ASUS P8H77-M PRO LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Stable board for business productivity. Intel RAID built in.

Cons: Needs better documentation. This is an update of my previous review - perhaps too harsh on this board which is serving me well overall. Disabling "Fast Boot" entirely made it easier to access the BIOS setup menu. Also the BIOS updates seem to have changed the setup for the Intel SATA controller. It's now configurable once you are booted into Windows - as opposed to trying to snag it with <Ctrl>-I as you boot.

Pros: Lots of features. Stable when running.

Cons: Refuses to recognize USB keyboard on boot. Switches into "Fast Mode" where it does not show boot splash screen at will. BIOS updates make it worse. Have to repeatedly flash bios to get into control panel. Yes I have powered off AC, Yes, I have unplugged everything except keyboard. This motherboard is buggy and its boot sequence seems to have a mind of it's own. I am stuck with an expensive, buggy motherboard.

Other Thoughts: If you are looking for the "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that" HAL 9000 experience with your machine by all means buy this motherboard.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issue you had with the motherboard. If you are able to enter BIOS, please go to Advanced > USB Configuration > and enable Legacy USB support and Legacy USB 3.0 support. Can you tell me what BIOS version you're using, USB port it is connected to, and your keyboard make and model? My email cl-benson@asus.com. Please reference #C1037-6201 in the subject line for faster reply.

Regards,
Benson
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: PERFECT HTPC board with 4 Video Outs including VGA, DVI, HDMI, Displayport
Rock solid stability and takes up to 4 x 8GB RAM modules (32GB max)
Well sorted and documented. Excellent drivers
Windows 8 Ready
7 internal SATA + ESATA with Port Multiplier
All the features and toys you expect from ASUS including USB 3 Boost and iNetwork control to prioritize your network traffic (I use a VOIP internet softphone for business and it's nice to know it's top of the list)

UEFI BIOS : You haven't lived until you've used one.

Native USB 3 (4 ports 2 on back and 2 via front header)

Also, this is one of the few M-ATX boards ASUS makes with the thunderbolt header onboard for future expansion and if memory serves, it was the lowest priced one. It's what made me pick this board.

Cons: Not a con but a headsup + This is the H77 variant and it's not intended for overclocking. You want the Z77 boards and 'k' processors if you intend to do any serious overclocking.

Other Thoughts: It took a little time to whittle down all the boards out there.

I am partial to Asus. IMHO they are the best.

I wanted a micro atx to keep the size down.

I didn't care about overclocking.

I wanted Thunderbolt support. Only a handful of the ASUS boards have it and this is the least expensive of them.

I wanted VGA and DVI, HDMI and Displayport video outs. The Ivy Bridge CPU's will support a triple monitor setup.

I wanted eSATA and at least 7 internal SATA

I did not want any PCI slots.

Based on the above - THIS is the board. Paired with a Ivy Bridge i7 and I can't even hear the fan 6 inches away on my bench - PERFECT HTPC BOARD.

After years of agonizing over purchasing decisions based on whether or not the part could overclock and would it play well with other parts - it's nice to just plug and play.

So if you absolutely gotta overclock and you are all about tweaking and tuning and experimentation - pass on this but if you just want a computer that boots reliably and executes flawlessly in a smaller M-ATX format, this is the 1155 Sandy Bridge - Ivy Bridge board you go with. The Asus P8H77-M Pro is Dude approved.

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Pros: Four(!) display outputs, smooth install, no hiccups under OpenSUSE 12.1 Linux. Xorg support for Ivy Bridge onboard video is fast and robust, much better than when Sandy Bridge first came out.

Absurdly low power usage: The entire box consumes under 70W at idle including one SSD, two HD's, 16GB RAM -- and only about 125W beating on all eight threads and writing to both HD's. Unreal!

Cons: Weak support for overclocking or dual GPU's, but if you wanted those you'd buy a Z77 instead of this H77 board.

Other Thoughts: Core i7-3770 @ stock speed w/stock cooler
16GB Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B @ rated clocks
SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W PSU

Pros: Features.
SATA cables included.

