ASUS Z97-WS - As Good as it Gets IMO...

The ASUS Z97-WS is the kind of product that really feels like it was "designed for me". No BS. Just rock solid.
Edit: typo correction at 3:20 - This should be 105C, not 150C!
Sponsor link: linustechtips.c...
Pricing & discussion: linustechtips.c...
Support us: linustechtips.c...
Join our community forum: bit.ly/ZkLvE7
/ linustech
/ linustech
Intro Screen Music Credit: Adhesive Wombat - Check out his channel here: / adhesivewombat
Outro Screen Music Credit: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High / approachingnirvana

[@EmmaCross94]

Why can't every motherboard be like this? I'm with you Linus, I hate all those stupid "features" that come with motherboards these days. They just bump the price up and I doubt anyone actually uses them. That and LEDs on the motherboard. WHY? If I've got a blue themed build, I don't want some bright-as-all-balls red LED blaring at me all day and night, I want blue (I'm looking at you Gigabyte). Colours as well. Why the hell are motherboards still covered in all these bright, stupid colours? A colourless motherboard will fit any build you throw at it. #EndRant

[@devilmikey00]

Ya it's why I like the asus sabertooth boards with that thermal armor stuff. It's just jet black with some beige on the ram/PCIe slots that will be covered up when you put the ram/gpu in.

[@kael13]

While I agree with you, things like pro audio and separated DAC ports are features I would pay extra for.

[@PeteTheL337]

Kael Then you should invest in an external dac or a proper sound card.

[@EmmaCross94]

Kael Yeah I can agree with that. The problem is though, good audio is something that can positively affect everything you do and the overall experience with the motherboard. Some bright red LED or horribly coloured gold heatsinks aren't going to affect anything in a positive way unless they fit the theme of the build. Still, when I think "utterly useless", I think of things like memory overclocking software or headroom. Overclocking memory does nothing in most settings and only bumps up the memory's latency. How is that even a decent selling point? I have no clue...

[@neslonjimbunez]

how about a colorless board!!! i mean see throught motherboard pcb!!! woooshh!! now that revolutionary!!

[@casiquekibra]

I don't know who's editing LInusTechTips' videos, but I'm loving them :D

[@LinusTechTips]

We have up to three editors now depending on who is busy with other stuff...

[@charlesmansplaining]

Looking back now I'm glad I made this board my choice to add to my build. I looks great in my opinion. It has been upgradeable to fit my needs. The only complaint I have is with the 4790K CPU I acquired, I wish I would have had better luck with the silicon lottery. I only have gotten 4.2 GHz stable. I have had great luck with the memory running XMP at 2666 MHz Three years is a long time for me to run with one board but I am hoping to get three more before I move up again. ASUS did a great job with the BIOS updates and there doesn't seem to be any issues thus far.

[@Surtak]

The Linus Edition flourish...that there was genius. Well bloody done

[@nightwingv]

i almost disliked because you didn't tell us to throw away the driver disc and download the latest drivers from asus

[@LinusTechTips]

heh. That's some classic LTT right there.

[@hyukei]

wasnt paying attention to the box at start so when the 'linus edition' appeared i was so shocked that i had to rewind to check if those words was originally on the box XD great effect hahaha

[@MrGImBIS]

This isn't computer hardware. This is art.

[@JmanEspresso]

Been using the asus WS boards for my last like 5 builds. I love them.

[@DottsDash]

Hey man, I just wanted to say that after seeing your studio...(though it may not be the most organized) I absolutely fell in love with it. I've always loved computers and I just wanted to tell you what a great job your doing. Keep it up.

[@Lizardwarrior1]

Just in case you guys read the comments, I just want to say that the editing done on the "Linus Edition" on the motherboard box at 0:39 is flawless. Great job on that, whoever did it.

[@earnestbunbury2103]

Had to watch again to see it... agreed.

[@NoxiousCEB]

Linus snorts at 0:17

[@ampeg187]

Noctua is already shipping new improved black fans. They are called industrialPPC, more info is on their website. Can't wait to see your review Linus ! Also this mobo is badass, just like all ASUS mobo.

[@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx]

This motherboard screams quality!

[@Jerbod2]

Quality of this video is amazing. Even I can see it, playing at 360p (caused by my internet connection) Great work guys.

[@ctaber2011]

still running this board, even after a PSU blow up it didn't take it out, i love it.

[@egormatuk3786]

i have the Z87-WS with the Xeon E3-1241v3. I love it!

[@egormatuk3786]

+Burrito Sandwich It's really great! It's even better than the i7 4770 that's in my gaming htpc. Actually haswell Xeons are pretty good chips for gaming.

[@egormatuk3786]

+Burrito Sandwich also the Z87-WS is almost identical to the Z97 chipset variant.

[@senrusho]

Convinced. Ill definitely get a WS board when I build my next system.

[@luis1985]

I don't think I can see your set the same anymore. All I see the mess in the back and the plates in the sink haha. Great board and review. Hope you get it cleaned and do another tour of your office/home.

[@chrisle360bludgeon]

On point, no unnecessary gibberish. Thank you, great video.

