Matboards. Review of the motherboard ASUS Z87M-Plus. Sufficient minimalism Entry to bios

Modern motherboards ASUS recently started using the new version BIOS. BIOS UEFI - translate as Unified Extensible Firmware Interface.BIOS UEFI is responsible for configuring and initializing devices at the moment the PC is turned on and provides them with the ability to exchange data between themselves and the system.

Let's consider the main advantages of the UEFI BIOS:

• user-friendly and beautiful graphical interface has 2 setting modes: EZ Mode for inexperienced users, quick setup andAdvanced Mode for advanced users, allowing you to make the most of your computer resources
  
• it became possible to work with hard more than 2.2 terabytes of disks
• 64 bit operating system with new BIOS UEFI began to load much faster
• convenient choice of bootloader
• visual monitoring temperature sensors computer
• High protection against boot viruses
• Flexible switching between graphics subsystems, uniquetechnology LucidLogix Virtu allowswill automatically switch between the integrated graphics core and the external graphics card. Those. when working with text, an external video card goes into sleep mode and consumes a minimum of energy and resources, but as soon as we start, for example, a game, the external video card is automatically turned on.
• Fast video transcoding -Intel® Quick Sync Video, modern motherboards ASUS support hardware acceleration on the integrated graphics core
  
• Technology Intel Smart Response — Accelerates the disk subsystem by caching information on the built-in small-capacity solid-state disk from where the information then goes to the main hard disk. This reduces energy consumption.
• Intelligent chips of the second generation with DIGI + power system, the digital controller processes signals without digital-to-analog conversion, thereby reducing delays. Intelligent chips through the use of power transistors and dual drivers, and load sharing, improve cooling.
• TPU- using the function Auto Tuning, GPU Boost and TurboV the chip on the motherboard overclocks the processor by simply switching the TPU function operation mode
• Technology ASUS GPU Boost- using a convenient and intuitive interface, you can overclock the built-in graphics core.
• BT GO- this technology makes it possible connect all kinds of Bluetooth devices without using additional equipment
• Full support USB 3.0
• SATA 6Gb / s support
• Modern connector LGA1155 allows you to install processors Core i7, i5 and i3

A detailed UEFI BIOS setup for each motherboard manufacturer will be discussed in another article. We will now look at how to do an initial setup and improve performance.

ASUS UEFI BIOS Initial Setup

Turn on the computer, and during boot, press F2, the BIOS UEFI settings window will open. We change the language to Russian. Let's choose the maximum performance mode. this is a speedometer icon with a red light, save and exit. To switch to advanced mode, press Exit /Advanced Mode

MSI UEFI BIOS Initial Setup

Similarly, turn on the computer, press F2, the BIOS UEFI window appears. Change the language at will, turn on the mode oc green mode.

oc green mode- Automatic overclocking to increase performance in 1 second.

We continue our tour of motherboards designed to work with AMD's new APUs. This time we will consider a model of the middle price segment from ASUS, which is based on the older set of AMD A85X system logic and has support for AMD CrossFireX, AMD Dual Graphics, compatibility with the new OS from Microsoft - Windows 8, as well as a number of proprietary technologies.

As you remember, in 2012 we got acquainted with which, as of February 2013, is the flagship model of the company. ASUS F2A85-V, the heroine of this material, is, in fact, a slightly simplified version of the model sounded above. We offer a small comparison table for greater clarity:

external / internal
external / internal
RAM
Video outputs
Audio outputs on the interface panel	Optical S / PDIF out	Optical S / PDIF out
Power phases	(with refrigeration)	(with refrigeration)
Average cost in USD *

* the cost is indicated as of February 2013

As you can see, the difference in cost is quite significant. Having lost $ 45 in price, ASUS F2A85-V also lost two USB 3.0 ports, a DisplayPort video output, two power phases and, perhaps, the most important thing - the ability to operate two video cards in x8 + x8 mode. At first glance, everything is logical, since this model is positioned as simpler and more affordable, such limitations may not suit only owners of two graphics adapters, and for most other potential buyers purchasing ASUS F2A85-V looks more economically feasible. However, these are conclusions based only on the specifications of motherboards, for a more detailed study of ASUS F2A85-V, we suggest going directly to the review:

ASUS F2A85-V motherboard specification:

Manufacturer
	F2A85-V (rev 1.0)
CPU socket
Supported processors	AMD A (Socket FM2) AMD Athlon (Socket FM2)
Memory used	2400 (O.C.) / 2250 (O.C.) / 2200 (O.C.) / 2133 (O.C.) / 2000 (O.C.) / 1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz
Memory support	4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 64GB memory
Expansion slots	1 x PCI Express 16 2.0 (x16) 1 x PCI Express 16 2.0 (x4)
	2 x PCI Express x1
Disk subsystem	AMD A85X Chipset Supports: 7 x SATA 6Gb / s ports 1 x eSATA 6Gb / s port
	1 x Atheros 8161 Gigabit LAN Controller (10/100/1000 Mbps)
Sound subsystem	Realtek ALC887 Codec 2/4 / 5.1 / 7.1-channel audio
	24-pin ATX power connector 4 pin ATX12V power connector
Fans	1 x CPU fan connector (4-pin) 2 x system fan connectors (4-pin)
Cooling	South bridge aluminum radiator Aluminum MOSFET heatsink
External I / O ports	6 x Audio ports 1 x optical SPDIF Out 1 x PS / 2 (mouse, keyboard)
Internal I / O ports	1 x USB 3.0 with support for two USB 3.0 (19-pin) connections 7 x SATA 6Gb / s Ports 1 x COM port 1 x front panel audio connector 1 x Front Panel Connector Block 1 x CMOS Clear Jumper
	64 Mb Flash ROM, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 2.0a,
Equipment	user's manual; warranty brochure; CD with drivers and utilities; 2 x SATA cables; plug of the interface panel.
Form factor, dimensions, mm
Products webpage	New BIOS and driver versions can be downloaded from the support page.

Packaging and equipment

The ASUS F2A85-V motherboard comes in a standard-sized cardboard box, which is mostly decorated in black and yellow colors. On the front side, in addition to the board name, there is a large logo, which indicates that the ASUS F2A85-V uses a fully digital DIGI + VRM power supply system. In addition, the packaging notes support for the new Windows 8 operating system, AMD CrossFireX technologies, AMD Dual Graphics and the new AMD A (Socket FM2) processors. It should also be noted that the following technologies are supported:

· Remote GO!- Remote GO technology! is designed to connect the computer with other devices on the home network (computers, tablets, smartphones, TVs) wirelessly and provides the following features: DLNA Media Hub with which you can stream video from a computer to a DLNA-compatible TV or use a tablet (smartphone) to remotely control a desktop PC; Remote Desktop - a virtual desktop for real-time desktop PC control can be configured on both a tablet and a smartphone; File Transfer- an easy way to exchange files between PC and mobile devices.

