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A simple and inexpensive motherboard for the enthusiast or the first
time builder, the Asus M2NBP-VM is a great starting point for anyone
wanting to build or upgrade their system. Designed for the small form
factor, this motherboard will fit into most small desktop systems.
Equipped with an AMD socket AM2, suitable for Athlon 64 and Sempron
processors, including the X2 and FX series, it's more than capable of
handling anything you can throw into it.
Using the NVIDIA Quadro NVS 210S chipset with integrated graphics
in conjunction with up to 8GB of DDR2 memory, the M2NBP-VM is perfect
for those that don’t need a discrete graphics card, and also it
features DVI-I and VGA/D-sub ports. Intelligent overclocking lets you
choose a specific percentage based on memory and system requirements.
It also includes a gigabit Ethernet port, onboard 5.1 channel
sound, and 4 SATA ports. With those 4 ports, the M2NBP-VM permits
adding multiple hard drives to the system, managed by RAID 0, and 1.
This versatile card has multiple expansion slots, including one x16,
and one x1 PCIe slots, plus an additional two PCI slots. To build a
powerful system, start with the Asus M2NBP-VM.
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- 5
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- 58%
- 4
-
- 22%
- 3
-
- 8%
- 2
-
- 8%
- 1
-
- 4%
Asus. Wait: MSI. No, Asus Wait...
- Pros: Four fan headers, Asus stability and support, non-bending steel AM2 backplane, everything works out of the box.
- Cons:
No firewire. Also, I wish Asus could at least provide holes around the
northbridge and southbridge chips (like they did on the older A8N-VM),
so I could mount REAL heatsinks. The northbridge has a loop-mounted
tiny-sink, and there's nothing on the southbridge. Both chips get hot
enough to burn fingers unless the case is VERY well-ventilated. And as
another reviewer said, small caps next to two fan headers are installed
at an angle, but not aligned so they can be bent away. I've now seen
this on two of these boards. I had to resolder one pin on each cap to
push it back in place. Bad dog, Asus.
- Other Thoughts:
This was a tough choice. The IDE connectors are better-located on the
MSI K9NBPM2-FID, my clear second choice between these two boards. The
Asus' IDE connector, with any cable, blocks valuable air circulation to
the already air-starved bare southbridge. MSI's only downfalls were a
disgraceful 2 fan headers, and a plastic AM2 backplane, or I would have
gone with the MSI board---it has hole-mounted heat sinks on both chips,
along with firewire.
Decent Board
- Pros: Supports Athlon 64 X2 Processors. Auto detects ECC memory. Voltage regulation is spot on. Very please with this board, so far.
- Cons: Had to upgrade BIOS for ECC detection.
- Other Thoughts: Good board for tight space requirements , such as Rackmout or Media PCs.
Quick Specs
| Model | M2NBP-VM CSM |
| CPU Socket Type | Socket AM2 |
| CPU Type | Athlon 64 X2 / Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 |
| North Bridge | NVIDIA Quadro NVS 210S |
| Number of Memory Slots | 4×240pin |
-
- 5
-
- 58%
- 4
-
- 22%
- 3
-
- 8%
- 2
-
- 8%
- 1
-
- 4%
Great basic board
- Pros: cheap, decently featured, very stable.
- Cons: Not designed for gaming (but then why get onboard video if it's going to be disabled for a video card?)
Newer versions of PC Probe SUCK (old versions don't work with this)
- Other Thoughts: Required some troubleshooting to use PATA and SATA drives together.
Running an X2 3800, 2x1GB Corsair XMS2, many HDDs;
For those wondering, the nVidia Quadra NVS 210S is AKA GeForce 6150LE.
- Pros:
Great standard board, I built a computer for a friend who mostly does
word processing and internet surfing... low price, solid performance.
- Cons: Not a gaming boardl... not that it was advertised to be...
Rock Solid!
- Pros:
Combined this with an AMD Brisbane X2 3600+ and is Rock Solid Stable.
No flashing of bios necessary to accept the new Brisbane CPU.
- Cons: None. Effortless installation.
- Other Thoughts:
Love the AI TUNING AND AI Overclock which lets you selectively choose
Overclock 3%, 5%, 8% or 10%. Does an intelligent overclock based on
your memory and processor rather than a hit or miss approach.
