ASUS M32CD Review – The Best Mid-Range Desktop PC?

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Article Last Updated: 9 August 2022

Today we’re reviewing the ASUS M32CD desktop computer.

This was Amazon’s number 1 best seller computer when we first published this review back in 2015, but is still available for purchase today. Let’s see how well this machine actually stacks up in 2022.

In this review article, we took a closer look at the pre-built ASUS M32CD tower to check out it’s performance and also upgradeability. Out of interest, we also compared the hardware to our recommended $500 Gaming PC Build, since the M32CD can be kitted out with a few upgrades to become a very decent gaming machine.

Overview: ASUS M32CD Desktop PC

ASUS have designed the M32CD desktop tower computer to be a plug and play solution for those looking to purchase a computer package with minimal setup.

The package we are reviewing is the M32CD-US003T with i5 processor, integrated graphics, 8GB RAM and 1TB storage. It also comes complete with Windows 10 home edition, a keyboard and mouse, and there’s the option to include a monitor as well if you’re looking for a truly complete package.

Bear in mind that there are a few different versions of the M32CD available, and the hardware varies slightly with each version. This review relates to the M32CD-US003T and M32CD-AS51 models. As far as we are aware the two models appear to be identical, except for the RAM type (DDR3 in the M32CD-US003T [this is the model discussed in this review, but no longer recommended] versus DDR4 in the M32CD-AS51).

Is the ASUS M32CD Desktop PC Still Good in 2022?

At the time we’re updating this article (August 2022), the latest Intel processor generation is 12th Generation, with 13th Generation processors just around the corner.

When we first reviewed the M32CD, it was a cheap way to get a (then) recent Intel processor and associated hardware.

Since that is no longer the case, we’d recommend AGAINST purchasing a M32CD in 2022. There are much better options available now, even if you’re on a budget.

It makes sense to get something which has more recent computer hardware, as that will last you longer before having to upgrade.

RAM standard is also now DDR5 technology, so if you choose to purchase a M32CD, be aware you’re buying old technology.

How to Upgrade M32CD For 2022

While we wouldn’t recommend anyone purchase M32CD new, if you already have the ASUS M32CD, you might want to upgrade it to get better performance.

View ‘Upgrading the M32CD’ section below for more details.

Pros

  • Comes with optical drive
  • Latest Skylake architecture, including decent on-board graphics
  • 1TB storage  (this was decent back in 2015, but is nothing special these days)
  • Excellent  Decent peripheral support, including a 5-in-1 card reader, 8xUSB ports, HDMI, VGA
  • In-built wireless card
  • 1 year warranty

Cons

  • Older CPU (6th Generation versus the current 12th Generation that is available now)
  • Older technology in general (RAM, hard disk drive, etc.)
  • Warranty sealed. If you open the case to modify or expand your system, you’ll void any manufacturer warranty.
  • No dedicated graphics card
  • Smaller PSU requires upgrade if you want to install dedicated graphics

Performance

The first thing we’re interested in is the performance of this PC.

In terms of value for money, it was good back in the day, but no longer makes sense as a new purchase. You can get much more recent hardware which will perform better for a similar cost.

The processor in this computer was excellent at the time  of release, but is now considered old by 2022 standards. ASUS have used the quad-core Intel i5-6400, a 2015-release 6th generation Skylake processor.  It has a clock speed of 2.7GHz with a turbo speed of 3.3GHz.

There is no dedicated graphics card, but the integrated Intel HD Graphics 530 on the i5 can still handle low end gaming and will run video smoothly at 4K/UHD resolution.

It comes with a single 8GB DDR3L RAM stick, but is upgradable to 32GB (though this may be an expensive exercise). Upgrading to 16GB by adding another 8GB stick of RAM is feasible though.

This PC comes with a decent amount of storage with a 1TB SATA 3 hard drive, and enough space and SATA ports to run up to 3 hard drives simultaneously if you needed more space (though you would need to get creative with how you mount the third drive).

The case has a single 5.25″ bay and two 3.5″ bays provided. The 5.25″ is occupied by the optical drive and one of the 3.5″ bays is taken up by the 1TB hard drive.

 

Check out the user reviews on Amazon >>

 

Usage

The i5 processor combined with 8GB of RAM on this PC means it caters for the everyday user and will comfortably cope with multiple applications, making it perfect for work or personal use. It also looks pretty sleek with a brushed metal look finish.

If you typically use your computer for tasks such as skype, browsing the internet and facebook/social media, viewing videos (and this computer will also handle UHD and 4K), or even casual gaming, this PC will meet your needs.

Gaming Performance

A common question is ‘how will this computer handle games’? While the lack of a dedicated graphics card is not ideal for gamers, the integrated graphics will give decent playability on some recent games if you are happy to keep settings on medium and use lower resolutions to get playable frame rates.

If you are a more serious gamer, don’t discount the M32CD completely yet. This base computer can be upgraded to yield an overall cost-effective gaming computer, which a lot of people have done.

Since this seems to be such a common practice, we decided to compare the M32CD hardware with our $500 Gaming PC Build, which is a similar price point to the M32CD at the time of writing.

First of all, we compared the CPUs. As previously stated, the processor on the M32CD is excellent, one of the latest and it does outperform the lower model i3 that we’ve specified in our $500 build according to the synthetic benchmark test scores below. However, you’ll notice that the i3-6100 that we’ve chosen for our $500 build offers more performance per dollar spent, which is why we opted for that processor for that build (allowing more to spend on a graphics card is a better approach when selecting components for a gaming computer).

CPU Comparison ASUS M32CD vs $500 gaming build
Comparing the ASUS M32CD Processor to our $500 Gaming Build. Source: CPU Benchmark

From this comparison you can really see one of the main strengths of the M32CD – it’s recent-release processor that will remain relevant for some time to come.

Screens/Video

The M32CD can support up to two displays through it’s single VGA and single HDMI port. If you want to run more displays you’ll need to look at options for running via a USB/display port adapter.

The HDMI output supports 4K displays.

Upgrading the M32CD

If you are thinking of purchasing this with the intention of upgrading it, just be aware that this computer comes with a warranty seal on the case – if you open the case and break the seal, you void the manufacturer’s 1 year warranty.

This means that any upgrades like adding hard drives, extra RAM or a graphics card will void your warranty, so bear this in mind. Some people opt to use the computer as-is for the first year, and make a move towards custom upgrades once the product is out of warranty.

The ASUS M32CD is a very versatile unit out of the box, and the below unboxing video shows exactly what you’ll be looking at (stock) if you decide to purchase this unit.

 

 

For reference, we’ve included a list of the full specifications at the end of this article for those looking to customize or upgrade in future.

If you have future upgrades in mind for this computer you may want to pay particular attention to motherboard slots – for example, there is only one PCIe x16 port, so running multiple cards is out.

Graphics Cards For the M32CD Desktop Computer

A very common upgrade to this computer is to add a dedicated graphics card. With this upgrade, the M32CD becomes a very capable gaming machine.

If you intend to do this, be aware that the 286W (350w peak supply) power supply that comes with the M32CD does not have a lot of spare capacity; so depending on the graphics card you choose you may need to upgrade the power supply as well.

The stock M32CD also does not come with any case cooling fans; if you are installing a dedicated graphics card it may pay to invest in a case fan for additional ventilation. The motherboard supports adding a single case fan.

