ASUS Z97 DELUXE - Performance Test
Introduction
Having acquired the recently launched MAXIMUS VII GENE motherboard from ASUS, we are now turning our attention to their Z97 DELUXE. The Z97 DELUXE is the flagship motherboard in ASUS’ mainstream series based on the Intel Z97 chipset. It is engineered with all the latest Z97 chipset features, including the M.2 and SATA Express storage connectors for lightning-fast transfer speed, supports for Devil’s Canyon processors and the upcoming Broadwell processors, Intel's Smart Response Technology (SRT) support for Solid State Hard Drives (SSHD) and Device Protection with Boot Guard.
Being a high end motherboard with premium features, ASUS gives the Z97 DELUXE a total of 16-phase DIGI+ power design with 5K-hour rated Japanese-made capacitors to drive the processor and memory overclocking, Dual Intelligent Processors 5, Crystal Sound 2 for high quality audio system, dual Gigabit Ethernet for wired connectivity, Bluetooth V4.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity as well as multi-GPU SLI and CrossfireX support. To assure the quality of the Z97 DELUXE, ASUS implemented SX Protection involving compatibility test with more than 1000 devices and over 7000 hours of validation. Let's find out if the motherboard’s performance is enough to warrant the RM 1,299 fee.
Product Link: Motherboards - Z97-DELUXE
Suggested Retail Price: RM 1,299
Specifications:
Full specifications can be obtained HERE
Overview
Unboxing
The ASUS Z97 DELUXE is packed in a black retail packaging with gold and white accents. The front side across the bottom left shows some of the motherboard features such as the support for Intel’s Core processor, Intel Z97 chipset, supports both NVIDIA's SLI and AMD's CrossfireX technologies, and DTS UltraPC II and Connect supports. There is a big picture of the circular chipset heat sink with “5-Way Optimization” wording around the center of the box.
The rear of the box talks the specifications and key features of the ASUS Z97 DELUXE, including the 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processor 5, the redesigned UEFI BIOS, the Wi-Fi GO! which provides Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, Media Streamer for streaming songs from your PC on-the-go, gaming technologies featuring Turbo App, Crystal Sound 2, and TurboLAN. You will also see an awesome picture of the motherboard layout on the left of the box just above the specifications.
Opening the packaging’s flap gives us a glimpse at the motherboard, and reveals further details about the main features of the Z97 DELUXE. Here, ASUS explains about the Dual Intelligent Processors 5 with 5-Way Optimization as well as the benefits of the M.2 and SATA Express storage options.
Like any other ASUS’ mainstream Z97 lineup motherboard, the Z97 DELUXE comes in a chrome gold and black color scheme that replaces the shiny gold and black theme found on the Z87 boards. Personally, I prefer this diluted gold colour over the shiny gold because it gives a better contrast to the black and grey background. One of the first things that you will notice is that the Z97 chipset heat sink features a circular shaped design with white ASUS logo at its center, a brave move by ASUS from traditional rectangular or square shaped design. Featuring a standard ATX size PCB, ASUS utilizes the available board space to stuff in a plethora of high grade components that we will be talking more about these later.
The ASUS Z97 DELUXE features a DIGI+ VRM with 16+2 phase power design with state-of-the-art components mainly the high quality 5K-hour Solid Capacitors that have 2.5 times longer lifespan with excellent durability. These components are thermally cooled by the VRM heat sinks that have chrome gold and black matte finishes.
The top left portion of the Z97 DELXUE we have a Wi-Fi GO! module installed on a mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 connector. This connector shares bandwidth with the M.2 connector and PCIe 2.0 x4 slot. The 8-pin 12V CPU power connector, which supplies power to the CPU socket, is located on the upper left of the CPU socket. There is also a pair of 4-pin PWM CPU fan headers located near the top heat sink to connect your CPU cooler fans. The four DIMM slots are specified to run at dual channel configuration with support for Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) and 32GB capacities. The memory slot latches have been enhanced with single-sided clips which mean that handling memory modules is easier and super secure. To the right of the memory slots we have the 24-pin power connector to supply power to the motherboard.
On the top right corner of the motherboard we can see the MemOK! button and EZ XMP switch. The MemOK! button comes in handy in case if any memory problem is preventing your system from booting. The EZ XMP switch forces the memory to run at XMP profile according to SPD specifications.
When it comes to expansion slots, the Z97 DELUXE has all the slots that you would need. There are a total of seven PCIe slots consisting two PCIe 3.0 x16, one PCIe 2.0 x16, along with four PCIe 2.0 x1 slots. The PCIe 3.0 x16 slots support quad-GPU SLI and 3-way CrossFireX setups. However, both slots will run at x8 when the second slot is occupied. Sitting below the chipset heat sink is the 10Gbps M.2 socket 3 connector. Formerly known as next-generation form factor (NGFF), M.2 is the replacement for the mSATA interface found on some motherboards. The bottom edge of the motherboard you can see the Thunderbolt header, BIOS Flashback and Clear CMOS buttons, Q-Code LED, Start and Reset buttons, the TPU and EPU switches, the TPM connector, a pair of USB 2.0 headers in which each header supporting two ports, a fan connector, and the front panel connector.
