ASUS Z97 Motherboard Launch Coverage
Ryan Martin / 10 years ago
An Overview of the Channel Series Z97 Motherboards
ASUS Z97-WS
The first motherboard we checked out in the ASUS Z97 channel series is their new WorkStation motherboard. With features like M.2 support, SATA Express, additional PCI express lanes and a crap-ton of connectivity and features the Z97-WS is sure to make a smart choice for any prosumer style system.
ASUS Z97-PRO
Moving away from the workstation board we have a similarly high end motherboard with the Z97-PRO. It features a redesigned PCH heatsink, a beefy sound package and the latest hardware TPU/EPU implementations.
ASUS Z97-PRO (Wi-Fi ac)
If the lack of WiFi support on the Z97-PRO is an issue for you then the Z97-PRO (Wi-Fi ac) model is the solution. It is an identical motherboard but comes with an 802.11 ac WiFi module.
ASUS Z97-DELUXE
For the connectivity love the ASUS Z97-DELUXE is sure to please. In addition to having all the new Z97 features the Z97-DELUXE brings support for the new ASUS Thunderbolt cards and it has ac WiFi. Just looking at this motherboard and we can tell it means business. Being connectivity focused it also has SATA Express but we are slightly surprised to see no M.2 present.
ASUS Z97-A
ASUS were pleased to announce that their popular A SKU is now more feature packed than either. Despite being an entry level ASUS Z97 channel motherboard it still packs all the latest features and a cracking design.
ASUS Z97-I PLUS
For the ITX lovers ASUS offers its Z97-I PLUS which has an insane amount of features and connectivity for the size. The VRM is less extravagant and is now on the PCB rather than being on a daughterboard like we’ve seen on previous ASUS ITX boards.
As we covered in the channel feature page ASUS is pushing NFC and Wireless charging capabilities. You can access this with their NFC Express 2 and Wireless Charger accessories.
For those users who use Thunderbolt ASUS is offering an add-in card with the latest 20 Gbps standard. ASUS is really aiming this product at users of its Z97-DELUXE motherboard.