| Model |
| Brand |
ASUS |
| Model |
M2NBP-VM CSM |
| Supported CPU |
| CPU Socket Type |
Socket AM2 |
| CPU Type |
Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 FX/Athlon 64/Sempron |
| FSB |
1000MHz Hyper Transport (2000 MT/s) |
| Chipsets |
| North Bridge |
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 210S |
| South Bridge |
NVIDIA nForce 430B |
| Memory |
| Number of Memory Slots |
4×240pin |
| Memory Standard |
DDR2 800 |
| Maximum Memory Supported |
8GB |
| Dual Channel Supported |
Yes |
| Expansion Slots |
| AGP Slots |
None |
| PCI Express x16 |
1 |
| PCI Express x1 |
1 |
| PCI Slots |
2 |
| Storage Devices |
| PATA |
2 x ATA100 up to 4 Devices |
| SATA 3Gb/s |
4 |
| SATA RAID |
0/1 |
| Onboard Video |
| Onboard Video Chipset |
NVIDIA GeForce 6 GPU |
| Onboard Audio |
| Audio Chipset |
ADI AD1986A |
| Audio Channels |
6 Channels |
| Onboard LAN |
| LAN Chipset |
NVIDIA nForce 430B built-in Gigabit MAC with external Marvell PHY |
| Max LAN Speed |
10/100/1000Mbps |
| Rear Panel Ports |
| PS/2 |
2 |
| LPT |
1 |
| Video Ports |
D-Sub + DVI |
| USB |
4 x USB 2.0 |
| Audio Ports |
3 Ports |
| Onboard USB |
| Onboard USB |
2 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports |
| Physical Spec |
| Form Factor |
Micro ATX |
| Dimensions |
9.6" x 9.6" |
| Windows Vista |
Certified for |
| Features |
| Power Pin |
24 Pin |
| Packaging |
| Package Contents |
Rear I/O Panel Shield
IDE/PATA Cable
FDD Cable
Driver Disk
User Manual
SATA Cable
Power Cable
M2NBP-VM CSM |
Introduction
A simple and inexpensive motherboard for the enthusiast or the first
time builder, the Asus M2NBP-VM is a great starting point for anyone
wanting to build or upgrade their system. Designed for the small form
factor, this motherboard will fit into most small desktop systems.
Equipped with an AMD socket AM2, suitable for Athlon 64 and Sempron
processors, including the X2 and FX series, it's more than capable of
handling anything you can throw into it.
Using the NVIDIA Quadro NVS 210S chipset with integrated
graphics in conjunction with up to 8GB of DDR2 memory, the M2NBP-VM is
perfect for those that don’t need a discrete graphics card, and also it
features DVI-I and VGA/D-sub ports. Intelligent overclocking lets you
choose a specific percentage based on memory and system requirements.
It also includes a gigabit Ethernet port, onboard 5.1
channel sound, and 4 SATA ports. With those 4 ports, the M2NBP-VM
permits adding multiple hard drives to the system, managed by RAID 0,
and 1. This versatile card has multiple expansion slots, including one
x16, and one x1 PCIe slots, plus an additional two PCI slots. To build
a powerful system, start with the Asus M2NBP-VM.
Highlights
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AMD Socket AM2
This
motherboard supports AMD’s Socket AM2-based CPUs, including the Athlon
64 X2, Athlon 64 FX, Athlon 64 and Sempron series. With a 2000MHz
system bus using Hyper Transport Technology and support for
dual-channel DDR2 RAM, AM2 motherboards form the basis for phenomenal
system performance.
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NVIDIA Quadro NVS210S and nForce 430B Chipset
Microsoft
DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.0, NVIDIA’s advanced PureVideo technology
and dual video out ports (DVI-D and RGB) empower the integrated NVIDIA
Quadro NVS 210S GPU to deliver advanced multi-display support and
unmatchable multimedia functionality for graphics tailored for business
professionals. The NVIDIA nForce 430B MCP also provides SATA 3Gb/s
ports with RAID support and onboard Gigabit LAN support.
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Dual-Channel DDR2 800
DDR2
next generation memory technology replaces current DDR memory and
provides a walloping performance boost. With support for up to 800MHz
DDR2 memory, the ASUS M2NBP-VM CSM delivers fantastic performance in
extreme 3D graphics environments and in memory intensive applications.
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SATA II with RAID Support
The
second generation SATA interface delivers up to 300MB/sec transfer
speed, doubling that of the first generation Serial ATA. Four SATA II
ports support RAID 0 and 1 for better performance and enhanced data
security.
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Gigabit Ethernet Connectivity
The
ASUS M2NBP-VM CSM features a fast Gigabit network interface for
high-speed LAN connections at up to 1000Mb/s data transfer rates.
Gigabit LAN is ideal for supercharged seamless streaming of Internet
audio and video content.
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ASUS EZ Flash 2
EZ
Flash 2 is a user-friendly BIOS update utility. Simply press the
pre-defined hotkey to launch this tool and update the BIOS from a USB
flash disk before entering the OS. You can update your BIOS in a few
clicks without preparing an additional floppy diskette or using an
OS-based flash utility.
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Quick Specs
| CPU Socket Type | Socket AM2 |
| CPU Type | Athlon 64 X2 / Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 |
| FSB | 1000MHz Hyper Transport (2000 MT/s) |
| North Bridge | NVIDIA Quadro NVS 210S |
| South Bridge | NVIDIA nForce 430B |
| Memory Standard | DDR2 800 |
| Onboard Video Chipset | NVIDIA GeForce 6100 |
| PCI Express x16 | 1 |
| SATA 3Gb/s | 4 |
| Max LAN Speed | 10/100/1000Mbps |
| USB | 4 x USB 2.0 |
| Form Factor | Micro ATX |
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Reviewed By: JPark on 3/8/2007
Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year
