ASRock Motherboard Micro ATX DDR3 1066 NA D1800M

excellent in every way ... exactly what I wanted

I used this motherboard / CPU combo in a HTPC build for my bedroom. My primary requirement was silence. My secondary requirement was a processor that could handle lite tasks and video streaming, without the need for a dedicated video card.This combo met both my requirements. It's dead silent. Performance is capable of handling internet browsing, Office use, lite gaming, and streaming using Plex. The streaming quality for video can vary and seems to depend on other tasks that are being performed in parallel. This may also be caused by my choice of using Windows 7 for my operating system. I have not had any issues streaming 1080p video but a dedicated video card would make a visible difference.The motherboard was paired with a Cooler Master Elite 110 No Power Supply Cases RC-110-KKN2 (I recommend buying from Newegg, it's cheaper). The case had to be modified to fit the motherboard correctly; I drilled out the rivets that secured an internal hard drive retaining wall, cut the wall so it removed the lower half and created a cross bar for the top, then used bolts to reattach the wall to the case. After modification the motherboard dropped in place. Perfect size case for a HTPC build. The included 180mm case fan is silent when turned to it's lowest setting.The power supply used is a SeaSonic SS-400FL2 Active PFC F3 400W 80 PLUS Platinum Fanless ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply. The fanless power supply works well and is more than adiquite to power the computer and a dedicated video card.I have put together a list of the parts used in the build with PC Part Picker. Total build was around $300.http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tK76gs~~~~~~~~Update 12/13/2015I have added a Nvidia GT630 video card to the computer. It has really helped with video rendering. All issues with video stutter are gone. I am playing video games on the system. Payday 2, Child of Light, XCOM using Steam Big Picture mode. I have had no issues. This build will not play newer video games, it was never intended to do so, though it is nice to see that it will play some games.I very please with this setup. I have had no issues and it has exceeded my expectation.

My first two were either DOA or the video was not working. I have used AS Rock for years and always worked the very first time. This third unit finally met all expectations and worked. Ordered another one to replace a ten year old mb. With a parent company like ASUS, quality is assured.8/22/24: Got to watch the DNC last evening and see Kamala's acceptance speech. Just perfect viewing and no glitches for that two hour event.12/23/24: Just got my 4th one today. Started up and booted and into Win 10 the first time. Just replaced my set of 11 yr old DDR3 2/8gb after getting weird error messages. Good to go as always.

Pros:1 - Dead silent2 - Runs cool3 - Easy assembly4 - Fast5 - InexpensiveCons:1 - Driver issues2 - 1080p playback3 - Board layoutComments:First, it should be noted that this board does not work particularly well with 32 bit Windows because Intel hasn't bothered to fix their 32bit drivers. Neither Asrock nor Microsoft are at fault here. The good news is that 64 bit Windows works perfectly. FYI, some Intel NUC computers have the same issue with 32 bit versions of Windows.Dropped frames on 1080p playback with fast moving scenes are noticeable but it's acceptable. Do not however plan to use this as a HTPC or you might be disappointed.Experienced system builders will not like the fact that the SATA ports are along the side with the front panel and USB connectors but again, this isn't enough to merit a deduction of rating.Overall, this is a low end (by current expectations) motherboard but it is excellent for daily computing tasks or NAS. Two years ago a motherboard with this speed and capability at this price was inconceivable. The added bonus of being a fanless design makes it even more attractive as a time saver from a builders perspective as well as the obvious benefit of energy saving.Since I was under a time constraint, I did not do any in-depth testing but it did successfully boot and run OpenSuse 13.1, Linux Mint 17 and Ubuntu 14.10. Not surprisingly, the Linux distributions did not exhibit driver issues as did Windows 32 bit.Last, Asrock deserves a compliment for the excellent BIOS on such a budget board and particularly because you can update without an operating system loaded. Fantastic!Keep price/performance in perspective and don't expect AMD FX or Intel Core performance. For the price of a single stick of 4gb of DDR3 this is no doubt one of the best values in computing.