ASUS Z87 Sabertooth (LGA 1150) Motherboard Review

Introduction The ASUS Sabertooth/TUF series of motherboards is well known throughout the computer hardware industry as being one of the most rugged motherboard designs available. ASUS put the Z87 Sabertooth that we have here today through hell and back before the motherboard is delivered to end users. Of course the motherboard has to survive this endurance test before it makes it to consumers and the fact we've received this one here today with its certificate of reliability tells us it has passed the strict testing procedures. The ASUS Sabertooth Z87 is a feature packed motherboard but it isn't your average enthusiast class motherboard. Unlike most motherboards which are often targeted at budget users, gamers and overclockers the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 is aimed at at different niche - those concerned with stability, reliability and durability. The biggest selling points and features about the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 are to do with stability, reliability and durability. They include ASUS' newly designed TUF Thermal Armor, the TUF Thermal Radar, TUF Fortifier, Dust Defenender and TUF Engine Power Design using military-spec components. Of course it also has other ASUS mainstay features such as their UEFI BIOS, OC Tuner, USB 3.0 Boost, TurboV Core and so on. Being an Intel Z87 motherboard you've also got the full benefits of the Z87 chipset including native SATA III support, native USB 3.0 support and the LGA 1150 socket which includes Haswell CPU support and PCI Express Generation 3.0 support. The Z87 Sabertooth balances a combination of abundant features and high performance with the Sabertooth/TUF philosophy of stability reliability and durability. Before we proceed don't forget to check the full specifications below for a recap of what the Sabertooth Z87 from ASUS has to offer: Packaging And Accessories The packaging is styled in an industrial way. ASUS are showing off the 5 year warranty as one of the best features. The back details the key features of the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 motherboard. Here you can see more closely those key features if you're interested in reading them. Additionally here is a close up of the box specs but you can see more detailed specifications on the first page. Included is a drive DVD, accessory installation guide, user guide and certificate of reliability. Further accessories include four SATA III cables, two 35mm fans, some ASUS Q connectors and a padded/shielded rear I/O. Additional accessories include PCI slot covers, SATA coverrs and just a whole bunch of dust covers (which are part of the ASUS Dust Defender implementation). An ASUS SLI bridge, a TUF sticker, three Thermistor cables and more dust guard accessories top off the extensive accessory bundle. A Closer Look The ASUS Sabertooth Z87 is a fantastic looking motherboard. The mainly black design really plays it safe and that consistent industrial theme works really well. ASUS have implemented their Flow Valve venting system on the Thermal Armor and added two 35mm fan mounting positions. There is a memOK button provided to troubleshoot memory problems. The CPU uses an 8 Phase VRM design and high quality components such as Low RDS_On MOSFETS, Alloy Chokes and 10K rated Ti-Capacitors. The heatsink is cooled by a rather stylish looking heatsink. 8 SATA 6Gbps ports are provided, six via the Z87 PCH and two by an ASMedia controller. There are two PCIe 3.0 X16 lanes, a single PCIe 2.0 X16 (X4 electrical) lane and three PCIe 2.0 X1 lanes. Front panel audio, S/PDIF out, a TPM header, a Thunderbolt header (for a sold-separately add-in card) and a chassis fan header are located at the bottom left. Along the bottom right of the motherboard are the front panel controls, a DirectKey (go to BIOS button), chassis fan header, CMOS battery, temperature probes and two USB 2.0 headers. ASUS have implemented an LED system that stays on when a particular component is preventing a post, here you can see the VGA LED. The rear I/O has four USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, two eSATA 6Gbps ports, a USB BIOS flashback button, a DisplayPort MST 1.2 port, a HDMI 1.4 port, optical S/PDIF audio, Intel Gigabit LAN and 8 Channel HD Audio. At the top of the motherboard is the 8 pin CPU power connector, the assist fan port for the I/O 35mm Thermal Armor fan, two CPU fan headers and a chassis fan header. The back of the motherboard has the TUF Fortifier motherboard backplate to enhance the structural rigidity of your system. BIOS The BIOS ASUS have implemented is a UEFI design with an extensive range of options for tweaking and tuning like you'd expect to find in any BIOS. When you first enter the BIOS there is an EZ mode which contains simplified details and options - namely SATA port information and boot priorities