Asus Z97 A Review & Overclocking with 4770K

[@20robo09]

So close to 100k Tom, love watching your videos and the attention to detail you put into each one.

[@blackice11z]

Well you can't really review the motherboard until Broadwell comes out but you can say the experience will be very similar to but slightly faster than the 4770k.

[@glenwootton7750]

Asus finally catching up with software that I have had on my Asrock X79 Extreme11 board for the past two years,as in the Cfos man & Streaming software. Well done Asus.

[@Armfan99]

Tom can you PLEASE run the extreme overclocking software on this board to see how close it gets to your manual overclock? Im getting too old to fiddle in a bios for hours and i wanna know how close it can get with that software.

[@blazeaglory]

I got my i5 Devils Canyon to 4.5 with the ez bios on this board

[@blazeaglory]

Also running Some 8GB Kingston Black 1600mhz at over 2100mhz...

[@Attached-data1]

Just bought the i7 4790k and asus z97a today!!! Cant wait!

[@Large87x]

got both on the 6th and I can tell you so far you will not be disappointed great combo.

[@rphxleonine]

LivinLarge606 I have this combo, as well. I'm doing my test boot tomorrow. I'm pretty excited.

[@Attached-data1]

***** so here's what I bought so far. I7 4790k, asus z97 a mobo, Gigabyte gtx 970 g1, g skill trident x 2400, and cool master 212 mobo fan. I still have to order corsair 750w modular, Seagate 1tb hdd, crucial 256 gig ssd, win 8.1, and a case for about 100$. I am ordering in a day or two so hopefully by this weekend I can build:D I can't wait as its my 1st build.

[@Attached-data1]

***** that's the only thing I'm unsure of yet. I'm pretty sure I want a full atx. I want a red, black and white theme. Maybe just red and black but if I find a cool white case I'll put white in it too. I wanted to get a white 200$ corsair but only have about 500$ left for those last parts. So that leaves 100$ for a case. I found this one but idk anything about in win. geb.ebay.in/g/ImportHubViewItem?itemid=291330723363&IN-WIN-707-BLACK-Black-SECC-ATX-Full-Tower-Computer-Case-ATX-12V-PSll-Size-and

[@Attached-data1]

***** ohhh, now THAT is what I want. The only thing is its mid axt. The gigabyte gtx 970 is a huge card and idk how much room I'd have. But that is exactly what I want. As for cd rom I'm not too worried about that. Idk how to boot w a flash but I'm gonna try it. A 32 gig flash is on my list too. Thanks for that link. I'm gonna save that to my build list

[@Forflies]

Lol 11:03 he says it so perfect and naturally :)

[@Exzibit13]

HED PE fuck yeah! oh, and great review, I'm new to building pc's and am doing my research to make sure I get what I want. Your review has helped me make a decision. Thanks!

[@NahYeahMate]

Would ASUS Z97M-PLUS give similar overclocking results?

[@ggzii]

what program is free and is usefull to test a new system for stability?

[@johnathanassion4855]

Great video. My main system was destroyed by an Antec HCP-1300 warranty replacement PSU. So until I can rebuild my system, I'm thinking on getting this board to build a simple, basic, backup computer until I build a newer system this summer with the new 2011v3 10 core processor and Pascal video cards soon to be released. I hope Asus comes out with a newer x99 Rampage VI Extreme board in 2016.

[@akiskev]

Thanks for the vid and the review! I learned everything I wanted to know about this motherboard ;)

[@MichaelBivinsMichaelFixIt]

I would love to see what kind of overclock you get with your lottery winning CPU solely using the ASUS 1 click 5 way optimization. It usually works very very well and can get you to 90-95% of an overclock that you can get OCing manually.

[@zephyrus17]

The angle of the camera gives the slight impression that you're not looking at the lens, but slight off to the side. Like you're talking to an interviewer.

[@fetB]

Awesome, usually the lower end gets no love anywhere. Thank you

[@MindstormSnick]

The network program is very nice, you can get it with bigger screen when you yousing XFAST LAN form ASrock. It's the same prog....

[@brooksilg]

Thanks for the detailed review!

[@dolltron6965]

At about 26:00 you'll notice he uses no power or power supply, how? Answer : dark magic! You just have to sacrifice a goat over a pentagram before booting up.

