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ASUS Z97 Motherboards - Overview and Official Support Thread

Raja
Level 13
This thread is for the official support of the ASUS Z97 motherboard series.


Lots of feature changes over the older platforms - from software, UEFI and aesthetics.


Motherboard Info





A comparison table containing all ASUS Z97 motherboard features can be found here: http://www.asus.com/us/site/motherboards/Z97/comparison/



Key Features For ASUS 9 Series Motherboards







New UEFI Features






EZ Setup Screen - One-stop location for simple system setup..






The EZ mode screen allows quick setup of storage BOOT priority, XMP for memory, RAID, overclocking presets via wizards, system time, fan control and many more features.



















Fan Controls are now far more intuitive with a graphical interface for setting the fan slope with 3 control points (more than enough to configure any fan) in manual mode as well as 4 preset modes. Full PWM and DC support is present on EVERY fan header across all ASUS Z97 motherboards from the Z97-A to Deluxe, ROG and of course the TUF series.


We've also introduced the ability to map each fan to various temperature sensors on the board instead of having all system fans react to the CPU temp only. For example, the chassis inlet fans can be mapped to PCH temperature which allows the fans to react to temperature changes in that region - GPU environment temperatures for example.


A fan calibration routine has also been added to UEFI advanced mode. The calibration routine determines the minimum rotational speed of each fan and then sets the fan slope minimum value accordingly.


With these features, users can enjoy comprehensive fan control with any operating system as no software is required (although we still have Fan Xpert 3 in Windows - more on that later).









Major Software Changes





Graphically AI Suite 3 is the same as the Z87 series but there have been a lot of functionality refinements that take the software to the next level.








5-Way Optimization - Auto Tuning (Mainstream and WS Only)







Auto Tuning is an automated overclocking routine that tunes a system overclock for the end-user. We’ve had this feature for a few generations now and have been enhancing it year-on-year based upon end-user, media and our internal feedback.


Auto tuning works by running a Prime based stress test on the system. Previously, there was no control over the duration of the stress test. We ran a quick 15 second test and then increased processor clock frequency in steps. For Z97, we've added the ability to set stress test duration up to 1 hour at each step (we can extend this further via an update). Plus we've added a memory stress test to the mix for more stringent overclock testing.


Users can also target frequency or a temperature to tune to. Overall a far more comprehensive set of auto tuning parameters to help make overclocking easy for newcomers and help seasoned users evaluate the overclocking potential of a CPU effortlessly.










Turbo App







Turbo App is the 5th element of 5-Way Optimization. This nifty addition allows us to set dynamic overclocking profiles based upon the application being used.




The advantage of this is two-fold:


1) Overclocks no longer need to be limited by the hottest application we run on our system. Typically, we tune our maximum overclock to the hottest software we will run. With Turbo Ap, we can set higher overclocks for software/games that don’t load the CPU as heavily.


2) The overclock is applied dynamically in real-time as we switch through applications – no need to enter UEFI to change the overclock preset or navigate via various GUIs changing configurations. Turbo App also contains LAN priority and audio presets which will change to our desired setting when the application is active.



Turbo App is simple to use and setup and helps get the most out of each CPU.










Fan Xpert 3



While we have added a comprehensive set of fan control features in UEFI, there’s more on offer in Fan Xpert 3.






i) Full fan calibration for each fan connected to the motherboard.


ii) The ability to control fan spin up and spin down response.


iii) Setting lower speeds for fans that can spin at low duty cycles.


iv) Look up tables for each fan to show RPM versus power or duty cycle.


v) Renaming of each fan for easy reference.





With all of these options at our disposal, just about any fan con be configured to be quiet and react to system temperature changes. Between UEFI and Fan Xpert 3, the options on offer are the most comprehensive ever seen for motherboard fan control. In fact, there’s no reason to invest in a dedicated fan controller at all.







Push Notice







Push notice is an application that teams a mobile device such as a phone or tablet to the PC in order to send system event, sensor or user messages to the remote device. Once a device is paired to the app (requires client software – which is free to download and use) the alerts will work over a local network or via the internet. This means the messages will be received no matter where you are, provided internet access is available.

















System events such as configured restarts, system shutdown or sleep can be set and a message sent to the remote device at a user configured time before the event occurs.













Power supply voltage and CPU package temp warnings can also be set to trigger an alert message to the paired remote device.












