Question 1

Hi! This is my first PC build, and i was wondering, how many SATA cables come with this MB? This is all i would like to know. Thanks!

Accepted Answer

Two SATA cables were included with the motherboard.

Question 2

I wonder... what sort of PCI-E slot is on this motherboard? All ASUS is willing to put up is that the board has a PCI-E x16 slot and nothing more. for all I know, it could be one of those crappy PCI-E 1 slots! what version is the PCI-E slot?

Accepted Answer

Hello shopper,

I own this board for my media computer and it is equipped with 1 PCI-E x16 slot for graphic cards and 2 PCI-E x1 for stuff like network cards and expansions.

The x16 slot is designed for graphics and really nothing else.  They make the x1 slot (the much smaller slots in the picture) and x4 slot (rarely seen) for other expansion equipment like drive adapters, more ports option card, network adapters, and such.

Thank you,

Question 3

I am trying to start building my first computer, but, I am not sure which motherboard to get. This looks pretty much exactly the same to the other product "MSI H81M-E33 LGA 1150 Intel H81 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s " but I am not sure. Could you help me out?

Accepted Answer

In a nutshell, most motherboards, based on the chipset are all the same for that chipset.  For example, the older 780i/680i all had 3 PCI-E slots, but the I/O was different from manufacture, what board offers, OC, raid and so forth.   So yes, the boards are pretty much the same.  It is the additional features that the manufacture may offer that you have to consider.  Personally, I have had great warranty service with ASUS in the past, that is why I selected this board for a simple, 1 GPU gaming PC with an i5 and 16Gb of Ram.

The 1st question you need to ask, your budget?.  2nd, what is use of the PC?. Gaming, HDTV, Home Server, General Purpose. Then you can begin to pick your parts.     These will change the overall cost of building a PC. Hope this helps.

Question 4

I dont know if its standard but does this will I be able to connect to WiFi with this mother board?

Accepted Answer

You'll need to purchase USB WiFi adapter to be able connect to wireless network. http://www.newegg.com/Wireless-Adapters/SubCategory/ID-31

Question 5

Can u plug usb 3.0 into it????

Accepted Answer

Yes. Hence the name ASUS H81M-K LGA 1150 Intel H81 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard.
In any case, USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2, so it will plug in. The real question is does it support USB 3.0 speeds and the answer is yes, hence the name ASUS H81M-K LGA 1150 Intel H81 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Question 6

I have a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970, its a PCI E 3.0, does this board support this?

Accepted Answer

I have no add on boards so I am not sure whether your graphic card will work or not, you may want to check out the board specs. Though I must add I am extremely satisfied with it.

Question 7

How to connect to a DVD rom??

Accepted Answer

I'm assuming you have an old DVD rom that has an old IDE connection. Here is what you need to do, buy a new DVD burner with a SATA connection. You can buy them for less than twenty bucks right here on Newegg.
There are 2 yellow and 2 black SATA connections on the bottom of this board.

Question 8

After using this board for awhile in a budget gaming build, did you have any regrets or wish you had bought a better chip set?

Accepted Answer

I built a system for a customer five months ago that is still running solid with this board. The board itself was easy to install and from that perspective I have no complaints. One thing to keep in mind though is if you would like to overclock in the future to squeeze extra life out of your system, you may be better off investing in a Z chipset board and an unlocked CPU.

One complaint my client had was the lack of front USB 3.0 on this board, so that's also something to consider.

Question 9

Can I use 2 video cards with this motherboard? I assume so since it has 3 PCI slots. If so, Can I use CrossfireX to connect 2 video cards? Thank you.

Accepted Answer

no, one video card with this motherboard , it has only one x16 slot for the card , the other pci slots are for sound cards , wifi cards , etc but not for gfx cards

Question 10

This isn't my first rodeo but I've never had this issue. I've hooked everything up and the light comes on that the motherboard is getting power but nothing happens when I go to power it on. Any ideas what the issue is?

Accepted Answer

When you have a problem like this, it could be a number of things. Make sure the power supply connector is fully seated. If you have a meter(and know what you are looking for), check the power supply voltages. If you don't, try a known good power supply.  If their are any other boards plugged into the motherboard, remove them and try it again. If that doesn't apply, try disconnecting everything except the monitor(even keyboard and mouse) and see if the BIOS is displayed. If that doesn't help, try known good memory or if you are using two sticks, try them one at a time. If still no results, remove the CPU cooler and all heat sink compound(be very careful to not get any compound on the socket or motherboard). Then fully release the socket latch arm, remove the CPU, and check for any bent pins. If all the pins look good, insert the CPU back into the motherboard. Try lifting each corner of the CPU slightly one at a time to see if it won't shift into a better alignment. Then work the latch arm through its full range several times to insure that the socket slide is moving freely and that the CPU is aligning to the socket. Install new heat sink compound and the cooler and try it again. If it still doesn't work, its about a 50/50 chance its either a bad motherboard or the CPU.

Questions & Answers