The good news is that there’s plenty of space to fit in full sized, gaming graphics cards!

Out of interest, we compared the M32CD integrated graphics with our $500 gaming build graphics card selection (our $500 build has a larger power supply so is able to support a more powerful card that the stock M32CD can handle).

The latest generation Skylake processors have decent onboard graphics capability, but adding a dedicated card blows this out of the water. We compared the synthetic benchmarks for graphics performance below:

Graphics cards ASUS M32CD vs $500 gaming build
Comparing the ASUS M32CD onboard graphics to our $500 Gaming Build graphics card selection. Source: Videocard Benchmark

The GTX 750 Ti is one of the more powerful cards which can fit into the M32CD without having to upgrade the power supply, so we included this in our benchmark comparison above.

 

Some examples of other graphics cards that will fit in the M32CD include (but not limited to):

    • GeForce GT 730 (can use with existing PSU)

    • GTX 750Ti (most powerful card which will fit with the existing PSU’s capabilities)

    • GTX 950 (may be able to get away with using the existing PSU, but would recommend upgrading it for optimal performance)

    • GTX 960  (will need to upgrade the PSU)

    • GTX 970  (will need to upgrade the PSU)
    • GTX 980  (will need to upgrade the PSU)

 

    • AMD Radeon R9 380

This isn’t an all-inclusive list as other graphics cards will fit in the case physically.

If you need some guidance on installing a new graphics card and power supply, check out this great video on Youtube.

 

Power Supplies for the ASUS M32CD

To upgrade to one of the higher end cards, you’ll need an upgraded power supply. Check out these two popular, low cost power supply options.

If you’re looking to go for a GTX950 or GTX960, go for the EVGA 500W W1 – Check it out on Amazon here. You might even just get away with a GTX970 on this power supply but it would be right on the edge of the Power supply’s limits.

If you’re aiming more high end nVidia like the GTX970, GTX980 or GTX980ti aim for an even larger power supply such as the ThermalTake 650w – See it here on Amazon.

If you need more ideas on budget gaming PCs, don’t forget to check out our gaming PC builds section.

ASUS M32CD Specifications

Model Number:

M32CD-US003T/ 32CD-AS51

Operating System:

Windows 10 Home

CPU:

6th Generation Intel i5-6400 Quad-Core 2.7 GHz processor (turbo to 3.3GHz), LGA1151

Graphics:

On-board graphics adapter model: Intel HD Graphics 530

On-board graphics adapter outputs supported: DisplayPort, Embedded DisplayPort (eDP), DVI, HDMI

On-board graphics adapter base frequency: 350 MHz

Can handle output of 4096 x 2304 pixels – which means it can safely run 4K resolution.

Motherboard:

The motherboard used in the M32CD is a proprietary H110-M OEM Desktop Motherboard by Asus which is not available for individual purchase.

The model number is: H110-M/M32CD/DP_MB

Chipset: Intel H110 Express

The below information is taken from here under the “H110M-PLUS D3” heading; under the assumption that the boards are similar.

Memory: 2 x DIMM, max. 32GB DDR3, 1866(OC)MHz

PCIe slots: 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x 16

Output Support: HDMI/DVI/VGA

Audio: Realtek ALC887

Gigabit LAN: 1 (Realtek)

SATA: 4 x SATA 6Gbit/s

USB: 2 x USB3.1 Gen 2 Type-A  4xUSB 3.0

Back I/O ports:

2 x USB 2.0
1 x HDMI-Out
1 x VGA(D-Sub)-Out
2 x USB 3.1
2 x USB 3.0
1 x RJ45 LAN
3 x Audio Jack: Side Speaker, Rear Speaker, C/Sub Speaker
1 x Line in
1 x Line out
1 x Microphone

 

Front I/O Ports:

2 x USB 3.0
1 x 5-in-1 Card Reader
1 x Headphone
1 x Microphone

 

Memory:

Internal memory: 1 x  8 GB DDR3L-SDRAM  1600MHz  (M32CD-US003T)

The M32CD-AS51 model number has DDR4 RAM instead of DDR3.

Storage:

Total storage capacity: 1000 GB, Storage media: HDD, Hard drive interface: Serial ATA III. 7200rpm

Power Supply:

286W (350W Peak)

Wireless:

Integrated Realtek 8821 AE Wireless LAN 802.11ac  (takes up 1 mini PCIe x1 port)

Bluetooth 4.0

Optical Drive:

Integrated 24X DVD-RW Drive

Dimensions/Weight:

6.9 (W) x 15 (H) x 16 (D) inches

18.3 pounds

 

The official VivoPC M32CD manual can be found here.

 

Summary

The M32CD desktop computer is a great mid-range computer which will suit the everyday user, and also can be a good option for gamers (with a few tweaks). The obvious flaw is the lack of a dedicated graphics card, but this is only going to be an issue for serious gamers.

The i5 processor will give you decent performance for the foreseeable future. The combination of peripherals, in-built wireless and bluetooth connectivity, and 8GB RAM all make this computer extremely versatile and it forms an excellent base computer if you are thinking of upgrading individual parts within it in the near future.

Click here to check out the M32CD on Amazon

102 Comments

  1. Hello!

    I’m looking to put a GTX 750i in for starters, and try that for a while to see if I will need more. Can I purchase any GTX 750i 2gb from any maker? Such as MSI, ASUS, or Nivida? Is there a difference between any of the makers? And once I install it, do I have to do anything to make sure it works, like install drivers or recognize it on the PC or something along those lines? Thank you!!

    -ebban

    • Hi Ebban,

      Any maker is fine. Essentially they all just assemble the same core components as specified by Nvidia. They will change the layout and fan but nothing too critical to performance. The 750ti is still a fine choice but you may also want to look at the more modern 1050ti or 1050 if it’s in your budget.

      As for drivers, yes. You will need to install the Nvidia Geforce drivers which sometimes come on a CD with the card or are available for download from their website.

  2. Hi!

    It seems like I must upgrade my internal memory. I have a asus desktop pc m32cd_a_f_k20cd_k31cd. Today I have 8 GB memory but woud prefere the double capacity for being able to run Lightroom and Photoshop more smoothly. Which type of internal memory do I have and which type of internal memory suits my desk top if I will upgrade from 8 GB to 16GB?

    • Hi Jörgen,

      I believe the memory in that model M32CD is DDR4, but you can also confirm this by checking any markings on the side of the RAM stick itself (you’ll need to open the computer case to access it). Usually DDR3 or DDR4 will be written on the memory stick itself, or otherwise, there should be a particular model number on the RAM that you can google to find out further specifications. It’s worth checking in person as the exact hardware may vary between different model offerings.

      Once you’ve determined if it is DDR3 or DDR4 RAM, you can simply shop online for a single 8 GB stick that is suitable. Ideally, if you were starting out with a new build, you would want to aim for getting a ‘kit’ of two matching 8GB sticks – however in this case since you already have an 8GB stick that you can use so you can opt for just purchasing an additional single stick.

      Basically, when it comes to matching RAM sticks, there is some leeway and typically there won’t be a noticeable performance impact unless you have two RAM sticks that have vastly different speeds or something like that.

      To play it safe, check the specifications of the existing RAM stick that you have, and purchase something that is similar in speed (e.g. if your existing RAM is 2400MHz, then get a stick that is also 2400MHz). Here are some potential 8GB DDR4 sticks on Amazon.

