ESD Guards for protection from electrostatic discharge
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can happen suddenly, and its damaging effects are easily underestimated. ASUS ESD Guards are tested to very high standards, capable of up to +/- 10kV for air discharge and +/-6kV for contact discharge. We employ an active protective circuit design to guard your system against electrostatic interference and damage, providing greater component longevity.
Keyboard and mouse connectors: Additional on-circuit ESD transient-voltage-suppression (TVS) diodes.
VGA connectors: Additional on-circuit ESD TVS diodes to protect
D-Sub functionality.
USB 3.0/2.0 connectors: On-circuit TVS diodes for surface-mount and dual-inline packages.
LAN port: ESD TVS diode protection on the LAN circuit.
Audio connectors: Varistor protection on back audio-output circuits.
Proven compatibility
Having the freedom to pick and choose the parts that go into your machine is at the heart of PC DIY. Our extensive certification program focuses on providing the very best compatibility with the widest range of components and devices, giving you the freedom to build and upgrade without frustration. Compatible today and compatible far into the future – that's the ASUS way.
Tested - 1,000+ compatible CPUs, memory modules, graphics cards and more
Every 9 Series motherboard is compatible with thousands of devices. Our engineers fit and assess both server and consumer CPUs, hundreds of memory modules, dozens of graphics cards, loads of storage devices, power supplies, network devices, displays, optical drives, peripherals and many more. We do this to give you complete confidence in our products and their superb compatibility.
Complete & Public QVL
View our Qualified Vendor List (QVL) online
We're so confident in our 9 Series motherboards' superior compatibility that we publish our entire QVL for all to see — delivering you more choices for worry-free PC-building experiences. There are no gaps in our QVL: every compatible component is on the list for all to see. To check that a particular component or device is compatible with your motherboard, just reference the QVL for instant reassurance.
Designed — Great compatibility with ASUS products
When you choose an ASUS motherboard, it's likely you'll also go with ASUS for other components. ASUS designs products from the ground up so that graphics cards, sound cards and optical drives work flawlessly with your motherboard.
Top-to-bottom reliability
Our motherboards have superb endurance. We verify this by subjecting every board to over 7,000 hours of stringent tests. A barrage of burn-in, environmental, compatibility, software and safety tests confirm that our motherboards are exceptionally robust with reliability that surpasses industry standards.
Extensive testing for extreme reliability, compatibility and safety
Each motherboard is subjected to extended reliability testing under heavy load conditions, from the transportation to daily operations, to make sure they are delivered to you in perfect condition. Trials include temperature and humidity, burn-in, power on/off, power consumption, insertion and thermal-shock testing among many others. Every certified-compatible component puts through an up to 24-hour aging test to ensure trouble-free operation every day no matter what you fit or attach and no matter what you do!
Temperature and Humidity Test
Components withstand extreme conditions
Thermal Measurement
Cool and stable under the heaviest loads
Insertion Test
Guaranteed I/O reliability
Up to 24-hour aging test to ensure reliability
Power Consumption Test
Ensure global-standard energy efficiency
Temperature and DC Margin
Thermal Shock Test
Non-Operation Vibration Test
Burn-In Test
Installation Test
Drop Test
Shock Test
Salt and Spray Test
Games or multimedia — it's always ready!
Flawless audio that makes you part of the game
Crystal Sound 2
Crystal Sound 2 makes short work of optimizing audio settings for the way you want to listen, be it gaming, chatting, watching movies or relaxing to your favorite music. Onboard physical shielding, professional engineered design and premium components, including Japanese-made audio capacitors and operational amplifiers (op-amps), result in sound output that has exceptional clarity and fidelity. Discover a whole new dimension of superior audio and get ready to rule!
Audio Shielding Ensures precision analog/digital separation and greatly reduced multi-lateral interference
Unique de-pop circuit Reduces start-up popping noise to audio outputs
Audio amplifier Enhances the highest quality sound for headphone and speakers
Premium Japanese-made audio capacitors Provides warm, natural and immersive sound with exceptional clarity and fidelity
Special layout design Separate layers for left and right channels to guard the quality of the sensitive audio signals
A double win for gaming!
