ASUS Z97-DELUXE (NFC & WLC) Review: With Two Thunderbolt 2 Too

ASUS Z97-DELUXE (NFC & WFC) Conclusion

Because there are two SKUs for the Deluxe, the $290 plain model and the $400 bundle with Thunderbolt 2, NFC and Wireless Charging, this essentially becomes two reviews with two conclusions. One about the motherboard, and whether the system as a whole meets its price point, whereas the second is on the bundle and whether it is a cost effective product overall.

The motherboard, as it comes, has one of the larger feature sets for Z97. Despite the issues with routing bought about by the new storage options on Z97, we have access to 10 SATA 6 Gbps ports, 10 USB 3.0 ports, dual NICs, 802.11ac 2T2R WiFi with BT v4.0, M.2, two SATA Express ports, two-way SLI and three-way CrossFire. The staples of ASUS’ R&D are here as well, including the Turbo Processing Unit and the Energy Processing Unit, part of the Dual Intelligent Processors design. Other features carried over include BIOS Flashback, MemOK and DirectKey. For new hardware, the Easy XMP switch is a great addition, allowing users to get the full power of their memory without needing to access the BIOS.

The BIOS and software are both upgraded, with the BIOS design adapted to match the motherboard’s brushed metal aesthetic. The BIOS uses a new font to help reading the BIOS much easier, as well as a high contrast display of all the text. Each screen offers vital information such as speeds and temperatures, but one of the big updates to the BIOS is in the fan controls. Users can now test the fans from the BIOS to provide accurate graphs for a fans response to temperature, as well as each of the fan headers being DC or PWM controlled. Another big update is the automatic overclocking options, allowing users to define what they use the system for and what cooling they have in order to provide an appropriate overclock (better cooling, bigger overclock). Features such My Favorites and Last Modified are also slightly upgraded for the new generation.  I have a small gripe regarding the side-swipe of the BIOS causing user experience delay, as well as the consistency of tab width, however it does not effect the performance of the motherboard.

In the software we move from Dual Intelligent Processors version four to version five which adds in a new ‘Turbo APP’ feature. This gives users the ability to define overclocks for various programs, such that if software is purely single threaded then the software can adjust for a higher single-core overclock while reducing the speed of the other cores. The automatic overclocking is also adjusted such that users can define their own stability test length and have greater control of the starting point and peak temperatures. Thus I can ask the system to automatically overclock to a peak temperature of 85ºC and test stability for 1 hour at each point of the scale. This level of granularity will be welcome news to new enthusiasts. Another new feature of note is the alert system that will contact an app on your smartphone if one of the sensors becomes out of a certain range or an unexpected restart occurs while you have some work running.

Performance for the Z97-Deluxe excels in our audio test, giving some of the best dynamic range and THD+N readings we have ever seen. The initial boot time is longer than we were used to with Z87, however newer BIOS versions over time might help in this regard. Idle power consumption was a little high, but the peak power consumption came into line with the other Z97 motherboards we have reviewed. Overclock performance gave us 4.6 GHz on our lackluster sample, which matches other motherboards. DPC Latency for Z97 seems to break through that 140 microsecond barrier that Z87 seemed to have, with the Deluxe giving a 92 microsecond result.

For the combo package, when opening the box it almost feels like someone has dumped a lot of PC paraphernalia on your desk. Out fly several cables for DisplayPort to TB2, a dual port TB2 card, the cables for NFC and WFC as well as those devices themselves along with a mains to USB transformer for the Qi-enabled charging pad. The combo package exacerbates the issue with how to split up some of the features on the motherboard, because using the TB2 card requires the final PCIe slot to be set to x4 which disables two USB 3.0 ports and a SATA Express port, both powered by ASMedia controllers. That essentially puts the cost of the package ($400 - $290 = $110) actually a bit higher because of the loss of functionality. There are other motherboards on the market that offer TB2 for cheaper in this regard. One other point I have seen written about these packages is that users who are onto the wireless charging bandwagon often already have a wireless charger anyway, so another one might not be needed. The counter argument to that is ‘stick this new charger somewhere else around the house’.

Perhaps I am the wrong sort of user for this bundle. I have no Thunderbolt devices that I use on a regular basis. My storage is via Ethernet, my displays are all regular monitors, and my flash drives are all USB. I have also never used NFC, however for a quick log on via my tablet to control my HTPC, I can see the potential. My smartphone, while at the top of the range and expensive, is not wireless charging enabled and the manufacturer does not offer a WLC case for it (that being said, I want my next smartphone to be WLC capable). These features will cater to their specific crowds, and I question the number of users who actually partake in all three of these extras. I can see individuals using one, perhaps two. But unfortunately ASUS cannot issue multiple Deluxe SKUs, and add-on packs for motherboards are not always obvious that they exist because they end up in slightly different sections of a retailer website. Interestingly enough the ThunderboltEX II card (with a single TB port) is available as a standalone purchase for $68.

The Z97 Deluxe is a good product to have, however with it being my first ASUS motherboard review I half feel I am being swayed by the new non-hardware features more than I should be. Non-hardware features, such as the BIOS and the software, have a tendency to filter down into the lower-end of the product stack, perhaps suggesting that the Z97-A ($150) or Z97-Pro ($190) might be of better value. A lot of the price of the Z97-Deluxe is tied up in the extra controllers and connectivity options (SATA Express controllers, USB 3.0 controllers, dual Intel NIC and 2T2R 802.11ac WiFi) as well as engineering feats such as DC+PWM fan headers or the Easy XMP switch. Then again, I really like that switch; it needs to become a default option on every motherboard that allows memory above the specifications.

At this point in time, I cannot say the bundle with TB2, NFC and WLC is good value or if a motherboard package really needs it. There feels like there is too much of a price gap between the plain Deluxe and the bundled package, even if you might technically be saving money from buying them separately. The motherboard itself passed through our testing with minimal effort, however to take advantage of all the features, such as M.2 and SATA Express, users will have to wait several months for the products to come to market. Because Broadwell processors will be a straight forward drop-in, users who get the Z97-Deluxe today should be looking to rebuild their machine when they are released, so they can take advantage of the new storage options at that time. This makes an investment in a Z97-Deluxe an investment in the future. Just make sure you flash the latest BIOS when the time comes around.