USB 3.0 Boost - to speed up the operation of the USB 3.0 interface, the UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) protocol is supported.

Fan xprert 2–The technology implemented by ASUS engineers at the hardware level, thanks to which there are expanded possibilities for controlling all fans that are connected directly to the motherboard. Fan speed control is available, both in manual and automatic modes. Also, the user has the opportunity to select the fan operating mode, configured specifically in order to minimize the noise level generated by the PC cooling system.

GPUBoost–Technology that allows you to overclock the integrated graphics core of the processor both by software and by means of a switch on the motherboard.

On the back there is a photo of the motherboard itself, its specification, and also shows in more detail the advantages of the technologies listed above.

In the box with the motherboard, we found:

Documentation;

Disk with drivers and utilities;

Two SATA cables;

Interface panel blank.

Board design and features

Like its older sister, the ASUS F2A85-V motherboard is made in ATX format, but on a brown PCB, not black. We did not have any special complaints about the layout and location of ports and connectors. The only negative point is that due to the smaller width of the PCB (231 versus 244 for ASUS F2A85-V PRO), there are no mounting holes on its right side, therefore, connecting SATA devices will require some care, since the edge on which the corresponding ports are located " sags. " Also note that when a video card is installed in a black PCI-Express x4 slot, access to the COM port will be limited.

All the components fit on the front side of the board without any problems, so its reverse side only attracts attention with the reinforcing plate, which provides the ability to install powerful enough cooling systems that may be needed during extreme overclocking of the processor.

The bottom of the board contains the following connectors: a front panel audio connector, S / PDIF out, a CMOS jumper, a COM port, and three pads for connecting USB 2.0 ports. In total, the board offers ten USB 2.0 ports, six internal and four on the interface panel. The work of all ten ports is implemented by the chipset.

Closer to the lower right corner are the front panel connector block and seven SATA ports. All seven ports comply with the SATA 6Gb / s specification and are implemented by the AMD A85X chipset. There is support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10. Due to the fact that the chipset supports eight SATA 6 Gb / s ports, and there are seven of them on the motherboard, the eSATA port located on the interface panel works accordingly. , also implemented using the chipset.

The right side of the ASUS F2A85-V motherboard attracts attention not only by the presence of a connector for an external panel with two USB 3.0 ports (not supplied), but also by the presence of the MemOK! Button.

Similar to the older model, ASUS F2A85-V is equipped with four DIMM slots for installing DDR3 memory modules, which are equipped with latches on both sides. The RAM can operate in a dual-channel mode; for its implementation, memory modules must be installed either in the first and third, or in the second and fourth slots. Modules operating at frequencies from 1066 to 1866 MHz in nominal mode and up to 2400 MHz in overclocking are supported. The maximum memory capacity can be up to 64 GB, which should be enough for any given task.

The cooling system of the motherboard in question consists of two aluminum radiators: one removes heat from the AMD A85X chipset, the other covers the MOSFET microcircuits. Both radiators are attached with plastic spring clips.

During the testing of the board, the temperature of the heatsinks did not rise above 43 ° C, which is a fairly average result. Recall that the temperature of ASUS F2A85-V PRO heatsinks did not exceed 32 ° C.

The processor is powered according to a 6-phase scheme for computing cores and additional nodes. The power stabilization system uses Japanese-made solid-state capacitors and chokes with ferrite cores.

The converter itself is based on the Digi + VRM ASP1106 digital power regulator. ASUS F2A85-V is powered by the main 24-pin and additional 4-pin connectors. As you can see, in comparison with ASUS F2A85-V PRO, not only the number of phases has decreased, but a simpler 4-pin ATX12V connector is also used, which tells us about the lesser overclocking focus of ASUS F2A85-V.

The options for expanding the functionality of the ASUS F2A85-V motherboard are fairly standard. There are two slots for installing graphics adapters - PCI-Express. The first slot, in blue, always uses 16 lines, while the bandwidth of the second, black, is limited to 4 lines. Both slots comply with specification 2.0.

The manufacturer claims support for AMD CrossFireX technology. When using two graphics adapters, the lines between the slots are distributed according to a far from optimal x16 + x4 scheme.

Also, expanding the functionality of the motherboard is possible due to two PCI-Express x1 and three PCI slots.

Multi I / O capabilities are provided by the ITE IT8603E chip, which controls the COM and PS / 2 ports, system fans, and provides monitoring.

An Atheros 8161 gigabit LAN controller is used to support network connections.

The sound subsystem of the motherboard in question is based on the Realtek ALC887 8-channel HDA audio codec, which supports 2/4 / 5.1 / 7.1 audio systems.

The following ports are displayed on the interface panel of the ASUS F2A85-V motherboard:

• 1 x Optical S / PDIF out;

  6 x Audio ports;

  1 x PS / 2 (mouse, keyboard).

It is worth noting the good layout of the interface panel. In the presence of everything you need for full and most importantly comfortable use. The only drawback is the presence of only two USB 3.0 ports, in contrast to the ASUS F2A85-V PRO interface panel, which has four.

ASUS F2A85-V motherboard is equipped with three fan headers, one is used to power the processor cooling fan, while the other two can be used to connect system fans. All connectors are made in a four-pin design.

The tested motherboard ASUS F2A85-V, like most modern motherboards from ASUS, uses a modern preloader based on the UEFI graphical interface, which can be configured using the mouse. The main screen of the UEFI BIOS monitors temperatures and voltages on the lines of the power supply and the processor. This section also displays the BIOS version, processor model and the amount of RAM.

All settings related to overclocking are located in the "Ai Tweaker" tab.

The memory frequency multiplier allows you to select a frequency from 800 to 2400 MHz.

You can also access the memory latency adjustments as needed.

To increase stability during overclocking, voltage control settings on the processor, memory and chipset can be used, which is convenient for fine-tuning the system.

The settings required for overclocking and optimizing the system are summarized in the table:

Parameter	Menu name	Range
RAM frequency	Memory Frequency	800, 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2133, 2400
CPU multiplier
CPU frequency
Northbridge frequency
CPU GPU frequency	GPU Engine Frequency	434, 447, 460, 475, 490, 506, 524, 542, 562, 584, 608, 633, 660, 690, 723, 760, 800, 844, 894, 950, 1013, 1085, 1169, 1266, 1381, 1520, 1688, 1900
The amount of memory allocated for the needs of the graphics processor core	UMA Frame Buffer Size	32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1, 2
RAM timings	DRAM Timing Control	CAS, RAS to CAS, RAS PRE Time, RAS ACT Time, COMMAND Mode, Row Cycle Time, READ to PRE Time, RAS to RAS, WRITE to READ, CAS Write Latency, WRITE Recovery Time, FOUR ACT WIN Time, REF Cycle Time
	CPU Voltage Frequency
Permissible deviation from the set voltage on the processor	CPU Offset Voltage	0,00625 – 0,33750
Permissible deviation from the set voltage on the processor-northbridge bus	VDDNB Offset Voltage	0,00625 – 0,36250
RAM voltage
Voltage on line 1.2 Volts	APU 1.2V Voltage
		2,5000 – 2,8000

The "Monitor" section provides access to monitoring the temperature of the processor and chipset, as well as the rotational speed of the installed fans.

