AMD Ryzen Motherboard Lineup Pictured – ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, Asrock & BIOSTAR.· ALL IS WIP - I NEED TO MOVE ALOT OF STUFF AROUND!!! How to install windows 8/8.1/10 on any UEFI & AHCI supported laptop ( E.I G751, G771, G551 GL552 etc) the PROPER. ![]() ASUS M3. 2CD Review – The Best Mid- Range Desktop PC? Today we’re reviewing the ASUS M3. CD desktop computer – Amazon’s number 1 best seller computer at the time of writing. Let’s see how well this machine actually stacks up. Supports Intel 14 nm CPU; ASUS Exclusive Features: Remote GO! USB BIOS Flashback, AI Suite 3, Anti-Surge, ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user. GeForce® GTX 1080 Ti is the fastest gaming GPU that delivers 35% faster performance than the GeForce GTX 1080. In this review article, we’ll be taking a closer look at the pre- built ASUS M3. CD tower and check out it’s performance and also upgradeability. Out of interest, we also compared the hardware to our recommended $5. Gaming PC Build, since the M3. CD can be kitted out with a few upgrades to become a very decent gaming machine. Overview: ASUS M3. CD Desktop PCASUS have designed the M3. CD desktop tower computer to be a plug and play solution for those looking to purchase a computer package with minimal setup. The package we are reviewing is the M3. CD- US0. 03. T with i. GB RAM and 1. TB storage. It also comes complete with Windows 1. ![]() Bear in mind that there are a few different versions of the M3. CD available, and the hardware varies slightly with each version. This review relates to the M3. CD- US0. 03. T and M3. CD- AS5. 1 models. These two models are identical, except for the RAM type (DDR3 in the M3. CD- US0. 03. T versus DDR4 in the M3. CD- AS5. 1). Pros. Latest Skylake architecture, including decent on- board graphics. TB storage. Excellent peripheral support, including a 5- in- 1 card reader, 8x. USB ports, HDMI, VGAIn- built wireless card. Cons. Warranty sealed. If you open the case to modify or expand your system, you’ll void any manufacturer warranty. No dedicated graphics card. Smaller PSU requires upgrade if you want to install dedicated graphics. Performance. The first thing we’re interested in is the performance of this PC. In terms of value for money, it’s definitely an excellent all- rounder. The processor in this computer is excellent. ASUS have used the quad- core Intel i. Skylake processor. It has a clock speed of 2. GHz with a turbo speed of 3. GHz. There is no dedicated graphics card, but the integrated Intel HD Graphics 5. K/UHD resolution. It comes with a single 8. GB DDR3. L RAM stick, but is upgradable to 3. GB (though this may be an expensive exercise). Upgrading to 1. 6GB by adding another 8. GB stick of RAM is very feasible though. This PC comes with a decent amount of storage with a 1. TB SATA 3 hard drive, and enough space and SATA ports to run up to 3 hard drives simultaneously if you needed more space (though you would need to get creative with how you mount the third drive). The case has a single 5. The 5. 2. 5″ is occupied by the optical drive and one of the 3. TB hard drive. Usage. The i. 5 processor combined with 8. GB of RAM on this PC means it caters for the everyday user and will comfortably cope with multiple applications, making it perfect for work or personal use. It also looks pretty sleek with a brushed metal look finish. If you typically use your computer for tasks such as skype, browsing the internet and facebook/social media, viewing videos (and this computer will easily handle UHD/4. K!), or even casual gaming, this PC will meet your needs. Gaming Performance. A common question is ‘how will this computer handle games’? While the lack of a dedicated graphics card is not ideal for gamers, the integrated graphics will give decent playability on some recent games if you are happy to keep settings on medium and use lower resolutions to get playable frame rates. If you are a more serious gamer, don’t discount the M3. CD completely yet. This base computer can be upgraded to yield an overall cost- effective gaming computer, which a lot of people have done. Since this seems to be such a common practice, we decided to compare the M3. CD hardware with our $5. Gaming PC Build, which is a similar price point to the M3. CD. First of all, we compared the CPUs. As previously stated, the processor on the M3. CD is excellent, one of the latest and it does outperform the lower model i. However, you’ll notice that the i. Comparing the ASUS M3. CD Processor to our $5. Gaming Build. Source: CPU Benchmark. From this