Revised Audio deisgn (mainstream)







Mainstream motherboard audio has been revised for 9 series – physically similar layout techniques to the ROG boards to prevent crosstalk.


Other changes include a RTL circuit to prevent DC thump for all outputs while the Deluxe model gets a buffer amplifier to drive either the front headphone jack or rear output jack. The buffer is only needed when connecting hedphones with an impedance over 120 ohms or so to provide additional voltage gain and prevent excessive roll-off at frequency extremes.












Product Page Links







Z97-Deluxe : http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z97DELUXENFC_WLC/
Z97-PRO : http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z97PRO/
Z97-A : http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z97A/
Maximus VII Hero : http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_HERO/
Maximus VII Gene : http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_GENE/
Z97 Sabertooth Mk.1 :http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_1/














Guides





5-Way Optimization User Guide


More guides on their way!
1,272 Views
76 REPLIES 76

MrFriendism wrote:
Hi, I have ASUS Maximus Hero Seven. I am currently running Windows 8.1 with BIOS: 2702 and My System is Super Stable.

I have some questions to ask:

1. Do you think my System is still good to move to Windows 10 (Activated/Original)?

2. Do you think I should update my BIOS before I install Windows 10? And, If yes then Which Version BIOS?

3. Do you think I can find some stability issues with Windows 10 and New BIOS (If you recommend for the above question)?

4. What sort of BIOS Settings I should make or change before I do all these steps?

System Specs:

Processor: Intel i7-4790K
Motherboard: Asus Maximus Hero Seven
RAM: 16 GB
SSD: 250 GB
GPU: GTX 970 4 GB.
HDD: 1 TB

Thanks.

Well since this thread is for Z97 board, if your is similar, I have 2 different Z97 running the latest BIOS both upgraded from 8.1 to 10 and are fully updated they both run just fine on 10. If you look Asus Support Download
All the Drivers should be there for windows 10? if not then your board is not supported for windows 10 by ASUS. That dosen't mean it won't run 10 it just means Asus is not going to help you find drivers that will work for you.
G752VY-DH72 Win 10 Pro
512 GB M.2 Samsung 960 Pro
1 TB Samsung 850 pro 2.5 format
980m GTX 4 GB
32GB DDR 4 Standard RAM

Z97 PRO WiFi I7 4790K
Windows 10 Pro
Z97 -A
Windows 10 Pro

Clintlgm wrote:
Well since this thread is for Z97 board, if your is similar, I have 2 different Z97 running the latest BIOS both upgraded from 8.1 to 10 and are fully updated they both run just fine on 10. If you look Asus Support Download
All the Drivers should be there for windows 10? if not then your board is not supported for windows 10 by ASUS. That dosen't mean it won't run 10 it just means Asus is not going to help you find drivers that will work for you.


Hi, Thanks for the reply. Maximus Hero 7 is Z97 Chipset.

The question is the BIOS Issues. I have seen multiple threads where all the recent BIOS has issues. Could you do some research and let me know about it?

Because, If I see.. They all are complaining mostly for the random shut-downs and all that.

MrFriendism wrote:
Hi, Thanks for the reply. Maximus Hero 7 is Z97 Chipset.

The question is the BIOS Issues. I have seen multiple threads where all the recent BIOS has issues. Could you do some research and let me know about it?

Because, If I see.. They all are complaining mostly for the random shut-downs and all that.


Also, the AI III Suite has had an issue with lockups and shutdowns. I'm running two different version and they both work fine for me Personally, I have had one Z97 Pro board I had to replace due to these lockups the replacement board hasn't lockup or shut down in the last few months. So I assume my issue was resolved Had nothing to do with windows 10 as I had the shutdowns on both 8.1 and 10 the particular board was defective.
G752VY-DH72 Win 10 Pro
512 GB M.2 Samsung 960 Pro
1 TB Samsung 850 pro 2.5 format
980m GTX 4 GB
32GB DDR 4 Standard RAM

Z97 PRO WiFi I7 4790K
Windows 10 Pro
Z97 -A
Windows 10 Pro

chevell65
Level 12
The random shut down issue with Z97 was mostly due to using the wrong Intel MEI drivers.

chevell65 wrote:
The random shut down issue with Z97 was mostly due to using the wrong Intel MEI drivers.


Clintlgm wrote:
Also, the AI III Suite has had an issue with lockups and shutdowns. I'm running two different version and they both work fine for me Personally, I have had one Z97 Pro board I had to replace due to these lockups the replacement board hasn't lockup or shut down in the last few months. So I assume my issue was resolved Had nothing to do with windows 10 as I had the shutdowns on both 8.1 and 10 the particular board was defective.


