ASUS F1A75-M Pro Review - Micro-ATX Llano at $110
by Brendan van Varik on January 22, 2012 2:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- Asus
- Llano
In The Box
As this is only a $110 motherboard, we don't get much in the box:
User manual
Two SATA 6 Gbps cables, one right angled
I/O shield
Drivers and utilities DVD
Considering this is the ‘Pro’ variation of this lineup and it costs around $110, I think another couple of SATA cables in the box would have been preferable.
Board Features
| ASUS F1A75-M Pro | |
| Size | Micro ATX |
| CPU Interface | FM1 |
| CPU Support | Desktop Llano |
| Chipset | A75 |
| Base Clock Frequency | 100 MHz by Default, 90 to 300 MHz in 1 MHz increments |
| DDR3 Memory Speed | 1333 MHz by Default, 800 MHz to 1866 MHz supported |
| Core Voltage | 0.800 V to 1.700 V in 0.0125V increaments |
| CPU Clock Multiplier | CPU Dependent, upper limit fixed unless Black Edition processors used |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.35 V to 2.30 V in 0.01 V increments |
| DRAM Command Rate | Auto, 1 or 2 |
| Memory Slots |
Four DDR3-DIMM Maximum 64 GB, Non-ECC Unbuffered 1066 MHz to 2250 MHz selectable |
| Expansion Slots |
2 x PCIe x16 (x16/x4) 1 x PCIe x1 1 x PCI |
| Onboard SATA/RAID |
6 x SATA 6 Gbps (RAID 0, 1, 10) 1 x eSATA 6 Gbps |
| Onboard |
6 x SATA 6 Gbps 4 x Fan Headers 4 x USB 2.0 header 1 x USB 3.0 header 1 x S/PDIF Out header 1 x Front Panel Connector 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector 1 x MemOK! Button |
| Onboard LAN | RealTek RTL8111E Gigabit Fast Ethernet Controller |
| Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC892 8-Ch High Definition audio CODEC |
| Power Connectors |
1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 8-pin 12V |
| Fan Headers |
1 x CPU (4-pin) 2 x CHA (4-pin) 1 x PWR (3-pin) |
| IO Panel |
4 x USB 3.0 Ports 2 x USB 2.0 Ports 1 x PS/2 Port 1 x Gigabit Ethernet 1 x Optical SPDIF output 6 x Audio Jacks HDMI/VGA/DVI-D Video Outputs 1 x Optical SPDIF output |
| BIOS Version | 10/26/2011 |
| Warranty Period | 3 Years |
On AMD boards, there are limitations to what NICs are being used - the Realtek NIC/Audio combo are often sold at a discount, and thus are the main focus for these types of boards.
Software
Both the software and the driver installations were very easy - as with some other manufacturers, it is as simple as inserting the DVD and clicking install, unless you would prefer to pick and choose which drivers and/or software you wish to install yourself.
The software you would find on the DVD is mainly the ASUS Suite II - the main ASUS 'all-in-one' control software. The software includes hardware temperature monitors, and users can make adjustments to your system clocks from within the OS. It also allows you to update your BIOS, as well as allowing you to make changes to your fan and power profiles.
All the options can be changed on-the-fly, rather than having to restart the computer to go into the BIOS and alter them there.
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32 Comments
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cjs150 - Monday, January 23, 2012 - link
I have found Anandtechs reviews of the IGP to be very helpful, and I agree for boards which could be for an HTPC it would be a good idea to at least link back to the original IGP review.I cannot remember seeing a detailed review of on-board sound from Anand - other than whether it could be channeled through the HDMI port. Great suggestion - ANAND time to pick up on this one.
Whilst there is no need for U-ATX board for an HTPC build I keep looking at a Wesena case and thinking it could look very good
Also ANAND any chance of a review of the Pico-ITX announced by both Zotac and VIA, bit worried about the fans in them, but they could be a really stunning mini-HTPC (although would need to use USB for TV card which is not ideal) also maybe the Zotac AD04 announced at CES
geniekid - Monday, January 23, 2012 - link
FWIW, I use one of these in my HTPC and I haven't had any problems so far.ASUSTechMKT - Monday, January 23, 2012 - link
Kudos and glad to read everything has been smooth!edward2 - Monday, January 23, 2012 - link
PLEASE everyone who wants to buy this MB read this carefully!I bought an Asus F1A75-V Pro MB, before that I've read a lot of review about it and even the asus website specification etc. None of these were mentioning the following:
****These ASUS MBs are not supporting HDMI and DVI-D simultaneous use****
So the whole FM1 platform is completely useless for an HTPC and for a normal setup like HDTV + DVI monitor.
Death666Angel - Monday, January 23, 2012 - link
Then you didn't read very carefully:http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_Socket_FM1/F1...
"Note *1: HDMI and DVI-D cannot work simultaneously."
I don't really see how this affects the standard HTPC environment though, as I only know people with one TV in their living room. But if you do need that, you have to look elsewhere. :-)
ASUSTechMKT - Monday, January 23, 2012 - link
you can run HDMI/DVI out as the same time as VGA but dual digital output is not supported.Should you want this functionality you can enabled the multi display option within the UEFI and add an additional GPU like a 6500 or 6600 series GPU and then have dual digital output support.
As the user additionally notes this is listed on our support page.
ASUSTechMKT - Monday, January 23, 2012 - link
That is great thanks for the support and glad to read you have had a smooth and solid experience. Do not forgot to check out USB3 Boost which should be posted to your support site shortly or download it from our USB3 Boost landing page directly.rodrigo.dk - Monday, January 23, 2012 - link
I bought one of these in december, and WakeOnLan didn't worked at all. With recent updates it is working ;)D3xx - Monday, January 23, 2012 - link
How would this board and chip compare with an i5 2500 in Z68? Assume both are using 5850 graphics.fluxtatic - Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - link
Are you trolling?On topic, I've got to agree with some of the above - if the graph was labeled correctly, how are you going to publish power consumption numbers on a Llano board with 2 5850s (and then call it typical)? Especially given that half the appeal of Llano is that you don't need discrete graphics at all in most cases?
I can see 1 discrete card for the HTPC market, but likely a low-noise model - lower-end mainstream with either a massive, slow fan, or a colossal heat sink and no fan at all.