Pros: No issues with setup & configuration. Purchased this motherboard for Asus quality component selection and reputation; ability to run latest Xeon E3 series processor & ECC Ram. It is used by Puget Systems for their Obsidian line - “the most stable, reliable workstation we build”

Cons: None

Overall Review: Programs – Capture One Pro 10; Photoshop, Affinity Photo, CAD, web, office productivity List of components – MB - Asus P10S-M WS CPU - Xeon E3-1275 v6 (bundled Intel cooler is ok – replaced w/ the Noctua) Cooler - Noctua NH-C12P Cooler (purchased in 2008) w/ NF-F12 CPU Fan (new) & NM-i115x kit (new) Memory – Crucial CT16G4WFD824A – DDR4 PC4-19200 ECC; 2 sticks - 32GB total PSU – EVGA 550 G2 HD – Samsung 850 Pro - 256GB HD – Samsung 850 EVO – 1TB HD – Intel 750 SSD- 400GB Case - Jonsbo UMX3 Keyboard - Coolermaster Quickfire Ultimate

Pros: Refined aesthetic without gimmicks.

Cons: VRM is "ok"

Overall Review: UPDATE FEBRUARY 2020 I pulled the motherboard as it ran warm; at idle the PCH could not get below 40 deg C, and the VRM rarely below the mid 40's deg C. Was able to get VRM down to 40 deg C by removing side panel and aiming a large fan there. Bios was configured by default to not allow the CPU to turbo. Replaced with a Supermicro X11SCZ-F. Comparison: - CPU stress tests using Intel Extreme Tuning Utility – 15 min run. - CPU on all systems configured to allow “turbo”. - C246M-PRO and X11SCZ-F used the same components & case listed above. P10S-M has 32GB ram and similar components except a stock Intel cooler and integrated graphics. - The Asus C246M-PRO has 5K Apaq capacitors; Capxon audio caps. The VRM is by On-Semi w/ ASP1400CTB controller. Idle temps – CPU in low 30’s, VRM in the mid 40’s; under stress the CPU topped at 63 deg C and VRM at 75 deg C. - The Asus P10S-M uses 12K Nichicon caps; Nichicon Gold audio caps and the VRM is by International Rectifier w/ ASP1405I controller. At idle – 29 - 30 deg C; VRM- 26-28 deg C. Running stress test for 15 minutes, CPU maxed at 73 deg C and the VRM topped out at 44 deg C. - Supermicro X11SCZ-F – caps do not indicate manuf or rating; VRM is by Monolithic Power Systems (and does not utilize a heatsink). CPU idles in the low 30’s with VRM in the low to mid 30’s. Stress testing, CPU – 62 deg C and the VRM at 53 deg C. - All systems remained stable. The C246M-PRO appears to utilize a lightweight, desktop quality VRM with server / workstation features for the chipset and networking. The P10S-M and X11SCZ-F use what is considered server grade components. For the money, I was disappointed with the Asus C246M-PRO. ORIGINAL REVIEW Purchased this motherboard in early August to pair with an Xeon E-2146G. Upgrades an Asus P10S-M WS Motherboard (quite nice also) with Xeon E3-1275 v6 CPU. I “reset” Windows 10 Pro and then swapped motherboards / CPU & RAM. Issues at first booting until I realized my disks were previously setup in GPT – the bios was looking for MBR. A simple bios setting adjustment and I booted right into Windows, which quickly figured out the motherboard driver differences. It has been running 24/7 with no issues. Programs: Capture One Pro, Affinity Photo, CAD, web, office productivity Components - CPU - E-2146G Xeon CPU Cooler - Noctua NH-C12P Cooler (purchased in 2008) w/ NF-F12 CPU Fan (new-ish) & NM-i115x kit (new-ish) RAM – Crucial 16GB ECC DDR4 2666 - CT16G4WFD8266 (2 sticks, 32 GB total) Graphics Card - Nvidia M2000 SSD - Samsung 970 Pro 512GB M.2 boot SSD - Samsung 850 Pro - 256GB SSD – Samsung 850 EVO – 1TB HD – Western Digital Red NAS 2TB PSU - Seasonic Prime 650 GD2 Case - Jonsbo UMX3

Pros: Fast drive. Purchased in early March 2014.

Cons: The drive failed just before Christmas. PC did not boot, the drive didn't show in the BIOS, no longer powering up. Contacted Intel support and received RMA number after a description of the problem. Within 24 hours of their receipt of the failed drive I received a replacement. Surprised with the excellent service w/ no hassles.

Overall Review: Using Crystal DiskMark over time, the drive Reads have held steady at 450 MB/s while Writes declined over 3 months from 326 MB/s to 140 - 150 MB/s - and have then held steady. This is consistent with what I've read on performance degradation over time for this drive. However, this is not apparent in day-to-day usage and the drive is quick.

Pros: Purchased and installed in mid-June; has run non-stop and without incident since then with periodic reboots for Windows updates. Other than MB and CPU, all components were existing. Everything installed and configured easily with Win 8.1 Pro.

Cons: None

Overall Review: I purchased this board because of the Intel Z97 chipset capabilities with Asus engineering, quality components, and reliability. UEFI Bios is intuitive and easy to use; Asus AI Suite 3 works well. Running Lightroom, Photoshop. Revit, VMWare 10, Office, etc. Asus Gryphon Z97 Motherboard Intel Xeon E3-1246 v3 Haswell Noctua NH-C12P Cooler w/ NM-i3 Mounting Kit Kingston 16GB Memory Dimms x 4 Windows 8.1 Pro Intel 530 Series 240GB SSD Intel 320 Series 160GB SSD Hitachi 2TB Hard Drive Seagate 1TB Hard Drive Seasonic SS-400FL 400 watt Power Supply Lian-Li V600FX MicroATX Case Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers Coolermaster Quickfire Ultimate keyboard Asus DVD DRW-24B1ST

Pros: Purchased this to get a smaller footprint case and with the typical Lian-Li understated aesthetics. Not disappointed. Quality construction with excellent fit-n-finish; well thought out placement for components. - Fans are reasonably quiet - Nice, thick side panels that remove easily - Power and reset buttons have nice clickey touch - Window is just huge

Cons: None significant

Overall Review: The case is tight so plan on taking your time. A few suggestions for your install: - Order of assembly as shown on the printed guide is fine. - Prior to installing larger heatsinks, make mobo connections in the top left-hand corner (12v ATX, fans…) - Filter for top fan is not needed, who wants to capture dust on its way out of the case? - Route top I/O cables thru opening at top right of case (over top of optical device) and then down at back side of hard drives. - It‘s a tight fit at the rear of the backplane, but doable. Check your SATA cables and use ones with shorter length connectors. Also helps to pre-bend the those and the molex power connectors before attaching. Components Used: - Gigabyte P55M-UD4 mobo - Intel i5 750 cpu - Noctua NH-C12P Cooler - 2GB x 4 DDR3 Memory - Radeon HD 4550 Video Card - CORSAIR 520HX PSU - Hard Drives: 160GB SSD, 640 GB and 500GB - DVD burner

Pros: Excellent build quality and component choice. Simple hookup, it just works.

Cons: None significant.

Overall Review: This is my 2nd GA-EG45M-UD2H board, this time building a PC for friends. Only problem solved with video driver glitch where monitor would occasionally switch on-off - installed latest video driver from Intel's website. Intel drivers are generic, so to speak, but the most up-to-date. No issues now. Intel Q8400 w/ stock heatsink 6 GB G.Skill DDR2 800 A05NB Lian-Li case (nice) CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX Power Supply WD 640 GB hard drive