Okay. Thanks for the reply.

This is my motherboard: https://www.asus.com/in/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_HERO/HelpDesk_Download/ and Processor: https://ark.intel.com/products/80807/Intel-Core-i7-4790K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_40-GHz

Currently, I have 2702 BIOS installed.

1. Please recommend me, Which version BIOS I should update to for the most. stable system with the Windows 10?

2. Do I need to reset the settings manually before updating the BIOS?

3. What sort of stuff, I should do with AI III Suite as @clintlgm said.

4. What MEI Drivers I should install for my System for the Windows 10?

Please suggest. If you have any other additional tips because I am newbie in all this. Please suggest.

Thanks.

I don't see this information out there about our old Z97 boards, but I can report that I am successfully booting Windows 10 off a Samsung M.2 970 EVO, connected via adapter into the second graphics card slot on the board.

I know that populating that second slot drops the first GPU down to 3.0 8X specs, but framerate loss was negligible. I went from 182 to 177 in the Heaven benchmark tool, so I'm calling that acceptable losses.

Using the adapter, my boot drive is now registering a max read of over 3000 MB/s, when I could previously only achieve about 800 in the M.2 slot. That's pretty near what the SSD is rated for and I think that's pretty sweet on a board this old.

Asus Z97-A USB 3.1
Intel i5 4690k @ 4.6 Ghz w/ Corsair liquid cooling
G.Skill 16GB DDR3 2400
EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 XC Ultra
Samsung 970 EVO - 500 GB

Greetings,
I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right place or not but I'm looking for some help.
I would like to install a SATA expansion card onto my ASUS z97-a.
So far I haven't been successful. It seems that slot is disabled by default.
How do I enable it? Is it simply a toggle in the BIOS?
Also is there a recommended card for this purpose and motherboard?

Thanks so much for your attention.
Cheers.

Scion Drakhar wrote:
Greetings,
I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right place or not but I'm looking for some help.
I would like to install a SATA expansion card onto my ASUS z97-a.
So far I haven't been successful. It seems that slot is disabled by default.
How do I enable it? Is it simply a toggle in the BIOS?
Also is there a recommended card for this purpose and motherboard?

Thanks so much for your attention.
Cheers.

I don't remember any settings that turn on or off PCIe slots a SATA expansion card should only need 4 x slot Shouldn't be an issue you may need to install software driver for it however?
the ones I use are Marvel drivers
G752VY-DH72 Win 10 Pro
512 GB M.2 Samsung 960 Pro
1 TB Samsung 850 pro 2.5 format
980m GTX 4 GB
32GB DDR 4 Standard RAM

Z97 PRO WiFi I7 4790K
Windows 10 Pro
Z97 -A
Windows 10 Pro

Copy that.
Upon doing some research the card I purchased may be trash.
I bought another and it goes into one of the little PCIEX slots (is that right?) as opposed to the larger PCIE slots.
I was reading the MOBO manual and it mentioned that the PCIEX slots were disabled by default... which prompted the questions seeing as this is new territory.
In any case, thanks for your time and attention.
Cheers

Scion Drakhar wrote:
Copy that.
Upon doing some research the card I purchased may be trash.
I bought another and it goes into one of the little PCIEX slots (is that right?) as opposed to the larger PCIE slots.
I was reading the MOBO manual and it mentioned that the PCIEX slots were disabled by default... which prompted the questions seeing as this is new territory.
In any case, thanks for your time and attention.
Cheers

Not sure what you mean by PCIex, but it goes into on my MB 2nd from the bottom 4X Slot The 2 upper 16x slots are for Video cards and any of the slots below those tow will work including the one in between the two 16X slots that are for Video cards that on my board it also an 8x slot I think you only need to use the slot that fits your card 4x but you can also use the 6x or 8x or even a 16x if you have one open. Only 16x wide cards need to use the latch on the back end of the slot smaller card don't need anything but the slot and back frame screw to hold them in place.
G752VY-DH72 Win 10 Pro
512 GB M.2 Samsung 960 Pro
1 TB Samsung 850 pro 2.5 format
980m GTX 4 GB
32GB DDR 4 Standard RAM

Z97 PRO WiFi I7 4790K
Windows 10 Pro
Z97 -A
Windows 10 Pro