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Asus Socket AM3+/ AMD 970/ Quad CrossFireX/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard (M5A97)

by Asus

49 customer reviews

Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.

CPU: Socket AM3+ Support FX/ Phenom II /Athlon II /Sempron 100 Series Processors;
Support 140W CPU; Support AMD Cool 'n' Quiet Technology; Support AM3+ 32 nm CPU. Chipset: AMD 970 & SB950
Memory: 4x DDR3-2133(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066 DIMMs, Dual Channel, Non-ECC, Un-buffered, Max Capacity upto 32GB
Slots: 2x PCI-Express 2.0 x16 Slots(one run at x4, Support AMD Quad-CrossFireX); 2x PCI-Express 2.0 x1 Slots; 2x PCI Slots
SATA: 6x SATA3 Ports, Support RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 10
Audio: Realtek ALC887 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
CPU: Socket AM3+ Support FX/ Phenom II /Athlon II /Sempron 100 Series Processors; Support 140W CPU;

There is a newer model of this item:

ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$112.69
(235)
In Stock.

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Technical Details

Processor Socket: AMD - AM3+
Form Factor: ATX
Chipset Type: AMD 970
RAM Memory Technology: DDR3 2133;DDR3 1066;DDR3 1333;DDR3 1600
Ram Memory Maximum Size: 32.00 GB

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 11.7 x 2.3 inches ; 2.7 pounds
Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
ASIN: B0058G65UU
Item model number: M5A97
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
Date first available at Amazon.com: June 28, 2011

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Product Description

Asus M5A97 Socket AM3+/ AMD 970/ Quad CrossFireX/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

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Customer Reviews

(49)

4.3 out of 5 stars

5 star		31
4 star		10
3 star		3
2 star		1
1 star		4

See all 49 customer reviews

I am very happy with this board.

Mac_Convert

The backplate is a little flimsy feeling and moves out of place easily when installing.

Pat C.

This fantastic motherboard is the best value one could presently find.

Rattle_The_Cages

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

Good motherboard

By White on December 30, 2011

Verified Purchase

Pros:It's supports the newest AMD AM3+ FX and the older AM3 processors.

Cons:
1.It does not have an option to support front panel USB 3.0 ports.
2. Works great at 1600MHz,but when set to anything higher in my
ASUS M5A97, my system crashes intermittently.

Other Thoughts:
ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970
AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition
8GB G.Skill RipjawsX PC3-17000 2133MHz
Sapphire Radeon HD5770 1 GB DDR5
Everest 80 PLUS 600w
Samsung 830 Series SSD 64 GB SATA 6.0 Gbs

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

Fantastic Motherboard.

By Rattle_The_Cages on March 28, 2012

Verified Purchase

This fantastic motherboard is the best value one could presently find. The value is combining low cost with all the overclocking or economy setting that any fanatical overclocker could think to tinker with or go as green as a motherboard could get.
The bios is changed with mouse movements over analog gauges and large buttons on the first screen that offer economy, normal, and auto tuning overclocking. This motherboard offers auto tuning where the motherboard tests itself, the CPU and memory placed in to find the fastest stable settings. The auto tuning overclocker prescribed 4.0 GHz for my eight-core 3.1 GHz AMD FX-8120
AMD FX 8120 8-Core Processor 3.1 8 Socket AM3 - FD8120FRGUBOX
and 3.8 GHz for my four core AMD Phenom.
AMD Phenom II X4 960T Processor, Black Edition, 3.0 4 Socket AM3 - HD96ZTWFGRBOX
The motherboard offers core unlocking to create a four core CPU out of a 3 core AMD.
AMD Athlon II X3 455 Processor (ADX455WFGMBOX)
Personally I use the auto tuner because I could not squeeze much more out of the CPU, memory and motherboard than the motherboard prescribed for itself and auto tuning is very easy. However, switching to the advanced screen one can raise or lower the voltages on the CPU, memory, northbridge, southbridge, and many other parts.
The motherboard has two case fan connections an a power fan connection. One can raise or lower the fan speed.Read more ›

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The manufacturer commented on the review below

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

MEMOK Red Light of Death

By B on August 15, 2012

Verified Purchase

If the claims made about this motherboard were true, then it would definatly be a great buy. However, even though the manufacturer claims that it supports 32 GB of RAM, a quick check of their qualified vendor list will show that there are exactly 0 supported 32GB sets available from 0 vendors. Therefore, even though it theoretically can handle 32GB, in reality 16 is the absolute max, if you're lucky. If you are thinking about buying this motherboard, please google "MEMOK red light of death" before you check out, it could save you days of frustration. Almost every one of these threads ends with the customer giving up and sending the equipment back, only those that have to do with loose cables or improper installation have resolutions. I have also read more than a few good reviews, so I'm not trying to say they are all junk, just an unacceptably high percentage.

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The manufacturer commented on this review(What's this?)

ASUS Support says

August 29, 2012

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issue you had with the motherboard.

