Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Motherboard Review

The Asus P8Z77-V LX2 is a competitively-priced and stable motherboard that allows consumers to make a cheap-and-easy entry into the Z77 market.

Impressing us with its overclocking performance, Asus' P8Z77-V LX2 proves that you don't need to spend a great some of money on a motherboard to push an LGA 1155 chip to a high frequency. Fed by a 4+1 phase power delivery system, 1.300V got us to a 4.7 GHz CPU frequency without problems, although the Load-line Calibration settings weren't ideal.

Memory overclocking is also impressive, with our Team Xtreem memory kit being pushed to a frequency of 2600 MHz. Granted, frequencies this high are unlikely to appeal to the majority of this board's target audience, but it does prove that a strong power delivery system is built into the P8Z77-V LX2.

Given the entry-level market segment in which the P8Z77-V LX2 competes, it is a fair to say that the Auto OC feature is a convenient tool for users who aren't confident overclockers. We made a few clicks and the Asus P8Z77-V LX2 took our Core i5 3570K CPU to a frequency of 4223 MHz.

We weren't overly impressed by the Auto OC feature's decision to reduce our memory speed, but this slight disappointment is outweighed by the positive aspect of a CPU frequency past 4.2 GHz.

Upgradability and legacy support are two positive aspects of the P8Z77-V LX2 motherboard. A pair of PCI slots allows users to recycle their older WiFi or sound cards without having to fork out for a newer model. Two PS/2 ports have the same effect of reducing upgrade interferences. Only the slim number of internal USB 2.0 headers causes slight concern, in regards to upgrades and legacy support.

Apart from the lower PCI-E x1 slot's wasteful positioning, Asus has managed to achieve a good board layout on the P8Z77-V LX2. Outwards-facing SATA ports will increase the difficulty of cable management, but their cost-reduction is a positive point that can't be overlooked, especially for large-scale system builders such as PC Specialist or Cyberpower.

A pleasant aesthetic appeal is likely to be further down the priority list for an entry-level product, but nevertheless, a dark PCB and Asus' trademark black and blue colour scheme ensure that the P8Z77-V LX2's users are able to build an attractive system, if they so desire.

Priced at £78.92 from Scan, the Asus P8Z77-V LX2 faces stiff competition from MSI's slightly cheaper Z77A-G43 and Gigabyte's feature-rich GA-Z77-D3H.

With strong overclocking performance, an intuitive UEFI BIOS and an easy-to-use Auto OC feature, Asus' P8Z77-V LX2 is a strong competitor in the entry-level Z77 motherboard market.

Pros:

• Strong overclocking capability.
• Intuitive UEFI BIOS.
• Easy-to-use Auto OC feature.
• Attractive design.
• VRM heatsinks.

Cons:

• No Q-connector.
• Only two USB 2.0 headers.
• ‘Wasted' expansion slot is disappointing.

KitGuru says: A solid entry-level Z77 motherboard with strong overclocking potential and Asus' intuitive UEFI BIOS interface.

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