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Comparison Asus TUF GAMING A520M-PLUS II vs Asus TUF GAMING A520M-PLUS

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Asus TUF GAMING A520M-PLUS II
Asus TUF GAMING A520M-PLUS
Asus TUF GAMING A520M-PLUS IIAsus TUF GAMING A520M-PLUS
from $180.79 
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from $145.83 
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Featuresgaminggaming
SocketAMD AM4AMD AM4
Form factormicro-ATXmicro-ATX
Power phases88
VRM heatsink
LED lighting
Lighting syncAsus Aura SyncAsus Aura Sync
Size (HxW)244x244 mm244x244 mm
Chipset
ChipsetAMD A520AMD A520
BIOSAmiAmi
UEFI BIOS
RAM
DDR44 slot(s)4 slot(s)
Memory moduleDIMMDIMM
Operation mode2 channel2 channel
Max. clock frequency4866 MHz4800 MHz
Max. memory128 GB128 GB
Drive interface
SATA 3 (6Gbps)44
M.2 connector11
M.21xSATA/PCI-E 4x1xSATA/PCI-E 4x
M.2 version1x3.0
Integrated RAID controller
 /Raid 0, 1, 10/
 /Raid 0, 1, 10/
Expansion slots
1x PCI-E slots22
PCI-E 16x slots11
PCI Express3.03.0
Steel PCI-E connectors
Internal connections
TPM connector
USB 2.022
USB 3.2 gen111
ARGB LED strip2
RGB LED strip2
Video outputs
D-Sub output (VGA)
DVI outputDVI-D
HDMI output
HDMI versionv.2.1v.2.1
DisplayPort
DisplayPort versionv.1.2
Integrated audio
Audiochip
Realtek ALC887 /897 /
Realtek ALC887
Sound (channels)7.17.1
Network interfaces
LAN (RJ-45)1 Gbps1 Gbps
LAN ports11
LAN controllerRealtek L8200ARealtek L8200A
External connections
USB 2.022
USB 3.2 gen144
USB 3.2 gen21
PS/211
BIOS FlashBack
Power connectors
Main power socket24 pin24 pin
CPU power8 pin8 pin
Fan power connectors33
CPU Fan 4-pin1
Chassis/Water Pump Fan 4-pin2
Added to E-Catalogjune 2023september 2020

Max. clock frequency

The maximum RAM clock speed supported by the motherboard. The actual clock frequency of the installed RAM modules should not exceed this indicator — otherwise, malfunctions are possible, and the capabilities of the “RAM” cannot be used to the fullest.

For modern PCs, a RAM frequency of 1500 – 2000 MHz or less is considered very low, 2000 – 2500 MHz is modest, 2500 – 3000 MHz is average, 3000 – 3500 MHz is above average, and the most advanced boards can support frequencies of 3500 – 4000 MHz and even more than 4000 MHz.

M.2 version

The version of the M.2 interface determines both the maximum data transfer rate and the supported devices that can be connected via physical M.2 connectors (see the corresponding paragraph).

The version of the M.2 interface in the specifications of motherboards is usually indicated by the number of connectors themselves and by the PCI-E revision provided for in each of them. For example, the entry “3x4.0” means three connectors capable of supporting PCI-E 4.0; and the designation “2x5.0, 1x4.0” means a trio of connectors, two of which support PCI-E 4.0, and another one supports PCI-E 5.0.

ARGB LED strip

Connector for connecting an addressable LED strip as a decorative lighting for a computer case. This type of "smart" tape is based on special LEDs, each of which consists of an LED light and a built-in controller, which allows you to flexibly control the luminosity using a special digital protocol and create amazing effects.

RGB LED strip

Connector for connecting a decorative LED strip and other devices with LED indication. Allows you to control the backlight of the case through the motherboard and customize the glow for your tasks, including synchronize it with other components.

DVI output

The motherboard has its own DVI output; this clause also specifies the specific form of this interface.

Such an output is intended for transmitting video from an integrated graphics card (see above) or a processor with integrated graphics (we emphasize that it is impossible to output a signal from a discrete graphics card through the motherboard chipset). As for DVI specifically, this is a standard originally created for digital video devices, however, it also allows an analogue signal format, depending on the type. In modern computer technology, including motherboards, you can find two types of DVI:

— DVI-D. A standard that provides for the transmission of a signal only in digital form. Depending on the supported mode, the maximum resolution of such video can be 1920x1200 (single-link Single Link) or 2560x1600 (two-channel Dual Link); however, Single Link plugs can be connected to Dual Link ports, but not vice versa. Also note that such connectors are compatible with HDMI via adapters, while in some cases even sound transmission may be provided (although this function is not initially supported in DVI-D, and its availability should be specified separately).

