Question 1

I have an i7 processor and want to run 8 GB DDR3 RAM 1600 on this board. Asus support has very little info on which sticks are compatible.
Which pair of 4GB DDR3 1600 sticks will give me stability?

Accepted Answer

Ron,

Stability is more on the Memory manufacturer than it is the motherboard itself.  Intel moved the memory controller into the Processor, so the motherboard isn't the deciding factor for memory support any longer.  As long as you're meeting the supported memory specs of the Processor (search for ARK Intel on Google and use the ARK site to verify your Processor memory speed support) and purchase a reliable brand of memory, you should be fine.  I personally have had great success with Corsair and Patriot memory, OCZ filed for bankruptcy so I'd stay clear of that brand.

Question 2

will this motherboard fit in a Compaq desktop  frame. that has an older M2N68-LA motherboard in it?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this motherboard is slightly smaller and is quite good. The Bios are amazing on it and work smooth as heck. Just be aware that dual slot gfx cards that are a little long might have some clearance issues with the SATA ports, although you could still use the wires the other way around(angled side) and the straight facing end of the SATA cable to the HDD/SSD/what ever else you got going on.

Question 3

is it supported for windows xp?

Accepted Answer

Does it say that it works with xp? no…Have I tested it with xp? no. I  recently bought 7 of these and built PCs from them on the Job. No problems with them and work great but used Windows 7 and you just can't beat the price. On the box, it says windows 8 ready and have confirmed it works well with Windows 8. ASUS Boards tend to be very compatible because of the chipsets they use and they tend to be backwards compatible, usually. They are the only board I use when building my own computers. I was going to say look at the specifications on their Brand page but they don't list Operating Systems.  So although it doesn't say windows xp, I can't imagine that it wouldn't work with XP. They don't list Linux and have used ASUS in the past for linux. I believe the biggest compatibility lies within the type of processor you use and also the chipset on the board (Northbridge & Southbridge)…See what model each are and check it's compatibility with xp (google is your friend here) and if so, you'll be fine. xp is older but not like windows 2000 or windows 95…Xp has had support up to the last last 3 - 4 years.

Question 4

Is this good for gaming? Like BF4 or dayz

Accepted Answer

Personally, I'd get a better board.  While this is "ok" it lacks a 3.0 port and doesn't have many expansion slots.  I'd look at a ASRock Fatal1ty or the ASRock Extreme6 which are much more high end.  They cost more, but they will last you a lot longer.

Good luck.

Question 5

Can I put a tv tuner on it?

Accepted Answer

Yes that is a pci or pcie card usually or just usb.

Question 6

Does this motherboard in fact have onboard video?  While the Newegg specs state "Integrated Graphics", I have an Intel I5-3350P installed and I'm getting a post beep error of 1 Long and 3 Short indicating "Graphics Card Issue."  This processor does not have Integrated Graphics, but if the board has "Integrated Graphics", why would the processor have to have it as well?

Accepted Answer

I believe the "integrated graphics" it refers to is Intel on chip graphics.  I don't think it has it's own separate on board graphics card.

Question 7

a) Does this motherboard support memory speeds of 1600 Mhz for Sandy Bridge (Intel second generation) processors (such as the i5-2400) which natively only support 1333Mhz?
b) Does this motherboard support SATA III?
c) Does this motherboard support ACHI for solid state drives (SSDs)?

Accepted Answer

a) YES
b/c) NO - SATA II only

Questions & Answers