M5A97

CPU

AMD AM3+ FX™/Phenom™ II/Athlon™ II/Sempron™ 100 Series Processors 
Supports AM3+ 32 nm CPU
Supports CPU up to 140 W
AMD Cool 'n' Quiet™ Technology

Chipset

AMD 970/SB950

Memory

4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2133(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066 Hz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel Memory Architecture
* Refer to www.asus.com or user manual for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).
* Due to OS limitation, when installing total memory of 4GB capacity or more, Windows® 32-bit operation system may only recognize less than 3GB. Install a 64-bit Windows® OS when you want to install 4GB or more memory on the motherboard.
* Due to CPU spec., AMD 100 series CPUs support up to DDR3 1066MHz. With ASUS design, this motherboard can support up to DDR3 1333MHz.

System Bus

Up to 4.8 GT/s HyperTransport™ 3.0

Multi-GPU Support

Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology

Expansion Slots

1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (blue) 
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode, black) 
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 
2 x PCI

Storage

AMD SB950 controller : 
6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10

LAN

Realtek® 8111E , 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)

Audio

Realtek® ALC 887 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC 
- Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
Audio Feature :
- ASUS Noise Filter
- Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel

USB Ports

ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller : 
2 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue)
AMD SB950 controller : 
12 x USB 2.0 port(s) (6 at back panel, black, 6 at mid-board)

Overclocking Features

Overclocking Protection :
- ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)

Special Features

ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors - TPU & EPU :
ASUS TPU :
- Auto Tuning
- TurboV
ASUS EPU :
- EPU 
ASUS Power Design :
- 4 +2 Phase Power Design
ASUS Exclusive Features :
- MemOK!
- AI Suite II
- Ai Charger+
- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface 
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution :
- Stylish Fanless Design Heat-sink solution
- ASUS Fan Xpert 
ASUS EZ DIY :
- ASUS O.C. Profile
- ASUS EZ Flash 2 
- ASUS MyLogo 2 
- Multi-language BIOS
ASUS Q-Design :
- ASUS Q-Slot

Back I/O Ports

1 x PS/2 keyboard (purple)
1 x PS/2 mouse (green)
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
2 x USB 3.0 
6 x USB 2.0 
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
6 x Audio jack(s)

Internal I/O Ports

3 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 6 USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x COM port(s) connector(s)
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
2 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (2 x 4 -pin)
1 x Power Fan connector(s) (1 x 3 -pin)
1 x S/PDIF out header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x System panel(s) 
1 x MemOK! button(s)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s)

Accessories

User's manual
I/O Shield
2 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)

BIOS

32 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2

Manageability

WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE

Support Disc

Drivers
ASUS Utilities
ASUS Update 
Anti-virus software (OEM version)

Form Factor

ATX Form Factor 
12 inch x 9 inch ( 30.5 cm x 22.9 cm )