Review: asus saberrtooth z87

After the recent release of the Intel Haswell, the first motherboards begin to arrive for review. The Asus Sabertooth Z87 is characterized by carrying military components that offer us greater stability and security in our system. This is due to its innovative new design TUF Thermal Armor and TUF Fortifier.

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INTEL HASWELL AND CHIPSET Z87 FEATURES

The fourth generation of processors or Intel Haswell will be mounted on the LGA 1150 platform. In which we can find the different ranges of processors manufactured in 22 nm and with Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 technology : Intel i7 with 4 cores and 8 threads of execution (Hyper Threading) for professional teams, Intel i5 for 4-core gamers and low / mid-range processors Intel Core i3, Pentium and Celeron. Although these last three will be listed in the coming months.

This time Intel classifies its range of desktop processors into four categories:

Without letter / Normal Version: The processor offers us its base frequency plus a frequency with Turbo and all the Intel features enabled. Example: i7-4770. K: Processor with multiplier unlocked. Aimed at professional users or enthusiastic Gamers. This series allows us to perform strong 4600 to 5000 mhz overclocks by touching 5 or 6 parameters in the BIOS. Note: VT-D virtualization option disabled. Example: i7-4770k. T and S: The most important feature is its power reduction. Converting them into low-power processors, without losing the qualities of the normal version. Example: i7-4770T / i7-4770S. A: This is the new version of Intel in BGA format. BGA? Yes, it is the version in which the soldered processors come on the motherboard. Like PRO, it has a more powerful integrated graphics card than the rest of the series. Example: i7-4770R.

The processor we have used in our review has been the Intel i7-4770k . We leave you a table that we have made with the most important models that have come onto the market.

And a summary of the most important features in this new range of processors.

8 Threading Hyper Threading Technology, this allows us to run two processes at the same time. I7 4770 series only + letter.> 8MB Intel Smart Cache. This is the shared cache memory of the processor (makes for faster read access) Turbo Boost 2.0. The processor base frequency is 3500 mhz, with the turbo we automatically go up to 3900 mhz. Native compatibility with DDR3 1600 RAM and XMP profiles. Absolute compatibility with the new range of Intel 8 series motherboards: Z87, H87, Q87 and B87.

We are realizing that each generation of chipset is lighter. This time, external video connections have been extracted. Further relegating the current NorthBridge.

What improvements did we find with Z87? Flexible I / O ports, 14 USB 2.0 ports controlled by XHCI, we switched to six USB 3.0, six SATA 6 Gbp / s connections and SFDP and Quad Read technologies.

* Frequently asked questions:

- My heatsink is compatible with socket 1155 and 1556. Is it compatible with socket 1150?

Yes, we have tested different motherboards and they all have the same holes as in socket 1155 and 1156.

- Is my power supply compatible with Intel Haswell?

There are no Haswell certified power supplies. Most of the manufacturers have already released the list of compatible sources: Antec, Corsair, Enermax, Nox, Aerocool / Tacens and Thermaltake. Giving 98% absolute compatibility.

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z87 FEATURES

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z87 FEATURES
Processor	Intel® Socket 1150 for 4th generation Core ™ i7 / Core ™ i5 / Core ™ i3 / Pentium® / Celeron® processors Supports Intel® 22nm CPU Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
Chipset	Intel Z87
Memory.	4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 1866/1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered MemoryDual Channel Memory Architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP).
Integrated Graphics Multi-GPU Compatible	Integrated graphics processor Compatible with Multi VGA output: HDMI / DisplayPort ports- Compatible with HDMI with a maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz- Compatible with DisplayPort with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 @ 60 HzMax shared memory of 1024 MBCompatible with Intel® InTru ™ 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider ™ NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI ™ Technology Compatible AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX ™ Technology Compatible2 x PCIe 3.0 / 2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode, black) 3 x PCIe x1
Audio	Realtek® ALC1150 8 Channel High Definition Audio CODEC- Supports: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Jack-retasking on front panel Audio Features: - Absolute Pitch 192kHz / 24-bit True BD Lossless Sound- S / PDIF out rear panel optics- BD Audio Layer Content Protection- High quality 112 dB SNR stereo playback output (Line-out at rear) and 104 dB SNR recording input (Line-in)
LAN network card	Intel® I217V, 1 x Gigabit Network Controller
Audio	Realtek® ALC1150 8 Channel High Definition Audio CODEC- Supports: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Jack-retasking on front panel Audio Features: - Absolute Pitch 192kHz / 24-bit True BD Lossless Sound- S / PDIF out rear panel optics- BD Audio Layer Content Protection- High quality 112 dB SNR stereo playback output (Line-out at rear) and 104 dB SNR recording input (Line-in)
SATAS connections	Intel® Z87 chipset: 6 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 port (s) (4 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board) Intel® Z87 chipset: 8 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 port (s) (4 at back panel, black, 4 at mid-board)
Rear panel I / O	1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI 2 x eSATA 6Gb / s 1 x Network (RJ45) 4 x USB 3.0 (blue) 4 x USB 2.0 1 x Optical S / PDIF Out 6 x Audio Jack (s) 1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button
BIOS	64Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.7, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0, Multilingual BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3, My Favorites, Quick Note, Latest Mods Log, F12 PrintScreen, F3 Shortcut functions, and memory information ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect)
Factory format	Factory format ATX12 inches x 9.6 inches (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
Warranty	5 years.

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z87: IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA

As soon as we see the Asus Sabertooth Z87 we know that it is a high-end product. Specifically the socket 1150 and Z87 chipset. It includes the same features as its innovative younger sister "Asus Gryphon", which we hope to see very soon.