Also in this section you can follow:

processor core voltage;

voltage on the power lines + 12V, + 5V and + 3.3V.

Unfortunately, traditionally for mass ASUS solutions, the ability to monitor the voltage supply of memory modules is not implemented. However, it is worth mentioning separately the ability to take screenshots in the BIOS and support for the Russian language.

Testing

The following equipment was used to test the capabilities of the motherboard:

	Scythe Mugen 3 Rev. B PCGH Edition
RAM	2х DDR3-2000 1024 MB Kingston HyperX KHX16000D3T1K3 / 3GX
Video card	AMD Radeon HD 7660D
HDD	Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB SATA-300 NCQ
Optical drive	ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA
Power Supply	Seasonic X-560 (560W 120mm fan)
	CHIEFTEC Libra LF-01B

Test results:

As you can see, the results differ from the motherboards we reviewed earlier within the limits of the test error, which tells us about the quality level of the motherboard and good BIOS optimization.

Overclocking capabilities

Overclocking capabilities were tested using an unlocked AMD A10-5800K processor, which was accelerated to 4.5 GHz.

The main view of the utility

The AMD A10-5800K Test Processor was overclocked to 4.3 GHz using the auto-overclocking feature.

Also note that using the GPU Boost switch it was possible to increase the frequency of the graphics core to 960 MHz.

The RAM worked stably at a frequency of 2400 MHz.

Testing the audio path based on the Realtek ALC887 codec

RightMark Audio Analyzer Test Report

16-bit, 44.1 kHz

		Very well
Noise level, dB (A)
Dynamic range, dB (A)
Harmonic distortion,%
		Very well
		Very well
Intermodulation at 10 kHz,%		Very well
Overall score		Very well

Operating mode 24-bit, 192 kHz

Frequency response (in the range 40 Hz - 15 kHz), dB
Noise level, dB (A)
Dynamic range, dB (A)
Harmonic distortion,%		Very well
Harmonic distortion + noise, dB (A)
Intermodulation distortion + noise,%		Very well
Interpenetration of channels, dB		Very well
Intermodulation at 10 kHz,%		Very well
Overall score		Very well

The pre-installed Realtek ALC887 audio codec provides sufficient audio quality for everyday use.

conclusions

Based on the testing results, the motherboard left a good impression. ASUS F2A85-V is a solution made in the ATX format, which is distinguished by a good ratio of cost and functionality, competent layout and high quality on-board elements. As we already noted at the beginning of the review, ASUS F2A85-V is a simplified version of ASUS F2A85-V PRO and, accordingly, has a more humane cost, which is about $ 95. In this case, we see that some of the simplifications that the solution reviewed today underwent did not harm, and the only limitation that may be on the way to purchase is not the most optimal mode of operation of AMD CrossFireX - x16 + x4. As for the rest, apart from the "sagging" of the right side of the PCB, which will require a more accurate connection of SATA devices, we did not find any significant shortcomings. Accordingly, ASUS F2A85-V can be recommended for purchase to everyone except the owners of two video cards, for whom, with a great desire to use the Socket FM2 platform as the basis for a gaming station, although this is not entirely rational, ASUS F2A85-V PRO will be a more interesting choice.

The cycle of our reviews of motherboards in the lower price range, based on the senior set of system logic for Intel Haswell processors - Z87, revealed products that are quite usable for use. However, a common feature for each of them was the poor stabilization of the CPU supply voltage. Whether this is the reason for the inability of manufacturers to organize the correct approach when working with the ISL95820 PWM controller, which is common to each of them, without exception, is a rather rhetorical question, but the facts are on the face.

In this review, we will look at a similar, cheapest motherboard made by ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Z87M-Plus. The products of this company are based on other components, relabeled by the manufacturer, but, apparently, these are International Rectifier products. Looking at the company's new lineup in one of the first reviews, one could notice that the simplest is another model - ASUS Z87-K. However, the actual retail prices since then have been the same for all models, with the exception of today's tester. For him in the domestic retail asking for an amount equivalent to $ 125.

In addition, it is the Z87M-Plus that is most preferred for enthusiasts with a limited budget, since it has several specific abilities - the MemOK button! and the GPU Boost state switch. In all other respects, this is the most ordinary board, not burdened with any additional interface controllers, but at the same time it has everything you need to build a modern multimedia computer.

Characteristics

Model
Chipset	Intel Z87
CPU socket	Socket 1150
Processors	Xeon, Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, Pentium, Celeron (Haswell)
Memory	4 DIMM DDR3 SDRAM 1333/1600/1866 * / 2000 * / 2133 * / 2200 * / 2400 * / 2600 * / 2666 * / 2800 * / 2933 * (OC), max 32 GB
PCI-E slots	1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 1 x PCI Express 2.0 [email protected] 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
PCI slots	-
Integrated video core	Intel HD Graphics / 4600 / P4600
Video Connections	HDMI, DVI-D, D-Sub
Number of connected fans	3x 4pin
PS / 2 ports	1 (keyboard / mouse)
USB ports	6 x 3.0 (4 rear connectors, Z87) 8 x 2.0 (2 rear connectors, Z87)
Serial ATA	6 x SATA 6Gb / s (Z87)
RAID	0, 1, 5, 10 (Z87)
Built-in sound	Realtek ALC887 (7.1, HDA)
S / PDIF	Optical, on-board connector (output)
Networking capabilities	Realtek 8111GR (Gigabit Ethernet)
Firewire	-
LPT	-
COM	1 (internal)
BIOS / UEFI	AMI UEFI
Form Factor	mATX
Dimensions, mm	244 x 213
Additional features	TPM connectivity, AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX support, GPU Boost state switch, MemOK!

Packaging and equipment

For testing, the board came in an ordinary white box. A complete package will not surprise you with anything special. On the official product page, you can familiarize yourself with all the features of the Z87M-Plus, which the manufacturer focuses on in order to increase the attractiveness of its solutions. I would like to note the USB BIOS Flashback technology. This mechanism will allow in case of trouble with the firmware to update it without a visit to the service center.

