TUF Intel® Z87 motherboard with fortified stability using a strengthened backplate and cooling system flexibility LGA1150 socket for 4th Generation Intel®Core™ i7/ i5/ i3/ Pentium® / Celeron® ProcessorsIntel® Z87 Express ChipsetTUF FortifierTUF Thermal ArmorTUF Thermal Radar 2TUF Dust DefenderTUF Components [Alloy Choke, Cap. & MOSFET; Certified by Military-standard] Shop Modal header Tactical Armor, Fortified Reliability TUF /tΛf/, stands for The Ultimate Force. The TUF series delivers a “tough” image. With the unique design & high quality components (military-standard), TUF series is born for pursuing the preeminent stability, all-round compatibility, and extreme durability. TUF Fortifier IntroPrevent BendingEnhanced Heat Conduction TUF Fortifier Bolsters boards against bending damage TUF Fortifier adds a strong backplate so the motherboard doesn't buckle under the weight of heavy graphics cards and CPU coolers. Reduced PCB bowing and bending means an end to potentially damaged circuitry. With a thermal pad directing heat away from VRM and other key components, TUF Fortifier combines great strength and cooling. Prevent Bending Prevents bending due to heavy components TUF Fortifier can handle more weight than that of really heavy CPU coolers and graphics cards, giving you a huge safety margin. Even the largest and heaviest can be installed with no risk of causing motherboard PCB stressing. Enhanced Heat Conduction For better VRM cooling and DIY safety TUF Fortifier uses a thermal pad attached to the motherboard, directing heat away from key components such as VRMs and MOSFETs, enhancing system cooling. TUF Fortifier also protects DIY builders from solder pins and other sharp motherboard parts – preventing annoying cuts! Thermal Armor with Flow Valve IntroFlow ValveConvection Holes Thermal Armor with Flow Valve Total Airflow-Boosting Heat Dissipation Covers the entire board and features dual fans to direct cool air to critical parts and dissipate heat faster for better stability. Drastically boosts airflow and cooling with dual fans and a smart shunt design that directs hot air away from critical components. Air power is improved with a back I/O fan that pulls in cold air and expels even more heat. Exclusive flow valve design controls heatpipe air contact, better-utilizing liquid cooling setups. Flow Valve Control airflow for cooling flexibilityNew generation Thermal Armor features an exclusive flow gate design. In open state, the flow valve allows cool airflow from downdraft fans into Thermal Armor, maximizing airflow for fan-based thermal setups. When closed, it focuses air on high-efficiency heatpipes for faster heat removal. This is especially useful for liquid cooling. This flexibility was created to cater to different cooling arrangements, and make the most of all. Convection Holes PCB Convection hole for better cooling Openings in the board are strategically-placed to improve air circulation and ensure effective cooling reaches under the board. PCB convection holes lower in-case temperatures, adding to system stability and endurance. Hands-On Video Thermal Radar 2 IntroThermal TuningFan ControlThermal Status Thermal Radar 2 Complete system cooling, customized fan tuning With multiple onboard sensors and bundled thermistor cables, you can real-time monitor temperatures for areas around key components other than the motherboard itself. Customizable fan control gives you the flexibility of adjusting fan speeds manually and achieving optimal thermal tuning with one click. Thermal Tuning System thermal tuning in one click! Thermal Radar 2 provides whole system fan optimization with a single click. This achieves the best cooling for your components beyond just the mere number of fans in your case. Based on the characteristics of each fan connected to your motherboard, all fan profiles can be quickly optimized. Fan Control Manually fan speed management Gives customized settings for each fan, which can be easily changed. You can supervise fan speeds to balance cooling and noise emissions, and fans can be manually managed, individually controlled, and even named. All these promote better cooling, noise reduction, and power saving. Thermal Status Real-time thermal status reportsThermal status reports show CPU and VGA area temperatures in real-time with smart thermal capacity evaluations for CPU and VGA zones. CPU thermal assessment gauges temperature rises with increasing voltage, providing a benchmark to judge your CPU cooler’s performance. "Safe & Stable!" Guardian Angel Dust DefendersESD GuardsServer-Grade Test Dust Defenders Repel the Dust, Expand the Lifespan TUF design protects back I/O