ASUS Officially Unveils Full Range of Z97 and H97 Motherboards
ASUS today announced its complete lineup of motherboards built around the Intel 9 Series chipset that features the LGA 1150 socket and supports Intel 4th, New 4th, and 5th-generation Core processors (codenamed Haswell, Haswell Refresh, Haswell Refresh K-series / Devil’s Canyon). The new motherboards include Republic of Gamers (ROG), The Ultimate Force (TUF) and Workstation (WS) Series models.
They feature a new design with a perfectly circular heat-sink on the next-generation Platform Controller Hub (PCH) chip and features such as the 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5 . It improves on its 4-Way Optimization predecessor with the Turbo App, tailored networking and audio settings, together with upgraded fan control, overclocking, energy savings and digital power. ASUS-branded motherboards also feature Crystal Sound 2 and Turbo LAN. In PC home entertainment centers, ASUS HomeCloud turns the hard drive into a private cloud. The built-in Wake-on-WAN feature lets users wake and control the PC remotely with a smart device. Users can also stream multimedia content from the PC to any device. The capacity to interact with smart devices wirelessly is further enhanced by the inclusion of the ASUS-exclusive NFC Express 2 and wireless charger.
All ASUS, TUF and ROG 9 series motherboards support Intel 4th Generation ‘Haswell’, ‘Haswell Refresh’ processors, and future Intel 5th Generation ‘Broadwell’ LGA1150 processors as well.
ASUS Z97
- Z97-WS (ATX)
- Z97-Deluxe/NFC & WLC (ATX)
- Z97-Deluxe (ATX)
- Z97-Pro/Wi-Fi AC (ATX)
- Z97-Pro (ATX)
- Z97-A (ATX)
- Z97-AR (ATX)
- Z97-C (ATX)
- Z97-K (ATX)
- Z97I-Plus (mini ITX)
- Z97M-Plus (micro ATX)
- H97-Pro (ATX)
- H97-Plus (ATX)
- H97M-Plus (micro ATX)
- H97M-E (micro ATX)
- H97I-Plus (mini ITX)
At the high-end there’s the usual Deluxe and Pro offerings, which are followed by the performance mainstream letters and the Z97I Plus for mini-ITX fans. The H97 range is similar, although omitting the overclocking side.
ASUS Z97 motherboard features include 5-Way Optimization and 5x protection, Fan Xpert 3, Crystal Sound 2 and Turbo LAN. All of them feature M.2 and most include SATA Express too.
NFC Express 2 is an external accessory that incorporates wireless Qi charging with NFC, for compatible phones and tablets. The Deluxe comes with these and ThunderboltEX II in an optional package.
TUF Z97
- Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 (ATX)
- Sabertooth Z97 Mark 2 (ATX)
- Gryphon Z97 Armor Edition (micro ATX)
- Gryphon Z97 (micro ATX)
Available in both ATX and mATX form factors, TUF Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 and Gryphon Z97 Armor Edition motherboards feature TUF Fortifier, Thermal Armor, and Dust Defenders . The new onboard TUF ICe microchip delivers precise temperature monitoring and fan control whether adjusting settings manually or through the automatic one-click optimization feature found in Thermal Radar 2.
TUF Fortifier uses a thermal pad attached to the motherboard, making the whole backplate a huge heat sink that directs heat away from key components such as VRMs and MOSFETs. Thermal management is aided by Thermal Armor which optimizes airflow to aid in heat dissipation, while Dust Diverter technology blows dust up and away from the heat sink VRM.
All TUF Z97 motherboards, including the new Sabertooth Z97 Mark 2 and Gryphon Z97 models, feature TUF Components.
ROG Z97- Maximus VII Gene (micro ATX)
- Maximus VII Hero (ATX)
- Maximus VII Ranger (ATX)
ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) unveiled Maximus VII Gene mATX, Maximus VII Hero ATX, and the new Maximus VII Ranger ATX gaming motherboards. All three motherboards sport the ROG black and red color scheme, feature premium components, black nickel CPU socket covers and improved circuit layouts.
ROG has also improved on the RJ45 LAN port with LANGuard; it uses signal-coupling technology and surface-mounted capacitors to improve throughput. LANGuard also features surge-protected and electrostatically-guarded components (ESD Guards) to give ROG Maximus VII series motherboards figures of up to 1.3 times the surge protection and 1.9 times the static electricity tolerance of traditional boards. The latest ROG-exclusive GameFirst III network optimization utility prioritizes game packets, allocating more bandwidth for games to ensure a smoother online gaming experience.
The ROG Maximus VII Hero and Ranger come with SupremeFX 2014; while Maximus VII Gene features the SupremeFX Impact II discrete audio card. These solutions utilize isolation technologies to minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI), ELNA audio capacitors and 8-channel gold plated audio output ports.