The M5A97 supports up to 32GB of memory. If you do not see a 4x 8GB kit listed in the QVL, please try to look for memory that matches closest to the specs listed. If MEMOK! keep running at power on, turn off the computer and clear CMOS. If it DRAM_LED remains on, please try to swap the memory between the slots. Lastly, have you tried updating to the latest BIOS?

To continue support, please contact me at cl-benson@asus.com reference #C1037-3887. Thank you.

For support information, please visit http://support.asus.com. For service, visit http://service.asus.com. For motherboard warranty, visit http://www.service.asus.com/warranty.aspx#!Motherboard%20Warranty/c1c20; Refurbished products/accessories: http://www.service.asus.com/warranty.aspx#!refurbished-warranty/c16us. For RMA status, visit: http://am.eservice.asus.com/rmaweb/search/rmCustomerQueryAction.do?.

Regards,
Benson
ASUS Customer Loyalty

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Another great ASUS Motherboard

By ITBob on April 2, 2012

Verified Purchase

I bought this Motherboard to create a new Media Center PC and it has worked great. I paired mine with a AMD Phemon II 960T (quad core) and the CPU works great with the motherboard. I was able to unlock one extra core using the core unlocker feature of the motherboard so it is now operating as 5 core CPU (I could not get the 6th core to unlock without Blue Screen errors).

The heatsinks on the motherboard do get pretty hot, so make sure you have a case with good ventilation and some good intake and exhaust fans. I put mine in a Zalman Z9 case with two 120 mm fans and it fits nicely and looks great.

The optical out on the motherboard creates great Dolby Digital and ProLogic II on my tuner and it sounds much better than the TurtleBeach Montego that I used to have hooked up (with optical).

I only use one Nvidia GT240 video card so i can't coment on SLI or Crossfire, and I am not a gamer. However, it looks great on my HDTV and I am very happy with it.

I also use the COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO CPU Heatsink/Fan and it does fit on this motherboard and installed very easily.

The only complaint that I have is with the IO shield, and it does not seem to line up perfectly with all the ports on the motherboard. I had this motherboard in an old cheap ATX case to start before I got the Zalman Z9 case and this was a problem in both cases. You can get it to work, but it really should line up correctly. In some of the USB Ports it will rub metal on metal when you insert or take out a cord and you can see it is not lined up perfectly. i have built other PCs and servers and I have not had this problem with any others. I consider this pretty minor, but it is a little annoying. I thought it was not worth detracting a star for.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Excellent motherboard!

By Pat C. on August 10, 2012

Verified Purchase

It booted up, the drivers were easy to find and I have had no issues with stability.

FYI: I am very experienced at building and upgrading computers myself.

PROS:

Good entry level AM3+ motherboard capable of running the latest AMD CPU's at a reasonable price.

Plentiful SATA ports with two USB 3 back panel connections.

CONS:

No front panel headers for USB 3.0.

NO IDE or floppy controllers on this board. (This is also a plus for me, but if you need them look elsewhere.)

Only 2 SATA cables included.

The backplate is a little flimsy feeling and moves out of place easily when installing.

Its not really a full sized ATX (slightly short on width).

I knew all of this when I bought it so I didn't subtract any stars for them.

Overall, I am pretty happy with this board.

The 8GB RAM upgrade and this motherboard made my modest dual core AM3 CPU feel much faster.

Currently dual booting WIN XP PRO SP3 (for my old games) and Linux Mint 13 KDE (for everything else I do) with zero problems.

What more can you ask for the relatively modest price?

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See all 49 customer reviews (newest first)

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Four Stars

Good

Published 2 months ago by dmichaels

Hell yea

I love asus board they functionality and durability seems to out weight the rest to be honest

Published 4 months ago by Dawn M Weber

The motherboard is pretty decent BUT for whatever reason The blue slox...

The motherboard is pretty decent BUT for whatever reason The blue slox (x16) slot does not work. When I place my 7750 into the black socket all is good. Read more

Published 4 months ago by mintymentos

Five Stars

good

Published 4 months ago by Dieter

It's Good

Multi-tasking so no problem for this brand, but when it comes to Linux this fails really (I've had this for more then 3 years).

Published 8 months ago by RetroStyle

Great MOBO

Starting a monster pc beggining with this mobo. Its Works great for more tha 8 months with no issues. Full recommended for a heavy duty desktop.

Published 10 months ago by Jose Robles

Hard to install other products

I also bought a graphics card (PNY GTX 660) and RAM (Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory) with the MB. Installing the RAM and GC was 10x harder than it should have been. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Keelan

Sweet for the money

Been using this for more than a year and nothing had gone wrong. Its bio's is awsome and works like a champ. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Devin Hill

Good budget buy

this Mbo does a good job of fitting anyone's need for a solid base to start building. After 10 months, I'm loving it. Read more

Published 15 months ago by amazonian

good

Absolutely great. its got exactly what i was looking for and more. mote than i spected, i am vert satisfied

Published 18 months ago by gustavo almonte