plus all the monitoring information. Moving into the advanced mode and you can see a much more extensive array of options. I won't explain every part of the BIOS as most are self explanatory but you can see the breadth and depth of the ASUS BIOS. They have really though about giving you as many options as possible. As this is a UEFI you can of course use your mouse and keyboard within it. ASUS have implemented a pretty awesome UEFI BIOS feature. You simply download the latest BIOS .Cap file from the ASUS website, dump it on a USB drive and run the updater - it really is that simple. Feature Overview As we've mentioned quite a few times already this motherboard is more about stability, reliability and durability than it is about anything else - that's not to say it doesn't have performance, overclockability or anything else - but that isn't the motherboard's main specialisation. ASUS point out four key features that we are going to explain to you. Of course we could explain all the "features" of this motherboard but we'd be here forever as let's be honest motherboard marketing consists of making everything a feature. TUF Fortifier The TUF Fortifier is essentially a chunky metal backplate for your motherboard. The TUF Fortifier prevents the motherboard from bending or flexing underneath stress from things like heavy dual slot graphics cards. It serves more than just to reinforce the motherboard though as ASUS put thermal pads on it to help keep the motherboard running cooler - this adds to the reliability/durability/stability theme of the TUF series. ASUS were also sensible enough to ensure they leave the CPU socket area cut-out for you to add CPU cooler backplates easily. Thermal Armor With Flow Valve Part of that TUF design is also the Thermal Armor on top of the motherboard. When you implement the two provided 35mm fans into the motherboard's design the thermal armour helps channel the flow of air through the motherboard to keep critical components cool. ASUS also implement "Flow Valves" on the Thermal Armor which essentially act as vents which you can open and close to change the airflow pattern within the Thermal Armor. The last part of the Thermal Armour package are the "Convection Holes" which are additional holes on the boards PCB to allow for air to flow underneath the motherboard. Thermal Radar 2 Thermal Radar 2 is the second implementation of ASUS' thermal control feature. This user sensors placed throughout the motherboard to team up with the temperature reporting of the CPU and GPU to allow you to effectively manage the heat flow of your system. Your main method of controlling the heat distribution inside your case comes with the extensive fan control options that the Thermal Radar 2 tab offers you in the AI Suite III software. Dust Defender The final notable feature of the Sabertooth Z87 motherboard is the "Dust Defender". This is a fancy way of explaining the range of plastic I/O covers ASUS offer. You can cover the PCI slots, SATA and USB 3.0 ports, I/O ports and DRAM slots with plastic covers to prevent dust entry. The Thermal Armor then prevents dust from reaching other parts of the system by shielding them. Included Software ASUS really go to town on the DVD they provide and you can see there is a huge range of software, drivers and utilities. The majority of the disc contains useful drivers, programs and utilities and ASUS helpfully added an "install all" button for each tab. I would do it on the driver page but they have managed to sneak Norton onto that page which isn't very nice - its clearly not a driver so why put it there? In my opinion Norton is nothing other than bloatware. ASUS include a copy of Daemon Tools Pro with the driver disc which is a nice addition. In terms of the software we will be looking extensively at AI Suite III as this is the main software package from ASUS. AI Suite III ASUS's AI Suite III is made up of eight key parts. Thermal Radar 2, USB 3.0 Boost, EZ Update, Network iControl, System Information, USB BIOS Flashback, USB Charger and Remote GO! The main screen is customisable with different monitoring bars at the bottom. Thermal Radar 2 Thermal Radar 2 offers a clean intuitive interface to "thermally tune" your system. Basically it calculates heat-spots in your system based on sensor feedback and adjusts nearby fans to account for these. The three thermistor cables that are provided can be added to provide you with temperatures in three more areas of the case. This will allow you to have a more complete thermal map of your case. The Thermal Radar 2 will calculate a thermal assessment of your system if you run that. The ability to tweak and tune your fan profiles is a big part of Thermal Radar 2. There is also the unique "Fan Overtime" feature which means the fan continues to run after shutdown for a period of time you can choose. Tweaking the power control in your system is