comparison you can really see one of the main strengths of the M3. CD – it’s recent- release processor that will remain relevant for some time to come. Screens/Video. The M3. CD can support up to two displays through it’s single VGA and single HDMI port. If you want to run more displays you’ll need to look at options for running via a USB/display port adapter. The HDMI output supports 4. K displays. Upgrading the M3. CDIf you are thinking of purchasing this with the intention of upgrading it, just be aware that this computer comes with a warranty seal on the case – if you open the case and break the seal, you void the manufacturer’s 1 year warranty. This means that any upgrades like adding hard drives, extra RAM or a graphics card will void your warranty, so bear this in mind. Some people opt to use the computer as- is for the first year, and make a move towards custom upgrades once the product is out of warranty. The ASUS M3. 2CD is a very versatile unit out of the box, and the below unboxing video shows exactly what you’ll be looking at (stock) if you decide to purchase this unit. For reference, we’ve included a list of the full specifications at the end of this article for those looking to customize or upgrade in future. If you have future upgrades in mind for this computer you may want to pay particular attention to motherboard slots – for example, there is only one PCIe x. Graphics Cards For the M3. CD Desktop Computer. A very common upgrade to this computer is to add a dedicated graphics card. With this upgrade, the M3. CD becomes a very capable gaming machine. If you intend to do this, be aware that the 2. W (3. 50w peak supply) power supply that comes with the M3. CD does not have a lot of spare capacity; so depending on the graphics card you choose you may need to upgrade the power supply as well. The stock M3. 2CD also does not come with any case cooling fans; if you are installing a dedicated graphics card it may pay to invest in a case fan for additional ventilation. The motherboard supports adding a single case fan. The good news is that there’s plenty of space to fit in full sized, gaming graphics cards! Out of interest, we compared the M3. CD integrated graphics with our $5. M3. 2CD can handle). The latest generation Skylake processors have decent onboard graphics capability, but adding a dedicated card blows this out of the water. We compared the synthetic benchmarks for graphics performance below: Comparing the ASUS M3. CD onboard graphics to our $5. Gaming Build graphics card selection. Source: Videocard Benchmark. The GTX 7. 50 Ti is one of the more powerful cards which can fit into the M3. CD without having to upgrade the power supply, so we included this in our benchmark comparison above. Some examples of other graphics cards that will fit in the M3. CD include (but not limited to): Ge. Force GT 7. 30 (can use with existing PSU)GTX 7. Ti (most powerful card which will fit with the existing PSU’s capabilities)GTX 9. PSU, but would recommend upgrading it for optimal performance)GTX 9. PSU)This isn’t an all- inclusive list as other graphics cards will fit in the case physically. If you need some guidance on installing a new graphics card and power supply, check out this great video on Youtube. Power Supplies for the ASUS M3. CDTo upgrade to one of the higher end cards, you’ll need an upgraded power supply. Check out these two popular, low cost power supply options. If you’re looking to go for a GTX9. GTX9. 60, go for the EVGA 5. W W1 – Check it out on Amazon here. You might even just get away with a GTX9. Power supply’s limits. If you’re aiming more high end n. Vidia like the GTX9. GTX9. 80 or GTX9. Thermal. Take 6. 50w – See it here on Amazon. If you need more ideas on budget gaming PCs, don’t forget to check out our gaming PC builds section. ASUS M3. 2CD Specifications. Model Number: M3. CD- US0. 03. T/ 3. CD- AS5. 1Operating System: Windows 1. Home. CPU: 6th Generation Intel i. Quad- Core 2. 7 GHz processor (turbo to 3. GHz), LGA1. 15. 1Graphics: On- board graphics adapter model: Intel HD Graphics 5. On- board graphics adapter outputs supported: Display. Port, Embedded Display. Port (e. DP), DVI, HDMIOn- board graphics adapter base frequency: 3. MHz. Can handle output of 4. K resolution. Motherboard: H1. M/M3. 2CD/DP_MBChipset: Intel H1. Express. Memory: 2 x DIMM, max. GB DDR3, 1. 86. 6(OC)MHz. PCIe slots: 1 x PCIe 3. Output Support: HDMI/DVI/VGAAudio: Realtek ALC8. Gigabit LAN: 1 (Realtek)SATA: 4 x SATA 6. Gbit/s. USB: 2 x USB3. Gen 2 Type- A 4x.
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