Review: asus z97 gryphon

Asus, the world's leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, launched its TUF series several years ago, which we can define as the latest in refrigeration, reliability and a durable design. In this new series, it has included the more sturdy Sabertooth Mark1 board and a slightly more affordable one; Sabertooth Mark2 in ATX format. While with a mATX design we come across the excellent Asus Gryphon Z97.

The latter is the one we have had in our laboratory, among its features we find its compatibility with fifth generation “ Intel Haswell Refresh “ processors, designed by TUF components (ESD Guards Protection, anti-humidity), a very renewed BIOS and 5 years of warranty. Don't miss our review.

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Main improvements of the Z97 chipset to its predecessor Z87

There are hardly any differences between the Z87 and Z97 chipset on paper. We have few such as the incorporation of the SATA Express block with 10 Gb / s of bandwidth (40% faster) compared to the 6Gb / s of the classic SATA 3. How is there so much improvement? It is because they have taken one or two of the PCI Express lanes, so be careful when doing dual configurations or with multiple graphics cards. One of the most important improvements is the incorporation of the M.2 connection with NGFF support natively, thus replacing the well-received mSATA ports. This technology is the future of computing, since it will allow us to connect large, fast storage devices without occupying places in our box. During this year and 2015 we will see the increase in sales of this connection. Finally, we see the possibility of overclocking RAM memories up to 3300 mh. Well, this reaches the limit of mhz that we can reach with DDR3 memories.

Frequently asked questions to consider

- 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 or Intel Devil Canyon / Haswell Refresh ? 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.

Technical characteristics

ASUS Z97 GRYPHON FEATURES
CPU	Intel® 1150 Processors
Chipset	Intel® Z97
Memory	4 x DIMM memory, Max. 32GB, DDR3 1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Dual Channel memory architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Multi-GPU Compatible	Integrated graphics processor - Intel® HD Graphics compatible Compatible with Multi VGA output: HDMI / DVI / DisplayPort ports - Supports DVI with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz - Supports HDMI with a maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz - Compatible with DisplayPort with a maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz Maximum shared memory of 512 MB Supports Intel® InTru ™ 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider ™ Complies with Multi-Stream Transport DP 1.2 standard for serial connection of three monitors NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI ™ Technology Compatible Compatible with AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX ™ Technology2 x PCIe 3.0 / 2.0 x16 (Single x16, Dual to x8 / x8,) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode, black) 1 x PCIe x1
Storage	Intel® Z97 chipset: 6 x SATA 6Gb / s port (s), brown, Compatible with Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 Compatible with Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Rapid Start Technology, Intel® Smart Connect Technology
USB	Intel® Z97 chipset: 6 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 port (s) (4 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board) Intel® Z97 chipset: 8 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 port (s) (4 at back panel, black, 4 at mid-board)
Net	Intel® I218V
Bluetooth	Do not.
Audio	Realtek® ALC892 8 Channel High Definition Audio CODEC - Compatible with: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Jack-retasking on front panel Audio Features: - Absolute Pitch 192kHz / 24-bit True BD Lossless Sound - Optical S / PDIF output on rear panel - Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection - Audio Isolation: Ensures the separation of sound and digital signals, greatly reducing interference. - Dedicated layers for audio: Separate layers for left and right channels protect weak audio signals. - Audio Amplifier: Delivers high-quality sound for headphones and sound systems - Antipop circuit: Reduces noise when starting the equipment
WiFi connection	Do not.
Format.	Factory Format mATX 9.6 inch x 9.6 inch (24.4 cm x 24.4 cm)
BIOS	64 Mb 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, Last Modified log, F12 PrintScreen, F3 Shortcut functions and memory information ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect)

Asus Z97 Gryphon

An elegant and compact box where gold and black predominate. In it we have to highlight the 5 year warranty. How many motherboards does this offer? Today, no model. On the back of the box we have all the main features and a small outline of the Z97 Gryphon. The Bundle is made up of:

Asus Z97 Gryphon Motherboard Instruction Manual Quick Guide Quality certificate and 5-year warranty Back jacket 2 sets of SATA cable pairs SLID bridge Connector for control panel and USB TUF accessory kit including small fan for rear area input ports to repel dust, temperature probes and a variety of protectors for PCI Express connections, ports and slots.

The motherboard has a mATX format with measures 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm and a weight around 2kg. Thanks to the Armor Kit the motherboard has a design that is pleasing to the eye and that allows us many color combinations. I would like to point out that the armor almost completely covers the motherboard and this is a visual delight. A view to the rear. This armature helps to avoid flexing of the PCB, this means that the components will not suffer as many: capacitors, solders and tracks.