Considering that the product in question is not a retail item, the delivery set also differs from the usual one. In addition to the board, the box contained:

• CD with drivers and proprietary software;
• company logo sticker;
• a cover for the body, supplemented by a sticker in white tones with a color and symbolic designation of all slots;
• two SATA 6Gb / s cables, one of which has an L-shaped connector at one end.

Appearance

Thanks in part to the simplified CPU voltage regulator, the product is a good 3cm shorter than the standard mATX format. In addition, the division of sixteen PCI-E lanes for the needs of several video cards is not provided. Only one switch can switch four lines from the system logic between three groups of slots: concentrate all their number on a full-format slot, or leave only two lines, transferring the rest to regular PCI-E x1.

The simplicity of the device also affects its reverse side, where there are no third-party elements, in particular, in the area of ​​placing the reinforcing plate of the CPU cooler. The heatsinks on the board are secured with spring-loaded plastic clips.

Unification of production leads to the use of the same elements on different devices; The chipset cooler is absolutely the same as on the previously reviewed H87I-Plus, which does its job well. Four ordinary SATA sockets have taken their place in the corner, and just above them, in the area of ​​the video accelerator, there are two more longitudinal versions. The slots for RAM are equipped with latches on one side only, which will give comfort when using the system.

Pin connectors for other interfaces are customarily located along the bottom edge. Among them there is not a single block for connecting a fan; one is located in the very center of the PCB. The network and audio controller are basic solutions from Realtek - 8111GR and ALC887, technical documentation of which is available only for the company's partners.

The second of the two fan connectors is located at the top of the board, next to the processor one. All three have a four-pin design, and the processor is devoid of a sensor-identifier of the type of connected device, just as it was on the H87I-Plus. In contrast to the latter, there is a curious GPU_BOOST switch here. Looking ahead, I will note that its role is equivalent to TPU - one of the "intelligent processors" included in the older product - Z87-Plus. In other words, when using it, the functions for automatic overclocking of all system components are activated, and not just the graphics module, which is part of Intel Haswell processors, as its naming implies. At the same time, a green or orange LED next to it lights up, depending on the position of the switch, and - as a consequence - the profile used.

NTMFS4937N and NTMFS4955N. PWM controller ASP1253. In the review of the Vanguard B85, I already made an assumption about its true nature in the person of the IR3570A, today nothing changes, because in fact the entire converter is a complete copy of the solution considered then. This heredity is gratifying - at that time the whole complex of overclocking measures was carried out without any complaints. Today, a natural increase in temperature is possible as a result of a reduction in the area allotted for cooling circuit elements.

Once again, I would like to draw parallels between these models: the filling of the rear panel is also very similar, only here instead of DisplayPort there is S / PDIF. In general, a lot of interface outputs form a complete set for a modern PC.

Summing up, I would like to note that consideration of the design of the simplest product does not cause absolutely no comments. The expected simplifications should not affect the overall performance of the system in any way. Let's move on to considering the software component.

Asus P8Z77-V LX

P8Z77-V LX is about $ 5 cheaper than ASRock. This model gives users access to Asus' legendary support structure, including frequent firmware updates long after the model is discontinued. However, for a lower price, you will have to say goodbye to some options. For example, the rear panel only has two USB 3.0 ports and three analog audio jacks.

In budget computers, old analog audio systems are usually used and three connectors are enough for a 5.1 configuration. Asus relies on a front-panel connector for eight-channel output, although most users use them for headsets.

In addition, there are no PCIe 3.0 switches that are required for x8 / x8 mode on the two x16 slots. Instead, users will get one locked 16-lane slot and a second locked four-lane PCIe 2.0 slot via the Z77 PCH. This configuration allows you to install two video cards in CrossFire, but you will have to forget about SLI. Fans of multi-card configurations from Nvidia will be better served by the more equipped P8Z77-V LK model, but it cost more than $ 160 when we selected the boards for testing.

Asus hasn't provided the board with its enthusiast-loved power and reset buttons, although other vendors are adding them to make testing easier. However, when the board is installed in a case with its own external buttons, they are of no use. There is also no diagnostic display on the board. Asus believes the less informative LED indicators are easier to read.

The Asus MemOK and GPU Boost features are tied to two switches along the front edge of the P8Z77-V LX motherboard, a solution many builders will find useful. MemOK temporarily lowers the frequency of poorly configured memory, which will provide access to UEFI, where you can manually adjust the problematic settings. And GPU Boost overclocks the HD Graphics engines built into Intel LGA 1155 processors.

We always try to find flaws in the board layout, and the only thing we found in the Asus P8Z77-V LX are the fan headers that are too far from the front of the case. This drawback is not significant, though, as many chassis come with Molex four-pin power connectors. Asus even moves the front-panel audio connector a few centimeters forward from the corner where it is normally placed, which completely solves the problem of short cables. Bravo!

Two SATA cables are enough for any simple system. The P8Z77-V LX comes with no SLI bridge, because the board does not support it.

Asus P8Z77-V LX Apps

Included with the P8Z77-V LX you will find a small set of different programs. These include the Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Adobe Reader X, and a sixty-day trial of Norton Internet Security. They are all installed by default using the Asus "InstAll" feature. Fortunately, the "InstAll" option can be turned off during driver installation, otherwise you will have to endure the annoying registration / update prompts from Norton.

Asus comes bundled with the USB Turbo Mode app. Unlike the competition, the company has added support for UASP. Our recent research on this technology showed that some USB 3.0 devices already support the USB Attached SCSI Protocol. But so far only Asus has decided to add a utility to activate and configure it.

Asus still calls this heavily updated utility PC Probe II, although today's version is much more versatile and advanced than previous ones. We found voltage, temperature and fan speed readings, although there are still no less important voltages for CSA and DIMMs.

Fans of monitoring software from Asus should decide on one point before installing, since our copy of this software was not 100% removed. The modules remaining from the program did not cause problems with the subsequent installation of the same software, but they interfered with the installation of competing monitoring utilities.

In addition to real-time readings, the Asus Sensor Recorder can generate data tables, which can then be viewed as graphs in the PC Probe II.

Asus Fan Expert allows users to modify the automatic fan profiles on the P8Z77-V LX for all three 4-pin headers on the board.

The Asus EPU utility has several energy saving profiles, two of which you can configure yourself. We were able to save approximately 2W in idle time compared to operating system settings.

The P8Z77-V LX also includes Asus's Network iControl software, with which you can prioritize packages in favor of, for example, latency-sensitive online gaming.

Some people make a 2GB or larger email backup, but it is not always convenient to download this amount of content. Asus provides 2GB web storage for free. You can get up to 10GB by inviting others, or 1GB by subscribing to another Asus service. The WebStorage program is designed to synchronize and back up any user data and files.