[@OMEGa3FattyAcid100]

He is using Corsair Carbide Air 540, it not black magic! Search the case online before commenting.

[@dolltron6965]

So I have to send my shipment of 500 live goats and a sacrificial sword back then? Not to mention the pentagram burned into the carpet, the pubic hair of 100 virgins and the 8 litres of cat sick. You are a real buzzkill.

[@danielcavalcanti8521]

What motherboard i buy ? - MSI Z97 GAMING 5 - GIGABYTE Z97 GAMING 5 - ASUS Z97-A - ASROCK Z97 EXTREME 4 The most reviews i see the gigabyte and MSI and Asus have the bests quality ... But the Asrock not bad , so i have this doubt ...thank you .

[@KeepCalmAndCarryOn321]

The case looks cool, what's the name of it?

[@thepain2222]

I'm properly impressed myself, got the elusive 5 gig screenshot on a board like this. Seems Asus is going to be the brand to beat this time around again. Also I noticed there was a reading in the BIOS for the DMI/PEG frequency. Are they going to give us control over that again? It would be nice if hey can let us overclock the entire system and not just the CPU and memory.

[@JmasterJr]

my core speed reading is 1ghz when my mouse isn't moving but goes to 4.2ghz when I move my mouse. is yours 5ghz maxed or what? I am brand new to this I have your exact setup except I have the deluxe version of your MOBO.

[@DrCrYz]

xmp memory disabled means it will be 1333 memory speed right? don't you need to enable that to get proper memory speed?

[@wnose]

Could you please do a walkthrough of the overclocking process? Step by step of each change with individual screenshots - totally baffled by uefi since they use different terms. I understand the broad concepts of it but don't know where to look in the uefi bios.

[@IesApac]

tom, nice office chair, where did u get that?

[@RealSAE]

Great review brother!

[@Trizzle83be]

Where can I get that invisible power supply?

[@whomst7125]

Corsair air 549

[@whomst7125]

540

[@farisamin7954]

i cant install windows 7 on this board, error during "expanding windows file".. things i've done : remove 1 ram lower ram freq to 1333 remove gpu boot using usb any solution? plz help

[@IndyJov]

I picked this board because of price, reviews and I was looking for a mature look just as you said in the video.

[@DellSchanze]

What in the world is a Zed 97? I see a Z97 but is there a different version? lol

[@DellSchanze]

lol just messing with you man. Sounds really funny to us USA english speakers.

[@NigelH92]

a 97 motherboard produced by Zed obviously

[@cassidyadams6266]

Asus produces the Z97-A.

[@DILDOlover]

Dell Schanze Only sounds silly if you're an idiot. With the amount of different accents in the US alone you'd think minor differences in pronunciation wouldn't bother you so much.

[@margolo]

It's like saying 300ZX as 300-ZED-X. Sounds much cooler.

[@TacosCA]

I actually don't mind that gold color from the new Asus board.

[@that_llama_in_a_tuxedo4584]

Is a Z97-A + 4790K + GTX 960 at 4GB good?

[@Prepaidist]

+Texas_boy_ vs_NYC the 960 probably doesn't have the bandwidth to produce textures as well as a 970 does despite both being 4 GB. (970 is actually 3.5) I'd just stick with a 970, if you can bump up your budget. Or go for the i5 4690k + 970.

[@Xielent]

+Texas_boy_ vs_NYC If you got the extra money I would go with the r9 390 over the 970. If you are looking at the 960 then I would suggest you look towards AMD's 380 or 380x as they outperform the 960 at the same price range. If you are just gaming, go with the 4690k. If you are gaming and editing. The Z97-A and 4790K will treat you well. I have mine overclocked to 4.7Ghz.

[@kauaigold]

+Jordaan Ran Radeon for years, definately not a "fanboy" of Nvidia but I think just based on reviews/benchmarks i'd go 970 over r9390. Both are veeerrrry similar in real world testing performance but the r9390 runs way hot (allegedly) for whatever reason so that pretty much takes OC out of the equation. Personally, bang for the buck, Id probably go 970 and OC it up near 980 specs before settling for a r9390. If I had to stick with radeon then maybe r9390x, gives you a few more future-proof months but still heat is a problem.