[@scarmenl]

I still want 8 memory slots and LGA2011 work station board.

[@rich1051414]

ASUS P9X79-E WS

[@stilldasayme]

X79 is dead. Wait for Haswell-E and X99. Get yourself an octa-core, and then make fun of your friends who only have hexa-core CPUs. :)

[@scarmenl]

Franck Bender Thank you for the idea. I'm not in that much hurry so thank you very much.

[@AUGundam]

Franck Bender Not dead, seeing as Intel still has some minor support for the platform supposedly out this year.

[@rich1051414]

AUGundam And the 1270v3 still makes for a beast of a server where it needs a lot of horsepower for a single application. Like the fairly common poorly threaded game server.

[@Ender.wigginn]

Love your videos Linus. I think this is the MOBO I will be going with on my next build. As always, very informative and you have great energy. :) Thanks for your dedication!

[@soledadmonstabreh]

Linus is LIFE.

[@brandonmckibben1164]

Great video Linus and team, love the attention to detail that is showing in your new team members. Love your work :)

[@xXm33masterBadXx]

Hey man really enjoyed this video Linus! I'd love to see more Z97 motherboard reviews!

[@fiqbrand]

Linus, please make more build guilds using current new hardwares for 2014. Really enjoyed your videos. :)

[@DarrenTaing]

i wish more motherboards were like this. i've spent so long looking for motherboards with dual front usb 3.0 headers

[@Trusteft]

I still have (on my only PC for 7+ years) my ASUS P5Q WS. Terrific motherboard. I have no doubt the Z97 is going to be a great one too.

[@silent_r4936]

Kind of similar to why I run a Z87 Sabertooth. It just runs and runs. looks good and 5 yr warranty.

[@SudoTech]

This reassures me. I am thinking of buying a different ASUS z97 and knowing this solidifies it.

[@ctaber2011]

SudoChocolate This mobo has tons of problems and doesn't have alot of the future proofing features, get something else for sure

[@lbochtler]

Damn it, if only this had a PCI slot as well, then this would have been the ideal board for my new audio workstation. Other then the thunderbolt port missing from the board itself, as well as the aforementioned PCI slot, its perfect.

[@Wisdom3G]

Great video as always Linus! Had I not bought the rampage 4 black edition board, this might have been the one for me.

[@debillus]

They should totally make a Linus edition. I'd buy it

[@Tuberuser187]

A grown ups motherboard? What is this heresy? Where are the Military Class-Elite-Tank-Cannon-Sniper-Wolf-Dragon boards with spinning LEDs, integrated Whoopee Cushions and Kazoos and fake ammunition magazines bolted on to them? *_Thats_* what you need to for gaming.

[@LumanoidAU]

I got the P9X79-E WS board. And I totally agree, it's such a nice motherboard. Did cost me an arm and a leg but I love it =P

[@stopfdenpc]

lol I honestly thought for a second, that there was a Linus Edition :D great editing skillz

[@pablozandonadii]

I JUST STARTED TO FOLLOW U BRO, GOOD COMMENTS AND NICE SENSE OF HUMOR ;p

[@dionvtran]

Linus all your videos are awesome, I love all the videos especially the build guides because it gives me ideas on what I want in my PC and before I even knew how to build a custom gaming PC, I learned it by watching your guides and tips. So thank you for all the videos and tips and guides =)

[@Moejoe647]

Since the office tour i always have to watch if someone left stuff in the sink again. :D

[@Bramster17]

lol, love the use of the Cooler Master stand :D

[@tjarsun]

Damn it looks good! It is weird it comes with a 3 year warranty and not 5 year like the Sabertooth line...

[@bradn44]

Still running this motherboard, yet It is really hard to find a SATA Express drive because it never really took off. It is running strong still today.

[@fran5594]

you should make a sub zero cooling system build guide... never seen one, and it sounds pretty cool!

[@CreightonMiller]

0:40 - good work there, post-production.

[@MrTheuploader123]

if you put your mouse pointer at the red or white buffer line in between 6:00 and 9:47 you can see he is unboxing the mobo

[@mafuyu4698]

I miss these videos

[@BassRacerx]

looks pretty good i think its great that more motherboards are focusing more on features since it looks like intel processors are getting less and less overclockable

[@ColtonB]

Nice editing the "Linus Edition" on the box.

[@awuma]

Looks interesting. I didn't catch any mention of the VRM cooling, which looks impressive. I just installed a used Gigabyte GA-Z97X Gaming 7 with an i7-4790 and am very happy with it. It has a couple of retro features this one doesn't, but this one sacrifices those for a couple more advanced ones, such as the 4 PCIex16 slots.

[@graemekgtiger7450]

Sweet! Thanks Champ! Much appreciated

[@EmanuelWecker]

i didn't see the video yet, but the starting face of linus make me like the video...

[@jonathanleon-oakley6974]

I would like this video 50x over, great review.

[@samdeur]

Great review Have to agree love the WS series..100% my next board.. Add in sum noctua cooling with silent adapters..Nice padded case for a silent build and max mem at least 32gb of mem..for all my virtualization needs. Keep up the great work ..and love the Silent Linus edition builds ..how about adding sum Linux with the Linus builds ;-)

[@CJonestheSteam72]

This truly was ahead of its time

[@felixv75]

Awesome review Linus.

