As we showed you recently we do not just have a single Z77 board from Asus in the lab, but a pretty good range of them. We have a lineup that covers the entry level, the mainstream and even the ROG line (although not the upper end there yet). We have already shown you what you can expect from the Micro ATX Maximus V Gene in terms of features and design so now we want to continue that thread and take a look at another Micro ATX board at the other end of the food chain; the Asus P8Z77-M Pro. So let’s take a few minutes to check out what Asus has in store for you here.
Features - In the current market motherboard (and indeed almost all component) performance is very close. The days of a large performance advantage between boards using the same chipset are long gone. That is unless someone makes a HUGE mistake (like runs traces completely wrong). Now, the thing that differentiates different products is the features. These are things like power management, extra slots, better audio CODECs etc. It is these items that R&D teams work so hard to drop into what are really identical pieces of hardware at their most basic level. Excellent - USB BIOS Flashback USB 3.0 Boost 9th Generation Digi+ VRM Q-Fan with FanXpert 2 Network iControl These features are the ones that really stand out for this level of board. Asus is now on their 9th generation of the Digi+ VRM power controls and have extended these controls to almost every market segment. They have also made sure that setting these controls will not be over the head of anyone that wants to use this enthusiast level feature. Asus has added in smart controls into the AI Suite so that with a simple click of the button you can tweak the system properly and use these controls.
USB 3.0 Boost is going to be a very big deal as more and more USB 3.0 products hit the market. This will allow end users to make the most out of their new hardware which in turn will help to push this technology to wider acceptance. The USB BIOS Flashback makes sense to this market as there are a large number of people that would not know how to flash a board if they needed to. By automating this process and allowing it to run with the push of a button it makes things much simpler.
In the middle (sort of good) - VirtuMVP SLI/Crossfire Although these two features are very nice we have a feeling that they will actually be a of little use to the market that would be looking at this board. Of course it is possible that the channel/entry level market could make use of VirtuMVP, but these same users might not understand what it is for or why they would need it. The same thing can be said for SLI; although it is great and their might be people that will buy this for a small gaming rig, the average buyer for this board is not going to make use of SLI. It is still a great feature though. Floor Mats - Q-Connectors There is really not much that is wasted on this board. Asus has made sure that the features match the market (for the most part) and that you are getting what you need in the P8Z77-M Pro.