We have two 16x PCI Express 3.0 connections, which thanks to its Quad SLI / Crossfire compatibility allows us to connect two dual graphics cards. For example: ATI 7990 or Nvidia GTX690. The third slots is x16 and 2.0. It also includes three x1 connections to connect a dedicated sound card, television grabber, or a hard drive controller…

We can install up to 32 GB DDR3 natively at 1600 mhz. If we overclock we can reach up to 3000 mhz and very good latencies. But for this we need some excellent memories.

Its TUF cooling design repels dust and dirt, making it unique and unrepeatable. Its structure contains protective screens and filters that prevent the entry of particles and thus get maximum performance.

The small silver notches serve to increase the air flow (Thermal Armor Technology: 2 fans) or decrease (classic system).

The switch located at the bottom right is called " Direct Key ". What is it for? It lets us enter the BIOS automatically when the computer is starting up. This allows us not to be pressing the delete key repeatedly.

And is this structure? It's called TUF Fortifier, and it is in charge of giving firmness to any breakage or bulge due to heavy components: 3-slot graphics cards, heatsink of more than 1kg… We personally loved the idea because it helps transmit heat. It is tested in several boxes and fits perfectly.

In storage we have six brown Intel SATA connections running at 6Gb / s and two other beige ASMEDIA ASM1061 connections running at 6Gb / s.

The back is full of connections: USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI, SPDIF, E-Sata, sound connections, a BIOS reset button, and a network card.

Finally we highlight its Black Metallic capacitors, choke coils and the Mosfets used with military design. These are subjected to up to seven very demanding checks, before giving the OK to the motherboard.

ASUS SABERTOOTH BIOS-SOFTWARE-TESTS

Asus launches its new, more intuitive, fluid and friendly UEFI BIOS interface. Among its novelties it allows us to add notes so as not to forget any point, a new more attractive look, change the name of the SATA ports and configure the XMP profiles.

We will also focus on your Thermal Radar 2 software. This technology is used to monitor and manage the multiple sensors and thermistor cables. What does it monitor? The most important temperatures of our equipment: Phases of power, processor, chipset and graphics cards. Also, it allows us to manually adjust the speed of the fans, even if they are three-pin.

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i7-4770k.
Base plate:	Asus Sabertooth Z87.
Memory:	G.Skills Trident X 2400mhz.
Heatsink	Prolimatech Megahalems + Nidec 1850 RPM.
HDD	Samsumg 840 250GB.
Graphic card	Asus GTX770.
Power supply	Antec HCP 850.

To check the stability of the processor we have used a very efficient motherboard in consumption / cooling. We have practiced a strong overclock of 4600 mhz with Prime 95 Custom, reaching the limit of air cooling. The graphic that we have used is TOP RANGE: Asus GTX 770.

TESTS
3dMark Vantage:	Clock Stock: P34580 / Clock OC: 38863.
3dMark11	Clock Stock: P10347 PTS / Clock OC: P10579.
Heaven Unigine and Valley	1728 pts and 3585 pts.
CineBench 11.5 / Super PI	Clock Stock: 8.13 pts / Clock OC: 9.62 pts. / Super PI: 7, 809seconds (1MB)
Games: Resident Evil 6 Lost planet tomb Raider Crysis 3 Meter	12622 PTS. 132.5 FPS. 140.2 FPS 47.1 FPS 78.2 FPS

CONCLUSION

The Asus Sabertooth Z87 is an ATX format motherboard (30.5cm x 24.4cm) compatible with the fourth generation of Intel i7 / i5 / i3 / Pentium processors with adora iGPU and PCI Express controllers integrated in the same CPU. This is because it uses the latest Intel Z87 chipset, with a design that natively incorporates six USB or 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb / s ports.

What does Sabertooth offer us to the rest? It offers us military components for greater stability with high overclocks. TUF Fortifier technology strengthens the motherboard against possible breaks or transfers in the installation of heavy hardware (graphics cards, heatsinks) and improves the cooling system (allows better dissipation of VRMs), which includes Thermal Armor technology: which improves cooling with the fans, which are focused on the power supply phases and the central chipset. In addition, it includes an innovative TUF “dust repellent” system that prolongs the useful life and allows us to get the most out of our equipment.

In our test bench, we have used equipment that meets the circumstances: i7 4770k at 4600 mhz, GTX 770, 16 GB DDR3 at 2400 mhz and a first-class Samsung 840 SSD. The synthetic tests: 3dMARK Vantage 38863PTS, 3DMARK11 10579 PTS and the tests in games: Resident EVIL 6: 12622 PTS, Crysis 3 47.1 fps have been magnificent. Seeing that it is capable of extracting all the juice, not only to our CPU, but to all the equipment: graphics card, memories, ssd…

Regarding the software, we must highlight two programs:

Thermal Radar 2: It incorporates several sensors and thermistor cables that offer us a motorization of all temperatures around the key components: processor, chipset, power phases, graphics cards with a single click. USB 3.0 Boost: Accelerate up to 170% of our USB 3.0 devices in Windows 8 without requiring configuration.

Finally, highlight its excellent BIOS increasingly fluid, more security, more intuitive and with a large number of options that allow us to get the most out of our computer. And the reliability of Asus with its 5-year warranty.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ AESTHETICS	- COULD HAVE 4 16X CONNECTIONS.
+ MILITARY COMPONENTS
+ UEFI BIOS RENOVATED AND IMPROVED.
+ EXCELLENT REFRIGERATION.
+ TUF FORTIFIER TECHNOLOGY
+ GUARANTEE OF UP TO 5 YEARS.