# ASUS H97 PRO GAMER Motherboard review



## itsakjt (Oct 18, 2014)

*1. Introduction
*
Hi everyone, hope you are all doing fine. This time I am reviewing the Asus H97-Pro Gamer motherboard. This motherboard is targeted towards the mainstream gaming segment and has support for overclocking as well. 


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Here is the link to the motherboard(Asus official site) : ASUS H97-Pro Gamer motherboard





CPUIntel® Socket 1150 for the 5th/New 4th/4th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors 
Supports Intel® 22 nm CPU
Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 
* The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
* Refer to ASUS
 for CPU support listChipsetIntel® H97Memory4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory *
Dual Channel Memory Architecture 
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs. 
* Refer to ASUS
 for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).
* Due to Intel® chipset limitation, DDR3 1600 MHz and higher memory modules on XMP mode will run at the maximum transfer rate of DDR3 1600 Mhz.GraphicIntegrated Graphics Processor- Intel® HD Graphics support 
Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DVI-D/RGB ports 
- Supports HDMI with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz
- Supports DVI-D with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
- Supports RGB with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Maximum shared memory of 512 MB
Supports Intel® InTru™ 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider™
Supports up to 3 displays simultaneouslyMulti-GPU SupportSupports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ TechnologyExpansion Slots1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 mode, gray) 
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (max at x4 mode, black) *1
2 x PCIe x1 
3 x PCIStorageIntel® H97 chipset : 
1 x SATA Express port, , compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports
1 x M.2 Socket 3, , with M Key, type 2260/2280 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)*2
4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Rapid Start Technology, Intel® Smart Connect Technology LANIntel® I218V, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s), featuring GAMEFIRST II
Gigabit Intel® LAN Connection- 802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) applianceAudioSupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC featuring Crystal Sound 2
- Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel MIC Jack-retasking
- High quality 115 dB SNR stereo playback output
- High-fidelity audio OP AMP(s)
Audio Feature :
- SupremeFX Shielding™ Technology
- ELNA premium audio capacitors
- Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
- Sonic Radar IIUSB PortsIntel® H97 chipset : 
6 x USB 3.0/2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board)
Intel® H97 chipset : 
8 x USB 2.0/1.1 port(s) (2 at back panel, black, 6 at mid-board)ROG Exclusive FeaturesGameFirst IISpecial FeaturesASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM :
- The tuning key perfectly consolidates ASUS-exclusive DIGI+ Power Control, TPU, EPU, and Fan Xpert 3 optimize the digital power setting, system performance, power saving and whole system cooling configuration
Gamer's Guardian:
- ESD Guards on LAN, Audio, KBMS and USB3.0/2.0 ports
- DRAM Overcurrent Protection
- 10K Black Metallic Capacitors
- Stainless Steel Back I/O
- DIGI+ VRM
ASUS TPU :
- Auto Tuning
- TurboV
- GPU Boost without switch
ASUS EPU :
- EPU 
ASUS Exclusive Features :
- AI Suite 3
- Ai Charger
- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface 
- USB 3.0 Boost
- Disk Unlocker
Interactive HomeCloud
- Media Streamer
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution :
- Stylish Fanless Design Heat-sink solution
- ASUS Fan Xpert 3
ASUS EZ DIY :
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 
- ASUS EZ Flash 2 
- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode
- Push Notice
ASUS Q-Design :
- ASUS Q-Shield
- ASUS Q-Slot
- ASUS Q-DIMMOperating System SupportWindows® 8.1 
Windows® 8 
Windows® 7Back I/O Ports1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s)
1 x DVI-D
1 x D-Sub
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
4 x USB 3.0 (blue) 
2 x USB 2.0 
6 x Audio jack(s)Internal I/O Ports1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s) (19-pin)
3 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 6 USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x SATA Express connector: black, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports
1 x M.2 Socket 3 for M Key, type 2260/2280 devices
1 x TPM header
1 x COM port(s) connector(s)
4 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
3 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (3 x 4 -pin)
1 x S/PDIF out header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x System panel(s) 
1 x Thermal sensor connector(s)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s)AccessoriesUser's manual
ASUS Q-Shield
4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)BIOS64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.8, ACPI 5.0, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2,
CrashFree BIOS 3, F11 EZ Tuning Wizard, F6 Qfan Control, F3 My Favorites, Quick Note, Last Modified Log, F12 PrintScreen function, F3 Shortcut function, and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory informationManageabilityWfM 2.0, DMI 2.7, WOL by PME, PXESupport DiscDrivers
ASUS Utilities
EZ Update
Anti-virus software (OEM version)Form FactorATX Form Factor 
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm )Note*1: When PCIEX1_1 or PCIEX1_2 is occupied by x1 device,PCIEX16_2 will be at x2 mode.
*2: M.2 Socket 3 shares bandwidth with PCIEX1_1 and PCIEX1_2(in PCIE mode) & SATA6G_4(in SATA mode), and supports M Key and type 2260/2280 storage devices.
*3: These functions will work depending on the CPU installed.


*2. Unboxing and packaging:
*
The box has got a good aesthetic appeal with a black and red theme and special features are stated. 