— DVI-I. A standard that combines the DVI-D described above with analogue DVI-A and allows the signal to be output in both digital and analogue formats. DVI-A in its characteristics corresponds to VGA (see above): it supports resolutions up to 1280x1024...inclusive and allows you to connect VGA screens through a simple adapter.

DisplayPort

Availability of DisplayPort output on the motherboard.

Primarily, this digital connector is used to transmit video from the built-in video card or processor with integrated graphics to external screens. Moreover, through one DisplayPort interface it is possible to connect several displays in series in a “chain” (“daisy chain” format). Specific output capabilities vary by version (see below), but even the most modest DisplayPort specification (among modern options) allows 4K at 60 fps, 5K at 30 fps, and 8K with some limitations.

The DisplayPort interface is a standard for Apple monitors and is found in screens from other manufacturers.

DisplayPort version

The version of the DisplayPort interface (see above) installed on the motherboard.

— v.1.2. The oldest version in use today (2010). It was in it that 3D support first appeared, the ability to work with the miniDisplayPort connector, as well as the option of connecting several screens in series to one port (daisy chain). The maximum resolution fully supported by v.1.2 is 5K at 30 fps, with some limitations, 8K video is also supported. And the v.1.2a update, introduced in 2013, added compatibility with the FreeSync technology used in AMD graphics cards.

— v.1.3. An update to the DisplayPort standard released in 2014. Thanks to the increase in bandwidth, it was possible to provide full support for 8K video (at 30 fps), and in 4K and 5K standards, increase the maximum frame rate to 120 and 60 fps, respectively. Another key update was the Dual-mode function, which provides compatibility with HDMI and DVI interfaces through the simplest passive adapters.

— v.1.4. The most recent version of the widely used. The bandwidth has been further increased (almost doubled compared to v.1.2, which allowed, albeit with some limitations, to transmit 4K and 5K video at up to 240 fps and 8K at up to 144 fps. In addition, Support for a number of special features has been added, including HDR10, and the maximum number of simultaneously transmitted audio channels has increased to 32.

USB 3.2 gen2

The number of native USB 3.2 gen2 connectors provided on the back of the motherboard. In this case, we mean traditional, full-size USB A ports.

USB 3.2 gen2(formerly known as USB 3.1 gen2 and simply USB 3.1) is the evolution of USB 3.2 after version 3.2 gen1 (see above). This standard provides connection speeds up to 10 Gbps, and to power external devices in such connectors, USB Power Delivery technology (see below) can be provided, which allows you to output up to 100 W per device (however, Power Delivery support is not mandatory, its presence should be specified separately). Traditionally for the USB standard, this interface is backwards compatible with previous versions — in other words, you can easily connect a device supporting USB 2.0 or 3.2 gen1 to this port (unless the speed will be limited by the capabilities of a slower version).

The more connectors provided in the design, the more peripheral devices can be connected to the motherboard without the use of additional equipment (USB splitters). In some models of motherboards, the number of ports of this type is 5 or even more. At the same time, we note that in addition to the connectors on the rear panel, connectors on the board itself (more precisely, ports on the case connected to such connectors) can also provide a USB connection. See below for more on this.

BIOS FlashBack

Motherboards that support BIOS FlashBack provide the ability to flash or restore the BIOS without a processor, video card or memory. The main purpose of the function is to provide users with the ability to update the BIOS in cases where the current version is incompatible with the installed processor or other computer components, which may lead to the inability to start the system. As a rule, the motherboard provides for this a USB connector for a flash drive and a special button (usually labeled BIOS Flashback) - pressing it initiates the update process.

On a separate line, we note that the BIOS FlashBack function can be called differently depending on the manufacturer: in motherboards from ASRock and Asus - BIOS FlashBack, from Gigabyte - Q-Flash Plus, from MSI - Flash BIOS, etc.
Asus TUF GAMING A520M-PLUS II often compared
Asus TUF GAMING A520M-PLUS often compared