[@kauaigold]

+Texas_boy_ vs_NYC I just got that board installed with a 4790k and its running a stable OC at 4.5ghz at 1.34volts. No heat issues, no glitches, STABLE. Using the built in ASUS OC tool that came with the board is totally idiot proof. Id definately spend a bit more for a 970 though, you wont see it crap out in ANY game running at 1080p on high/very high settings. Theres a reason such a HUGE market share leans toward 970, bang for the buck best card you can get. I got a 980 ti and I think its way overkill for 1080p. If I could do it again i'd go 970.

[@that_llama_in_a_tuxedo4584]

Just to put a end to this I bought the 960 due to budgetary restraints and will upgrade to the 970 later.

[@wortelcake]

How long till motherboard manufacturers start making motherboards with Linux distros as BIOS?

[@EugeneMirrman]

Don't mean to be a negative Nancy, but the benchmarrk results are relatively insignificant until the refresh appears.. Great, in-depth video though Tom.. :-)

[@gaming-zombie1392]

Love your set-up...

[@ScoobyShooby]

OMG X.M.P profile 1 will fix your ram speed!! Watching you hover over the xmp profiles drove me nuts!!

[@paulocampino5045]

I like a lot the Z97 - A but i can´t decide if i should buy Asus Z97- A or Asus Z97 Pro Gamer for a I5 4690k. Any thoughts?

[@MuhdAkmal18]

Paulo Campino idk about the others, but i preferred Asus Z97 A

[@earnestbunbury2103]

Why get ROG over this (Z97 pro to be exact) other than the color of the Hero board? The ROG doesn't have the 5 was optimization and this series of boards has the Gaming Lan and seemingly everything the ROG has and even more. Don't think I'll pay extra for red accents over improved functionality of the 5 way optimization.

[@mrballbreeder3749]

nice board ,didnt expect any less from asus even the -A

[@andrewspencer9888]

Tom,the Asus direct to bios feature is not a new feature for this MB, I have the 990fx sabertooth r2.0 and it came budled on the software disc.

[@andrewspencer9888]

***** its definitely been around a while then.

[@EL_ClD]

I think they did this launch type (mobo before cpu) to see how it would work for the ddr4 launch (for a better distribution for ddr4 when the cpus come out)

[@gorerothed]

what memory stick should i use for z97 deluxe and 4770k in terms of mhz?

[@karimrahaman1]

Asus MAXIMUS-VII-RANGER, Asus SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 or MSI Z97 GAMING 5? All help will be much appreciated.

[@LeMagicCactus]

Sorry for late reply! Eh, I don't reccomend getting a MSI motherboard, since there are tons of quality control issues with them. IMHO go with the Ranger.

[@aragornpassolargo7273]

Will i be able to run SLI with Sata express and uses the last PCIe x16 2.0 for other thing or its gonna be at the same lanes? With same lanes i mean that Sata express take some speed of the two PCIe 16x 3.0. Sorry bad english.

[@BrettCulley]

i just ordered this board to pair with the 4790k when its released, hope its work it, its the cheapest board i have ever bought

[@shant]

hidden in the case? or behind the case, can you show us how you hid it

[@Rezirex]

Seeing how it's a cube case, I'm assuming there is space on the back side of the case for it.

[@PVTfluffy]

Is turbo LAN an alternative to killer 2200 LAN?

[@shant]

where's your power supply?

[@alexadros2311]

Just notices this Turbo LAN uses exactly the same software as ASRock XFast LAN

[@RutManuu]

hi,I also have the Z97-a, as you disable wake on lan?

[@PlzReturnYourShoppingCart]

Did he say a 4770 at 4.9 with a 1.26 over volt? Is it weird of me to be skeptical? I have a 4790k with a over volt of 1.25 at 4.8 but I'm only getting that because I lapped the lid and replaced the TIM with liquid metal. I feel like I'm missing something. Oof

[@valursvalur1]

Can u use Broadwell CPU's in the future when they come out in this socket ? Socket who support i7 4th gen and 5th gen = Meaning Broadwell or Xeon processors ?

[@MinerDudeProductionz]

yes

[@Pienimusta]

Should I wait for broadwell/z97 or just get hasswell ? Mainly for gaiming

[@andrewspencer9888]

The most important thing for gaming is the GPU not the CPU, get the i7 4770k if you can afford it. Hasswell it will be fine for gaming

[@chelseaboyz4]

If u want to get a better over clock then wait for Broadwell, if ur not going to overlock then just get Haswell.

