ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE Motherboard Review

If a single motherboard could make me forget my need for six cores, it’d be the P8Z77-V DELUXE. I don’t believe that a “perfect” motherboard exists, or ever will, but this one comes awful close. In other words, I don’t remember when a board impressed me as much as this one did.

“The full package” would be an appropriate way to describe this board. It doesn’t just offer the functionality we’d expect, but piles on things we didn’t even realize we’d like, such as Fan Xpert 2. The board looks great, offers a ton of peripheral connectivity, has an easy-to-use EFI, includes six 4-pin fan headers and offers good overclocking ability – at the very least.

Though I didn’t focus on overclocking in this article (due to time), I did dabble a bit with it when I first received the board. You can expect to reach 4.5GHz just using the “Auto” settings, whereas 1.225~1.250v CPU should get you a bit higher. I didn’t have much luck getting a truly stable 4.7GHz setting, but I don’t doubt that it can be done. I am still waiting to hear back from ASUS on its recommended settings for 4.5GHz+ clocks.

Some motherboards are designed to offer people as much as possible for as little as possible, which means a lot of things are going to be left out. In the case of the P8Z77-V DELUXE, the audience targeted is a bit different. The goal here is to give those willing to invest a bit more a motherboard that offers all they need – and then a bit more for good measure. We’re not only talking hardware here, either, but on-board and software technologies brewed in-house at the ASUS HQ. I keep going back to Fan Xpert 2, but it’s an excellent feature and one I wish we saw long ago.

As evidenced by the Z77 launch, I believe that no company innovates on the motherboard front at the moment like ASUS. This is one of the reasons a board like this stands out. Competitors will disagree, but it’s true. When we visited ASUS’ HQ in Fremont earlier this year, I regretted not bringing my notebook inside because there was way too much information to retain in one sitting. Most of what I learned there wasn’t just about evolutionary changes, but brand-new features that impressed. Lately, it’s rare when I get wowed over motherboard technology, but when it happens, it’s usually ASUS’ name behind it.

If in the market for a “do-it-all” board, this one is a no-brainer as long as its $275 price-tag doesn’t break the bank. It’s the sort of board that makes me want to build a machine even when I don’t need it, so it’s safe to say we’ll be keeping it near for regular internal testing.

Pros

• Fantastic feature-set, both hardware and software.
• Top-rate performance.
• WiFi and Bluetooth.
• Lots of flexibility (USB, SATA, future Thunderbolt option).
• USB 3.0 Boost and Fan Xpert 2 are excellent features.
• Compatible with Windows 8.

Cons

• We’re still trying to think of one.

ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE

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