ly the ASUS Z97A's Layout is well thought Once more very practical are the angled SATA connectors, of which there are four Unfortunately there are now power and reset buttons and there is also no CLRCMOS button, which in the end is reasonable, since ASUS...
Asus certainly hasn't held back in offering the best bang for the buck it could muster with the Z97-A, especially when you consider it's under a tenner cheaper than the previous Z-87-A and has a superior hardware and software set. If you are in the marke...
The easiest way to rate value is comparing performance to price. But that doesn't inspire anyone to add extras like USB and SATA controllers, which improve the flexibility of a platform, but don't move the needle on speed. We have to think more broadly th...
Abstract: Yesterday Intel introduced its new processors which are a refresh of the current Haswell chips. Along with these new processors two new motherboard chipsets are being introduced, the H97 and the Z97. For many of the motherboard manufacturers this is the...
Subtle & professional aesthetics, Great value, Solid performer, Plenty of storage options including M.2 & SATA Express support, Great performance, Clean & easy to use BIOS
Brown PCB
Last year we reviewed the corresponding ASUS mainstream model in the Intel 8 Series and, whilst impressive from a feature/performance standpoint, we were less than enthused by the styling of the Z87-A. We’re really pleased to note however that this ne...
Clean layout, Nice BIOS upgrade, SATA Express support, Thoughtful mix of features
PCIe lane usage could be an issue
The Intel Z97 chipset constitutes a minor upgrade over the Z87 introduced almost a year ago. Main advantages include provision for M.2 SSDs, SATA Express and specific support for the Haswell refresh chips known as Devil's Canyon. Z97 is more about future...
Brown PCB, VRM heatsinks could be more substantial, Sparse bundle,
PricingThe ASUS Z97-A has an MSRP of £115 or $150. It is currently selling on Amazon and Newegg for $150 and it comes with a 3 year ASUS warranty.OverviewIt is quite honestly difficult to believe that the ASUS Z97-A is only the entry level motherboard for...
Great performance, Runs cool, Introduces new features
Price
The ASUS Z97-A looks like a very simple motherboard, but what ASUS has done here is to improve on an already excellent product by tweaking the things that matter, and leaving the features that work alone.(previously published in issue June 2014)...
The three tests shows that the performance did improve but not as much as anticipated. This could be due to early drivers or bandwidth issues. Nevertheless, devices based on the USB 3.1 will ship and made affordable when the mass market goes for this new...