  3. Hi there~
    I got the m32cd-my012t model. It has i5-6400, I have decided to put in a gigabyte Aorus rx 580 gpu, what power supply should I upgrade? Do I need a new case? Thanks a lot!

    • Hi Henery,
      Nice! The recommended power supply size for the RX 580 is 500W (see here, under ‘specifications’ > ‘Requirements’).

      The EVGA 500W power supply we recommended in this post should work fine for this, but if you do plan on upgrading the PC in the future you may want to oversize it – have a play around with this power supply calculator to get a better idea if you want.

  4. Have had a recent string of bad luck with desktops. Suspect The problem is the external power so I bought an APC for better protection. Now starting on trying to repair some of the casualties.
    My ASUS M32CD had started faulting after 10 or 12 hours of use showing a no video vertical “herringbone” pattern on the monitor The time to produce the pattern has grown shorter and shorter and the computer now shuts itself off after a few minutes. Has anyone ever seen this symptom and knows the cause?

    • Sounds like the computer is either shutting down completely or otherwise just shutting down the video output to your monitor. You could try running a diagnostic tool like the PassMark one which could hopefully give you some extra information.

      You basically to run tests that will check the hardware components specifically, to see if any have been damaged. For example, an individual hardware component (like memory, for instance) may be failing and then triggering the rest of the computer to fail.

      The hardware diagnostic tools may not always pick up on a problem if one exists (i.e. the checks may come up as fine even though there is a problem with say, your motherboard), but if they do flag an issue then that can be a bit of a shortcut in the troubleshooting process.

      HW Monitor is another software tool that we’d recommend to allow you to monitor hardware temperatures and should give some insight into if a particular component is overheating and shutting down.

      If there were problems with the external power supply, then it could potentially have damaged the power supply in your PC or maybe even further components like the motherboard (hopefully this is not the case). Have a go at running some of the diagnostic tools and see how you go, or if you need further help let us know – good luck!

  5. Is the optical drive bay a 5.25″ or a smaller slimline profile (in case I want to upgrade to Blu Ray)? Also, it doesn’t appear that the mobo has any M.2 ports, so I assume I’d have to use one of the open SATA ports to install an SSD. Will the BIOS support booting from an SSD? Is there an open bay in the case to install a 2.5″ SSD, and will I need a 3.5″ adapter to do it?

    • Hi Steve,
      There is a DDR4 RAM version of the M32CD available, so we’d recommend you get that if you’re considering purchasing.

      From the versions we’ve seen the optical drives have been a standard 5.25″ size.

      The motherboard doesn’t have M.2 ports so you’re correct in that you’ll need to run it off one of the SATA ports on the motherboard and you’ll also need a 3.5″ adapter or 5.25″ adapter to mount the drive. Alternatively, you could get creative with some cable ties to mount the SSD in the existing bay.

      The BIOS (UEFI) should be able to support booting from an SSD (it would just appear as any other SATA drive would).

  6. Hello, I was wondering because I already upgraded and put a second stick of ram giving me a total of 16 gigabytes, but i’m not sure if this motherboard supports 24 or even 32, and which kind of ram at that. If anyone can help I would like to upgrade my ram to 24 or possibly 32. Any help is appreciated.
    -Thanks!

    • Hi Dominic, this is a tricky one. ASUS have used several slightly different motherboard models during their production of the M32CD so it’s difficult to say what your maximum supported memory is without knowing the exact motherboard in your system. Everything we’ve seen suggests many support only up to 16GB while others as much as 32GB.

      Why are you looking to add more memory? For most users 16GB will be more than enough for typical workloads and gaming. Unless you’re doing some very serious video editing or running VMs then I imagine you would be fine with 16GB. If you’re not using all of the RAM you have currently then adding more won’t provide you with any performance benefits.

      If you do still want to upgrade then take a look at an earlier comment we left back in February on the same topic: http://www.pcbuildadvisor.com/asus-m32cd-review/#comment-2510
      As per that comment, I do suggest you contact ASUS with your serial number aa they should be able to give you a definite answer.

  7. Hi there –

    If I were to add a MSI Computer Video Graphic Cards GeForce GTX 1050 TI GAMING X 4G to this system would I need to add a case fan also? If I do would there still be enough power to run both without switching the power source?
    Thanks for your help.

    • Hi Tim,

      The GTX 1050 Ti is an excellent graphics card and offers great value for money. Unfortunately, I think it will draw slightly too much power for the stock M32CD power supply safely. I would recommend upgrading the power supply at the same time to something like this:

      EVGA 500W W1

      The GTX 1050 Ti doesn’t generate a huge amount of heat so adding a new case fan isn’t a strict requirement but it’s always good to add a bit more airflow.

      A Coolermaster Sickleflow fan is decent, low cost, low noise fan. You definitely wont have any issues running the fan with the new power supply as they only draw a very small amount of power.

  8. I have an extra ASUS 980-TI Strix and an extra Seasonic x850, and I am trying to find a decent basic PC to upgrade with them so my wife can have a halfway decent gaming computer. Will this case fit that card and power supply, or do you have a better suggestion? Trying to build this for under or around $500, but having a rough time finding a case large enough without scratch building.

    • Hi Dave,

      The standard GTX 980 ti is 10.5 inches long but I’m not sure about the ASUS Strix version – I recommend measuring it and comparing to the M32CD measurements.

      In the M32CD the graphics card should find beneath the HDD tray (see the video in the body of our article) meaning you can utilize the full depth of the case for the card. I only have the M32CD outside dimensions on hand which shows 16 inches overall. So even allowing a couple of inches for the front bezel and one or two for the back I believe you’ll be able to squeeze in a card up to around 12 inches into the case.

      I think the M32CD is still a solid option for your build. There are some newer builds coming out with the new series of Intel CPUs (Kaby Lake). There’s not a huge amount of improvement in terms of performance – they’re just newer. We haven’t yet performed an in depth review of these so can’t give you many details unfortunately.
      The Asus version with the new Kaby lake CPUs is a bit above your $500 budget.
      Acer make one too and it’s more affordable but the case doesn’t look suitable for larger cards.

      I can recommend you several good cheap cases that can fit large cards if you decide to go down the build-from-scratch route too, just let me know.

  9. Hey thanks for this post it has helped a lot upgrading my PC. I’m looking to do a case swap and have considered getting a new motherboard, any suggestions? I upgraded my Power supply to a 550w, added another 8gb of ram, put in a SSD, a 960 gtx and two fans. Looking for a case with top side USB ports. Any suggestions on that and the motherboard would be appreciated! Also I considered going from the 960 to the 980 do you think it would be worth while?

    • Hi David, glad we could help you out!

      First up, the graphics card. It depends on why you want to upgrade. Are there games you can’t play with the GTX 960? Unless you’re looking to play on the highest possible settings then I think the 960 is still a very good card. However, if you do want to upgrade I’d skip the GTX 980 and get a newer card. While the GTX 980 is a better card than the GTX 960 it is a generation behind now. Take a look at the 10XX series of Nvidia cards or the RX5XX series of AMD cards.

      For example:
      The GTX 1060 will give you around the same performance as a GTX 980 (or very slightly less) but is far cheaper.

      The RX 580 performance and cost is similar to the GTX 1060.

      The GTX 1070 will perform much better than the GTX 980 for around the same price and uses a little less power too.