Asus will unveil more information about Maximus VII range in more detail soon, but for sure, more announcements are coming at Computex in early June.
ASUS provides a total SATA Express solution, from motherboards to Hyper Express, an exclusive SATA Express external enclosure compatible with all available chassis-equipped 3.5-inch drive bays. It can accept two high-speed M.2 modules, two mSATA modules or two 2.5-inch SATA hard drives, and allows them to operate at full speed. ASUS Z97 and H97 motherboards have been tested and validated to meet SATA Express standards, including the Separate Reference Clock with Independent Spread Spectrum Clocking Architecture (SRIS). M.2, with its two native PCI Express 2.0 bandwidth and up to 10Gbit/s data transfer speeds.
These motherboards also feature the latest Intel Gigabit Ethernet for faster gaming sessions. It reduces CPU overhead to allot more processing power for gaming and offers high Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) throughput. The smooth mouse-controlled graphics-based BIOS has been improved and now includes EZ Tuning Wizard-OC and RAID.
SPECIFICATIONS
ASUS-branded Z97 Series motherboards
|
Z97-DELUXE |
Z97-DELUXE |
Z97-PRO |
Z97-PRO |
Z97-A |
Z97-AR |
|
CPU |
Intel LGA1150 4th, New 4th & 5th Generation Core i7/Core i5/Core i3/Pentium/Celeron Processors Ready |
||||||
Chipset |
Intel Z97 Express Chipset |
||||||
Power Phase Design |
DIGI+ 16-Phase VRM, |
DIGI+ 12-Phase VRM, |
DIGI+ 8-Phase VRM |
||||
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 |
||||
PCIex16 Slots |
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 |
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 |
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 |
||||
Output Support |
DP/mDP/HDMI |
DP/HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
DP/HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
DP/HDMI |
|||
SATA Express |
22 (compatible with 4 x SATA 6Gbit/s) |
1 (compatible with 2 x SATA 6Gbit/s) |
1 (compatible with 2 x SATA 6Gbit/s) |
||||
SATA 6Gbit/s |
6 |
6 |
4 |
||||
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 |
|||||
Wi-Fi |
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz) |
N/A |
|||||
USB 3.0 |
10 (4 at front) |
8 (4 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
||||
Audio |
Realtek ALC1150 with Crystal Sound 2, DTS UltraPC II, DTS Connect |
Realtek ALC1150 with Crystal Sound 2, DTS UltraPC II, DTS Connect |
Realtek ALC892 with Crystal Sound 2, DTS UltraPC II, DTS Connect |
||||
Networking (LAN) |
2 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
||||
Exclusive features |
5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5, UEFI BIOS, ASUS HomeCloud, 5X Protection |
||||||
Form Factor |
ATX |
ATX |
ATX |
||||
ASUS-branded Z97 and Workstation Series motherboards
|
Z97-C |
Z97-K |
Z97M-PLUS |
Z97I-PLUS |
Z97-WS |
||
CPU |
Intel LGA1150 4th, New 4th & 5th Generation Core i7/Core i5/Core i3/Pentium/Celeron Processors Ready |
||||||
Chipset |
Intel Z97 Express Chipset |
||||||
Memory |
4xDDR3 DIMM, max. 32GB, 3200 (O.C.) MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered |
2 x DIMM, max. 16GB. DDR3 3200(O.C.) MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered |
4xDDR3 DIMM, max. 32GB, 3300(O.C.) MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered |
||||
Power Phase Design |
DIGI+ 6-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 4-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 4-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 6-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 8-phaseVRM |
||
PCIex16 Slots |
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16; 1 x PCIe 2.0/x16 (max @x4) |
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16; 1 x PCIe 2.0/x16 (max @x4) |
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16; 1 x PCIe 2.0/x16 (@x4) |
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 |
4 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (dual x16, quad x8) |
||
Output Support |
HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
DP/HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
DP/mDP/HDM |
||
SATA Express |
1 (compatible with 2 x SATA 6Gbit/s) |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
2 (compatible with 2 x SATA 6Gbit/s) |
||
SATA 6Gbit/s |
6 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
||
M.2 |
1 x M.2 (PCIe x2/SATA mode) socket 3 with M key, supports type 2260/2280 |
||||||
Wi-Fi |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz) |
N/A |
||
USB 3.0 |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
10 (4 at front) |
||
Audio |
Realtek ALC892 with Crystal Sound 2 |
Realtek ALC887 with Crystal Sound 2 |