ports, expansion and memory slots plus critical connectors from dust and particles that degrade system performance over time if left unchecked. With a filter to ensure the back I/O fan doesn’t draw dust into the board, Dust Defenders guards against dust build up, helping your PC perform in an optimal and stable state longer. ESD Guards Ultra-protection against electrostatic discharge Electrostatic discharges (ESD) can happen suddenly, and their damaging effects are often underestimated. Exclusive ASUS ESD Guards circuit design and the included I/O shield provide four times the protection to extend component lifespan. Server-Grade Test All TUF Series motherboards pass a rigorous testing program during development, undergoing extreme temperature and humidity trials. These tests result in completely reliable motherboards that are ready for intense daily computing and heavy duty usage with the utmost stability TUF Components IntroTi-CapChoke and MOSFETS TUF Components Certified for tough dutyTUF 10K black metallic capacitors and MOSFETs are screened by seven rigorous military-grade tests to ensure superior lifespan even under the most demanding conditions. Ti-Cap Japan-made 10K Black Metallic Caps Unique Black Metallic capacitors with military-standard certification offer +20% high and low temperature tolerance and 5X longer lifetime usage. Choke and MOSFETS TUF alloy chokes and MOSFETs Chokes made of high-grade anti-oxidization materials for extra-unbeatable durability. TUF MOSFETs also pass military-grade tests with lower RDS(on), certified for tough duty. New UEFI BIOS IntroNew EZ ModeMy Favorites/ShortcutQuick Note/Last ModifiedSATA Port Renaming New UEFI BIOS – friendlier and more Intuitive Exclusive EZ Mode adds useful info to become even easierMedia-renowned UEFI BIOS from ASUS provides the smoothest mouse-controlled graphical BIOS, and now features more intuitive functions to quickly take you to favorite BIOS pages and frequently-accessed settings through custom shortcuts. You can even write quick notes in-BIOS for future reference, view an activity log of setting changes and modifications, and rename SATA ports. EZ Mode has a whole new look, upgraded with extra-friendly capabilities like detailed fan controls, XMP profile settings, SATA information, and fast clock adjustment. Together, these perfect your BIOS experience. Hands-On Video*Available in a custom theme on TUF Series motherboards 1. Fast Clock Adjustment Easily change the time and date in EZ Mode using the mouse. 2. EZ XMP Settings Quickly apply XMP settings in UEFI BIOS EZ Mode, achieving better DRAM performance. 3. EZ Fan Settings As demanded by the community, detailed fan controls come to EZ Mode so you can switch fan profiles for quick cooling and noise-level supervision. 4. SATA Information Displays each SATA port details for you to easily recognize devices. My Favorites Get all your favorite functions on one page F4 or right click to add settings to My Favorites under Advanced Mode, which cuts time spent on searching and further speeds up system tuning. Shortcut One press to apply and access frequent settings Now you can customize your own shortcut log by pressing F4 or right clicking to create shortcuts to frequently-used settings. Instantly access them by simply hitting the F3 hotkey. Quick Note You no longer need to have a pen and paper notepad around. Quick Note works inside the BIOS so you can just type remarks and ideas to help you remember important settings info and save time on trial and error. Last Modified Always forget those important BIOS changes you did? This friendly function creates a tuning log to track your BIOS settings history, which can be saved onto a USB drive. SATA Port Renaming You can rename your SATA ports for easy identification, including by usage scenario. Get greater convenience and spend less time on finding the right devices when you want to change settings. Windows 8 Exclusive Features DirectKeyASUS Boot SettingProbe II Sense DirectKey Dedicated direct BIOS access button Designed for those requiring frequent BIOS access, users can easily enter the BIOS when the PC is on standby power with a simple press of a button. It saves you time during boot-up as you don’t have to repeatedly press the DEL key. Convenience and ease at their best! Hands-On Video ASUS Boot Setting Multiple startup options Thanks to ASUS Windows 8 hardware optimization, ASUS Boot Setting provides better flexibility in customizing your PC’s startup process. You can shorten system boot-up time to 2-seconds* for a smoother user experience under Windows 8, and even previous versions of Windows. Also, you can enter the BIOS directly with