      The Motherboard: Unless you plan to overclock or change to a different chipset for some reason I don’t think it’s worthwhile to change the motherboard. Typically you would only change the motherboard if you wanted to move up to a newer generation of CPU. Even the latest generation of Intel CPUs (Kaby Lake) don’t perform a whole lot better than your generation of CPU (Skylake) and they fit into most Skylake motherboards if the manufacturer has released a BIOS update (which you would need to do first). In short, I wouldn’t bother changing your motherboard yet.

      The Case: This mostly comes down to personal preference. I recently built a PC for someone with a Corsair like this one.

      It’s excellent value for money and I found it very nice to work with. Plenty of space to hide cables and nice top mount USBs and power button.

  10. I Have This Pc and i enjoy it added a gtx 950 ftw and its great but was wondering if i can change the cpu to a 6700k or 7700k and also a gtx 1080 card. I am already planning on upgrading the ps as well.

    • Hi Matt,

      Yes, you can upgrade the CPU to the i7 6700k however I would recommend only getting the the 6700 (Non K version) to save yourself some money. The K versions are unlocked to allow overclocking however the the motherboard in the M32CD will not have all the necessary features to overclock.

      As for the 7000 series CPUs, these are known as “Kaby Lake”, the next generation after “Skylake”. Basically, these are the newer generation of Intel processors. These newer CPUs SHOULD work in the M32CD but the motherboard will need to have it’s BIOS updated first to recognise them. It’s a reasonably simple process but I haven’t personally tested it for this model. To be safe, you might want to choose the i7 6700 for ease of upgrade.

      As for the graphics card, yes you should be able to upgrade to the 1080 but you will definitely need a bigger power supply than the stock M32CD PSU. I’d recommend aiming for a good 650w to give you plenty of headroom but you could get by on a 500w if it’s of good quality. EVGA have a 700w for a great price at the moment but any of the major brands will work, just look for the 80+ certification.

  11. Just bought this computer, model M32CD-B12, and I am not a gamer but I want the best picture I can get. Is there a graphics card that is better than what comes in this that will give the best HD video without changing anything else

    • Hi Jerry,

      If you’re not playing games and just wanting to watch HD videos (1920×1080 resolution) then the integrated graphics in the M32CD will be more than enough. Unless you plan on doing some serious gaming or running multiple very high resolution monitors I would stick with what it has.

      I think you’re best value upgrade for picture quality would be a good quality monitor if you don’t already have one.

      • Just got here trying to find a motherboard manual, BUT looks like it’s an OEM board.

        But since I’m here, I got to say, I’ve had an excellent time using my MC32CD (6700/16 GB variant).

        There is a 500W PSU included with this unit from Delta, from what I hear they are a solid PSU manufacturer, however for power savings I’d still replace it since it doesn’t seem to have any 80 Plus certification.

        The R7 370 GPU also seems to be a custom ASUS card too, I haven’t seen any reference to what it’s called, although it does have a nice little GPU cage, I’ll play around with it and see if I can get it to work with other GPU’s

        • Thanks for the info Ali.

          That’s great that yours came with a 500w power supply, I personally haven’t seen those variants yet. When did you buy yours?

          With a 500w it allows you upgrade the graphics card very easily if you feel the need to.

          Thanks for stopping by.

  12. Good morning, I see that you advise that the GE 750 TI is the biggest graphics card we can put in a m32CD Asus. I see so many different ones on the website and they all seem to have different specs? Can you advise the biggest GE 750TI that I can use?
    Thanks!

    • Hi Clint,

      The m32CD case has a decent amount of space for graphics cards. Now that the new GTX 10 series cards have come down in price I would recommend that you look at a GTX 1050 in place of the GTC 750 ti.

      As you may know, the GTX 750 ti is a very popular upgrade in this PC since it has a low power consumption of 60W. The GTX 1050 outperforms the GTX 750 ti in terms of gaming performance and also has a low power consumption of 75W. The GTX 1050 cards are also very small in size so you should have no concerns of space.

      EVGA GTX 1050

  13. Hi I’m Jade.

    I got the i.3 6100 and I’m planning to upgrade it. Which processor would I get? Is the i.5 and i.7 will work in the motherboard? And also, Im planning to upgrade the vcard, and my friend recommend the rx 480 8g, will this work? What else do i have to change or to add up.

      • Hi Jade,

        The i3 is not a bad processor but if you find it restricting then yes, a “Skylake” series i5 or i7 will be a perfect upgrade. These are the 6000 series Intel CPUs, e.g. i5-6500 or i7-6700 processors. Unless you’re doing some very CPU intensive tasks such as massive batches of video encoding, compiling code or heavy video editing then the i7 is probably not required. I would recommend that you go for an i5 6500 CPU for your upgrade.

        As for the graphics card, the AMD RX 480 your friend has recommended is a great card and is very good value. However, you may want to wait out for the new AMD RX 580 coming out soon which promises to improve on an already great card. If you’re interested in the Nvidia equivalent, the GTX 1060 is around the same performance and price range.

        To support these graphics cards you will need to upgrade the power supply, especially for the AMD RX 580. I’d recommend a good quality 500W for the GTX 1060 or the RX 480 and a 600W for the RX 580.

        As for a case, any good quality case that you like the look of will work. The key features to look for are graphics card space, fan filters to keep the dust out and cable management. I really like the Fractal Design Define R5, but that might be stretching the budget a bit. Check out our pre-built systems for some case ideas.

  14. Is there a limit to the size of an internal HDD upgrade?

    I’m hoping to add an 8TB drive. Maybe another 8TB in future.

    Thank you.

    • Hi Ray,
      There are no limits on the data size of HDD upgrades, the only limitation you’ll run up against is the number of physical SATA ports (i.e. the port on the motherboard where you’ll need to connect the hard drive to). The M32CD has 4 x SATA ports on the motherboard, but bear in mind that 2 ports will already be occupied by the stock optical drive and the stock hard drive already. This leaves you two spare SATA ports to connect an additional two drives of your choice.

  15. I’ve had this machine a little over a year now and it has been fantastic as built. The info on this site has been really helpful for GPU and power supply upgrades (I’m going Radeon RX 480 with a 550W PS upgrade).

    There seems to be some conflicting info as to the max amount of system RAM the M32CD can handle. I understand there are a couple of different versions of this PC – I have the i5-6400 Skylake CPU @ 2.7Ghz that came with a single stick of 8GB DDR3L memory. I want to max out the memory, but the specs on some sites say the mobo will only support up to 16GB, a few others claim 32GB (which I do not need now, but would be awesome down the road). The ASUS web site offers no clues to what it will support. Does anyone have a clear answer on this? Maybe the DDR4 version goes up to 32GB, I don’t know?

    • Hey Matt, glad to hear you are happy with this PC, and that you’ve found our info useful!

      The correct information regarding the maximum memory supported by the machine will depend on the motherboard model. From what we understand, ASUS have used a OEM board (i.e. one they’ve specifically produced for prebuilt PC’s like this one, and is not commercially available on it’s own). That’s why there is limited information about it, and you probably won’t be able to find a manual online. Your best bet to find out this information may be to call up ASUS product support and chase the info that way.

      That being said, in our experience it’s not necessary to max out system memory to say 32GB, unless you are doing some very intensive processing or have a specialist application. In most normal cases, even 16GB is typically overkill and you’ll most likely be bottlenecked by other hardware before your RAM, so it gets to the point where you may as well save your money to put towards something else which will yield a more tangible performance boost.

