ASUS today announced a large range of 9-Series motherboards based on Intel's latest chipsets which are being launched to complement the Haswell refresh processors. HEXUS already previewed the ASUS Z97-A motherboard at the start of the week but now we can share information on many more products in the range.
The plethora of new motherboards feature either the Intel Z97 Express and H97 Express chipsets and include support for 4th, New 4th, and 5th-generation Intel Core processors (such as Haswell, Haswell Refresh, Haswell Refresh K-series / Devil’s Canyon). With its new releases ASUS aims to cater for all, from cutting edge gaming machine to multimedia entertainment computer builders.
There are some ASUS exclusive features added to these boards designed to help them stand out from the crowd. We have previously mentioned the ASUS SATA Express technology and the use of M.2 storage here on HEXUS. ASUS also wants to point out that its boards have a gold anodized "gleaming new design, with a unique and distinctive perfectly circular heat-sink on the next-generation Platform Controller Hub (PCH) chip."
As part of its new product range ASUS has also launched special niche targeted motherboards including; five Z97 workstation motherboards, three ROG Maximus VII gaming motherboards and four TUF motherboards with military grade components. These all have their strengths tailored to the intended customer profiles.
ASUS hardware features
ASUS heralded the inclusion of Crystal Sound 2 technology, which utilizes physical shielding to help provide users with "flawless audio" being built-in to its new motherboards. Japanese built capacitors and op-amps are said to provide superlative sound quality and a de-pop circuit helps reduce start-up and plug/unplugging aural annoyances.
In the networking department ASUS provides Turbo LAN to "reduce lag significantly with no expert knowledge". Also buyers benefit from Intel Gigabit Ethernet and built-in next-generation 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 on selected Z97 boards.
ASUS 5X Protection is said to ensure component stability and durability in these system components; DIGI+ VRM, DRAM overcurrent protection, ESD Guards, high quality 5K-hr solid state capacitors. Also each motherboard "is subjected to over 7,000 hours of stringent physical testing, including temperature and humidity tests, burn-in, power on/off, power consumption, insertion and thermal-shock testing plus many more".
Next gen accessories
A series of forward looking technologies is implemented in accessories for these new motherboards including the ASUS NFC Express 2 box and ASUS Qi-compatible Wireless Charger. Depending upon the board you purchase these accessories are included/optional extras.
Optimisation and cloud software
5-Way Optimization is a tool provided for new Z97 motherboard purchasers to help them make the most of their pristine hardware. It is said to offer "the simplest way of controlling and optimizing every important aspect of motherboard operation." It includes a new Turbo app for tuning CPU, performance and energy efficiency. Overclocking by up to 20 per cent for an Intel Core i7 4770K is available from this app. Also Fan Xpert 3 allows customisable fan control with the greater number of onboard sensors available.
ASUS Homecloud lets users "access the entire contents of a PC remotely, stream multimedia content to any suitable device via the motherboard’s wired or Wi-Fi network, and manage content from anywhere — no matter where it’s stored". You can combine this with the Wake-on-LAN feature to make your PC a convenient private cloud that's always available.
ASUS Z97 Series motherboards
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Z97-DELUXE |
Z97-DELUXE |
Z97-PRO |
Z97-PRO |
Z97-A |
Z97-AR |
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CPU |
Intel® LGA1150 4th, New 4th & 5th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors Ready |
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Chipset |
Intel® Z97 Express Chipset |
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Power Phase Design |
DIGI+ 16-Phase VRM, |
DIGI+ 12-Phase VRM, |
DIGI+ 8-Phase VRM |
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Memory |
4xDDR3 DIMM, max. 32GB, 3300(O.C.) MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered |
4xDDR3 DIMM, max. 32GB, 3200(O.C.) MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered |
4xDDR3 DIMM, max. 32GB, 3200(O.C.) MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered |
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PCIex16 Slots |
2*PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 |
2*PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 |
2*PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 |
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Output Support |
DP/mDP/HDMI |
DP/HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
DP/HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
DP/HDMI |
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SATA Express |
2 |
1 |
1 |
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SATA 6Gb/s |
10 |
8 |
6 |
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M.2 |
1 x M.2(PCIe x2/SATA mode) socket 3 with M key, supports type 2260/2280 |
1 x M.2 (PCIe x2) socket 3 with M key, supports type 2260/2280 |
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Wi-Fi |
Dual Band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz) |
N/A |
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USB 3.0 |
10(4 at front) |
8 (4 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
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Audio |
Realtek® ALC1150 with Crystal Sound 2, DTS UltraPC II, DTS Connect |
Realtek® ALC1150 with Crystal Sound 2, DTS UltraPC II, DTS Connect |
Realtek® ALC1150 with Crystal Sound 2, DTS UltraPC II, DTS Connect |
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Networking (LAN) |
2x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
1x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
1x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
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Exclusive features |
5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5, UEFI BIOS, ASUS HomeCloud, 5X Protection |
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Form Factor |
ATX |
ATX |
ATX |
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ASUS H97 Series motherboards
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|
H97-PRO |
H97-PLUS |
H97M-PLUS |
H97M-E |
H97I-PLUS |
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Socket |
Intel® LGA1150 4th, New 4th & 5th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors Ready |
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Chipset |
Intel H97 Express Chipset |
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Power Phase Design |