[@cpufreak101]

Man how time flies, I was just given one of these boards for free because it was "dead" lmao

[@SuperStareGry]

Whenever i buy motherboard i do a ton of research.And when i get the board excitement goes away as soon as i open the box. Once is installed and working i forget about it completely.

[@jakedowman-french3205]

That used to be me, then I got a case with a side panel. A poo-brown colour PCB does not make for an attractive system.

[@Siefter]

more of these videos! love hardware reviews!

[@miker6570]

The thing that I am liking about the asus line of z97 mobo's is the fact that they toned down the gold theming this series compared to the z87 boards. Don't get me wrong it is still gold but a little bit less gold than before.

[@Booba-Fett]

I hadn't subbed already? Solved, thank you for reminding me Linus

[@sk8guitardrums]

I like the gold boards now, this is an amazing m/board

[@cjbtantay]

Dat "Linus Edition" Tagline on the box.... Such a good edit. Mind telling me how?

[@ForceBlade99]

I would love to see a review/overview on the Asus Z97 Deluxe, that's the board I was thinking of getting

[@spektrumB]

My next upgrade for sure.

[@DaxHamel]

Anyone who remembers the 440BX days will agree with Linus' sentiment here.

[@HOTTESTHERE]

I so want something like this in the M-ATX size.

[@blackninjaz1500]

Wonderful stability xD

[@eljott469]

rocking with the x99-m ws here :)

[@Lechron]

you know you love linus videos when you turn up the sound right after the little jingle.. and i guess rewind the video because you were typing instead of listening..

[@giggitygoebbels3612]

4:27 try with a bestec 250W(12e) and you will still burn the motherboard rightaway even without a need to press the power button.

[@dshnig]

If you really want a workstation class system, you might as spend a bit more and go for the Asus X79 WS and wait for Haswell E to come out.

[@LKNL13]

I need one of these

[@kakkou10000]

I love motherboards with multiple lan ports

[@ahbalone]

Well I hope they listened to you and fixed that thing with tbolt on the back.

[@1524mclovin]

I still have my old p67 ws revolution with an overclocked 17 2700k and 3 gtx 580's. It hasn't given me any problems yet.

[@MrGImBIS]

What I love : 4 slots for graphics cards with THE SAME SPACING. FINALLY !

[@LCNismo]

I'm not a huge Intel person but when it come down to the motherboard I can't disagree with any of your comment. I just want a board that works and does have weird frilly lights. I just wish that Asus would build a WS version for AMD.

[@StephenSmith-tb5rq]

More 2011 socket workstation boards please.

[@cupofmozzarella]

I don't even have an Intel CPU but I really want this board.

[@PalaVfx]

Just give me my x99 WS motherboard and I am happy :D Dang can't wait any longer..

[@weyderwarr]

Haha you really had me there on the wonderful stability ;) Anyway, I have a couple of questions. You mentioned something about plugging in an SSD directly to the motherboard. What is the deal with that? Could you explain the use of that 6 pin auxiliary header just a little bit further? Thank you :) As always, great video!

[@SamSammut]

I really like these motherboards because they have everything I need and nothing I don't and I am paying for what I want and that is it

[@Gormador]

Wonderful Stability. Silly Linus ;-)

[@ramireini]

I have a Z87-PRO and I'm liking it.

[@AdurianJ]

ASUS should make a "Linus Edition" of the card with "Thunderbolt 2"

[@DKM-uy5kv]

Wait wait I thought the Z97 chipset didn't work for non-Haswell Refresh stuff? I remember someone saying that .......ANNNNNNYWAAAAY good board I'd love to get my hands on one especially considering the amount of features it has alone makes it a well worth buy

[@AUGundam]

A lot of this looks like features I'd expect on an Intel-E platform. Awesome, though I'd be more likely to grab an Intel E over this.

[@blackice11z]

What a beautiful Motherboard!

[@DerekFletcher1]

This board is EXCELLENT!

[@IIXiPlatinumXII]

I thought for a second that the "linus edition" was really on the box.

[@kennethkim1221]

Awesome Linus :D

[@lordnguyen4211]

Dont know why people complain about the gold color scheme , it looks amazing

[@MathewLisk]

At the moment my choice for a future build that im planing is a Gigabyte GA-B85M

[@FreoVapour]

i would choose this, but i demand decent audio for editing. this doesn't really have it. so i ended up with a gaming board [ROG]

[@PashaDefragzor]

I like sabertooth series because of thermal dust armor

[@DeathBringer769]

Your pronunciation of eschews is most interesting...

[@sharifsircar]

i actually almost believed it stood for wonderful stability :D

[@PivotMaster90001]

Linus! Make a new pc build guide with all of these new graphics cards, SSDs, motherboards and monitors! ;D

[@chris9783]

Linus has a new watch :D

[@MegaSilentcore]

Do a review on the new Z97 lineup Rog series.. please :P

[@Ubuntuaddicted]

Nice board!