a huge part of the Thermal Radar 2 because power is directly related to heat output. USB 3.0 Boost The USB 3.0 boost feature allows you to tweak certain USB 3.0 devices to operate at higher speeds by using different USB protocols. USB BIOS Flashback The USB BIOS Flashback utility allows you to prepare a USB drive for a BIOS update. USB Charger+ USB Charger+ allows you to enable faster charging through the the super-charger USB ports. You can enable this feature even when the system is in sleep, hibernate or shutdown. It requires that your motherboard is still connected to power supply that is in standby mode. System Information This tab offers you key information about your motherboard, CPU and RAM. You can find your BIOS version here. ASUS Remote GO! The ASUS Remote GO! package is something ASUS are really trying to push as of late. The Remote GO! package allows you to sychronise various devices over WiFi connections and through the internet in order to facilitate remote desktoping (via a mobile app), media playback and remote file transfers. EZ Update The EZ updater allows you to update the Boot Logo or BIOS from within the OS. Of course if this goes horribly wrong for whatever reason you can prepare a USB flash drive with the right BIOS on and use USB BIOS flashback. Network iControl ASUS' network control software is the final part of this AI Suite III package. This allows you to monitor network usage, prioritise certain applications and set different network profiles for different activities - such as a profile that prioritises games over other applications when gaming. Test System And Methodology When reviewing Intel Z87 motherboards we use the following pre-defined test system - only the motherboard varies between reviews. We only compare results where consistent components have been used however the CPU will also vary between motherboard comparisons of different sockets as well as the motherboard. Z87 Motherboard Test System Motherboard - Varies by review Processor - Intel Core i7 4770K at Stock With Turbo Disabled RAM - 16GB (2 X 8GB) Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 1866MHz at 9-10-9-27 Graphics Card - XFX HD 7970 (Stock Clocks) CPU Cooler - Corsair H100i with Quiet Fan Profile and Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Paste Power Supply - Corsair HX1050W Main Storage Drive - Kingston HyperX 240GB SSD over SATA III interface Additional Storage Drive - Patriot Wildfire 120GB SSD over SATA III interface Chassis - Lian Li T60 Test Bench Display – Dell U2711 Ultra Sharp @ 1080p Operating System - Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit We would like to thank Asus, Intel, AMD, Corsair, Kingston, Lian Li, Dell, Noctua and all our other partners who supplied us with test equipment and hardware. Their generosity makes our testing possible and without them we wouldn’t be able to produce the reviews we do, so thank you! For the testing procedures we use a variety of professional software and free to use programs which you can see below. The full details of each test will be available preceding the graphs if you are interested in the details for purposes of result replication or further enquiry. Software used: 3DMark 11 AIDA64 Cinebench R11.5 CPU-Z PCMark 7 Super PI 3DMark 2013 Rightmark Audio Analyser Audio Benchmark - Rightmark Audio Analyser "RMAA suite is designed for testing quality of analog and digital paths of any audio devices, be it a sound card, an MP3 player, a consumer CD/DVD player or an acoustic set. The results are obtained by playing and recording test signals passed through the tested audio path by means of frequency analysis algorithms. A more common mark is also provided for those unfamiliar with measured technical parameters." Available here. We run the RMAA test using a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable connecting the line out to the line in to test the quality of the motherboard audio codec not any external audio devices. We run the complete playback and recording test at default settings and then get RMAA to interpret the results giving the below outputs. We sync the playback and recording audio devices to the same setting as the test for truly accurate results. 