      I’d say have a chat to an ASUS rep if you really want to know, but all information we’ve seen so far indicates that the motherboard on this PC can expand to at least 16GB, which is in all reality probably going to be as much as you’ll ever need.

      Hope this helps!

  16. Hello from Greece

    I have found this unusual model at a very good price in my country which comes with a GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M in addition to the integrated one.
    The systems specs:
    Asus VivoPC M32CD-UK050T (i5-6400/8GB/1TB/GeForce GTX 950M/W10)

    1) Will its existing PSU be enough for this graphic card?
    2) I do moderate graphic design but for many years i owned an old crappy pc. Has this model ( with a RAM and SSD upgrade of course ) the capabilities to handle basic to moderate graphic design? (Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, After Effects)
    Thanks in advance,
    Alex

    • Another thing to mention is that this model comes with DDR4 2133 RAM. I think its an all around excellent choice for a low budget but the only thing that concerns me is the 2,7 Ghz processor. I dont know if its going to struggle or not with the designing programs that i mentioned.

      Again, thanks in advance for any input

    • Hi Alex,

      That is a very strange graphics card indeed. The M version of the Nvidia cards are the “Mobile” version for laptops – not sure if this is an error in the ad. Either way, if they’re selling the card in the computer with the power supply then it should work and come with a warranty. Also, the GTX 950 can normally squeeze into a PC with a 350w power supply.

      As for graphic design and video rendering I don’t think you could get much better at this price point that the specs you’ve mentioned here. I wouldn’t worry too much about the CPU frequency – there’s much more to CPU performance these days than how many GHz you can get out. The i5-6400 is a great CPU and the only improvement you’ll see from a higher end CPU with more cores or more threads (Hyperthreading) would be faster video rendering times. I don’t think this would impact your work too greatly.

  17. If you want to install an MSI GeForce GTX 1060 DirectX 12 3G, would you have to get a new fan? And if so, which one would you recommend?

  18. Note that I have two of these machines and the power button on the front of the case has broken on both of them. I have managed to kludge one of them back together; I now need to fix the other.

  19. I am looking to get either a gtx 1050 ti or amd rx 470 for this computer. I want to know which one would be better and do I need to upgrade the psu to a 500 watt? thanks

    • Hi Sean,
      Both are great graphics card choices mate, but a resource we like to use to help evaluating between different cards is a benchmark comparison. According to that, the RX 470 has a better score, however you might also want to consider things like the feature sets that each card has. For example, the GTX being an nVidia card has a feature called ShadowPlay, which may be really useful if you do any amount of gameplay recording or live streaming (both with minimal impact to in-game FPS), or even just want an FPS counter overlay on screen. I’m not sure of AMD card’s features off the top of my head, but it’s something you may want to look into.

      Regarding the power supply upgrade, yes I’d recommend you upsize your PSU along with the graphics card. For the GTX 1050 Ti you could probably get away with the stock PSU (recommended system power is 300W), but the recommended system power for the RX 470 is 450W according to this page.

      If you are going to upgrade the power supply, I’d recommend upsizing to allow a bit of headroom for any future upgrades you might decide on at a later date. The 500W EVGA would be a good option.

      To sum up, I’d say go with the GTX 1050 Ti if you fancy the ShadowPlay feature and don’t have the money for a power supply upgrade, otherwise the RX 470 does offer a little better performance but you’d be looking at upgrading your PSU. Don’t forget that both are great cards though so you can’t really go wrong 🙂

          • Hi Peter,

            Yes the GTX 1050 ti is compatible and a great choice of graphics card. It is a low power drawing card (around 75w) but this will put the system right on the limits of what the stock power supply can handle. To be safe, I recommend upgrading the power supply to a 500w unit as these can be purchase for a very reasonable price at the moment.

  20. hi there,
    thanks so much for the report and video. it really helped me understanding what are the pros and cons of this particular desktop computer. now i have one question. for the M32CD-UK033T model with i7 6700, 16 gb ddr4 ram, 2 tb sshd drive… i would like to upgrade it with a new 1070 graphics unit. would a 500 watt psu enough for this beast? and which cooling device would you recommend for that?
    thanks in advance and greetings from germany
    Hendrik

    • Hi Hendrik! Glad we could help.

      To be honest, you can get away with running the gtx1070 from a 500w power supply if the quality of the supply is decent. Don’t get a no name, cheap power supply. Look for a power supply with a 80+ rating – ideally Silver or better but a bronze will be ok. Nvidia themselves recommend a 500w power supply on their specifications page: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/10series/geforce-gtx-1070

      Of course, this all depends on what else you plan to run on your computer. Every extra stick of memory, extra case fan and each hard drive will use more power. My recommendation would be to go a little bigger, 550w or 600w would be sufficient. You don’t want to plug in a second hard drive a year from now and find out you need to buy another power supply.

  21. Hi, I own this pc and I would like to add a GTX 750ti, or GTX 950, or something similar. I may end up not being able to fit a PSU upgrade in the budget, but I’m not sure I would want to take such a risk. I am curious however, if I were to remove the optical drive that is included in this pc, would that give the stock PSU any extra overhead for a GPU, and if so, to what degree?

    • Hi Isaiah,

      The optical drive will only really draw power while being used so removing it won’t have much impact on your power consumption.

      As mentioned, the GTX950 may run with your current power supply and could be worth trying. However, since it’s right on the limits of the graphics card’s power requirements, the card may scale back the performance in games or even crash out of games / restart the system. The power supply may run a little hotter since it’s running near 100% which can shorten it’s lifespan. Typically, this won’t damage the graphics card as they tend to include safety nets for these types of incidents. For example, the “scaling back the performance” I mentioned is usually caused by the graphics card lowering it clock speed to reduce the amount of power required. Despite these safety nets, it’s still not guaranteed to be safe to run with an under-powered power supply.

      I think the best way to go is to wait a little longer and upgrade the power supply at the same time. For that card, I recommend the excellent value
      EVGA W1 500.

      There’s a few GTX 950 on sale on Amazon at the moment, hopefully these reduce the cost for you and make some more room in the budget for the power supply!

      Asus GTX 950

      EVGA GTX 950

  22. I tried to change ddr4 12gb of ram in m32cd ,i7-6700. On PNY Anarchy 16gb ddr4 , my computer won’t load . Original memory info is… SKhynix- 8GB 2Rx8 PC4-2133P-UB0-10, HMA41GU6AFR8N-TF N0 AC 1538 , help me to upgrade my PC from 12gb to 16gb.

    • Hi Vadim,

      Can you please clarify the exact current memory configuration and upgrade you’re attempting?

      You mention you currently have 12GB of memory and the original memory is SKHynix 8GB HMA41GU6AFR8N-TF. Are you running another 4GB DIMM with this for a total of 12GB?

      Which exact memory are you upgrading with? I.e., what is the model number of the PNY memory you’re using?

      Are you attempting to mix different brands, for example, 1 DIMM of PNY and 1 DIMM of SKHynix? This typically does work however it can depend on the motherboard. I would suggest trying to boot the computer with just the new memory to confirm it works.

      Also, ensure the memory is slotted in correctly. It should clip all the way down with the lever locking into the groove on the side of the card. Take a look at this video for some close-ups of this process.