Cons: Overpriced.
Glitchy on-baord video.
Poor overclocking.
Too big form-factor for MicroATX
Socket 1155 is too fragile
Overall a disappointing and frustrating waste of money.

Other Thoughts: Where do I start. This is supposed to be ASUS "Pro" board which usually means more features and better overclocking potential but this board really offers nothing above their standard boards. Overclocking was difficult and did not work beyond +10% CPU speed. Plus the on-board video is very unstable and the BIOS screens flicker at random and the GUI leaves artifacts on-screen.
Plus the 9.6inx9.6in form factor is too big as ASUS places the power connector at the back of the board making it incompatible with RAID drive bays and difficult to work with.
To top it all off I bent one of the socket 1155 pins and the board is dead. Intel really needs to re-think the whole design as it is very easy to break.
Overall a disappointing and frustrating waste of money.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issue you had with the motherboard.

Overclocking is dependent on components, cooling, and settings used. It varies from part to part and is not guaranteed. Can you try returning to normal clock and see if you still experience flickers or artifacts on screen? Can you try another cable or monitor? This motherboard is a mATX board at 9.6 in x 9.6 in. Please exercise caution when installing the CPU to avoid damaging the socket pins. We may be able to repair it however our warranty does not cover damaged pins. To RMA the motherboard, please use the following form at:
http://vip.asus.com/eservice/usa_rmaserv.aspx or call 1-812-282-2787. To continue support regarding the above issues, please contact me at cl-benson@asus.com reference #C1037-3263.

Regards,
Benson
Asus Customer Loyalty

Pros: It works.

Cons: Strange problem I can't solve - When booting it shows the boot logo twice.
I can't do anything on the first boot logo screen. Pressing 'del' does nothing here. After that it says IDE blah blah no hard disk detected! Then screen jumps to second boot screen logo where this time I can enter BIOS setup by pressing del.

I checked all the cables connections and reinstalled Windows twice; doesnt solve the problem.

Pros: First Build from scratch, came with really well laid out instructions cables etc...great experience for a first time ASUS buy.

Powered up first time no problems.

Could not ask for anything else, if your not OC then this board is fine otherwise get a Z77

Cons: Having trouble recognizing my Corsair SSD but i think this will get resolved with a BIOS update/boot priority change.

Pros: Same as before

Cons: Strange situation I didn't have with my last build. This mobo, HP LA2205wg monitor hooked up via DisplayPort. Restart Windows. BIOS screen shows up on the monitor. Starting Windows screen shows up on the monitor. Then blackness when the Windows logon screen should appear. Monitor stays on, I just get blackness. Turn monitor off. Turn monitor on. Windows logon screen is there waiting for me. Sounds like some kind of driver issue? Haven't been able to pinpoint exact cause, but it isn't a monitor thing near as I can tell since it didn't do that with any of the 2 older computers it's been hooked up to.

Pros: Does what it's supposed to do.

Cons: ---Flashing BIOS to latest wiped out my existing BIOS setting (boo). Windows BIOS update tool locked up for awhile, so I let it sit and it eventually started responding again.
---Motherboard wouldn't power anything up until cpu (or maybe it was just cpu fan) was installed. Since I was waiting on my Ivy Bridge I just preassembled everything and freaked out when the board leds would light up but nothing would actually turn on. Installing processor fixed that, but I couldn't find anything in the manual that told me about this....
---only one real onboard USB3.0 header that i could find, so I could hook my case USB 3.0 port up to it, but had to get another card reader since my first pick also wanted to plug into the USB 3.0 header but there wasn't one.

Other Thoughts: CPU - Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770

GPU - Onboard Intel HD 4000

Motherboard - ASUS P8H77-M PRO LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM - 2 x Crucial Ballistix sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT8G3D1609DS1S00

HDD - Primary - Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW240A3K5 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

HDD - Secondary - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive

BDRW - LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner

Case - Fractal Design Define Mini Black Micro ATX Silent PC Computer Case w/ USB 3.0 support and 2 x 120mm Fractal Design Silent Fans

Power Supply - Seasonic SS-560KM Active PFC F3, 560W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91, 80Plus Gold Certified, Modular Power Supply

Card Reader - Koutech IO-RCM630 Multi-in-1 USB