The difference between defeat and victory can be measured in milliseconds. That's why ASUS motherboards are equipped with state-of-the-art networking technology that puts your frags first!
Turbo LAN
Turbo LAN with cFosSpeed traffic-shaping technology adds even more lag-reducing support and intuitive user interface. It allows you to lower lag with no expert knowledge – by up to 1.45X! If you're a tweaker, use Advanced Mode for hardcore controls.
Grouping your own favorite list
Set priority to speed up for your application
Testing configuration: Intel® Core™ i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50 GHz ¦ Z97-DELUXE ¦ Transcend JM1600KLH-16GK DDR3 1600MHz*2 ¦ Windows Win8.1 Ultimate 64bit
Intel® Gigabit Ethernet —top gaming choice that goes faster with your CPU
Faster, smoother gaming – always. Intel® Gigabit Ethernet has the serious double advantage of communicating directly with CPUs and offering high TCP and UDP throughput. This significantly reduces the processor's workload, so there's more power for your game and your gameplay.
Up to 2X-faster UDP game-data performance
ASUS engineers used IxChariot, an independent network-assessment test tool, to determine just how much quicker Intel Gigabit Ethernet deals with the smaller (sub-256 byte) UDP data packets that are vital for responsive gaming. The results are in — and with Z97 your game-data packets flow up to two times (2X) faster than competing gaming-LAN technologies!
Work with up to 3 displays
Connect up to three independent monitors at once using video outputs such as DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, or VGA. Choose your outputs and set displays to either mirror mode or collage mode.
4K/Ultra HD visual excellence
Native support for 4K/UHD (ultra-high-definition) resolutions of up to 4096 x 2160 via HDMI or DisplayPort —that's four times the pixel count of 1080p (1920 x 1080), offering incredible visual clarity, detail, and realism.
Media-acclaimed UEFI BIOS
The smoothest, slickest mouse-controlled graphical BIOS has been improved to make it even more appealing. Whether you're a PC novice or a seasoned overclocker, the EZ and Advanced Modes help you find your way, quickly and easily.
Map to MyFavorite: Quickly find tuning options and add preferred tools to the MyFavorites list!
EZ Tuning Wizard OC and RAID: Select your hardware and use scenarios to tune system performance or streamline your RAID configuration for faster data retrieval and backups!
EZ XMP
Improve your DRAM performance with a click!
Intuitive graphical fan control
Fine-tune individual fans simply by dragging a curve with the mouse!
Real-time hardware monitor
Benefit from instant information from the critical parts of your system!
EZ Mode
- Fan Profile: Detailed CPU and case fan information for instant cooling!
- SATA Information: Displays SATA port details for you to easily recognize devices!
- Fast Clock Adjustment: Use mouse controls to change the time and date!
- EZ XMP: Improve your DRAM performance with a click!
Advanced Mode
- Shortcut: Press Enter to create shortcuts to favorite settings, or select an existing shortcut and press F4 to go straight there!
- Quick Notes: Make notes and capture BIOS-related ideas, quickly and conveniently!
- Last Modified Log: Track last change and save preferred profiles onto a USB drive!
- SATA Port Renaming: Rename SATA ports for easy identification!
Advanced fan controls for ultimate cooling and quietness with Fan Xpert 3
Fan Xpert 3 is an extremely advanced fan-management tool that puts 4-pin/3-pin CPU and case fan controls in one place. It scans each fan's characteristics and intelligently delivers custom settings for each fan based on the dedicated area temperatures. Make sure every fan achieves the best balance of cooling performance and low noise.
Fan Xpert 3 supports hardware-level PWM/DC combo mode for both the CPU and case fans. It even has the upgraded ability to reduce the CPU fan speed to below the default minimum, for extra-quiet and power saving operation during light loads.
RPM Fixed Mode
Designed for users who wish to reduce noise levels to near 0dB with highly specific fan speed control. It reacts to system loads for greater response.
Auto Tuning Mode
Scans fan parameters through exclusive automatic speed detection to provide custom settings for each fan with a single click. This achieves the best cooling for your components beyond just the mere number of fans in your case.
Informative fan controls
Delivers complete information that allows you to take advanced control over each fan.
