ASUS presents the new Z87 mainboard with socket LGA 1150

Still Haswell at the center of our attention to talk about the new line of LGA 1150 motherboards that the Taiwanese giant Asus is preparing for the eagerly awaited debut in early June. It starts with the products of the series ROG (Republic of Gamers), which provides three models Hero VI Maximus , Maximus Gene VI and VI Maximus Extreme .

The Maximus VI Hero is the base model with ATX form-factor, while the Maximus Gene VI is the only proposal micro-ATX with Maximus VI Extreme which represents the top of the line.

 

The Maximus VI Hero offers a 12-phase power, three expansion slots PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4), eight-port SATA 6 Gb / s, SupremeFX audio , four USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI display output. Given these premises, we do not be surprised if much the price of this model will be around the $ 200, to compete with other models in the competition as ASRock and MSI.

The next model is the micro ATX Maximus Gene VI, always with 12-phase VRM but with only two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8), one PCI-Express 2.0 x4 and same features as the previous model, with the addition of the Combo Card mPCIe, which adds 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

 

Last, not least, the Maximus VI Extreme with PCI-Express 3.0 x48 bridge chip that offers four PCI-Express 3.0 x16; these are added a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x4) connected to the PCH, and an open -ended PCI-Express 2.0 x4. Strangely, this card does not have SupremeFX audio department but a simpler solution Realtek-based. Other connectivity options include two Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, 10 SATA ports USB 3.0 3:08. At the moment we do not know the final prices of the three new proposals Asus, there only remains to wait to learn more.

 

We then move on to the "classic" models (if we may so call them), characterized by a design with colors black and gold, in detail Asus Z87-C, A-Z87, Z87 and Z87-PRO-PLUS to finish with Premium models Z87 DELUXE and ASUS Z87-WS (dedicated to the workstation).

The Z87-C has four DIMM slots supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, a single slot PCI-Express 3.0 x16, one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 connected to the PCH, two PCI-Express x1 and three PCI legacy. The video outputs include DVI, D-Sub and HDMI while the storage department sees eight SATA ports 3. The other features are: 8-channel HD audio, four USB 3.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, for a total price of about $ 100.

 

The model Z87-A instead features two PCI-Express 3.0, 10 Sata 3, 8 channel HD audio, two PCI-Express x1 and legacy PCI Gigabit Ethernet and optical SPDIF. The card supports 2-way SLI and CrossFireX, and should be the most economical option for multi-GPU build.

 

Turning to the mid-range, we begin with the Z87-PLUS, which is based on the feature set of the Z87-A. You can then easily overclock the card (and thus the processor is connected) with the push of a button. The other features are as many as 12 SATA ports 3 and same features as the model Z87-A.

It then continues with the model Z87-PRO, with 12 phases for the processor, three PCI-Express 3.0 x16, four PCI-Express x1 eight internal ports and two external SATA 3, six USB 3.0 ports, 8-channel HD audio, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi (802.11 b / g / n), DVI, D-Sub, HDMI and DisplayPort.

 

Leading the pack for the main line of the Classic series is the model ASUS Z87-DELUXE. This card is probably the richest of connection and expansion slots: it offers a 16-phase power to the CPU, the same possibility of expanding the model Z87-PRO but with 10 other 3 SATA ports, eight USB 3.0, WiFi 802.11ac, dual Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI video outputs and / or DisplayPort.

 

We conclude our celebration of Asus boards with the models' TUF "(The Ultimate Force), the line of motherboards" non-durable "which will include two models with socket LGA 1150: the Sabertooth Z87-and Z87-Gryphon. Perhaps the most known already from the name, is the model Sabertooth Z87, manufactured with form factor ATX, 8-phase power supply, eight SATA 3, Three PCI-Express 3.0 x16, 8-channel HD audio, Gigabit Ethernet, eight USB 3.0, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1.

 

The Z87-Gryphon is the first motherboard micro-ATX TUF Series, with two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8), one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot, six SATA 3, four USB 3.0 ports, 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output, Gigabit Ethernet, DVI and HDMI video outputs.