Overclocking with Asus TurboV

In addition to manual overclocking options, Asus TurboV offers less "advanced" users to take advantage of the impressive capabilities of the P8Z77-V LX through an auto-tuning utility. The program reached a stable frequency of 4.22 GHz at 1.216 V using the "Fast" overclocking scheme, and 4.84 GHz at 1.456 V with the "Extreme" setting.

The biggest problem with the Extreme profile is that the CPU voltage is too high. These processors have a flaw in the interface that prevents even the best coolers from keeping temperatures at moderate voltage levels, and the 1.456V setting is well above 1.30V, which we recommend as a comfortable and safe limit for long-term operation. With this voltage a little afraid that the processor "burned out", we launched Prime95 and watched as the Intel thermal protection mechanism turned on throttling after 20 seconds.

Although the Auto-Tuning function of TurboV was intended to be addressed to less experienced overclockers, it unfortunately sets too high a voltage that is useless due to throttling that inexperienced users may not notice. Therefore, manual configuration seems to us to be safer.

By changing the settings ourselves, we were able to achieve the same level of overclocking using TurboV as with the Asus UEFI, and as it turns out, some hardcore overclockers will find the TurboV program quite useful for changing voltage and clock speeds on the fly, provided an efficient system is in place. cooling.

Below in the screenshot, the sliders are set to the maximum position to demonstrate the limits of the TurboV setting, however, we did not work with such settings. Advanced Mode adds CSA, PLL and PCH options to the basic voltage settings.

While we don't expect many users to overclock the processor's integrated graphics core, Asus provides the ability to tweak its frequency and voltage in TurboV GPU Boost.

A separate menu provides a choice of the CPU cores multiplier for two modes: synchronous and depending on the load. Although the slider is at its maximum in the image, we did not use the 63x multiplier in our tests.

Asus P8Z77-V LX UEFI

Perhaps the biggest impact on Asus' reputation has been its functional and easy-to-use firmware. The P8Z77-V LX continues this tradition by providing features typical of the company's more expensive motherboards.

The Ai Overclock Tuner has only "XMP" and "Manual" options. The CPU settings are almost the same between these modes, as XMP users are likely to tackle them first. But remember that switching from XMP to Manual will reset them.

Although the 47 x 100 MHz variant was unstable at 1.25V core voltage, the 46 x 102.2 MHz configuration gave us a processor frequency of 4.7 GHz. Most likely, the 47 x 100 mode did not work due to the fact that Asus instead of 100 MHz actually outputs 100.3 MHz, and it turns out 4.71 GHz.

To get 1.25V under load, a combination of 1.245V in UEFI and a higher "load line calibration" value is needed. The memory voltage of 1.65 V was not manually set by us, it was taken from XMP Profile 1.

The P8Z77-V LX includes primary, secondary and tertiary timing settings, which is quite remarkable for budget enthusiast-oriented motherboards.

Depending on other settings, the multiplier can be locked in the main menu of Ai Tweaker. The fixed ratio can be configured in the CPU Power Management submenu.

The Ultra High setting of the CPU Load-Line Calibration gives the overclocked core of our processor the desired 1.25V under load. We tried other settings for core voltage and Load-Line Calibration and found that these are the most consistent with the target. The Digi + VRM submenu also contains voltage settings and adjustments.

CONTENT

Foreword Our series of motherboard reviews, which are based on the Intel Z77 Express chipset, are far from complete. In the future, it is planned to study several more very interesting models, but there was a small pause that needed to be filled with something. It will be appropriate to recall here that in the family of logic sets of the seventh series, codenamed "Panther Point", there are immediately fourteen different chipsets... Among them there are many chipsets for mobile devices, several are intended for the business sector, and for home desktops, in addition to the Intel Z77 Express, two more are offered - these are Intel H77 Express and Intel Z75 Express. Only the older Intel Z77 Express chipset has a full set of features. It also allows the maximum flexibility in dividing the processor lines of the PCI Express bus, they can be distributed according to the formulas 1x16, 2x8 or 1x8 and 2x4. The Intel Z75 Express chipset lacks support for Intel Smart Response technology, and it can use 16 PCI-E lanes entirely for a single external video card, or divide them in half between two. The Intel H77 Express chipset is generally incapable of allocating PCI Express lanes, and it also lacks CPU overclocking capabilities.

A huge number of motherboards based on Intel H77 Express logic are produced and sold, but it is unlikely that a review of one of these motherboards will be very popular. When you need to assemble a computer with basic functionality, the form factor of the board, its set of connectors and price come to the fore. The name of the manufacturer has a certain influence, but for the choice it is not at all necessary to read the reviews, all the necessary information is easy to glean from the descriptions on the websites of manufacturers or sellers. Moreover, a motherboard without overclocking capabilities will certainly be in a losing position when compared. The situation will look quite different if we take a motherboard based on Intel Z75 Express logic. The lack of support for Intel Smart Response Technology will not hurt us in the least, because we switched to using SSDs a long time ago. The chipset's ability to divide the PCI Express processor lines only between two slots will not be a problem either, because we use only one discrete video card in our tests. On the other hand, it will be very interesting to know the motherboard's ability to overclock the processor and memory, as well as compare its performance and power consumption with previously tested motherboards based on Intel Z77 Express logic.

Thus, we finally decided that for the next review we will select some kind of motherboard based on the Intel Z75 Express chipset. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that our plans were unrealistic. With some stretch, we can even say that motherboards based on this logic set do not exist. We went through the websites of all the major motherboard manufacturers - ASRock, ASUSTeK, Gigabyte, Micro-Star - but we couldn't find a single model. The most striking thing is that such a board was not even found in the range of Intel motherboards. The development and production of a new chipset is costly. Why, one wonders, it was necessary to release a set of logic that will not be used for the manufacture of motherboards, even by the developer and manufacturer themselves? The search found references to the announcement of Biostar and Foxconn boards based on Intel Z75 Express logic, but they could not be found on sale in a short time.

However, we were not upset for a long time about the fact that there were no motherboards based on the Intel Z75 Express chipset. As for the rationality of the development and production of this chipset, this is also not our problem, let Intel reflect on this. We found a very interesting motherboard Asus P8Z77-V LX, which could well be based on the Intel Z75 Express logic, but is based on the Intel Z77 Express chipset, although it does not use all its capabilities. This article will introduce you to an overview of this board and its functionality.

Packaging and equipment

The Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboard comes in a box decorated in the same style as other motherboards from ASUSTeK, which are based on Intel Z77 Express logic. However, the photo allows you to notice how thin the package is, but there is a logical explanation for this.