Realtek ALC887 with Crystal Sound 2 |
Realtek ALC892 with audio features. DTS UltraPC II, DTS Connect |
Realtek ALC1150 |
||
Networking (LAN) |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
1 x Realtek LAN, Turbo LAN |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
2 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
||
Exclusive features |
5X Protection, UEFI BIOS, Fan Xpert 3, ASUS HomeCloud |
5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5, UEFI BIOS, ASUS HomeCloud, |
|||||
Form Factor |
ATX |
ATX |
m-ATX |
mini-ITX |
ATX |
||
ASUS H97 Series motherboards
|
H97-PRO |
H97-PLUS |
H97M-PLUS |
H97M-E |
H97I-PLUS |
||||
Socket |
Intel LGA1150 4th, New 4th & 5th Generation Core i7/Core i5/Core i3/Pentium/Celeron Processors Ready |
||||||||
Chipset |
Intel H97 Express Chipset |
||||||||
Power Phase Design |
DIGI+ 6-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 4-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 4-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 4-phase VRM |
DIGI+ 6-phase VRM |
||||
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 |
|||||||
PCIex16 Slots |
1x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 2.0×16 (max @x4) |
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 2.0×16 (@x4) |
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 |
||||||
Output Support |
HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
DP/HDMI/DVI/D-sub |
|||||||
SATA Express |
1 (compatible with 2 x SATA 6Gbit/s) |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
||||
SATA 6Gbit/s |
6 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
||||
M.2 |
1 x M.2 (PCIe x2/SATA mode) socket 3 with M key, supports type 2260/2280 |
||||||||
USB 3.0 |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
6 (2 at front) |
||||
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 |
||||
Networking (LAN) |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Turbo LAN |
1 x Realtek LAN |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet |
1 x Realtek LAN |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet |
||||
Features |
5X Protection, UEFI BIOS, Fan Xpert 3, ASUS HomeCloud |
5X Protection, UEFI BIOS, Fan Xpert 2+, ASUS HomeCloud |
|||||||
Form Factor |
ATX |
m-ATX |
mini-ITX |
||||||
ASU Republic of Gamers (ROG) Series motherboards
Maximus VII Gene |
Maximus VII Hero |
Maximus VII Ranger |
|||
Socket |
Intel LGA1150 4th, New 4th & 5th Generation Core i7/Core i5/Core i3/Pentium/Celeron Processors Ready |
||||
Chipset |
Intel Z97 Express Chipset |
||||
Power Phase Design |
Extreme Engine Digi+ III
|
Extreme Engine Digi+ III |
Fully Digital VRM |
||
Memory |
DDR3 3300MHz (O.C.) |
DDR3 3200MHz (O.C.) |
DDR3 3200MHz (O.C.) |
||
4 DIMM, up to 32GB, non-ECC, un-buffered memory Dual-channel memory architecture, Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) |
|||||
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 |
|||
Multi-GPU support |
Quad-GPU NVIDIA SLI/ AMD CrossFireX |
||||
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 |
||
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 |
||
Networking (LAN) |
1 x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, ROG GameFirst III, LANGuard |
||||
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 |
|||
Form Factor |
mATX |
ATX |
ATX |
||
ASUS The Ultimate Force (TUF) Series motherboards
SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 1 |
SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 |
GRYPHON Z97 ARMOR EDITION |
GRYPHON Z97 |
||
Socket |
LGA1150 socket for 5th, new 4th and 4th-gen Intel Core i7/i5/i3, Pentium/Celeron processors |
||||
Chipset |
Intel Z97 Express Chipset |
||||
Memory |
Dual-channel DDR3 1866/1600/1333, max. 32GB |
||||
VGA Output |
HDMI/DP |
HDMI/DP/DVI |
|||
Power Phase Design |
Digital 8+2 phase |
||||
PCIe x16 slots |
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slots |
||||
PCIe x1 slots |
3 x PCIe 2.0×1 |
1 x PCIe 2.0×1 |
|||
Multi-GPU |
Quad-GPU SLI & CFX |
||||
LAN |
1x Intel Gigabit LAN 1x Realtek Gigabit LAN |
1x Intel Gigabit LAN |
|||
Audio |
Realtek 1150 8-channel HD |
Realtek 892 8-channel HD |
|||
Storage |
1x SATA Express(compatible with 2 x SATA 6Gbit/s), 6 x SATA 6Gbit/s |
6x SATA 6Gbit/s |
|||
USB |
8x USB 3.0 (4 front); 8 x USB 2.0 |
6 x USB 3.0 (2 front); 6 x USB 2.0 |
|||
TUF Features |
Thermal Armor with Flow Valve TUF ICe Dust Diverter TUF Fortifier Dust Defenders Thermal Radar 2 TUF Components |
TUF ICe Thermal Radar 2 TUF Components |
Thermal Armor TUF ICe Dust Diverter TUF Fortifier Dust Defenders Thermal Radar 2 TUF Components |
TUF ICe Thermal Radar 2 TUF Components |
|
Form factor |
ATX |
mATX |
|||
