The ASUS P87I-PRO provides an interesting option for those looking to build a high-end mITX rig. Stacked with truly usable features that nearly any enthusiast is going to need and its super-capable 12+2 VRM design, the ASUS P87I-PRO seems poised to capture the market like no other can. It is currently decently priced, too, so you get a lot for your dollar, all in a size that is not much bigger than that proverbial paper dollar.

There is just something about mITX rigs that really appeals to me, especially considering the huge amount of computing power we can stuff into such tiny packages right now, and they barely consume any power. Pair this board up with the right VGA and you have a fantastic gaming build with nearly the smallest footprint possible, so small you can even find ways to mount builds using boards like this one right to the back of your monitor, making the actual footprint of such builds negligible. What is there not to like about that?

The ASUS P87I-PRO is going to meet the needs of most of us, and then some, but its overclocking performance with the most recent BIOS leaves me wanting for a bit more and makes me wonder why ASUS opted for such performance, or did I perhaps make a mistake while testing? Yet while it appears problematic, its performance is pretty decent overall, with the ASUS P87I-PRO offering some of the best drive performance I have seen yet. I can accept that this board is simply one full of features and convenience, and if you want to overclock it hard, you need to do so manually, without letting automatic settings hamper performance in favor of compatibility, which is possible with this board if you take your time. I can accept that since there is yet another ASUS mITX board sitting here on my shelf, with another approach to the mITX cadre. But that is for another day!