Inside the box is a motherboard packed in an antistatic bag, and underneath, separated by a cardboard gasket, are the accessories that come with it. Everything is almost the same as usual, but the sheet of cardboard separating the board and accessories is noticeably longer than required, and its edge is wrapped over the board, forming a kind of envelope. This compartment contains relatively thick SATA cables, and at the bottom there is only a flat cover for the rear panel, a CD and paper manuals that take up almost no space. Thanks to this original packaging method and a small number of components, it was possible to significantly reduce the standard thickness of the box.

Describing the packaging features, we managed to list almost the entire set of accessories that comes with the board:

two Serial ATA cables with metal clips on connectors;
back panel cover (I / O Shield);
user's manual;
a brochure with quick assembly instructions in several languages, including Russian;
DVD with software and drivers;
"Powered by ASUS" sticker on the system unit.

Design and features

The Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboard looks quite ordinary, but it has several features. To begin with, you can pay attention to the reduced dimensions of the board. With a standard length of 305mm, its width is only 218mm, which is less than the traditional 244mm for the full-size ATX format.

You can also notice the absence of heatsinks on the heating elements of the processor power converter. However, this fact does not interfere at all with overclocking or, moreover, for the motherboard's operation in the nominal mode, because the heating of the DIGI + digital converter operating according to the 4 + 1 + 1 scheme is not great. As for the memory, this board is no different from other models, allowing you to fit up to 32 GB of DDR3 RAM in four slots. For Ivy Bridge processors, the frequency range extends from 800 to 3200 MHz. There are no additional storage controllers that manufacturers love to add so much. Two SATA 6 Gb / s ports (light gray connectors) and four SATA 3 Gb / s ports (blue connectors), which are provided by the Intel Z77 Express chipset, are quite enough for the board.

The board has two slots for video cards of the PCI Express x16 type, however, it does not use the chipset's ability to divide PCI Express processor lines between slots. All available 16 lanes undividedly belong to the top PCI Express 3.0 / 2.0 x16 slot. The second PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot is provided by four lanes due to the capabilities of the chipset. Support for NVIDIA SLI is not implemented, but with the help of these two connectors it is quite possible to combine video cards using AMD CrossFireX technology. In addition to them, there are two PCI Express 2.0 x1 and three PCI slots for expansion cards.

On the back panel of the board, we find the following set of connectors:

universal PS / 2 connector for connecting a keyboard or mouse;
four USB 2.0 ports, and six more can be connected to three internal connectors on the board;
video connectors HDMI, D-Sub and DVI-D;
optical S / PDIF, as well as three analog audio connectors, the operation of which is provided by the eight-channel Realtek ALC887 codec;
two USB 3.0 ports (blue connectors), as well as one internal connector that allows you to bring out two more additional USB 3.0 ports, appeared thanks to the capabilities of the Intel Z77 Express chipset;
LAN connector (the network adapter is built on the Realtek RTL8111E gigabit controller).

It can be noted that the slots for video cards have wide and comfortable feet for Q-Slot mounts, but the slots for memory modules are ordinary. The “MemOK!” Button has not disappeared anywhere, allowing the board to start successfully even if there are problems with the RAM. New is the "GPU Boost" switch, which can automatically increase the frequency of the graphics core built into the processor. Of the Q-Led system that helps track down the source of startup problems, there is only one DRAM LED left on the board, which is complemented by Standby Power LED and GPU Boost LED.

For convenience, we have compiled the list of the main technical characteristics of the board into a single table:

There are no significant remarks about the design of the board or its capabilities, although there are some drawbacks. The rear panel looks half-empty, there are only three audio connectors, in order to take advantage of the eight-channel codec, you will have to use the connectors displayed on the front panel of the system unit. The fan connectors are not very well placed. There are four of them, which is quite enough for an entry-level board, but they are grouped in pairs at the top and center, near the rear panel connectors. It would be nice to have at least one connector in the area of ​​the lower right corner of the board for installing a fan that blows the drives. But on the whole, the board looks quite decent and its capabilities are more than enough for most users.

BIOS Features

In previous reviews of ASUSTeK motherboards we have already seen the Asus EFI BIOS - on the whole, a very successful implementation of the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) standard, so this time we'll just skim through the main sections.

By default, when entering the BIOS, we are greeted by the "EZ Mode" mode, which performs mainly informational functions, since it allows us to configure almost nothing. You can only find out the basic characteristics of the system, familiarize yourself with some monitoring parameters, select an economical or productive mode of operation and set the order of polling boot devices by simply dragging them with the mouse.

Using the F7 key, you can quickly change the EZ Mode to Advanced Mode, or you can use the F3 key, which allows you to quickly jump to one of the most frequently used BIOS sections.

Each time you enter the BIOS, you can switch from "EZ Mode" to "Advanced Mode", you can use the F3 key, which, by the way, works in all other sections of the BIOS, but it will be much more convenient if you make the "Advanced Mode" starting in the settings. In this case, the familiar section "Main" will appear first before our eyes. It provides basic information about the system, allows you to set the current date and time, it is possible to change the BIOS interface language, including Russian.

The bulk of the overclocking options is concentrated in the "Ai Tweaker" section. The main window of the section allows you to change frequencies, multipliers and voltages. To control the current voltage values, you do not need to go to the monitoring section, they are indicated right there, next to each of the parameters that allow you to change these voltages, which is very convenient. Voltages can be set both above and below nominal.

Some of the parameters are traditionally placed in separate subsections so as not to overly clutter up the main one. The "OC Tuner" parameter only looks like a subsection, in fact, it is used to overclock the system in automatic mode. Changes in memory timings are given on a separate page, their number is very large, but it is quite convenient to use the capabilities of this subsection. You can see all the timings set by the board for each of the two memory channels. You can change only a few of them, for example, only the main ones, leaving the default values ​​for the rest.

In the “CPU Power Management” subsection, you can independently set the values ​​of the options that affect the parameters of the Intel Turbo Boost technology, but this is not necessary, since the board adjusts itself to the overclocking parameters you specified.

Compared to other Asus boards, the number of power and power options provided by the DIGI + digital power system has been significantly reduced, but the most important ones have been preserved. Directly in the BIOS, you can control proprietary energy-saving technologies that allow you to change the number of active phases of the processor power supply, depending on the level of its load. The technology to counteract the voltage drop on the processor under load "CPU Load-Line Calibration" can not only be turned on or off, but also the degree of counteraction can be measured.

The capabilities of the subsections of the "Advanced" section are well known to us and understandable by their names.

In the "CPU Configuration" subsection, we learn the basic information about the processor and manage some of the processor technologies.

All parameters related to energy saving are located on a separate page "CPU Power Management Configuration".

The "Monitor" section reports the current values ​​of temperatures, voltages and fan speed. For the processor and two case fans, you can select the preset rotation speed control modes from the usual set: "Standard", "Silent" or "Turbo", or select the appropriate parameters in manual mode. Both connectors for case fans are able to reduce the rotation speed even with a three-pin connection, which the connector for a processor fan cannot do, and the three-pin “Power Fan” connector is generally unregulated and can only inform about the number of revolutions of the fan connected to it.

