.
Board design and layout
ASRock H61M-GS is manufactured in MicroATX form factor. Its dimensions are 244 mm in height and 244 mm in width. The lower third of the board is occupied by expansion slots. At the very bottom, connectors for connecting additional USB format ports and the front panel of the case are displayed. To the right of the expansion connectors under the aluminum radiator is the "south bridge" of the chipset. In the lower right corner of the board are SATA ports for connecting drives. In this case, there are only 4. In the middle of 2/3 of the upper part of the board there is a socket for installing a central processor. To the right of it are slots for installing RAM modules and a power supply connector. To the left of the processor socket are wired ports for connecting various devices.
Chipset
The ASRock H61M-GS motherboard, as you can easily guess from its designation, is based on the H61 chipset. It combines a minimum level of functionality and affordable cost. The thermal package of this chipset is 6.1 W, and it is manufactured according to the norms of 65 Nm of the process technology. The maximum number of addressable RAM is 16 GB, and support for the USB 3.0 interface chipset is completely absent. Like all Intel's latest developments in the field of system logic, this chipset is based on a single chip, which is called the "south bridge" in the language of professionals. Its task: exchange information with additional controllers that are connected to a PC using expansion slots. But the second part of the system logic set is located directly in the semiconductor chip of the central processor. Its experts call it the “north bridge”, and the main task of the component is the exchange of information with RAM.
Socket and processors
The ASRock H61M-GS has an LGA1155 processor socket. It is possible to install any processor based on the Core architecture from Intel of the second or third generations. But the functionality of the board, as noted earlier, is really enough only for entry-level chips, which include budget Pentium or Celeron. You can put here faster chips, but their performance will be limited by the weakest link in the form of the chipset of the motherboard.
Wired Ports and Controller Slots
A modest amount, as by today's standards, RAM can offer ASRock H61M-GS. Characteristics indicate the presence of only 2 slots in which you can install only 2 modules of 8 GB. On the one hand, against the background of modern advanced motherboards that allow you to install even 64 GB, this is not enough. But on the other hand, for an office PC, more RAM is definitely not needed. In this case, there are only 3 expansion slots. All of them comply with PCI Express specifications. One of them, which is the longest, operates in 16 X mode and is designed to install a graphics accelerator in it. The remaining two operate in 1X mode and are needed to install various additional controllers (external sound card, port controller, TV tuner). But the list of ports built into the board in this case is as follows:
- 2 PS / 2 for mouse and keyboard;
- 2 video outputs: VGA and DVI (alas, the most relevant HDMI in this case is not);
- 6 USB 2.0 ports;
- 1 RJ - 45 for connecting to a computer network.
Owner opinions and real value today
A balanced entry-level product was the H61M-GS. According to reviews, one can only attribute the lack of an HDMI-connector to its shortcomings. But most modern monitors are still equipped with VGA or DVI. So problems with the output of the image should not arise. But her advantages are:
- Low cost - up to $ 70.
- Rich functionality, as for entry-level boards.
- CPU support based on the Kor architecture of the second and third generations.
Often users ask such a question regarding the ASRock H61M-GS: “USB ports do not work or the integrated graphics adapter does not work, what should I do?” In these cases, it is necessary to check for drivers and reinstall them if necessary. The rest is an excellent platform for an office computer, but nothing more.
Summary
ASRock H61M-GS allows you to create high-quality office PCs. Moreover, with the release of new updated platforms, its cost has decreased, and the difference in speed with them is not so big. Therefore, it is perfect for assembling an office personal computer.