ASUS M2N68-AM - motherboard - micro ATX - GeForce 7025

Description: The Asus M2N68-AM is a nVidia GeForce 7050PV/ nForce 630a-based, compact motherboard.Compared to other compact motherboards on the market, it is inexpensive at around $60.This motherboard supports Athlon 64 and Phenom processors that use the Socket AM2 interface.

Pros: Is built around a nVidia GeForce 7050PV/ nForce 630a-based chipset, which is considerably more robust than some similarly priced motherboards.This board supports up to 4GB of RAM.This should be enough for demanding environments from gaming to gigabyte networking.

Cons: None noted, given available product data.

Suitability: Suited for those who want to build a small form-factor PC.

Value: In view of its inexpensive price, this motherboard has great features for the money.

Suggestions: (1) Be sure that you are using a Socket AM2-compatible processor with this motherboard.(2) If you want to take full advantage of the on-board SATA controller, you will want to consider a hard drive upgrade.Existing IDE hard drives will run on the ATA-133 bus.(3) For motherboard add-ons, check out the storage and components section of CNET's website.

CNET's Product Briefs are generated by a software tool that combines product specifications with knowledge of our editorial experts. They do not reflect hands-on assessment or labs testing. For more information about how we create Product Briefs, contact us.

• Manufacturer: Asus
• Part Number: M2N68-AM

• General

• Product type (AE) Motherboard
• Form factor Micro ATX
• Width 9.6 in
• Depth 8.7 in
• Compatible Processors Athlon 64, Athlon X2, Phenom X3, Phenom X4, Athlon 64 X2
• 64-bit Processor Compatibility Yes
• Mainboard processor socket Socket AM2 / AM2+
• Mainboard / Multi-Core Support Dual-Core / Triple-core / Quad-core
• Chipset Type NVIDIA GeForce 7025 / nForce 630a
• Data bus speed 1000 MHz
• BIOS type AMI
• Storage key information ATA-133, Serial ATA-300 (RAID)
• Power connectors 4-pin ATX12V connector, 24-pin main power connector

• Processor

• Installed Qty (Max Supported) 0 ( 1 )

• Memory

• Supported RAM Technology DDR2 SDRAM
• Supported RAM Integrity Check ECC, Non-ECC
• RAM Installed ( Max ) 0 MB / 4 GB (max)
• Supported RAM Speed PC2-4300, PC2-5300, PC2-6400, PC2-8500
• RAM Features Unbuffered, Dual channel memory architecture

• Video

• Graphics Controller NVIDIA GeForce 7025 Shared video memory (UMA)

• Audio

• Audio Output Sound card
• Audio codec Realtek ALC662
• Sound Output Mode 5.1 channel surround
• Audio output compliant standards High Definition Audio

• Telecom / Networking

• Modem None
• Networking Network adapter - Realtek RTL8211CL - Ethernet, - Fast Ethernet, - Gigabit Ethernet

• Features

• BIOS Features ASUS MyLogo2, ASUS EZ Flash 2, DMI 2.0 support, WfM 2.0 support, SMBIOS 2.5 support
• Sleep / Wake Up Mouse wake up, Keyboard wake up, Wake on USB port, Wake on ring (WOR)
• Hardware Features ASUS Q-Fan, CrashFree BIOS 3, C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall), ASUS Stepless Frequency Selection (SFS)

• Expansion / Connectivity

• Expansion Slots Total (Free) 1 Processor - Socket AM2, 2 Memory - DIMM 240-pin, 1 PCI Express x16, 1 PCI Express x1, 2 PCI
• Storage Interfaces Serial ATA-300 - connector(s): 4 x 7pin Serial ATA - 4 device(s) - RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 10 / RAID 5 / JBOD, ATA-133 - connector(s): 1 x 40pin IDC - 2 device(s)
• Interfaces 1 x Storage - Floppy interface - 34 pin IDC, 1 x Audio - Line-in - 4 pin MPC, 1 x Keyboard - Generic - 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style), 1 x Mouse - Generic - 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style), 1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 1 x Serial - RS-232 - 9 pin D-Sub (DB-9), 1 x Parallel - IEEE 1284 (EPP/ECP) - 25 pin D-Sub (DB-25), 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45, 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x Audio - Line-out, 1 x Audio - Line-in, 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 1 x Audio - Line-out (side surround), 1 x Audio - Line-out (rear), 1 x Audio - Line-out (center/subwoofer)
• Additional connectors (optional) 6 x Hi-Speed USB

• Miscellaneous

• Software Included ASUS PC Probe 2, ASUS Live Update, Drivers & utilities
• Microsoft Certifications Works with Windows Vista
• Compliant Standards RoHS, Plug and Play

Asus

Manufacturer profile

• Website: http://www.asus.com/
• Address: 44370 Nobel Drive, Fremont, CA. 94538
• Phone: +1-510-739-3777
• Email: tmd1@asus.com
• Fax: +1-510-608-4555