DIGI+ 6-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 4-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 4-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 4-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 6-phase VRM |
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Memory |
4 x DIMM, max. 32GB. DDR3 1600(O.C.) MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered |
2x DIMM, max. 16GB. DDR3 1600(O.C.) MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered |
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PCIex16 Slots |
1*PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16, 1*PCIe 2.0x16(@x4) |
1*PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 |
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Output Support |
HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
DP/HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
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SATA Express |
1 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
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SATA 6Gb/s |
6 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
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M.2 |
1 x M.2(PCIe x2/SATA mode) socket 3 with M key, supports type 2260/2280 |
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USB 3.0 |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
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Audio |
Realtek® ALC892 with Crystal Sound 2 |
Realtek® ALC887 with Crystal Sound 2 |
Realtek® ALC887 with Crystal Sound 2 |
Realtek® ALC887 with Crystal Sound 2 |
Realtek® ALC887 with audio features |
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Networking (LAN) |
1x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
1x Realtek LAN |
1x Intel Gigabit Ethernet |
1x Realtek LAN |
1x Intel Gigabit Ethernet |
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Features |
5X Protection, UEFI BIOS, Fan Xpert 3, ASUS HomeCloud |
5X Protection, UEFI BIOS, Fan Xpert 2+, ASUS HomeCloud |
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Form Factor |
ATX |
m-ATX |
mini-ITX |
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ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers motherboard) Series motherboards
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|
Maximus VII Gene |
Maximus VII Hero |
Maximus VII Ranger |
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Socket |
Intel® LGA1150 4th, New 4th & 5th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors Ready |
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Chipset |
Intel Z97 Express Chipset |
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Power Phase Design |
Extreme Engine Digi+ III
|
Extreme Engine Digi+ III |
Fully Digital VRM |
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Memory |
DDR3 3300MHz (O.C.) |
DDR3 3200MHz (O.C.) |
DDR3 3200MHz (O.C.) |
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4 DIMM, up to 32GB, non-ECC, un-buffered memory[1] Dual-channel memory architecture, Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) |
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Expansion slots |
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 1 x mPCIe 2.0 x1 |
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 1 x PCIe 2.0/x16 3 x PCIe 2.0 x1 |
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Multi-GPU support |
Quad-GPU NVIDIA SLI/ AMD CrossFireX™ |
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Storage |
8 x SATA 6Gbit/s 1 x M.2 (PCIe x2) socket 3 with M key, supports type 2260/2280 |
8 x SATA 6Gbit/s 1 x M.2 (PCIe x2) socket 3 with M key, supports type 2260/2280 |
6 x SATA 6Gbit/s 1 x M.2 (PCIe x2) socket 3 with M key, supports type 2260/2280 |
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USB |
6 x USB 3.0 7 x USB 2.0 |
6 x USB 3.0 7 x USB 2.0 |
6 x USB 3.0 7 x USB 2.0 |
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Networking (LAN) |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, ROG GameFirst III, LANGuard |
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Audio |
SupremeFX Impact II add-in card, 8-Channel High-Definition audio codec, Sonic SoundStage, Sonic SenseAmp, Sonic Radar II, Sonic Studio, DTS Connect |
SupremeFX 2014 8-Channel High-Definition audio codec, Sonic SoundStage, Sonic SenseAmp, Sonic Studio, Sonic Radar II, DTS Connect |
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Form Factor |
mATX |
ATX |
ATX |
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ASUS TUF (The Ultimate Force) Series motherboards
|
Model |
SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 1 |
SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 |
GRYPHON Z97 ARMOR EDITION |
GRYPHON Z97 |
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Socket |
LGA1150 socket for 5th, new 4th and 4th-gen Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3, Pentium®/Celeron® processors |
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Chipset |
Intel Z97 Express Chipset |
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Memory |
Dual-channel DDR3 1866/1600/1333, max. 32GB |
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VGA Output |
HDMI/DP |
HDMI/DP/DVI |
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Power Phase Design |
Digital 8+2 phase |
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PCIe x16 slots |
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slots |
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|
PCIe x1 slots |
3 x PCIe 2.0x1 |
1 x PCIe 2.0x1 |
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Multi-GPU |
Quad-GPU SLI & CFX |
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LAN |
1x Intel Gigabit LAN 1x Realtek Gigabit LAN |
1x Intel Gigabit LAN |
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Audio |
Realtek 1150 8-channel HD |
Realtek 892 8-channel HD |
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Storage |
1x SATA Express(compatible with 2 x SATA 6Gb/s), 6 x SATA 6Gb/s |
6x SATA 6Gbit/s |
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USB |
8x USB 3.0 (4 front); 8 x USB 2.0 |
6 x USB 3.0 (2 front); 6 x USB 2.0 |
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TUF Features |
Thermal Armor with Flow Valve TUF ICe Dust de-Fan TUF Fortifier Dust Defenders Thermal Radar 2 TUF Components |
TUF ICe Thermal Radar 2 TUF Components |
Thermal Armor TUF ICe Dust de-Fan TUF Fortifier Dust Defenders Thermal Radar 2 TUF Components |
TUF ICe Thermal Radar 2 TUF Components |
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Form factor |
ATX |
mATX |
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In the UK ASUS Z97 and H97 motherboards (specs listed above) will be available from May 11th in the UK from eBuyer, Scan, Overclockers UK, Dabs, CCL, Novatech, Palicomp, Aria, Eclipse and Yoyotech. HEXUS will have in-depth reviews of various Z97 boards available in the near future...