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The back side of the box has detailed write up of the overview of the board and special features are explained.


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The board is protected with a ESD bag to prevent it from damage due to static electricity.


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Packaging was good. The accessories were well packed inside the box below the motherboard which was separated by another layer. 


In box accessories:


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Accessories were common and includes:






User Guide
Driver disc(Powered by Asus sticker inside)
Total 4 SATA 6 Gb/s cables
Back panel I/O shield



*3. **Layout:
*
*The board:*


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The motherboard is based on a black and red theme usually seen on Republic-of-Gamers segment. 


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Cleaning was average. There was some soldering flux near the audio circuitry and I/O ports. Board was mostly clean though. 


*Back I/O ports:*


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The back panel features:



A PS/2 port supporting a keyboard or mouse
Two USB 2.0 ports
Four USB 3.0 ports
VGA, DVI and HDMI ports
RJ-45 ethernet port
Six audio jacks for 8 channel audio support with support for optical S/PDIF output.

*
Power connectors:


*The board is powered using the standard 24 pin EATX and 8 pin EPS plugs.


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Expansion capabilities
[/B]
*SATA ports:
*
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The motherboard has four SATA ports at 6 Gbps conforming to the SATA-III specification, one SATA Express port with support for two SATA 6 Gbps ports. All the ports are controlled by the Intel H97 chipset.


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The board also has support for the latest PCIe M.2 slot having bandwidth of 10 Gbps. Please note that PCIe M.2 was formerly known as Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF). Please note that the motherboard supports M.2 standard both on SATA and PCIe mode.
*
Expansion slots:
*
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Top to bottom: PCIe 2.0 x1 slot 1, PCIe 2.0/3.0 x16 slot @x16, PCI slot 1, PCIe 2.0 x1 slot 2, PCIe 2.0 x16 slot @x4, PCI slot 2, PCI slot 3.
The motherboard supports AMD CrossFireX™ Technology. Maximum dual GPU bandwidth is x16 + x4 mode. 


*RAM slots:
*
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4 DIMM slots are provided supporting up to 32 GB of memory each memory module being 8 GB in size. 


Layout is very good and I was very happy with the placement of the fan headers.


*4. Component analysis, Internal headers, front panel headers, switches:
*
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The Intel H97 chipset lies underneath a red and black themed stylish heatsink. Anyone looking at this will have the first impression that this motherboard is indeed designed for gaming. 


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The heatsink is mounted by two screws behind the board.


The DRAM VRM is made with one R68 choke along with coupled 8 pin flat lead package MOSFETs from NXP. Those MOSFETS are driven by a Richtek 8120 controller.  


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The CPU VRM section is built with an 8 phase design with a total of 8 chokes. The MOSFETs are cooled by the heatsinks. The heatsinks are red and black in color. Lets take them out and check what's inside:


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There are coupled MOSFETs(total eight pairs) for each power phase. They are from NXP again, carrying the model numbers 6030DLB and 4030DLA. However each MOSFET driver drives 4 MOSFETs or simply two phases. That was done to cut down costs. So the VRM is okay to do the job but a very high voltage might cause instability. 

The voltage controller is Asus Digi+ VRM branded. It carries the label of ASP 1252. Asus used 5K hrs rated at 105 degree C solid state capacitors.


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An ASM 1442K chip takes care of switching between the onboard display output ports. 


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The UEFI/BIOS is stored in a 64 MB Winbond chip. It is user replaceable in case the chip needs to be replaced. 

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The multiplexers and demultiplexers for the PCIe x16 ports are done by a number of ASM 1440 chips.


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There are two CPU fans. One is marked as CPU_FAN and another as CPU_OPT(Optional). 


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Here are all the fan headers available on the board. 
The front panel headers are normal with the front panel power and reset buttons and some USB 2.0 headers. We also have a COM port header.


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The TurboV(TPU) chip handles the automatic overclocking feature along with the BIOS. 


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ELNA premium capacitors are used for the audio filter. 
The audio IC is a Realtek ALC 1150 chip having a Signal-to-Noise Ratio(SNR) of 115db. I must say that practically, the audio quality of this board was top notch with high dynamic range and excellent separation between the left and right channels. 

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A metallic shield is given surrounding the IC for electric screening which prevents EMI(Electro-Magnetic Interference) of the board with the audio chip. The audio section is separated from the rest of the components of the board to isolate the audio from the interference of other components. The separation is lit up with red LEDs for eye candy. 


A Nuvoton 6791D is used for Super I/O and monitoring. 


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An Asmedia ASM 1083 chip provides support for legacy PCI ports. It actually converts PCIe signals to PCI(acts as a bridge).

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The Ethernet support is provided with an Intel I218V chip. This is a good approach from Asus as Intel is well known to make very good Ethernet ICs. 

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Notes: The CPU socket is very delicate. Install the CPU with utmost care to prevent damage to the socket. Do not touch the socket pins or the base of the CPU. 

When opening the socket lever, just be careful of not scratching the board with the lever. This can be redesigned by using a plastic cap on the end of the lever and/or using a membrane on the surface of the board near this area. 

