Product comparison · 2 motherboards

ASUS A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX vs ASUS M5A97 Plus

59specifications compared
27differ
32identical
12known for one product only

Key differences

Processor socket
- A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX:Socket FM2+
- M5A97 Plus:Socket AM3+
ECC сompatibility
- A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX:Non-ECC
- M5A97 Plus:ECC & Non-ECC
Maximum internal memory
- A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX:64 GB
- M5A97 Plus:32 GB
Supported storage drive interfaces
- A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX:SATA II
- M5A97 Plus:SATA III
RAID levels
- A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX:0, 1, 10, JBOD
- M5A97 Plus:0, 1, 5, 10
Parallel processing technology support
- A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX:2-Way CrossFireX
- M5A97 Plus:Quad-GPU CrossFireX
USB 2.0 connectors
- A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX:6
- M5A97 Plus:3
Number of SATA III connectors
- A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX:0
- M5A97 Plus:6

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only

Comparison of A55BM-PLUS/CSM, M5A97 Plus
71 specifications	A ASUS A55BM-PLUS/CSM AMD A55 FCH Socket FM2+ micro ATX Model A55BM-PLUS/CSM View product	B ASUS M5A97 Plus View product
Processor2 differ
Processor manufacturer	AMD	AMD
Processor socketDiffers	Socket FM2+	Socket AM3+
Compatible processor seriesDiffers	AMD A	AMD Phenom FX, AMD Phenom II Dual-Core Mobile, AMD Phenom II Quad-Core Mobile, AMD Phenom II Triple-Core Mobile, AMD Phenom II X2, AMD Phenom II X3, AMD Phenom II X4, AMD Phenom II X6, AMD Phenom II X8
Maximum number of SMP processors	1	1
System bus rateKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	4.8 GT/s
Memory3 differ
Supported memory types	DDR3-SDRAM	DDR3-SDRAM
Number of memory slots	4	4
Memory slots type	DIMM	DIMM
Memory channels	Dual-channel	Dual-channel
ECC сompatibilityDiffers	Non-ECC	ECC & Non-ECC
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers	1333,1600,1866,2133,2200,2250,2400 MHz	1066,1333,1600,1866,2133 MHz
Maximum internal memoryDiffers	64 GB	32 GB
Unbuffered memory	Yes	Yes
Storage controllers2 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffers	SATA II	SATA III
RAID levelsDiffers	0, 1, 10, JBOD	0, 1, 5, 10
Graphics1 differ
Parallel processing technology supportDiffers	2-Way CrossFireX	Quad-GPU CrossFireX
Graphics card familyKnown for one	AMD	Unknown — not stated by the source
Maximum resolutionKnown for one	4096 x 2160 pixels	Unknown — not stated by the source
Internal I/O4 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsDiffers	6	3
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectors	0	0
Number of SATA III connectorsDiffers	0	6
Number of SATA II connectorsDiffers	6	0
Number of Parallel ATA connectorsDiffers	1	0
S/PDIF out connector	Yes	Yes
Front panel audio connector	Yes	Yes
ATX Power connector (24-pin)	Yes	Yes
Number of EATX power connectors	1	1
CPU fan connector	Yes	Yes
Number of chassis fan connectors	2	2
Chassis intrusion connectorKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Peripheral (Molex) power connectors (4-pin)	1	1
Number of COM connectors	1	1
Number of SATA connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	6
Power fan connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Rear panel I/O ports5 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantityDiffers	4	8
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantityDiffers	2	0
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports	1	1
eSATA ports quantity	0	0
PS/2 ports quantity	2	2
Firewire (IEEE 1394) ports	0	0
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantityDiffers	1	0
HDMI ports quantityDiffers	1	0
DVI-D ports quantityDiffers	1	0
Headphone outputs	1	1
Microphone in	Yes	Yes
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-A ports quantityKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
Network2 differ
Ethernet LAN	Yes	Yes
Ethernet interface typeDiffers	Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet
LAN controllerDiffers	Realtek RTL8111G	Realtek 8111F
Features2 differ
Component for	PC	PC
Motherboard form factorDiffers	micro ATX	ATX
Motherboard chipset family	AMD	AMD
Motherboard chipsetDiffers	AMD A55 FCH	AMD 970
Audio output channels	7.1 channels	7.1 channels
Cooling typeKnown for one	Passive	Unknown — not stated by the source
Power source type	ATX	ATX
Windows operating systems supportedKnown for one	Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 7 Enterprise x64, Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Basic x64, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Professional x64, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Starter x64, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Windows 8, Win	Unknown — not stated by the source
Motherboard southbridgeKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	AMD SB950
Overclocking featuresKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	ASUS C.P.R.
Expansion slots2 differ
PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slotsDiffers	1	2
PCI Express x16 (Gen 2.x) slots	1	1
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slotsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
PCI slotsDiffers	1	3
BIOS2 differ
BIOS typeDiffers	UEFI AMI	UEFI
BIOS memory sizeDiffers	64 Mbit	32 Mbit
ACPI version	2.0a	2.0a
Clear CMOS jumper	Yes	Yes
Weight & dimensions2 differ
WidthDiffers	244 mm	305 mm
DepthDiffers	234 mm	216 mm
Packaging contentidentical
Cables included	SATA	SATA
Drivers included	Yes	Yes

A dash means the value is not stated by the source. Unknown values are never counted for or against a product, and there is no overall score.

More motherboard comparisons

All motherboard comparisons