The TPU switch has two levels of performance tuning. The TPU I bumps the CPU multiplier up and the TPU II increases the base clock. The EPU switch actives the power saving feature to control the power efficiency of the motherboard.
The ASUS Z97 DELUXE comes equipped with the top-of-the-line audio chip from Realtek, the ALC1150 with 8-channel HD audio CODEC featuring Crystal Sound 2 technology with audio shielding, EMI cover, audio amplifier, unique de-pop circuit and premium Japanese-made audio capacitors. The audio section is isolated electromagnetically from the main board by a white coloured line to minimize unwanted noise produced by the neighboring components from affecting the audio quality. The front panel header and S/PDIF output header are located just below the group of audio capacitors.
ASUS includes a total of six 6Gbps SATA 3 ports and two 10Gbps SATA Express ports to the motherboard. Four of the SATA ports are natively controlled by the Z97 chipset supporting Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 and the other two ports are controlled by the ASMedia ASM1061 controller. The lower SATA Express port is controlled by the Z97 chipset whereas the upper port is powered by ASMedia controller.
The rear I/O panel comes with an HDMI port, a normal sized DisplayPort, an optical S/PDIF output, a mini DisplayPort, four USB 2.0 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connectivity, Wi-Fi GO! outputs providing Bluetooth V4.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity, and six audio packs for 8-channel HD CODEC audio system. One of the USB 3.0 port located below the Gigabit Ethernet port is multifunctional and can also be used for USB BIOS flashback and USB Charger+.
The back side of the PCB has a pair of retaining heat sinks for the DIGI+ VRM power phases. The white coloured line separating the audio subsystem also can be seen here.
Premium motherboards usually comes with a huge accessories package. You will get a detailed user guide manual, the exclusive feature guide, driver and software disc, an ASUS case badge, a total of six SATA 6Gbps data cables, a set of ASUS Q-Connector for the front panel connectivity, an stainless steel rear I/O shield that is 3 times more durable and corrosion-resistant than regular, an SLI bridge, and the dual-band Wi-Fi moving antennas. We are expecting a richer package, such as the SATA Express cable. So we hope that the upcoming SATA Express drives will come together with the cable.
Introduction
Having acquired the recently launched MAXIMUS VII GENE motherboard from ASUS, we are now turning our attention to their Z97 DELUXE. The Z97 DELUXE is the flagship motherboard in ASUS’ mainstream series based on the Intel Z97 chipset. It is engineered with all the latest Z97 chipset features, including the M.2 and SATA Express storage connectors for lightning-fast transfer speed, supports for Devil’s Canyon processors and the upcoming Broadwell processors, Intel's Smart Response Technology (SRT) support for Solid State Hard Drives (SSHD) and Device Protection with Boot Guard.
Being a high end motherboard with premium features, ASUS gives the Z97 DELUXE a total of 16-phase DIGI+ power design with 5K-hour rated Japanese-made capacitors to drive the processor and memory overclocking, Dual Intelligent Processors 5, Crystal Sound 2 for high quality audio system, dual Gigabit Ethernet for wired connectivity, Bluetooth V4.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity as well as multi-GPU SLI and CrossfireX support. To assure the quality of the Z97 DELUXE, ASUS implemented SX Protection involving compatibility test with more than 1000 devices and over 7000 hours of validation. Let's find out if the motherboard’s performance is enough to warrant the RM 1,299 fee.
Product Link: Motherboards - Z97-DELUXE
Suggested Retail Price: RM 1,299
Specifications:
Full specifications can be obtained HERE
Overview
Unboxing
The ASUS Z97 DELUXE is packed in a black retail packaging with gold and white accents. The front side across the bottom left shows some of the motherboard features such as the support for Intel’s Core processor, Intel Z97 chipset, supports both NVIDIA's SLI and AMD's CrossfireX technologies, and DTS UltraPC II and Connect supports. There is a big picture of the circular chipset heat sink with “5-Way Optimization” wording around the center of the box.
The rear of the box talks the specifications and key features of the ASUS Z97 DELUXE, including the 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processor 5, the redesigned UEFI BIOS, the Wi-Fi GO! which provides Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, Media Streamer for streaming songs from your PC on-the-go, gaming technologies featuring Turbo App, Crystal Sound 2, and TurboLAN. You will also see an awesome picture of the motherboard layout on the left of the box just above the specifications.
Opening the packaging’s flap gives us a glimpse at the motherboard, and reveals further details about the main features of the Z97 DELUXE. Here, ASUS explains about the Dual Intelligent Processors 5 with 5-Way Optimization as well as the benefits of the M.2 and SATA Express storage options.