one click through a user-friendly interface, and quickly select your preferred system boot up method: either get to the OS in seconds or opt for regular boot up. Whatever your choice, settings are saved and persistent, with no need to choose every time you power on. *On select models Hands-On Video Probe II Sense Handy system monitoring Popular ASUS real-time system monitoring software now available for Windows 8. It helps you supervise your entire PC through a live tile on the Windows 8 start screen, and make quick adjustments. Probe II Sense is a free app available from the Windows Store. Additional Features USB 3.0 BOOSTUSB BIOS FlashbackUSB Charger+DIGI+ Power ControlRemote GO!AI Suite 3 USB 3.0 BOOST (UASP Support) 170% faster transfer speeds than traditional USB 3.0 ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology supports UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) USB 3.0 in Windows 8. With USB 3.0 Boost technology, a USB device's transmission speed is significantly increased up to 170%, adding to already fast USB 3.0 performance. ASUS software automatically accelerates data rates for compatible USB 3.0 peripherals without any user interaction. World’s 1st USB 3.0 UASP support – instantly 170% fasterComplete USB 3.0 solution– performance boost under Turbo Mode or UASP Mode for most USB devicesSimple plug and boost – auto detection design ensures best performance Hands-on Video USB BIOS Flashback Simple plug and press hardware-based BIOS flashing Hardware-level USB BIOS Flashback allows users to update to new UEFI BIOS versions even without a CPU or DRAM installed. Just plug in a USB flash drive containing the BIOS file and press the BIOS Flashback button for 3 seconds with the power supply connected. Hassle-free updating for ultimate convenience! Hands-on Video USB Charger+ 2X faster multi-mode charging for a wide range of smart devices With a dedicated onboard controller, quick-charge all your smart devices, including smartphones and tablets. All charge up to 2X faster than standard USB, even when the PC is powered off or in sleep/hibernate modes. It’s all done via the friendly AI Suite 3 interface, which you’ll get familiar with very quickly. Hands-On Video New DIGI+ Power Control Leading digital power control solution with the best quality DIGI+ Power control is one of the most essential motherboard designs, and TUF offers ultra-precise memory tuning in addition to extra-accurate CPU voltage control. Best in class power efficiency and stability reduces wasteful voltage discrepancies and provides a more stable CPU and memory setup. Remote GO! One-stop PC remote control and home entertainment Remote GO! links PCs, tablets, smartphones, and TVs wirelessly through a LAN cable and router. It supports: 1.Cloud GO! - sync and backup your cloud storage2.Remote Desktop - check your PC in real-time from mobile devices3.DLNA Media Hub - streaming multimedia content is easier than before4.File Transfer - send and share files between your PC and smart devices with only a right click on the mouse. AI Suite 3 One-stop access to innovative ASUS features ASUS AI Suite 3 offers a brand new user experience through a clearer and more attractive interface with support for larger monitors. It consolidates all exclusive ASUS features into one simple-to-use package, allowing you to supervise overclocking, energy consumption, fan speeds, voltages and more. This all-in-one app offers diverse and easy to use functionality, with no need to switch back and forth between different utilities. Multi-GPU/Monitors 4K Ultra HD3 Full HD DisplaysIntel Collage DisplayQuad-GPU SLI & CrossFireX Support 4K Ultra HD Ready Discover future visual experiences Following up on popular 1080p full HD, 4K Ultra HD is the next big thing, and you’re ready for the upgrade thanks to integrated graphics that natively support up to 4096 x 2160 via HDMI or DisplayPort. That’s four times the pixel count of 1080p (1920 x 1080), offering incredible visual clarity, detail, and realism. Connect up to 3 Full HD monitors via one port DisplayPort 1.2 with Multi-Stream Transport (MST) allows you to connect up to three 1080p displays to a single output with daisy chaining, splitting the signal into three Full HD (1080p@60Hz) links. Intel® Collage Display Intel® Collage Display allows images to be shown across multiple monitors, with each depicting a portion of a larger image. You can connect multiple displays to a single system and get video on several monitors with higher quality and resolution up to 4K. Connect up to six displays to drive a total resolution as high as 7680 x 1200 for Horizontal Collage Display or 3840 x 2400 