Ultra-fast transfer speed
Evolve your storage speed with SATA Express
SATA Express provides up to 10Gbit/s data-transfer speeds from two PCIE 2.0 lanes, resolving the higher bandwidth request in the near future. The current SSDs consume up to 550MB/s, which is close to saturation point for SATA 6Gbit/s connections. Backwardly compatible with up to two SATA drives, SATA Express is the next-generation connectivity standard — and ensures that you and your system won't get left behind.
Speed up your system with M.2
With two native PCI Express 2.0 bandwidth, M.2 supports up to 10Gbit/s data-transfer speeds. It is the perfect choice for an operating system drive, making your whole PC work that much faster. It supports Intel® Rapid Storage Technology to ensure even faster access to data, refresh applications automatically and awake from sleep in just seconds!*
PC DIY has never been this easy
We understand how you use your PC. From assembly, system setting and monitoring, and to firmware and hardware updates — we're all about making your life easier. That's why we never stop developing new and exciting DIY opportunities to make PC DIY easy, fun and free from hassle!
1 assembly
ASUS Q-Design makes PC building quick and easy
2 settings
ASUS AI Suite 3 is a one-stop shop for adjusting your settings
3 monitoring
ASUS Push Notice monitors your PC status on the go
4 BIOS updates
ASUS EZ Flash 2 updates your BIOS from USB outside the operating system
ASUS HomeCloud
Your PC, your world
ASUS HomeCloud creates a world without boundaries. It lets you access your PC remotely, stream multimedia content to wherever you want, and manage all your stuff from anywhere — no matter where it's stored. Use the built-in Wake on WAN feature to remotely wake and control your PC with a single smart device, anywhere and anytime. It even turns your hard drive into a private cloud, removing worries about storage limits. With HomeCloud, your PC becomes the gateway to your world.
A digital PC hub perfect for sharing and home theater
Media Streamer
Enjoy your PC's multimedia content anywhere! Pipe music from your PC while sipping coffee in a caf or sit back with friends and stream a favorite movie to a smart TV. With ASUS Media Streamer, your entertainment goes wherever you go.
Intel CPU and chipset features
Intel® LGA1150 4th, New 4th & 5th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors Ready
This motherboard supports Intel® 4th , New 4th and 5th Generation Core™ i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® processors in the LGA1150 package, with iGPU, memory and PCI Express controllers integrated to support onboard graphics output with dedicated chipsets, 2-channel (4 DIMM) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 3.0/2.0 lanes. This provides great graphics performance.
Intel® Z97 Express Chipset
The Intel® Z97 Express Chipset is a single-chipset design that supports Intel® LGA1150 4th, New 4th & 5th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors. It provides improved performance by utilizing serial point-to-point links, allowing increased bandwidth and stability. Additionally, Z97 provides a maximum 6 USB 3.0 ports, 6 SATA 6Gbit/s ports and 10Gbit/s M.2 support for faster data retrieval. Moreover, the Intel® Z97 Express Chipset also supports iGPU functions, letting users enjoy the latest Intel integrated graphics performance.
Intel® Smart Response Technology SSD speed with HDD capacity
Uses an installed fast SSD (min18.6GB available capacity required) as a cache for frequently-accessed data. Key benefits include reduced load and wait times, and lower power consumption through the elimination of unnecessary hard drive spin. This technology combines SSD performance with hard drive capacity, operating up to 6X faster than a hard drive-only system.
Intel® Smart Connect Technology Auto application refresh and shorter wait times
Your computer can receive web updates with fresh content for selected applications, even when the system is in sleep mode. This means less time waiting for applications to update and sync with the cloud, leading to a more efficient computing experience.
Intel® Rapid Start Technology Instantly awaken your PC from sleep mode
Allows your computer to quickly resume from a low-power hibernate state in seconds. Saving your system memory to the designated SSD, it provides your computer a faster wake-up response time, while still keeping energy use low.
Specifications:
- CPU
Intel Socket 1150 for the 5th/New 4th/4th Generation Core i7/Core i5/Core i3/Pentium/Celeron Processors
Supports Intel 22 nm CPU
Supports Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
* The Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
* Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list
- Chipset
Intel Z97
- Memory
4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 3200(O.C.)/3100(O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2933(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2600(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2250(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory *
Dual Channel Memory Architecture
Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.
* Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).
- Graphic
Integrated Graphics Processor- Intel HD Graphics support
Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DVI-D/RGB ports
- Supports HDMI with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz
- Supports DVI-D with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
- Supports RGB with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Maximum shared memory of 512 MB
Supports Intel InTru 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider
Supports up to 3 displays simultaneously
- Multi-GPU Support
Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX Technology
- Expansion Slots
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 mode)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (max at x4 mode) *1
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
3 x PCI
- Storage
Intel Z97 chipset :
1 x SATA Express port, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2260/2280 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)*2
4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
Supports Intel Smart Response Technology, Intel Rapid Start Technology, Intel Smart Connect Technology *3
- LAN
Intel I218V, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s), featuring Turbo LAN
Intel LAN- Dual interconnect between the Integrated LAN controller and Physical Layer (PHY)
- Audio
Realtek ALC892 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC featuring Crystal Sound 2
- Supports : Jack-detection, Front Panel Jack-retasking
Audio Feature :
- Audio Shielding: Ensures precision analog/digital separation and greatly reduced multi-lateral interference
- Dedicated audio PCB layers: Separate layers for left and right channels to guard the quality of the sensitive audio signals
- Audio amplifier: Provides the highest-quality sound for headphone and speakers
- Premium Japanese-made audio capacitors: Provide warm, natural and immersive sound with exceptional clarity and fidelity
- Unique de-pop circuit: Reduces start-up popping noise to audio outputs
- USB Ports
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) (2 at back panel, black, 6 at mid-board)
- Special Features
ASUS 5X Protection :
- ASUS DIGI+ VRM - 6 Phase digital power design
- ASUS Enhanced DRAM Overcurrent Protection - Short circuit damage prevention
- ASUS ESD Guards - Enhanced ESD protection
- ASUS High-Quality 5K-Hour Solid Capacitors - 2.5x long lifespan with excellent durability
- ASUS Stainless Steel Back I/O - 3x more durable corrosion-resistant coating
ASUS EPU :
- EPU
ASUS Exclusive Features :
- TurboV EVO
- GPU Boost
- MemOK!
- AI Suite 3
- Ai Charger
- Anti-Surge
- USB 3.0 Boost
- Disk Unlocker
- Turbo LAN
- Crystal Sound 2
Interactive HomeCloud
- Media Streamer
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution :
- Stylish Fanless Design Heat-sink solution & MOS Heatsink
- ASUS Fan Xpert 3
ASUS EZ DIY :
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode
- Push Notice
ASUS Q-Design :
- ASUS Q-Slot
- Operating System Support
Windows 8.1
Windows 8
Windows 7
- Back I/O Ports
1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s)
1 x DVI-D
1 x D-Sub
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
4 x USB 3.0 (blue)
2 x USB 2.0
6 x Audio jack(s)
- Internal I/O Ports
1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s) (19-pin)
3 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 6 USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x SATA Express connector: black, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports
1 x M.2 Socket 3 for M Key, type 2260/2280 devices
1 x TPM header
1 x COM port(s) connector(s)
4 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
3 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (3 x 4 -pin)
1 x S/PDIF out header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x System panel(s)
1 x MemOK! button(s)
1 x GPU Boost switch(es)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s)
- Accessories
User's manual
I/O Shield
2 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
- BIOS
64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.7, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.8, ACPI 5.0, Multi-language BIOS,
ASUS EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3, F6 Qfan Control, F3 My Favorites & Shortcut, Quick Note, Last Modified log,
F12 PrintScreen, and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information
- Manageability
WfM 2.0, DMI 2.7, WOL by PME, PXE
- Support Disc
Drivers
ASUS Utilities
EZ Update
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
- Form Factor
ATX Form Factor
12.0 inch x 8.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 21.8 cm )
- Note
*1: The PCIe x1_1, PCIe x1_2 slots share bandwidth with PCIe x16_2. The PCIe x16_2 slot runs at x2 mode as default. Please check BIOS for more configuration.
*2: M.2 Socket 3 shares bandwidth with SATA Express port.
*3: These functions will work depending on the CPU installed.