Asus Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 Motherboard Review

The Asus Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 ships in packaging based around an industrialised theme.

Asus highlights the motherboard's 5-year warranty on the box's front side and references specifications and features on the rear.

The core accessory bundle comprises four SATA cables, the IO shield, an SLI bridge, and Asus' convenient Q-connectors.

With thermal performance and durability being key points behind the design of TUF motherboards, Asus supplies the Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 with dust defenders and thermal probes.

Dust defenders are simplistic plastic covers that fit into unused slots to prevent dust built-up. I must admit that significant levels of dust build-up in expansion slots or around headers is not something that I have experienced personally. But I can see the validity of dust defenders to certain users, such as those who live near a road or in a smoking household.

Three thermal probes can be connected to onboard headers to record the temperature of a user-defined location. Inside our NZXT Phantom 630 test chassis, the cable was long to stretch the probe from its header located along the board's bottom edge up to the memory slots and VRM area.

Two fans are included as part of the Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 motherboard's cooling system. The 35mm unit is powered by a standard 3-pin connection and can be mounted in the ‘northbridge' area to provide airflow below the Thermal Armour.

A mounting position for the 40mm fan is located close to the rear IO ports where it can provide cooling air to the VRM components.

Asus supplies documentation such as manuals and warranty notices with the Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1. A drivers CD is also provided, as is a large TUF INSIDE stick bearing the series' logo.

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