Question ASUS Prime B450M-A vs B450M-K? What is the difference? Also CSM?

[Queen_Skadi]

What are the differences between these qualifiers and what do they all mean? I know M is the form type but what A vs K? Also can anyone explain simply what CSM is and why I might need it? As far as I can tell it is something that allows you to boot legacy operating systems?

 

[Calvin7]

CSM - Wikipedia
You may want to start a search under the Computing section.

 

[drea.drechsler]

What are the differences between these qualifiers and what do they all mean? I know M is the form type but what A vs K? Also can anyone explain simply what CSM is and why I might need it? As far as I can tell it is something that allows you to boot legacy operating systems?

CSM can mean many things, as @Calvin7 's post suggests.

In respect to UEFI BIOS settings it refers to Compatibility Support Module. Booting with CSM enabled uses the conventional boot block method for booting the computer instead of the EFI partition. That means it blindly runs code that's been pre-installed in specified sectors, code that is commonly changed by trojans to do nothing more than encrypt the rest of your drive and inform you of who to pay a sum of money for the key to unencrypt it. Any modern utility, OS or application that needs it turned on should be carefully examined for need and origination before doing as it asks. Any legacy utility, OS or application that needs it should be replaced with a modern one.

CSM with respect to an ASUS motherboard is just some initials used in marketing for some motherboards tiered below ROG or TUF. Those initials might have meant something previously (ROG I think is for Republic of Gamers, but that's just words really) but now it's probably just marketing to delineate motherboard market segmentation.

 

[EchoAlva]

What are the differences between these qualifiers and what do they all mean? I know M is the form type but what A vs K? Also can anyone explain simply what CSM is and why I might need it? As far as I can tell it is something that allows you to boot legacy operating systems?

The difference between the A and K are, the -A one got 4 slot of dimm, the -K one only got 2 slot of dimm