In the "Boot" section, we select the parameters that will be applied at system startup. Here, by the way, and you need to change the starting mode "EZ Mode" to "Advanced Mode".

Let's refresh in memory the capabilities of subsections of the "Tools" section.

The built-in utility for updating firmware "EZ Flash 2" was one of the most convenient and functional programs of this kind. Unfortunately, the ability to keep the current firmware version before upgrading has recently been eliminated altogether.

Asus boards allow you to save and quickly load eight complete BIOS settings profiles. Each profile can be given a short name to remind you of its content. Until now, the error has not been fixed, according to which the disabling of the start image is not remembered in the profiles, but the ability to exchange profiles, which was lost with the transition to the EFI BIOS, has returned. More recently, profiles can again be saved to and loaded from external media.

As with the boards of many other manufacturers, we can familiarize ourselves with the information stored in the SPD of memory modules.

The last is the "Exit" section, where you can apply the changes made, load the default values ​​or return back to the simplified "EZ Mode".

Test system configuration

All experiments were carried out on a test system that includes the following set of components:

Motherboard - Asus P8Z77-V LX (LGA1155, Intel Z77 Express, BIOS version 1201);
Processor - Intel Core i5-3570K (3.6-3.8 GHz, 4 cores, Ivy Bridge rev. E1, 22 nm, 77 W, 1.05 V, LGA1155);
Memory - 2 x 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4X1866C9R, (1866 MHz, 9-10-9-27, supply voltage 1.5 V);
Video card - Gigabyte GV-R797OC-3GD (AMD Radeon HD 7970, Tahiti, 28 nm, 1000/5500 MHz, 384-bit GDDR5 3072 MB);
Disk subsystem - Crucial m4 SSD (CT256M4SSD2, 256 GB, SATA 6 GB / s);
Cooling system - Scythe Mugen 3 Revision B (SCMG-3100);
Thermal paste - ARCTIC MX-2;
Power supply unit - Enermax NAXN ENM850EWT;
Case - an open test bench based on the Antec Skeleton case.

The operating system was Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64 bit (Microsoft Windows, Version 6.1, Build 7601: Service Pack 1), a set of drivers for the Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility 9.3.0.1020, a video card driver - AMD Catalyst 12.4.

Features of work and overclocking

The assembly of the test system based on the Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboard presented no difficulties. There were no problems when installing the operating system; when updating the BIOS and in nominal mode, the board also worked without any problems. At launch, we are shown a new start picture, but no reminders about active hotkeys have appeared on it.

You can turn off the display of the start picture, but you still can't wait for prompts. In addition, the board is not able to correctly indicate the frequency of the processor, it always reports the nominal value, but the information about the frequency of operation and the amount of RAM is true.

In recent reviews of ASRock motherboards, we have noted that they start up and reboot very quickly. In the BIOS of the Asus P8Z77-V LX board, like other boards from ASUSTeK, you can independently set a suitable startup delay, which is 3 seconds by default, and it reboots instantly. So fast that we even had difficulties repeatedly when it was required to enter the BIOS to correct any parameters. The board instantly goes through the start-up procedure, and quite often it was possible to stop it already at the initial stage of loading the operating system.

Despite the fact that the board is not a flagship model, it has overclocking capabilities, including automatic. The easiest way is to use the Asus MultiCore Enhancement function, which allows you to increase the processor multiplication factor at any load level to the maximum provided by the Intel Turbo Boost technology. Perhaps it will be appropriate to recall the history of this parameter appearing in the BIOS of ASUSTeK motherboards.

About a year ago, in the review of the Asus Maximus IV Extreme motherboard, we noticed that it always increases the processor multiplier to the maximum allowed by Intel Turbo Boost technology, which is provided only for a single-threaded load. Of course, one could even rejoice at the unexpected overclocking of the processor, but I want each non-standard mode to be chosen deliberately so that it is not imposed, and in the nominal mode the system worked as expected, and not in any other way, therefore this feature received negative feedback from us. assessment. Fortunately, the Asus Maximus IV Extreme board could still be returned to its truly nominal operating mode. We carried out a standard set of tests and now we do not know how things are with this feature at the present time, whether this drawback has been eliminated, since this was one of the last reviews of LGA1155 boards at that time.

After a while, we started a series of reviews of LGA2011 motherboards and found that this story was further developed. The BIOS of ASUSTeK motherboards has a new function key "F6", with the help of which the automatic overclocking technology "Asus Ratio Boost" was implemented. When enabled, this parameter increased the processor multiplication factor to the maximum provided by Intel Turbo Boost technology, and in the nominal mode the processor worked normally, as it should be according to the specifications. Everything seems to be great, exactly as we wanted, but there was one drawback with such an implementation. Usually, almost no attention is paid to the hint with a list of hot keys located in the lower right corner of the BIOS screen, so we noticed a new function only in the review of the Asus Rampage IV Formula motherboard. Meanwhile, the Asus P9X79 Deluxe board had a similar ability, which was tested first, but during the review we simply did not notice this function.

Thus, the appearance of the Asus MultiCore Enhancement function in the main parameter list, which we noted in the review of the Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe board, became a logical conclusion of the story. It is possible to allow for any load level to increase the processor multiplication factor to the maximum provided by the Intel Turbo Boost technology, but you can refuse. The parameter is easily noticeable, however, it has its own peculiarities. Despite the fact that it is enabled by default and is set to “Enable”, it has no effect on the processor, which is operating in nominal mode. Only when you change the nominal operating conditions of the system, for example, use the parameters recorded in the X.M.P. profile for memory, the function turns on and adds a little more speed to the system due to a slight overclocking of the processor.

However, the board's ability to automatically overclock is not limited to this. You can use the “OC Tuner” parameter to easily get even better results. In our case, the base frequency was increased to 103 MHz, which affected all related frequencies, in particular, the memory frequency, and the processor multiplier was increased to x41, which, together with the effect of increasing the base frequency, increased its final operating frequency to 4224 MHz. It is important to note that at the same time, energy-saving technologies continued to work, reducing the multiplication factor of the processor and the voltage supplied to it in the absence of a load.

However, everyone knows that no automatic overclocking method can compare with overclocking carried out independently, when the most optimal parameter values ​​are selected manually. Unfortunately, the board did not allow the maximum overclocking of the processor up to 4.6 GHz, but overclocking to 4.5 GHz was achieved without much effort, and at the same time the memory frequency was increased.