      Edit: Lastly, when you say your computer won’t load, do you see or hear anything? If there is a memory error, most motherboards will generate a series of beeps. These beeps or beep codes can be referenced against the manual to find the cause of the issue. In your case, if you’re hearing beeps it would most likely mean a memory or memory installation error.

  23. I just recently bought the M32 and I have found it to be a serious upgrade over my older desktop. I am currently considering putting a graphic card inside but I’m unsure if the EVGA GeForce GTX 950 DirectX 12 02G-P4-1953-KR 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 SLI Support Video Card (Sorry not sure how to link the card) will fit inside the case. I am also aware it will need an upgrade PSU and I’m going with the EVGA 500W. I just want to make sure the graphics card I picked out will fit in the case without any issues.

    • Hey David,

      Excellent choice, and glad to hear that you are noticing the performance improvements! Adding in a new graphics card will definitely give you a huge performance boost again especially if you are doing any form of gaming with recent titles.

      The GTX 950 is a solid choice. It sounds like this particular card you are looking at with a length of 10.1 inches, in which case you’ll have no issues fitting it in the case.

      If you check out the video on how to upgrade the power supply and graphics card which is in the body of this post, you should be able to get a good idea of the process (the graphics card which is installed in that video looks to be the Sapphire Radeon HD6870, which is about 11.5 inches long, to give you an idea of space available).

      Good luck – let us know how it goes if you get the chance!

  24. Hi
    My name is Art.
    I have a m32 but with a core i7 6700cpu and 12 gigs of ram from factory.
    Lightning shut it down last night so I will try changing the power supply but I will upgrade it to a asus 1070 strix model gpu. alledgedly one of the best out there. Do you think a 500watt power supply will work?
    What do you expect the improvements will be>
    Will they be significant enough to justify the extra parts.
    I just hope the lightning only took out the power supply.

    • Hi Art,

      First of all, we’d recommend you get yourself a surge-protected power board like this one so that the lightning issue doesn’t happen again.

      There is a possibility that the lightning could have damaged more than just the power supply (though hopefully not!!).

      It would probably be best to just change the power supply first, testing for a few weeks to ensure there are no issues, before proceeding with the graphics card upgrade.

      A 500W supply is the recommended size for use with the 1070 card, but we always like to recommend a little bigger to give yourself some room for peace of mind and flexibility for future upgrades etc. We’d be going with a 600W if it was us.

      The GTX 1070 is an awesome card and quite new. If you are going from an onboard graphics setup, you will definitely see a MASSIVE improvement in gaming performance (especially since you are not really limited from your CPU or RAM), so it will be money well spent. Expect to see smoother gameplay, higher framerates, and you should be able to play games on high/max settings.

      Good luck!

    • Hi Titus,
      There is a spot for a case fan on both the front and rear of the case, which can also be seen in the post’s video showing the upgrade of the power supply and graphics card. 120mm is a standard fan size, but just to be sure you might want to measure the size of the mounting holes on the case before purchasing the extra fans.

      I believe there is only one header on the motherboard for powering a case fan, which means that you’ll have to supply the second fan off the power supply directly. Most fans will come with an molex adaptor for this (looks like this for a single version, or you may even want to get a splitter version like this to power both fans off the power supply directly). Check that it’s included in whichever fan you intend to purchase.

  25. I’m looking to purchase the M32 Asus from Bestbuy (looks like a more advanced desktop as it has i7 and some SSD HD) was wondering if the process would be the same. looking to add a PSU and new graphics card GFX 1060. also, would I need to install a new cooler/fan? thanks for the help!

    • Hi DDH, usually the manufacturer’s like to swap out components within the chassis to give upgraded offerings, which sounds like what you’re seeing here.

      The good news is that yes, the process for upgrading the power supply and adding a new graphics card would be the same. We would recommend an additional case fan if there is room available on the case; this will help with ventilation for the graphics card and keep your system running cool.
      Let us know if you have any further questions!

      • Hi.

        Since I have since HP desktops that are preinstalled with win10 have win10 dvd also so
        Please tell me whether Windows 10 DVD is included with this package in ASUS or not?

        • Hi Neeraj,
          This package offered from Amazon does come with Windows 10 home preinstalled, but generally these days many computers don’t ship with the actual physical CD/DVD disk (it’s usually a pre-installed package that just requires a few final pieces of information for you to enter before the full setup is complete).

          It might be worth checking with the particular seller or whoever you plan to purchase this machine from as it may be possible to include the physical DVD as an option.

  26. Thanks for posting this! I just bought a M-32cd and bought a new ssd, new powersupply and plan to install a gtx980ti. because of your post, I went ahead and bought all the parts. thanks again!

    • Very nice Jay, this will definitely make this computer pretty beastly! Very solid choice with the SSD and graphics card upgrade. Just make sure the power supply size you get is big enough for the graphics card at least 600W. Have you already purchased the GTX980Ti?

  27. Hi. If it is okay, I would like to ask some questions to better my knowledge before buying this PC. First, I am planing on getting this PC, along with a GTX 750 Ti graphics card and a snowball microphone. Will I be able to add the graphics card without having to update the power supply as well? Second, will this PC be able to run games like Star wars: The Old Republic, DC Universe Online, and World of Warcraft? Third, will I be able to use the microphone listed above with this PC? Fourth, will I be able to record gameplay of the games mentioned earlier. Fifth, while not necessary, can this computer run programs such as MikuMikuDance and Blender? And sixth, again while not necessary, can this video watch and do livestreams? Sorry for the long-windedness of this and I thank you in advance for answering my questions.

    • Hey Amanda, glad to see you’re considering the M32CD, we think it’s a very good choice in terms of value for money. The processor that you get is very recent and will perform really well. If you put in the GTX 750 Ti graphics card, you’ll definitely be able to play those games you mentioned and meet or exceed the recommended optimum system requirements for each of them.

      The minimum power supply requirement of the GTX 750 Ti is listed as 300W, and the power supply in the M32CD is rated at 286W (but has a peak rating of 350W for 30 seconds) so it’s right on the limit, you could possibly get away with it (we have read reports of people running this card successfully in the M32CD without a power supply upgrade). Ideally we would recommend to put in a bigger power supply to be safe (such as the 500W EVGA). Symptoms of an undersized power supply can take the form of random reboots or sometimes you might get a warning pop up, or your display might turn off. Power usage is very variable and depends on what the computer is doing at any given point in time, and if you have external devices plugged in as well. There are a few power supply calculators out there if you want to check them out. Note that DDR4 RAM has a slightly lower power consumption than DDR3 so you might want to grab that version of the M32CD.

      If you are going to go the route of upgrading the power supply, and really want to futureproof your computer then you could possibly consider the GTX 950 graphics card. It’s a little more expensive than the GTX 750 Ti but is a more recent card so performs better as well (see this benchmark comparison).

      You shouldn’t have any issues connecting and using a snowball microphone. Recording gameplay should not be a problem, actually some nVidia cards have a free feature called ‘ShadowPlay‘ which will allow you to record gameplay with minimal impact on performance (less than 5%), including giving you the option to do instant live streaming to twitch. The good news is that ShadowPlay appears to be available for the GTX 750 Ti card.

      This PC exceeds the system requirements that we found listed online for MikuMikuDance so it should run it smoothly, and as for Blender, we were able to find this video on youtube that demos Blender using the GTX 750 Ti graphics card – this should give you some idea of what to expect!

