ASUS Z97-A and Z97 Deluxe motherboard review

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Product Showcase Z97 Deluxe

Product Showcase Z97 Deluxe

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On-board there is a diagnostic POST LED, displaying status codes of the motherboard, once booted into Windows it'll display the CPU package temperature. Convenient are the extra buttons to power off/on and reset. If you look to the upper right corner, that's where we fitted an M2 SSD from plextor. In this review we'll show you what these puppies are capable of. Actually let me zoom in on that.

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This is the future of SSDs, these M2 slots can take 10 Gbps links, meaning we can see simple NON RAID SSDs on the M2 form factor run up towards 700/800 MB/sec. And that's a good step forward compared to SATA2 and SATA3 generations of SSDs.

ASUS also includes three pretty expensive options with the Deluxe:

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Using Near Field Communication technology (NFC) for instant device pairing, ASUS NFC EXPRESS is an external accessory box that combines several convenient remote access and quick Windows 8 log in functions, activated by simply touching a smart device or the included tag to it. As an added bonus, the NFC EXPRESS box comes with two extra USB 3.0 ports that extend your connectivity with the fastest USB available. Cable-free! Transfer photos and videos from NFC-supporting devices to PC with a tap, and intelligently backup all photos and videos added since last sync. 

ASUS will also include a Wireless Charger, these come bundled with the Z97-Deluxe (NFC & WLC) model motherboard. The Wireless Charger station uses induction coils and electromagnetic fields to charge Qi-compatible devices – all you need to do is put your device in the right place (Qi logo) and watch the unit charge itself.

 

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Also included is a ThunderboltEX II/DUAL expansion card. Powered by an Intel DSL5520 chipset it has two Thunderbolt 2.0 ports and two DisplayPort outputs.

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