Like any other ASUS’ mainstream Z97 lineup motherboard, the Z97 DELUXE comes in a chrome gold and black color scheme that replaces the shiny gold and black theme found on the Z87 boards. Personally, I prefer this diluted gold colour over the shiny gold because it gives a better contrast to the black and grey background. One of the first things that you will notice is that the Z97 chipset heat sink features a circular shaped design with white ASUS logo at its center, a brave move by ASUS from traditional rectangular or square shaped design. Featuring a standard ATX size PCB, ASUS utilizes the available board space to stuff in a plethora of high grade components that we will be talking more about these later.
The ASUS Z97 DELUXE features a DIGI+ VRM with 16+2 phase power design with state-of-the-art components mainly the high quality 5K-hour Solid Capacitors that have 2.5 times longer lifespan with excellent durability. These components are thermally cooled by the VRM heat sinks that have chrome gold and black matte finishes.
The top left portion of the Z97 DELXUE we have a Wi-Fi GO! module installed on a mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 connector. This connector shares bandwidth with the M.2 connector and PCIe 2.0 x4 slot. The 8-pin 12V CPU power connector, which supplies power to the CPU socket, is located on the upper left of the CPU socket. There is also a pair of 4-pin PWM CPU fan headers located near the top heat sink to connect your CPU cooler fans. The four DIMM slots are specified to run at dual channel configuration with support for Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) and 32GB capacities. The memory slot latches have been enhanced with single-sided clips which mean that handling memory modules is easier and super secure. To the right of the memory slots we have the 24-pin power connector to supply power to the motherboard.
On the top right corner of the motherboard we can see the MemOK! button and EZ XMP switch. The MemOK! button comes in handy in case if any memory problem is preventing your system from booting. The EZ XMP switch forces the memory to run at XMP profile according to SPD specifications.
When it comes to expansion slots, the Z97 DELUXE has all the slots that you would need. There are a total of seven PCIe slots consisting two PCIe 3.0 x16, one PCIe 2.0 x16, along with four PCIe 2.0 x1 slots. The PCIe 3.0 x16 slots support quad-GPU SLI and 3-way CrossFireX setups. However, both slots will run at x8 when the second slot is occupied. Sitting below the chipset heat sink is the 10Gbps M.2 socket 3 connector. Formerly known as next-generation form factor (NGFF), M.2 is the replacement for the mSATA interface found on some motherboards. The bottom edge of the motherboard you can see the Thunderbolt header, BIOS Flashback and Clear CMOS buttons, Q-Code LED, Start and Reset buttons, the TPU and EPU switches, the TPM connector, a pair of USB 2.0 headers in which each header supporting two ports, a fan connector, and the front panel connector.
The TPU switch has two levels of performance tuning. The TPU I bumps the CPU multiplier up and the TPU II increases the base clock. The EPU switch actives the power saving feature to control the power efficiency of the motherboard.
The ASUS Z97 DELUXE comes equipped with the top-of-the-line audio chip from Realtek, the ALC1150 with 8-channel HD audio CODEC featuring Crystal Sound 2 technology with audio shielding, EMI cover, audio amplifier, unique de-pop circuit and premium Japanese-made audio capacitors. The audio section is isolated electromagnetically from the main board by a white coloured line to minimize unwanted noise produced by the neighboring components from affecting the audio quality. The front panel header and S/PDIF output header are located just below the group of audio capacitors.
ASUS includes a total of six 6Gbps SATA 3 ports and two 10Gbps SATA Express ports to the motherboard. Four of the SATA ports are natively controlled by the Z97 chipset supporting Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 and the other two ports are controlled by the ASMedia ASM1061 controller. The lower SATA Express port is controlled by the Z97 chipset whereas the upper port is powered by ASMedia controller.
The rear I/O panel comes with an HDMI port, a normal sized DisplayPort, an optical S/PDIF output, a mini DisplayPort, four USB 2.0 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connectivity, Wi-Fi GO! outputs providing Bluetooth V4.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity, and six audio packs for 8-channel HD CODEC audio system. One of the USB 3.0 port located below the Gigabit Ethernet port is multifunctional and can also be used for USB BIOS flashback and USB Charger+.
The back side of the PCB has a pair of retaining heat sinks for the DIGI+ VRM power phases. The white coloured line separating the audio subsystem also can be seen here.
Premium motherboards usually comes with a huge accessories package. You will get a detailed user guide manual, the exclusive feature guide, driver and software disc, an ASUS case badge, a total of six SATA 6Gbps data cables, a set of ASUS Q-Connector for the front panel connectivity, an stainless steel rear I/O shield that is 3 times more durable and corrosion-resistant than regular, an SLI bridge, and the dual-band Wi-Fi moving antennas. We are expecting a richer package, such as the SATA Express cable. So we hope that the upcoming SATA Express drives will come together with the cable.
via Hardware Forums http://ift.tt/1tmyzw6
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