      • Thank you so much for your feedback, it has helped me greatly. However, if it’s not too much trouble, I would like your help with one last thing.

        You see, I am stuck between choosing the AUSUS M32CD or the CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA3100A Gaming Desktop. If I were to get the ASUS I’d rather be safe than sorry, and get the 500W EVGA as well, like you said. This leads me to my predicament.

        Regardless of which PC I chose, I will get the exact same things with them( a GTX 750 Ti graphics card, a 500W EVGA power supply, a monitor, and a snowball microphone). I am planning to buy all this at Best Buy. Both the CyberpowerPC and the ASUS cost the exact same amount. And since all the items bought with it are the same, the purchases come out to the same amount. Because of this I am unsure of which to buy.

        So I ask you; using what I said in the first comment, what is the better buy for my needs? Sorry for the extremely long comment(I spaced it out to make it easier to read) and I thank you for your help.

        • Hi Amanda,

          If your choice comes down to the M32CD vs CyberpowerPC GUA3100A both with a 500W EVGA and GTX 750ti then the main difference is the CPU. The M32CD has an Intel i5-6400 which is all round a better CPU than the AMD FX-4300 which is in the GUA3100A. My vote is to go for the M32CD for this reason but either one will able to perform well for your needs.

          Other, possibly less important differences, will be the case, keyboard and mouse. These will mostly be down to personal preference rather than performance but are worth considering.

          Just to complicate things a little more 🙂 – you could take a look at the
          CyberpowerPC GUA3200Q. This PC is essentially the same as the GUA3100A that you’ve been looking at except it already comes with a GTX 950 graphics card which is better than the GTX 750ti. The power supply won’t be as high in quality as the EVGA that you plan to upgrade to but it will be powerful enough to run the GTX 950 it comes with. It costs about $150 more than the GUA3100A but since you shouldn’t need to upgrade anything it may end up cheaper.

          Whichever you choose I’m sure you’ll be happy with the performance. Let us know which one you go with and post some photos if you get the chance!

  28. Hi! So I own this computer and I bought it with the intention of getting a new graphics card and power supply. I just need help deciding which one! The only games I really play range from somewhat-demanding to not-demanding-at-all. League of Legends, Overwatch, etc. I just want constant 60 fps on Overwatch on high-medium graphics. Any ideas on what would be optimal for me? Thanks!

      • Hi Gareth,

        It depends on your budget and what resolution you want to play on. Let’s assume 1080p or 1440p for now.

        Graphics cards:

        The best option right now will be the brand new AMD RX 480. This is AMD’s new mid-high range card with a retail price of around $200 – excellent value. It’ll play Overwatch on Epic 1440p at just over 60FPS or Ultra 1440p at around 90FPS. At 1080p you’re looking at roughly 90FPS on Epic, 130FPS on Ultra. The downside to the RX 480 at the moment is that the retailers seem to be inflating price to over $300 due to the high demand. I’d recommend you wait for it to come down to $200 – $250 before you buy. Check out our article on the RX 480 here.

        Another option for the mid-high range is the GTX 970 – this card will perform at roughly the same level or a little less than the RX 480. The price of this card should start to fall to around $250 – $300 now that the GTX 1070 is out.

        If both of these cards a bit expensive at the moment take a look at the GTX 960 or the AMD 380X (about $180 – $220). Both can play at 60FPS average on Epic 1080p or 90FPS on Ultra 1080p for Overwatch. They can also manage around 60FPS on 1440p, but make sure you get the 4GB version of the cards.

        If your budget doesn’t allow the above, the GTX 950 will do the job at around $150 and get roughly 50 – 60FPS on Ultra 1080p so should hit your target of 60FPS+ on medium – high. This card may struggle a bit on 1440p or Epic settings though.

        Power supplies:

        The requirement here will depend on your choice of graphics card and its power consumption. A great choice that should fulfil the needs of just about any of the cards above is the EVGA 500W W1. It’s reliable and great value at around $40. If you’re leaning towards the RX480 or GTX 970 this power supply will do the job but I like to recommend a 600W to have a bit more headroom.

        SSD:

        I always like to recommend the Samsung Evo 850. It’s one of the best selling SSDs, it’s reliable, performs great and can be had for about $90 for the 250GB or around $150 for the 500GB.

        If budget’s tight, take a look at Kingston’s lower range. They won’t perform as well but you can get a 120GB for under $50 and it is still infinitely better than a regular hard drive. I’m actually using the Kingston HyperX Fury SSD in an old laptop and am quite happy with it.

        Fans:

        For case fans, I really like the Corsair Air series. They offer a good balance between noise and the amount of air they move and are available in a few colors.

      • Just to mention, I run a Geforce GT 630 with the m32cd pc. That’s with 16gb of DDR4 performance RAM, no PSU upgrade, No case fan or other compensation/modification. It runs buttery smooth and the monitors haven’t spiked or gotten near the danger zone. Granted it’s not a superbly new card, at 2GB of dedicated GPU memory, that along with the stock specs has been able to handle everything I’ve thrown at it. I’m not trying to play the newest, resource starving games on 4k obviously, but it doesn’t so much as hiccup putting it under heavy load while multitasking in photoshop and adobe CC suite. I can render 3d while running other applications and not overload the PSU or spike the temperature past a safe point. I can capture and process video without dropping frames or killing the other functions of the pc (within reason) I will amend my earlier assertion of no other modification though: I did activate the turbo boost in the BIOS/UEFI settings. Just the stock variety, no crazy overclocking or high risk modification. But just to show you, yet another power draining, heat generating demand boost on my part. An extra 8gb or RAM and the GT 630 aftermarket GPU….and I still haven’t had to worry about PSU or temperature.

        • Thanks for sharing this Nick! Very valuable info especially since it’s in the form of real-life results. It’s also great to see you’ve been monitoring temperatures as well and haven’t seen any issues.
          The GT 630 is an older card like you’ve mentioned, so it sounds like the value probably lies in that extra 2GB of GPU memory. Coupled with the extra 8GB of DDR4 RAM you should definitely expect smooth operation. Just out of interest, does the PSU in your unit match this one?

          Glad you’re happy with this PC and thanks again for reporting your experiences with it!

      • Hi Anthony,

        The RX 480 is a great mid-high range card. It will fit in the m32cd’s case and is compatible with the system except the power supply.

        The power supply that comes with the m32cd doesn’t quite have enough power for this card unfortunately. I’d recommend getting one of the 500w+ power supplies recommended in this post to go with the RX 480.

        Be sure to read our summary of the RX 480 here.

  29. Sorry,I keep reading about this Asus and I’ve found out from forums that there are problems with Bios.Do not update Bios!

    • Thanks Dan,

      There’s always a small amount of risk involved when updating a BIOS. If you have heard the saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, we think it applies to BIOS updates as well. The rule of thumb is to avoid updating your BIOS unless there is a specific reason or need to do so!

        • No, the Bios problem has not been solved. I had one of these brick on me on April 1, 2016. It’s currently in for RMA repair. The weird thing is I didn’t update the Bios, the computer did it automatically on April 1 and then never rebooted.

          • A little research into this issue has come up with multiple reports of running a BIOS update on the M32CD and bricking the PC. From our understanding the BIOS update is pushed to the computer by the ASUS Download Manager Utility that comes preinstalled on the system. Apparently ASUS pushed out an alert to run a corrupt BIOS update (possibly 0701) which was accompanied with a ‘critical alert’ message. Unfortunately this kind of wording can prompt many to click the ‘update’ button when they otherwise might not have.