[@MrBerbalove]

Wait for the 4690k coming in June. With a Z97 board.

[@AmrothPalantir]

does this mobo work with M.2 ?? and wich M.2ssd would that be ? my mobo dont notice any M.2 ever, even when i change that thing in bios with pcieXGen.... to M.2. i testen alot now... frustrate me. maybe the M.2 is just not working, try a new one...?

[@OC3D]

Id check to see if your board is M.2 sata only. Sounds like youve been buying pcie based ones that the board wont see. Sounds like you need an upgrade to Z170

[@AmrothPalantir]

it is the excact same mobo as you in this video. and the 1, M.2ssd i tested was SATA based, not pcie. Think i will try to update bios. the M.2 is just to get less cables in the chassi, not pcie speed. maybe get windows on it so i dont need any other ssd's in this computer.(was hopeing for just 1, M.2 and a 2Tb from seagate...) been scratching my head for a few weeks bcus of this (i got Intel 750 pcie 1.2Tb in my main pc... start to wonder if Asus Z-97A just got this M.2 slot just for the looks of it)

[@lennartstek8899]

Whats the point of buying a super expensive Asus ROG motherboard instead of this?

[@rudycat]

+LennartSteak right

[@zhv3062]

+LennySteak ROGs are meant to be OC'd these less expensive boards "can" be OC'd but for the best results you'd aim for Sabertooth or ROG. Thats basically the only reason, plus on the Sabertooth and ROG boards come with "better" quality versus the other boards from Asus.

[@blazeaglory]

Zubin HV used to be true but today not so much. There isn't anything i can't do with this board that i could do with a sabertooth. My i5 4690k oc's to 4.5mhz and my 1600hz Kingston black oc's to over 2100. Minus the bells and whistles this board is more than enough

[@Reclaimer57]

Asus z97 deluxe vs z97 hero?

[@bamboo82tm]

what water cooling is used?

[@CrossplatformGamerMasterRace]

I have direct to bios of on my Z87 Pro, you get a shortcut look in your start menu! You should have install the Asus CPU-Z looks so much better!... I've just switched to Intel Haswell, gotta temporary i3 waiting for refresh! should I go for a i5 4690 or wait for a devil canyon version?.

[@mustarastas88]

Isn't i5 4690 devils canyon? Or are you meaning the K-model?

[@CrossplatformGamerMasterRace]

K models are devils canyon, none K version are Haswell refresh.

[@mustarastas88]

I thought that Devil's canyon is the refresh, guess i was wrong. Thanks for information.

[@CrossplatformGamerMasterRace]

Devil Canyon is basically Haswell Refresh but with a improved thermal interface. The problem with Haswell is that they put the voltage control on the CPU and it's caused thermal issues, so it's rumoured to be made optional, upgraded or replaced with something else.

[@mustarastas88]

Didn't they upgrade thermal compound on Devil's canyon so it should be more cooler than Haswell. Well, i just got Z97-A and until the K-model of 4690 arrives my old I5-4430 has to go. Can't wait for that. And because of the series 9 chipset, i can upgrade to Broadwell processor later, probably the top I7.

[@vongdong10]

4770K 4.9ghz at 1.26v?! Mine's 4.2ghz at 1.25v....

[@FunkyTomahawk]

Why isn't this in the US?

[@RutManuu]

in the chipset heatsink there a fan?

[@leknyzma]

where did you get 3004 version of BIOS when it's like 2401 year after?

[@diabolik182]

+leknyzma hi friend! Do you have found this bios version?

[@leknyzma]

+diabolik182 no

[@diabolik182]

+leknyzma Fastest!!! How does is it possible?

[@leknyzma]

+diabolik182 he must be using that z97a with usb 3.1

[@diabolik182]

+leknyzma For Z97-a/USB 3.1 last bios version is 2401...

[@MrPummetje]

Can tou do a full review of the sniper 5 ? :)

[@cezarmak1274]

from where i can download this asus intelligent processor?

[@mrballbreeder3749]

you will able to download it at asus website when intel release the blockage and im guessing its at computex

[@mitchsfarm]

can you say *click* "noice" ?

[@koolkanaan]

jackpot chip much?

[@CrypticSin]

Is i7-4770k + Z97 A a good combo?