for Vertical Collage Display with special dongles, like DisplayPort splitter adapters. Horizontal mode offers an extended desktop experience that’s ideal for commercial applications such as finance, while vertical mode offers a simple way to enjoy 4K ultra HD content using standard HD displays. Horizontal Collage Display: up to 7680 x 1200 Vertical Collage Display: up to 3840 x 2400 Quad-GPU SLI and Quad-GPU CrossFireX Support Brings you multi-GPU support using NVIDIA SLI™ or AMD CrossFireX. The Z87 chipset optimizes PCI Express allocation in multiple graphics card configurations, so you can expect brand-new gaming like you’ve never experienced before! CPU , Chipset Features and Latest Transfer Technology CPU and chipset Intel® featuresLatest transfer technology Intel® LGA1150 4th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors Ready This motherboard supports Intel® 4th generation Core™ i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® processors in the LGA1150 package, with iGPU, memory and PCI Express controllers integrated to support onboard graphics output with dedicated chipsets, 2-channel (4 DIMM) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 3.0/2.0 lanes. This provides great graphics performance. Intel® 4th generation Core™ i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® processors are among the most powerful and energy efficient CPUs in the world. Intel® Z87 Express Chipset The Intel® Z87 Express Chipset is a single-chipset design that supports socket LGA1150 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® processors. It provides improved performance by utilizing serial point-to-point links, allowing increased bandwidth and stability. Additionally, Z87 provides a maximum 6 USB 3.0 ports and 6 SATA 6Gb/s ports for faster data retrieval. Moreover, the Intel® Z87 Express Chipset also supports iGPU functions, letting users enjoy the latest Intel integrated graphics performance. Intel® Smart Response Technology SSD speed with HDD capacity Uses an installed fast SSD (min18.6GB available capacity required) as a cache for frequently-accessed data. Key benefits include reduced load and wait times, and lower power consumption through the elimination of unnecessary hard drive spin. This technology combines SSD performance with hard drive capacity, operating up to 6X faster than a hard drive-only system. Intel® Smart Connect Technology Auto application refresh and shorter wait times Your computer can receive web updates with fresh content for selected applications, even when the system is in sleep mode. This means less time waiting for applications to update and sync with the cloud, leading to a more efficient computing experience. Intel® Rapid Start Technology Instantly awaken your PC from sleep mode Allows your computer to quickly resume from a low-power hibernate state in seconds. Saving your system memory to the designated SSD, it provides your computer a faster wake-up response time, while still keeping energy use low. PCI Express 3.0 PCI Express 3.0 uses improved encoding that provides twice the performance of PCI Express 2.0. Total bandwidth for an x16 link reaches 32GB/s, delivering unprecedented data speeds combined with the convenience and seamless transition offered by complete backward compatibility. Complete USB 3.0 Integration Double USB access, double the convenience ASUS facilitates USB 3.0 accessibility for both the front and rear panel. Experience the latest plug n play connectivity at speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0. Our motherboards afford greater convenience with high speed connectivity. SATA 6.0 Gb/s Twice the speed ASUS provides SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports with enhanced scalability, faster data retrieval, and double the bandwidth of SATA 3Gb/s. RoHS GreenASUS Motherboards are EU Energy-related Products (ErP) ready, which requires products meet high efficiency standards with regards to energy consumption. This is in line with the ASUS vision of creating environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient products through design and innovation that reduce the carbon footprint of products and thus mitigate ecological impact. 5 Years Warranty The ultimate reliability of TUF Series is not only based on advanced thermal design, military-standard components and strict reliability tests, but also on the 5 Years Warranty* which is proudly provided. * This service will follow the local standard and service policy. ** This service only covers failures or malfunctions that occur during the warranty period and under normal use conditions, as well as any material or workmanship defects.