It remains to recall that we always overclock the system so that it can be used in a long-term mode, while we do not make it easier for ourselves by turning off any features of motherboards, for example, additional controllers. And, whenever possible, we try to keep the processor energy-saving technologies working. In this case, even during overclocking, the board was powered by Intel's energy-saving technologies, reducing the voltage supplied to the processor and its multiplication factor in the absence of load.

Performance comparison

We traditionally compare motherboards in terms of speed in two modes: when the system is operating under nominal conditions and when overclocking the processor and memory. The first mode is interesting from the point of view that it allows you to find out how well motherboards work by default. It is known that a significant part of users are not engaged in fine-tuning the system, they only set the optimal parameters in the BIOS and do not change anything else. So we are checking, almost without interfering with the default values ​​set by the boards. For comparison, we used the results obtained during testing the boards:

ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional;
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 and ASRock Z77 Extreme6;
ASRock Z77 Extreme9;
Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe;
Asus Sabertooth Z77;
Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3;
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H and GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB WIFI;
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH and Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP5 TH;
Intel DZ77BH-55K;
Intel DZ77GA-70K and Intel DZ77RE-75K;
MSI Z77A-GD65.

In the diagrams, the indicators shown by the boards are sorted in descending order.

In Cinebench 11.5, we run the processor tests five times and average the results.

The Fritz Chess Benchmark utility has been used in tests for a very long time and has proven itself to be excellent. It produces well-repetitive results, performance scales well depending on the number of computational threads used.

In the x264 HD Benchmark 4.0 test, a small video clip is encoded in two passes, and the whole process is repeated four times. The averaged results of the second pass are shown in the diagram.

We measure performance in Adobe Photoshop using our own test, which is a creatively reworked Retouch Artists Photoshop Speed ​​Test that includes typical processing of four 10-megapixel images captured by a digital camera.

In the test for archiving data, a one gigabyte file is packed using LZMA2 algorithms, the rest of the compression parameters remain at their default values.

As in the compression test, the faster the 16 million digits of pi is calculated, the better. This is the only test where the number of processor cores does not matter, the load is single-threaded.

Since the video card is not overclocked in our reviews, the following diagram uses only the results of the 3DMark 11 - Physics Score processor tests. This characteristic is the result of a special physical test that simulates the behavior of a complex game system with a large number of objects.

Using the built-in FC2 Benchmark Tool, we pass the Ranch Small card tenfold at 1920x1080 resolution with high quality settings and using DirectX 10.

Resident Evil 5 also has a built-in benchmark for measuring performance. Its peculiarity is that it makes excellent use of the capabilities of multi-core processors. Tests are carried out in DirectX 10 mode, at 1920x1080 resolution with high quality settings, the results of five passes are averaged.

Batman: Arkham City also readily reacts to changes in the processor frequency, while using DirectX 11. We repeat the performance test built into the game five times at high quality settings and average the results.

When operating in nominal mode, the Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboard demonstrates a very good level of performance, usually slightly above average. Only in the game FarCry 2 the board for some reason showed a result lower than expected. However, nothing critical, the difference in speed compared to other motherboards is not too great. During overclocking, the situation slightly changes, because the board failed to overclock the processor as much as possible. The results of overclocking the processor and memory, obtained on various boards, are shown in the table below.

When overclocked, Asus P8Z77-V LX confidently stays in its group, among other motherboards that overclocked the processor to 4.5 GHz. Moreover, in gaming tests, it shows results much higher than expected. She even manages to get ahead of some models that were able to overclock the processor to a higher frequency.

Energy consumption measurements

Energy consumption was measured using Extech Power Analyzer 380803. The device is switched on in front of the computer's power supply, that is, it measures the consumption of the entire system "from the outlet", with the exception of the monitor, but including losses in the power supply itself. When measuring consumption at rest, the system is idle, we are waiting for the complete cessation of post-start activity and the absence of calls to the hard disk. The processor load is created using the LinX program. For greater clarity, diagrams of power consumption growth were plotted when the system was operating in the nominal mode and during overclocking, depending on the increase in the load on the processor when the number of computational threads of the LinX utility changed.

Due to incompatibility issues between the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH and Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP5 TH boards with our former CoolerMaster RealPower M850 power supply, we had to replace it with the Enermax NAXN ENM850EWT power supply. Both power supplies are very close in their technical characteristics, but Enermax NAXN ENM850EWT turned out to be 1-3 W more economical than its predecessor. In order not to lose the results accumulated during the previous tests, we decided to add 2 watts to the power consumption readings to be able to compare with the previously tested models.

There was a time when we liked to repeat that ASUSTeK motherboards are not economical and consume more than others. This is the case when it comes to flagship models with advanced features and numerous additional controllers. However, the diagrams show that later on there were many motherboards from other manufacturers that consume much more Asus motherboards. If you take an ordinary motherboard, such as the Asus P8Z77-V LX, it immediately turns out to be among the most economical. Moreover, the power consumption of the board can be reduced even more if you enable all energy-saving parameters in the BIOS, including the proprietary EPU Power Saving Mode technology.

When overclocked, the situation does not change at all, the Asus P8Z77-V LX board remains among the most economical. Of course, it should be borne in mind that a large group of motherboards were able to provide higher processor overclocking, and therefore they reasonably consume more. However, in terms of power consumption, the board looks confident even among those models that overclocked the processor in the same way.

Afterword

Based on the results of the check, the Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboard leaves a very good impression of itself. It has a modest configuration, there are no numerous additional controllers, there are no radiators on the heating elements of the power converter, and it does not use the logic set's ability to divide PCI Express processor lines. So what? There is nothing wrong. The Intel Z77 Express chipset, on which the board is based, provides it with an ample set of features. A huge number of users do not need eSATA and IEEE1394 (FireWire) ports, a second network controller, or additional storage controllers at all. They use a single video card, and therefore they are quite satisfied with one PCI Express 3.0 / 2.0 x16 slot. From the point of view of the general user, the board looks almost perfect, although the rear panel could have been richer in connectors and it could have been better to place the connectors for connecting the fans. As for the BIOS capabilities, they almost do not differ from other boards from ASUSTeK, and the absence of additional heatsinks did not prevent the processor and memory from being overclocked quite well. When operating in the nominal mode and during overclocking, the board demonstrates a performance level slightly above average, and in terms of power consumption it often occupies a leading position, it is very economical.

It is only a pity that the Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboard is not based on the Intel Z75 Express Chipset. Indeed, in this case, it would have lost almost nothing in terms of a set of features, having lost only support for Intel Smart Response technology, but it would have become a little cheaper. The price is a very significant parameter when it comes to entry-level motherboards, and the Asus P8Z77-V LX is quite inexpensive, but still its price is slightly higher than desired. There are many models of motherboards from other manufacturers, the capabilities of which are comparable or even higher, and the price is approximately at the same level or even lower. As always, you will have to make the decision on the expediency of purchasing this board yourself.