ASUS Z97-A (Intel LGA 1150) Review

Introduction

Now that several months have passed since the launch of Intel’s latest platform, BIOSes have matured greatly, which had many users take the plunge with Z97. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford to be those first adopters, so value for our money is a matter close to the heart. I covered a few ASUS products already, but what about a much more affordable option? The ASUS Z97-A is here to meet those needs, and right off the bat, I’ve got to say that it excels at the task in such a way few other come close to. Let’s delve a bit deeper to take a look as to why.

Featuring many of those features we all look for from ASUS, including a great software package and a wide open BIOS ready for tweaking, the ASUS Z97-A ups the ante a fair bit when it comes time to get a good product for decent money, while offering some fantastic memory support and that curious little SATA Express implementation many other boards have chosen not to support. Having been fortunate enough to get an early SATA Express drive sample to use in my testing, there’s something to look forward to with the ASUS Z97-A, with a fair bit of room for upgradability because of its SATA Express port some time in the future.

Specifications

SpecificationsCPU SUPPORT:5th/New 4th/4th Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3/Pentium/Celeron processor family for the LGA 1150 SocketPOWER DESIGN:CPU Power: 8 Digital Phases
Memory Power: 2 Digital Phases CHIPSET:Intel Z97INTEGRATED GRAPHICS:Dependant on installed CPUMEMORY:4 x DIMM, Max. 32 GB, DDR3 1333 to DDR3 3200+(OC) BIOS:AMI UEFI BIOS with 64 Mb Flash ROMSLOTS:2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slot (x16 or dual x8)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot (max at x2 mode)
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slot HDD CONNECTVIITY:4 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s (Intel Z97
1 x SATA Express port (2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports via Intel Z97)
1 x M.2 Socket 3 (Intel Z97) NETWORKING:Intel I218V Gigabit LAN PORTS:6 x USB 3.0 ports (2 at front panel, 4 at rear panel)
8 x USB 2.0 ports (6 at front panel, 2 at rear panel)
1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse combo port
1 x RJ45 LAN connectors
5 x audio jacks
1 x Digital Audio out
1 x DisplayPort
1 x HDMI Port
1 x D-Sub Port
1 x DVI-D PortAUDIO:Realtek ALC892 High Definition Audio CODEC FAN HEADERS:6 x 4-pin FORM FACTOR:ATX Form Factor (305 mm x 244 mm)EXCLUSIVE FEATURES:

• 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5
• 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

Now that several months have passed since the launch of Intel’s latest platform, BIOSes have matured greatly, which had many users take the plunge with Z97. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford to be those first adopters, so value for our money is a matter close to the heart. I covered a few ASUS products already, but what about a much more affordable option? The ASUS Z97-A is here to meet those needs, and right off the bat, I’ve got to say that it excels at the task in such a way few other come close to. Let’s delve a bit deeper to take a look as to why.Featuring many of those features we all look for from ASUS, including a great software package and a wide open BIOS ready for tweaking, the ASUS Z97-A ups the ante a fair bit when it comes time to get a good product for decent money, while offering some fantastic memory support and that curious little SATA Express implementation many other boards have chosen not to support. Having been fortunate enough to get an early SATA Express drive sample to use in my testing, there’s something to look forward to with the ASUS Z97-A, with a fair bit of room for upgradability because of its SATA Express port some time in the future.