Asus Z97-a

Product Description Introduction The wait is over and we can finally unleash the Z97 motherboards into the world. It seems quaint to imagine a new chipset and new CPU arriving together, as it’s been a while since the Intel release schedules have quite married up with the date of the motherboard releases. With the latest Z97s supporting the current LGA1150 ‘Haswell’ CPUs it gives us the perfect opportunity to refresh our test setup, see whether an old chip can bring out the best in this new generation. In a months time the new Intel CPUs will appear and these new Z97 boards will definitely get unleashed. So think of these as the friendlies before a World Cup. As always testing such a huge amount of hardware in the tiny window that we get between press samples getting released and the NDA date arriving is a team effort. It’s at times like this that we wish we had shares in the local Costa and if caffeine ever gets added to the banned substance list they’ll be an OC3D-led revolution. For you, our loyal readers, this means we know you’ll be devouring all of today’s reviews in one chunk, so we’ll do our very best to keep things brief and try not to duplicate too much PR-speak. We’ll start with the ASUS Z97A. The simple ‘A’ designation hints at the target audience for this particular motherboard. It’s not about the flash and flair, and an accompanying price premium for the aforementioned, but rather it’s about producing the ultimate value for money for the majority of users. Technical Specifications CPU Intel® Socket 1150 for the 5th/New 4th/4th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors Supports Intel® 22 nm CPU Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Chipset Intel® Z97 Memory 4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 3200(O.C.)/3100(O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2933(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2600(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory Dual Channel Memory Architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) Graphic Integrated Graphics Processor- Intel® HD Graphics support Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DVI-D/RGB/DisplayPort ports – Supports HDMI with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz – Supports DVI-D with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz – Supports RGB with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz – Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution 4960 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz Maximum shared memory of 512 MB Supports Intel® InTru™ 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider™ Supports up to 3 displays simultaneously DP 1.2 Multi-Stream Transport compliant, supports DP 1.2 monitor daisy chain up to 3 displays Multi-GPU Support Supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology Expansion Slots 2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x2 mode) 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 2 x PCI Storage Intel® Z97 chipset : 1 x SATA Express port, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports 1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2260/2280 storage devices support (PCIE mode) 4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Rapid Start Technology, Intel® Smart Connect Technology LAN Intel® I218V, 1 x Gigabit LAN, Dual interconnect between the Integrated Media Access Controller (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Gigabit Intel® LAN Connection- 802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) appliance Audio Realtek® ALC892 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC featuring Crystal Sound 2 – Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel MIC Jack-retasking Audio Feature : – Absolute Pitch 192kHz/ 24-bit True BD Lossless Sound – DTS Ultra PC II – DTS Connect – Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel – Audio Shielding: Ensures precision analog/digital separation and greatly reduced multi-lateral interference – Dedicated audio PCB layers: Separate layers for left and right channels to guard the quality of the sensitive audio signals – Audio amplifier: Provides the highest-quality sound for headphone and speakers – Premium Japanese-made audio capacitors: Provide warm, natural and immersive sound with exceptional clarity and fidelity – Unique de-pop circuit: Reduces start-up popping noise to audio outputs – Top notch audio sensation delivers according to the audio configuration – EMI protection cover to prevent electrical noise to affect the amplifier quality USB Ports Intel® Z97 chipset : 6 x USB 3.0/2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board) Intel® Z97 chipset : 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 port(s) (2 at back panel, , 6 at mid-board) Accessories User’s manual I/O Shield 3 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s) 1 x SLI bridge(s) 1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1) BIOS 64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.7, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.8, ACPI 5.0, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3, F11 EZ Tuning Wizard, F6 Qfan Control, F3 My Favorites, Quick Note, Last Modified log, F12 PrintScreen, F3 Shortcut functions, and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information Manageability WfM 2.0, DMI 2.7, WOL by PME, PXE Internal I/O Ports 1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s) (19-pin) 3 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 6 USB 2.0 port(s) 1 x SATA Express connector: , compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports 1 x M.2 Socket 3 for M Key, type 2260/2280 devices 1 x TPM header 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s) 1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin) 1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin) 4 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 x 4 -pin) 1 x S/PDIF out header(s) 1 x Thunderbolt header(s) 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s) 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s) 1 x EZ XMP switch 1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP) 1 x System panel(s) (Q-Connector) 1 x DRCT header(s) 1 x MemOK! button(s) 1 x TPU switch(es) 1 x EPU switch(es) 1 x Power-on button(s) 1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s) Back I/O Ports 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s) 1 x DVI-D 1 x D-Sub 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 4 x USB 3.0 (blue) 2 x USB 2.0 1 x Optical S/PDIF out 5 x Audio jack(s) Form Factor ATX Form Factor 12.0 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm ) Special Features 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5 – Whole system optimization with a single click! 5-Way Optimization tuning key perfectly consolidates TPU, EPU, DIGI+ Power Control, Fan Xpert 3, and Turbo App together, providing better CPU performance, efficient power saving, precise digital power control, whole system cooling and even tailor your own app usages. ASUS 5X Protection : – ASUS DIGI+ VRM – 8 Phase digital power design – ASUS Enhanced DRAM Overcurrent Protection – Short circuit damage prevention – ASUS ESD Guards – Enhanced ESD protection – ASUS High-Quality 5K-Hour Solid Capacitors – 2.5x long lifespan with excellent durability – ASUS Stainless Steel Back I/O – 3x more durable corrosion-resistant coating ASUS TPU : – Auto Tuning – GPU Boost – TPU switch ASUS EPU : – EPU – EPU switch ASUS Digital Power Design : – Industry leading Digital 8 Phase Power Design – CPU Power Utility ASUS Exclusive Features : – Remote GO! – AI Suite 3 – Anti-Surge – ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface – USB 3.0 Boost – Disk Unlocker – Turbo LAN – Crystal Sound 2 ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution : – Stylish Fanless Design Heat-sink solution ASUS EZ DIY : – Precision Tweaker 2 – ASUS O.C. Tuner – ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 – ASUS EZ Flash 2 – ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode – Push Notice ASUS Q-Design : – ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED) – ASUS Q-Slot – ASUS Q-DIMM – ASUS Q-Connector Special Memory O.C. Design Overclocking Protection : – ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall) Media Streamer Turbo App Fan Xpert 3 Operating System Support Windows® 8.1 Windows® 8 Windows® 7