In the following image we can visualize the space between the base plate and the armature.

The Asus Gryphon Z97 supports 32GB of RAM spread over 4 DDR3 DIMMs at 1866mhz or overclocking at 2800Mhz (OC). We find a USB 3.0 header and a MemOK button !.

I love TUF components they are sturdy and ideal for extreme tasks. The motherboard has 8 + 2 digital phases that allows us to do a great overclocking. This is due to the use of TUF 10K Ti-Caps capacitors with a wide tolerance to temperature (20%), the new TUF New Alloy Chockes that remain 14% cooler than the previous revision and the MOSFETs with military certification and greater energy efficiency.

At the bottom of the motherboard we find the fan connectors, two internal USB 2.0 connections, the BIOS FLASH button and the control panel. Furthermore, the Gryphon allows us to mount a system of two graphics cards compatible with NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFireX technology at speeds of x16 when one is connected or x8-x8 when they are working simultaneously.

WE RECOMMEND YOU Launched the new Biostar H110MDE motherboard

We have six SATA 3 to 6Gb / s ports in brown. We can choose Raid configurations : 0, 1, 5, and 10. We must take into account the compatibility of Intel Smart Response Technology and Intel Rapid Start Technology.

As rear input and output connectors we have available:

4 x USB 2.0 (black color) 1 x DVI-D1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI 4 x USB 3.0 (blue color) 1 x RJ45 LAN port 1 x sound card connections.

BIOS

Asus conquers us the best BIOS of the moment. Intuitive, simple interface with many options. Simply spectacular… Among which we can highlight is its capacity as a fan controller, monitoring all critical areas, saving our favorites and profiles automatically. It has two modes: basic and advanced within the reach of any user.

Test bench and tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i7 4770k
Base plate:	Asus Gryphon Z97 Armor Edition
Memory:	G.Skills Trident X 2400mhz.
Heatsink	Noctua NH-D15
HDD	Samsumg EVO 250GB
Graphic card	Nvidia GTX 780
Power supply	Antec HCP 850

To check the stability of the processor and motherboard, we have overclocked up to 4600mhz with Prime 95 Custom and air cooling. The graphic that we have used is an Asus GTX780, without further distractions let us see the results obtained in our tests with a 1920 × 1080 monitor:

TESTS
3dMark Vantage:	P49021
3dMark11	P14731 PTS
Crysis 3	52 FPS
CineBench 11.5	12.3 fps.
Resident Evil 6 Lost planet tomb Raider Meter	1321 PTS. 142 FPS. 65 FPS 61 FPS

conclusion

The Asus Z97 Gryphon is a high-end motherboard with a mATX format (24.4 cm x 24.4 cm) that offers us the latest in reliability components, a very avant-garde dissipation and a design that should last us for many years. Although it has a "compact" format that does not mean that it is not up to the standards of ATX motherboards, it is undoubtedly the same or superior. It allows us to install fifth generation Intel processors, Nvidia or CrossFireX multiGPU systems, 8 + 2 power phases, 32 GB DDR3 at 1866 mhz as standard and 14 USB connections.

Cooling is undoubtedly its strongest point, as it is equipped with the TUF ICe chip that is in charge of monitoring and controlling the fans accurately and efficiently. Includes TUF components: TUF 10K Ti-Caps Capacitors, 14% cooler Chockes, and Military Class Mosfets. And it is that I do not know it falls short with its excellent ventilation system two small fans.

Regarding overclocking, it has not been left behind and has allowed us to raise our i7-4770k to 4600 mhz without messing with a high-end heatsink. The results in the gaming experience and synthetic tests are outstanding. Great job!

I would have liked that the board included 8 SATA ports or at least one SATA Express connection for storage lovers, there are no limits on a motherboard of this range. Although with the 6 SATA 6.0 Gbp / s that it has they are more than enough for a professional or enthusiastic team.

Currently there are two versions that the only thing that differentiates it is from the use of the " Armor Edition " and its price rises up to € 30 more. Currently you can find the normal version for € 135 and wearing armor for € 160.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ AMAZING AESTHETICS.	- ONLY 6 SATA CONNECTIONS.
+ VERY GOOD REFRIGERATION SYSTEM.	- DOES NOT INCLUDE SATA EXPRESS.
+ ALLOWS TO INSTALL TWO GRAPHICS CARDS IN SLI OR CROSSFIREX.
+ 8 + 2 FEEDING PHASES.
+ EXCELLENT OVERCLOCK.
+ 5 YEARS WARRANTY.