[@monkeybolo4231]

***** get a 4790k better lifespan and value.

[@rb1042]

+Muss It would be mad to get 4770k over a 4790k, madness I tell you!

[@kauaigold]

+Muss I'd go 4790k just because you get a little more speed by spending a little more. Still it depends on what you wanna do. Gaming-wise it wont make much of a difference, get a good GPU+SSD and you'll be shredding fps.

[@rb1042]

+kauaigold ssd's do nothing significant for FPS. Loading times maybe and only if they're optimised for it.

[@kauaigold]

True, unless there is a SERIOUS bottleneck at the HDD. Loading times, i've noticed, are about 25-50% faster for anything I run but FPS isn't affected either way. Just a great thing to have overall, cant beat a 20sec boot time ;)

[@amaw67]

im planning this for motherboard. can someone help me select other parts. without monitor my budget is not more than $1000

[@TheSneakyHipster]

I didn't really look but 4690k + 970 is a popular option

[@czdaniel1]

The Sneaky Hipster What Sneaky said. 4690k, some high-end cooling, and a GTX 970.

[@lesnoycreep]

how to download or install Dual Intelligent Processors 5????

[@kauaigold]

+Канал Юрца Its included on the ASUS drivers/install CD that came with the z97-a/usb 3.1 board. If you dont have this board you cant use this program.

[@Abomente]

u need an asus z97 board

[@joshtunney6674]

I have to agree, the other gold boards were disgusting looking. I don't know where they came to the conclusion that the enthusiasts wanted the gold color on our rigs. And I have to say, the brown PCB's have got to go. They need to realize that there are a million other colors out there that they can make the PCB. Stick to black, white, red blue and green and you cant go wrong.

[@ThePred2009]

there is no way you would run the cpu @ 4.9 ghz all the time.

[@arbiter1]

***** I got 4.5ghz on mine @ 1.2volts and i use that 24/7, On a good search another person with cpu outta batch i had did 5ghz @ 1.25v, they said. valid.x86.fr/63lpir

[@yukowl]

Could you take a look at "MSI Z97S SLI PLUS Intel Z97" :)

[@HuevoDuro702]

whats that noise?

[@andrewspencer9888]

A drill...

[@stryk187]

Hey! (hed) P.E.! I always liked that Pac Bell song he did.

[@borkbork7]

Carlos Andrews:Get the Sapphire

[@DSlite11]

isnt Z97 not zed97 wtf??

[@RapingRapier]

DSlite11 The only english speakers that say zee and not zed are americans.

[@niko3101]

your memory is single channel...

[@LawrenceTimme]

only 2933? :/ 3200mhz FTW!

[@RWoody1995]

you can pretty much only run 3200MHz ram if you are at stock or close to stock cpu speeds lol

[@LawrenceTimme]

megaspeed2v2 and? its still too slow! i want to see 4ghz memory!

[@RWoody1995]

Lawrence Timme too bad that only workstation (video editing, image editing, autocad etc) pcs can take advantage of ram speeds above 1333mhz with no cares for what the latency is set at lol gaming systems prefer low latency, rather have 1866 with ridiculously small ram latency than 2933MHz at those ram timings which just seem to be getting looser and looser over the years i mean seriously old DDR3 ram had timings as low as the CAS 8's or CAS 9's and now we're seeing ram in the CAS 12's >

[@LawrenceTimme]

megaspeed2v2 actually i dont play games. games are for children.

[@NICKLASFARFAR]

Lawrence Timme No. Games are for enjoyment.

[@mdamaged]

8:45 to skip the droning.

[@HuevoDuro702]

awesome

[@leknyzma]

112&notorious

[@LawrenceTimme]

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!! voltage controller on the board again! should be so much better! 5ghz pentium anniversary edition here i come!

[@jammyd2226]

What did i just watch!?

[@MrAsus3571]

OC3D IS A CLOSET GIGABYTE (LOL)

[@Suppboio]

Biggie

[@Gork-an-Mork]

Need a gaming laptop? Google me: 271481223818

[@vlad11112]

How do i know witch gpu will work with a motherboard

[@MegadetH666ksa]

WTF!!?? GPUS works with any motherboards dude!

[@quentinvandenhaselkamp7553]

You can use the website PcPartPicker to see if your build has any compatibility issues :)