ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe/Wireless Edition Motherboard
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ASUS’s high-end Socket AM2 motherboard is a sure-fire winner for the gaming and overclocking crowd.

The motherboard. It’s the center of all of your computer operations, the great coordinator that makes sure information goes back and forth between you and the pieces that make your computer work. A decent motherboard will get the job done, but a truly good motherboard gives you the utilities and features to get the most out of your current computer and the technology to give you upgrade options in the future.

ASUSTek Computer, Inc., better known as ASUS, is one of the top players in the world of motherboard manufacture. Their motherboards have a reputation for solid construction and stability – and even more importantly, they’re known for being a great option for overclockers.

The M2N32-SLI Deluxe/Wireless Edition is ASUS’s top of the line motherboard for the nForce 590 chipset, supporting the current generation of socket AM2 AMD CPUs (including the Semprons, X2s and FXs), ready to run the current DDR2 800 RAM and, with its two PCI express x16 slots and SLI support, capable of running two SLI-ready NVIDIA-based video cards together for a boost in graphics performance.  Beyond this basic support, the motherboard also has a whole host of features designed to make you drool over the possibilities.  The question is: is it worth the price?  We run the tests to find out.

The M2N32-SLI Deluxe/Wireless Edition Motherboard all laid out in the case.


Installation

Right out of the box, it’s apparent the M2N32-SLI Deluxe comes fully equipped: enough cables for 6 SATA drives and two IDE drives, along with 2 manuals, a driver CD, even Molex-to-SATA power cable converters for older power supplies. Got a water-cooled or passive processor cooling system? The M2N32 comes with an optional cooling fan. Have a case with individual front panel connectors instead of a convenient block? ASUS includes color-coded, labeled blocks they call Q-Connectors. That’s not even getting to the built-in wireless, the additional USB and FireWire ports via daughterboards, the included SLI cable, and the multitude of overclocking options available both in the BIOS and via Windows utilities. Clearly, ASUS has thought of everything to make for an easy motherboard installation.

The M2N32 has a pretty complicated passive cooling system that does a good job keeping temperatures down.