16bit 44.1KHz Performance 24bit 96KHz Performance CPU Benchmarks - Cinebench And SuperPi "CINEBENCH is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON’s award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia and many more. CINEBENCH is the perfect tool to compare CPU and graphics performance across various systems and platforms (Windows and Mac OS X). And best of all: It’s completely free." Available Here. For Cinebench we run the multi-threaded test with our test system (as detailed on page 6). The test is run at its default settings - we don't mess around with anything. We use version R11.5 and when testing we end all other background tasks and programs that could affect the benchmark result. "Super PI is a single threaded benchmark that calculates pi to a specific number of digits. It uses the Gauss-Legendre algorithm and is a Windows port of a program used by Yasumasa Kanada in 1995 to compute pi to 232 digits. Super PI is a single threaded benchmark ideal for testing pure, single threaded x86 floating point performance and while most of the computing market has shifted towards multithreaded applications and more modern instruction sets, Super PI still remains quite indicative of CPU capability in specific applications such as computer gaming." Available Here. When running SuperPi we simply open it up and calculate 32 million. We use version 1.1 and when testing we end all other background tasks and programs that could affect the benchmark result. 3D Benchmarks - 3DMark11 and 3DMark (2013) "3DMark 11 is the latest version of the world’s most popular benchmark. Designed to measure your PC’s gaming performance 3DMark 11 makes extensive use of all the new features in DirectX 11 including tessellation, compute shaders and multi-threading. Trusted by gamers worldwide to give accurate and unbiased results, 3DMark 11 is the best way to consistently and reliably test DirectX 11 under game-like loads." From 3DMark.com We run the stock performance and stock extreme tests on 3DMark 11. Like with all other tests we end all other background tasks and programs that could affect the benchmark result. The new 3DMark includes everything you need to benchmark your hardware. With three all new tests you can bench everything from smartphones and tablets, to notebooks and home PCs, to the latest high-end, multi-GPU gaming desktops. And it’s not just for Windows. With 3DMark you can compare your scores with Android and iOS devices too. It’s the most powerful and flexible 3DMark we’ve ever created.” From Futuremark.com We run the stock normal Fire Strike and the stock Fire Strike Extreme benchmarks. Like with all other tests we end all other background tasks and programs that could affect the benchmark result. AIDA64 - Memory Benchmark "AIDA64 Extreme Edition is a streamlined Windows diagnostic and benchmarking software for home users. AIDA64 Extreme Edition provides a wide range of features to assist in overclocking, hardware error diagnosis, stress testing, and sensor monitoring. It has unique capabilities to assess the performance of the processor, system memory, and disk drives. AIDA64 is compatible with all current 32-bit and 64-bit Microsoft Windows operating systems, including Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. AIDA64 implements a set of 64-bit benchmarks to measure how fast the computer performs various data processing tasks and mathematical calculations. Memory and cache benchmarks are available to analyze system RAM bandwidth and latency. Processor benchmarks utilize MMX, SSE, XOP, FMA, AVX and AVX2 instructions, and scale up to 32 processor threads. For legacy processors all benchmarks are available in 32-bit version as well. AIDA64 Disk Benchmark determines the data transfer speed of hard disk drives, solid-state drives, optical drives, and flash memory based devices." Available Here. To test the memory performance of each motherboard we simply run the AIDA64 memory and cache test and record the memory scores. We use the same RAM kit with the same XMP profile and ike with all other tests we end all other background tasks and programs that could affect the benchmark result. System Benchmark - PCMark7 "PCMark 7 is a complete PC benchmarking solution for Windows 7 and Windows 8. It includes 7 tests combining more than 25 individual workloads covering storage, computation, image and video manipulation, web browsing and gaming. Specifically designed for the full range of PC hardware from netbooks and tablets to notebooks and desktops, PCMark 7 offers complete Windows PC performance testing for home and business use." Available here. We run the stock PCMark7 test that gives you a PCMark score. Like with all other tests we end all other background tasks and programs that could affect the benchmark result. Storage Benchmark - AIDA64 "AIDA64 Extreme Edition is a streamlined Windows diagnostic and benchmarking software for home users. AIDA64 Extreme Edition provides a wide range of features to assist in overclocking, hardware error diagnosis, stress testing, and sensor monitoring. It has unique capabilities to assess the performance of the processor, system memory, and disk drives. AIDA64 is compatible with all current 32-bit and 64-bit Microsoft Windows operating systems, including Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. AIDA64 implements a set of 64-bit benchmarks to measure how fast the computer performs various data processing tasks and mathematical calculations. Memory and cache benchmarks are available to analyze system RAM bandwidth and latency. Processor