*5. Test system:*


CPU: Intel Pentium Anniversary Edition(G3258)
Motherboard: Asus H97 PRO GAMER
RAMs: Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 1866 MHz CL10 (2*4 GB)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120V with push pull configuration
Graphics card: Intel HD Graphics
Hard disk(s): Kingston SM2280S3/120G M.2 SATA SSD
Power Supply: Corsair GS 700 2013 edition
Monitor: Dell S2240M
Chassis: Open test bench table
Software: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Service Pack 1 and all updates till then. 

Please note that the memory frequency was automatically set to 1333 MHz at 8-8-8-22. I tried to set it to 1600 MHz and more with memory voltage at 1.65V and accordingly increasing memory controller related voltages but the POST failed. So the IMC of the chip was not good. 

* 5. **UEFI/BIOS walk through:
*
The first screen is simple and displays all the required information. You can configure the boot priority as well. 


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There is an easy tuning wizard which will automatically overclock the components based on offset likely stable settings for most components.


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The my favorites menu is added in this year's motherboards. You cab keep all your frequently used options here for quick access. 



The rest of the screens are self explanatory. I will explain where required. 


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Ample overclocking options are included for a H97 chipset based board. Memory tweaking also includes a lot of options. You can configure advanced level sub-timings as well. 


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UEFI is very good as expected from ASUS. Simple and easy to use and looks good as well. I did not find any bugs this time. 


*6. OS Installation, benchmarks:
*
The OS installation went without any issues. 
The power profile was set to high performance mode to prevent power saving states triggering while benchmarks.


Please note that these benchmarks are not an absolute measure of the motherboard performance but a measure of the platform performance. Overclock potential however is a measure of the motherboard quality and performance.
I don't have much to tell here. We will compare scores at stock and overclocked conditions.


Testing methodology: CPU performance and memory performance were tested with well known benchmarking software such that scores can be compared also. Relative performance is shown at stock and overclocked settings and then compared.


*Benchmarks(stock performance):*


Validation: CPU-Z Validator 4.0


Cinebench R11.5:


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Scores 2.73 points. A better CPU will have much better scores.


Cinebench R15:


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242 points.


AIDA cache and memory benchmark:


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3D Mark Vantage CPU score:

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8831 points there. 


*Benchmarks(overclocked performance):*


CPU Clock : 4.6 GHz (46*100), Voltage: 1.27V
Memory clock 1333 MHz DDR3 8-8-8-22 1T @ 1.5V
NB Clock : 4.2 GHz


The CPU was an excellent overclocker with respect to core clock and IMC. The core clock went all the way up to 4.6 GHz from 3.2 GHz which is a massive increase. 


Validation: CPU-Z Validator 4.0


Cinebench R11.5:


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It scores 3.88 points! Appreciably higher than that at stock. 


Cinebench R15:


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336 points there!


AIDA cache and memory benchmark:


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3D Mark Vantage CPU score:

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12602 points!

System performance was good and overclocking allowed it to perform even better. 


*7. Bundled software:
*

ASUS GameFirstII:

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With this tool, you can increase bandwidth priority for applications you want. There are presets available also.

The Asus AI Suite III comes with newly designed Graphical User Interface(GUI). Lets check out some screenshots.


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You can configure overclock settings, fan speeds and Digi+ VRM settings from Windows.


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You have option for overclocking the iGPU from Windows as well. 

Sonic Radar II:

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Sonic Radar II as the name says is designed for having a great gaming experience with realistic sound. There are equalizer presets specially for in-game sound effects. 


*8. **Temperature testing:
*
There were no thermal issues faced with the system. The CPU temperatures were less than 60 degree Celsius at maximum load at stock settings. Overclocking the CPU led that to be around 70-76 degree C. 

*9. **Summary and conclusion:
*
*Pros:
*1. Good layout
2. Feature packed- SATA Express, PCIe M.2 support
3. Good quality of components
4. Good audio performance(Stereo crosstalk separation and frequency range in real time was very good)


*Cons: *

1. Slightly overpriced. 


*
Verdict:*
This motherboard is for those people who are more into gaming than enthusiasm but again want to keep a balance in both. The board retails here around 10000 INR. I would say it is a bit overpriced for a H97 series board. The ASUS Z97-A is available for around 12000 INR. Though not advertised as a gaming board, in real time, system performance will be much better on it(except for the audio part). 
If your primary consideration is gaming, then this motherboard is the one for you. With its exceptional audio quality, it will surely immerse you in gaming.  


Overall, a 7.5 out of 10!


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Thanks for reading. Hope you like it. Please share your opinions. Criticisms and suggestions are warmly welcome. 


Last but not the least, I would like to express my thanks to ASUS India for providing me the sample. 


*About me:


*A 4th year computer science engineering student with a passion to research on computer hardware and getting the best out of a product at a price.


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## Darth Vader (Oct 20, 2014)

I don't understand why no H97 Chip boards has more than 6 Back panel USB  port.  My DH67CL has 8 Backpanel USB ports.


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## HE-MAN (Mar 2, 2015)

i going bump this thread. Reason Really impressed By the Review. very well done.


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