            Our current recommendation is to uninstall or otherwise disable the ASUS Utility which provides the BIOS updates – you should be able to do so by going to Control Panel, Programs and Features, and removing/uninstalling the utility. It might be possible that you had set the Utility to update automatically. When it comes down to it, it’s not really necessary to update your BIOS unless you have a specific reason to do so (e.g. something is not working, hardware compatibility issue, etc). Furthermore, we would even recommend not automatically updating device drivers, e.g. graphics card drivers, network card drivers and the like. These devices are better off to be updated manually so you know exactly when they have been changed, allowing you to troubleshoot more effectively in cases where a problem might arise after the update.

  30. I forgot to specify Desktop PC ASUS M32CD-RO002D Intel® Core™ i5-6400 2.70GHz, 8GB, 1TB, DVD-RW, nVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 2GB, Free DOS,thanks .

  31. Hi from Romania,
    I intend to buy this pc(home use). Is it noisy ?Maybe for a couple of months it is silent,but after that I have doubts. Because the other option is Desktop PC Dell Inspiron 3650 Intel® Core™ i5-6400 2.70GHz, Skylake™, 8GB, 1TB, DVD-RW, NVIDIA GeForce GT 730, Microsoft Windows 10.And I know Dell is silent(I’m using Dell for 10 years).

    • Hi Dan,

      What one person defines as silent another may not :). For me, this PC is very quiet, and I have also seen a few other reviews where users have also commented on how quiet it runs. It has very few fans and a single hard drive which keeps the noise output low. Ambient room temperature can affect the noise output of all PCs since the CPU fan will spin fast as it gets hotter, so keep that in mind when searching.

  32. So I’m running into some difficulties. I used this page/video to install a new video card and power supply into my ASUS M32CD. I first installed a Corsair CX500. Then, I installed an EVGA GTX 550 Ti graphics card. Pretty sure I hooked up everything correctly. I connected my monitor to the graphics card via DVI. Then, when I turned on the PC, I couldn’t get a signal to my monitor. My friend said it might be because I never disabled the integrated graphics. So he said to take out the new video card I put in and then try booting up the PC. Didn’t work. Still can’t get a signal on my monitor. Then he said try to put in the original PSU (going back completely to the way it was originally setup). Still nothing. Then he said make sure that it is a full successful boot, and to verify that, try to hit the caps lock key on keyboard and see if the light in the corner goes on. And it didn’t. So I don’t know what could have possibly gone wrong. I hooked everything back the way it was, and it was running perfectly before all of this. By the way, I tried taking out the battery on the motherboard to reset BIOS, and that didn’t work either. Also, the processor fan is running. I just can’t get a signal to monitor/keyboard, etc. Please help me!

    • Hi Justin,

      There could be a few things wrong. Right off the bat I’d say to double check that the power supply is definitely connected correctly. I’ve seen many situations where the CPU’s 4 – 8 pin power has not been connected for instance.

      There is the possibility of ESD affecting the components but this is honestly pretty rare so let’s look at the other options first.

      You’ll need to work through all of the possibilities, starting from the ground up so apologies if any of these sound very basic. Even if you’re sure about some of these, it’s a good idea to double or triple check.

      For these checks, use the stock power supply and on board graphics.

      1. Ensure everything is plugged in and seated correctly.
      – Turn the power supply off at the wall and wait about 10 seconds for the power to drain out of the motherboard. Touch the case a few times throughout to ensure no static build up (again, pretty rare).
      – Check that you’ve connected the monitor, keyboard and mouse to the I/O panel correctly. (I know you’ve checked, just check again anyway.)
      – Check that the PSU cables are all connected correctly (as mentioned above). Pay particular attention here and ensure both motherboard connectors are connected correctly (at both ends if it’s modular). Sometimes the large connector can take a bit of force to click in properly and it may be necessary to support the motherboard from underneath to prevent bending it too severely.
      – Check that the RAM modules are seated correctly in-case they were worked loose somehow.
      – Ensure any other expansion cards are seated correctly.
      – Make sure all other cables such as HDD SATA and power (both ends), USB and other motherboard cables are connected correctly.
      – Look for loose screws in the case. Give it a very gentle shake and listen for a rattle – I’ve seen a loose screw get wedged in between the clear CMOS jumper before.
      – Unplug any USB sticks / USB HDDs.
      – I know you mentioned you pulled the CMOS battery – just make sure it’s seated correctly again.

      Once you’ve check all of the above, turn it on and listen for a POST (Power On Self Test) beep. It should be a single, short beep if it’s successful. If you hear a series of beeps or a longer continuous beep it can indicate a problem, these are known as beep codes. I’ve seen some motherboards which don’t have an on-board speaker for the POST beep which is a real pain and I can’t recall if the M32cd has one so let me know.

      Once you’ve tried these basic checks let me know the results and we’ll take a look at the next round of troubleshooting which would be a step-by-step elimination of each item in turn to identify if any particular part is causing a problem to the overall system. Good luck!

    • Yep, it’s pretty common for manufacturers to use purpose-built components in these kind of prebuilt machines, which means that the particular part number (in this case the motherboard) is not available to purchase on it’s own.

  33. Haven’t built it yet. Need more $$$. Will get photos after build is completed. Getting nvidia 970 and cs650 with this prebuilt.

    • Hi Jimmy,

      Yes, the 980ti will physically fit in the case but it may be a little difficult to get to the SATA connectors once the card is in. Which 980ti are you getting? I’d recommend something with a good cooler on it since the m32cd doesn’t have the best airflow. This EVGA card comes with a really good cooling system EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB SC+ GAMING ACX 2.0+. You should also look to fit an extra case fan to keep the temp inside the case down.

      Is This the power supply you’re getting? It should provide enough power and run fine but for that price I’d personally recommend one of the EVGA SuperNOVA range which are great power supplies.

      Let us know when you’ve completed your upgrade, It’d be great to see some photos of your build!

    • Hi Jimmy,

      It all comes down to the power supply. The M32CD case can physically fit the GTX980 (and other large cards) but the power supply cannot deliver enough power for the high end cards.

      So you have two options:

      1. Keep the existing power supply and choose a low-mid range card.
      If you plan to keep the stock power supply, the GTX750ti is probably your safest choice. The GTX950 will perform better in most games but is right at the limits of what the power supply can handle so I would still recommend upgrading the power supply for this card to be safe.

      2. Upgrade the power supply!
      If you replace the power supply with a more powerful unit, you can then upgrade to high end gaming cards like the GTX980 you mentioned.

      Here are some good, low cost power supplies to upgrade the M32CD:

      If you’re looking to go for a GTX950 or GTX960, go for the EVGA 500W W1 – Check it out on Amazon here. You might even just get away with a GTX970 on this power supply but it would be right on the edge of the Power supply’s limits.

      If you’re aiming more high end nVidia like the GTX970, GTX980 or GTX980ti aim for an even larger power supply such as the ThermalTake 650w – See it here on Amazon.

      If you’re interesting in building a low cost gaming PC, check out our gaming PC build guides and build a custom machine to suit! If you’re interested in high end cards like the GTX970 and GTX980 Have a look at the $800 build.

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