benchmarks utilize MMX, SSE, XOP, FMA, AVX and AVX2 instructions, and scale up to 32 processor threads. For legacy processors all benchmarks are available in 32-bit version as well. AIDA64 Disk Benchmark determines the data transfer speed of hard disk drives, solid-state drives, optical drives, and flash memory based devices." Available Here. We run AIDA64's dedicated disk benchmark of our SATA III Patriot Wildfire 120GB SSD. We always ensure we use the native SATA III 6Gbps ports with the most up to date AHCI drivers on the motherboard to ensure optimal performance. We don't use our boot drive to avoid the effects of long term SSD degradation. Like with all other tests we end all other background tasks and programs that could affect the benchmark result. USB 3.0 Benchmark - AIDA64 "AIDA64 Extreme Edition is a streamlined Windows diagnostic and benchmarking software for home users. AIDA64 Extreme Edition provides a wide range of features to assist in overclocking, hardware error diagnosis, stress testing, and sensor monitoring. It has unique capabilities to assess the performance of the processor, system memory, and disk drives. AIDA64 is compatible with all current 32-bit and 64-bit Microsoft Windows operating systems, including Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. AIDA64 implements a set of 64-bit benchmarks to measure how fast the computer performs various data processing tasks and mathematical calculations. Memory and cache benchmarks are available to analyze system RAM bandwidth and latency. Processor benchmarks utilize MMX, SSE, XOP, FMA, AVX and AVX2 instructions, and scale up to 32 processor threads. For legacy processors all benchmarks are available in 32-bit version as well. AIDA64 Disk Benchmark determines the data transfer speed of hard disk drives, solid-state drives, optical drives, and flash memory based devices." Available Here. We utilise our Kingston HyperX 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive in tandem with AIDA64's disk benchmark which can also be used for USB flash drives. We always test using the chipset-powered USB 3.0 ports (not those powered by third party controllers like ASMedia or Marvell) and using the latest USB 3.0 drivers for those chipset-powered USB 3.0 ports. Like with all other tests we end all other background tasks and programs that could affect the benchmark result. Power Consumption To test power consumption we monitor the overall power consumption of the system through a socket plug-in electricity usage monitor (aka Killawatt meter). Power consumption is measured at an idle system state whereby the system is allowed to stabilise at the desktop with as few applications running as possible for 5 minutes. The load power consumption is measured during the combined load test of 3DMark11 to simulate a realistic load being placed on all parts of the system. Monitoring system power usage at the wall through a usage meter is the easiest way for us to determine differences in power consumption between different motherboards as we do not have access to the complex and expensive equipment required to measure the motherboards individual power consumption. Overclocking Overclocking on the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 motherboard is a great experience and that's thanks to the ASUS UEFI BIOS. The BIOS is crammed full of advanced features that allow you to tweak and tune your CPU in numerous ways. In fact most of the time you'll probably find yourself leaving the majority of settings on auto because you don't actually have a clue what half the things do, but it is nice to know you have those advanced options for when you might need them. For me I ignored a lot of the complex options as a lot of the more advanced options don't need to be touched, even when overclocking, as you can rely on ASUS' auto-settings to give you a good choice. In terms of achieving an overclock we already know what our chip can do from previous motherboard tests and our chip is capable of 4.9GHz stable with a voltage of between 1.35 and 1.375 volts, sometimes it can manage 5GHz but even then it isn't always stable. Thankfully on the ASUS motherboard we had absolutely no issues achieving that frequency of 4.9GHz and with relatively conservative volts of about 1.35~1.36 depending on the load type. Going a little bit higher was possible, and getting to 5GHz on our chip is do-able, but this isn't stable because the heat problems with Haswell mean it throttles down and sometimes turns off. 4.9GHz is still one heck of an achievement as I've seen lots of other Core i7 4770Ks fail to get beyond 4.5GHz - of course a lot of the variation is more down to the "silicon lottery" rather than the quality of the motherboard. That said the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 motherboard proved itself capable of reaching the maximum this chip can offer. Overclocked Performance