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Firstly, we are pleased to report that our Leetgion Hellion mouse worked to its usual standard in the Asus X79-Deluxe motherboard's UEFI BIOS. This is a positive point as we have experienced problems when using certain mice in the UEFI BIOS of other motherboards in the past.
Diving into the Asus X79-Deluxe motherboard's UEFI BIOS reveals an interface that is very similar to the company's previous iterations. The opening page displays system information, such as frequencies and memory size, as well as fan speed information and boot device priorities.
The favourites page can be used to obtain quick access to frequently-edited settings.
Additional system information is highlighted on the ‘Main' page.
Asus' AI Tweaker provides plenty of flexibility in regards to applicable voltage and frequency settings.
The built-in overclock tuner can be used to apply a ‘BCLK First' overclock which, unsurprisingly, adjusts the base clock frequency. A simple multiplier adjustment is provided by the ‘Ratio First' overclock. We will outline the automated overclocking procedures and settings later in the review.
Additional power control sub-sections allow more precise tweaks to be applied to the processor, memory, and motherboard.
DRAM frequencies up to 3200MHz can be applied, although we would be shocked if any IVB-E CPU can make use of the necessary memory multiplier. A long list of memory timings can be adjusted via its own section.
The ‘Advanced' section can be used to gain detailed information regarding the installed processor and to adjust some of its features. PCI-E link speeds and controller operations can also be adjusted via the ‘Advanced' sub-sections.
As we have come to expect from Asus' motherboards, the UEFI BIOS features a comprehensive fan control and monitoring system. A number of pre-defined operating modes can be applied, or manual adjustment for the target CPU temperature and related fan speed percentages can also be set.
Boot settings can be adjusted.
Asus' standard set of tool is featured on the refreshed X79-Deluxe. The EZ Flash 2 utility allows quick and simple BIOS updates to be made. Up to eight overclocking profiles can be saved and named, as well as exported to (or imported from) a USB flash drive.
One specific tool which was of particular importance to us was the DRAM SPD information. Our original set of memory wasn't functioning correctly so Asus' tool was used to identify exactly which stick was at fault. Thankfully we were able to switch to a different kit of memory to conduct the review's performance testing.
A note can be applied to the BIOS profile – a particularly useful tool for overclockers testing out many different voltage and frequency settings. The ‘last modified' log is of equal convenience for the aforementioned reasons.
In similar style to the ‘last modified' text box, a log of the settings changed on a specific visit to the BIOS is shown after hitting save & exit. The log is useful for identifying wrongly-applied settings such as obscene CPU speeds when switching between the 1.00x and 1.25x CPU BCLK strap, for example.
As I have said in the past in regards to Asus' ROG motherboards' UEFI BIOS implementations, there is no other way to describe the company's interface than excellent. The lay-out is practically faultless and the overall appearance is modern and easy to grasp.
Functionality-wise, the Asus X79-Deluxe motherboard's UEFI BIOS settings are highly appropriate for its target audience and should suffice for novices all the way through to experienced enthusiasts.