and Power Below you can see how the ASUS Sabertooth stacked up against other Z87 motherboards and their maximum stable overclocks. Final Thoughts Pricing At our preferred UK retailers the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 motherboard is retailing for £185.84 and £187.99. In the USA the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 motherboard retails for $249.99 while in Europe this motherboard costs €204.50. Final Thoughts We've taken quite an extensive look at everything the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 motherboard has to offer and I have to say it is a very impressive motherboard. While the durability and reliability aspect isn't something you can really benchmark the sturdy construction, high quality components and excellent thermal properties are easy to identify. The ASUS Sabertooth Z87 motherboard is more expensive than a lot of high-end Z87 motherboards but you do get a lot more for your money. ASUS are targeting quite a niche market because not many people are that concerned with stability, reliability and durability. Very often value for money and performance are the two things at the top of the motherboard priority list. This ASUS motherboard does sacrifice value for money in favour of durability but certainly the performance is not sacrificed at all and is as good as any other high end Z87 motherboard currently on the market. For the vast majority of Haswell K series processors this motherboard is going to be capable pushing them to their limit with high-speed memory. The basic message to take away from this review is quite clear. If you aren't concerned with having a military-class level of reliability in your system then the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 may not be for you - as you most definitely pay extra for those durability features. However, for those who are maybe put off by the complexity of the Sabertooth's design and software set-up it is worth noting that the motherboard does give you the flexibility to constantly monitor all aspects of your systems status or alternatively to just forget about it and let it run. Either way you've got a really solid motherboard that is going to last you absolutely ages, and if it doesn't then ASUS have got you covered with a 5 year warranty anyway. The Z87 Sabertooth also delivers very well in other areas. ASUS provide bucket loads of connectivity in terms of SATA, PCI Express, USB 3.0 and even the audio implementation is fantastic for onboard audio. Realtek's ALC1150, when implemented properly, has shown itself capable of rivalling low-end sound cards and certainly ASUS have done a great job with the Sabertooth Z87 in terms of audio. The rest of the features we've covered are all pretty much mainstays of high-end ASUS motherboards such as the fantastic UEFI BIOS that allows you to customise as much, or as little, as you want. The only things I might be able to call ASUS out on for not delivering are relatively minor and in most cases not that relevant. For example, the motherboard has no onboard buttons which means any troubleshooting and out-of-case tinkering is going to be a little on the tricky side. Then again most people are going to put this in a case once they've got it up and running so what does that matter? Additionally some might be disappointed by a lack of wireless connectivity - there's no NFC, no WiFi, no Bluetooth and so on. There is of course Gigabit LAN, and let's face it if you're buying this motherboard you probably won't care for that kind of Wireless connectivity. If you do you'll still be able to connect to your PC via your local home WiFi network and router using the ASUS Remote GO! software package. Pros Clean Aesthetics Extensive thermal controls and customisation Abundant SATA and USB connectivity Rigid and Sturdy Design High Quality components Well fleshed out software package Great accessory package High Performance Z87 motherboard Solid Overclocker 5 Year Warranty Excellent UEFI BIOS Cons Lack of Wireless connectivity Thermal Armour may obstruct some larger CPU heatsinks Bit pricey 35mm motherboard fans can get noisy if not forced to a low RPM Some may find the Thermal Armour a bit "gimmicky" Only one USB 3.0 header "The ASUS Z87 Sabertooth is a wonderful piece of engineering that brings a breath of fresh air to the motherboard market - it is great to see a motherboard vendor take an innovative approach to motherboard design that focuses on something other than performance (not to say that this doesn't have performance because it has loads of it!). If you're looking for a durable, reliable and well built piece of quality computer kit that is going to last you ages then the ASUS Sabertooth Z87 motherboard should be right up your street. The Sabertooth Z87 motherboard is the Swiss Army Knife of the motherboard market." Thanks to ASUS for providing this review sample.