Introduction and Technical Specifications

The Gryphon Z87 is ASUS’ micro-ATX TUF line motherboard, bringing the TUF stuff to a small footprint with the next generation Intel Z87 chipset…

Thanks for stopping by our coverage of the Intel Haswell, 4th Generation Core processor and Z87 chipset release!  We have a lot of different stories for you to check out and I wanted to be sure you knew about them all. 

  1. The Haswell Review – Intel Core i7-4770K Performance and Architecture
  2. PCPer Live! ASUS Z87 Motherboard and Intel Haswell Live Event! – Tuesday, June 4th we will be hosting a live streaming event with JJ from ASUS.  Stop by to learn about Z87 and overclocking Haswell and to win some motherboards and graphics cards!
  3. ASUS ROG Maximus VI Extreme Motherboard Review
  4. MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming Motherboard Review

 

Introduction

Courtesy of ASUS

The Gryphon Z87 is a new form factor being introduced into the TUF (The Ultimate Force) board line with its micro-ATX stature. It does not lack for features in what it lacks for physical size though. ASUS packed this board full of features with the same stability and performance that you have all come to expect from a TUF series motherboard. By default, the Gryphon Z87 does not come with the Thermal Armor overlay, but the armor kit will be offered as an upgrade for a minimal additional outlay. We but the ASUS Gryphon Z87 board through its paces to get a fuller performance picture. At a retail price of $169.00, this board would make a nice addition to any small form factor or normal sized system.

Courtesy of ASUS

The Gryphon Z87 is designed with an 8 phase digital power delivery system for the CPU to ensure the best performance and stability possible under any conditions. The following features are integrated into the board's design: six SATA 6Gb/s ports; an Intel I217-V GigE NIC; three PCI-Express x16 slots for dual-card support; one PCI-Express x1 slot; onboard power, reset, CMOS MemOK!, BIOS Flashback, and DirectKey buttons; and USB 2.0 and 3.0 port support.

Courtesy of ASUS

Technical Specifications (taken from the ASUS website)

CPU

LGA1150 socket for 4th Generation Intel® i7 / Intel® Core™ i5 / Intel® Core™ i3, Pentium®, Celeron® Processors
Supports 22nm CPU
Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0*

* The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.

Chipset

Intel® Z87 Express Chipset

Memory

4 x DIMM, max. 32GB, DDR3 1866 / 1600 / 1333 / 1066 MHz Non-ECC, un-buffered memory
Dual Channel Memory Architecture
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.

Expansion Slots

2 x PCI Express 3.0/2.0 x16 slots (single at x16, dual at x8/x8 mode)
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (max. at x4 mode, compatible with PCIe x1 or x4 devices)
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot

VGA

Integrated Intel® Graphics Processor – Intel® HD Graphics support
Multi-VGA output support : DVI/HDMI port
Supports HDMI with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz
Supports DVI with max. resolution of 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Supports Intel® InTru™ 3D, Intel® Quick Sync Video, Intel® Clear Video HD Technology and Intel® Insider™
Supports up to two displays simultaneously
Maximum shared memory 1024MB

Multi-GPU Support

Supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology
Supports AMD® Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology

LAN

Intel® I217-V Gigabit LAN Controller(s)

Storage

Intel® Z87 Express chipset:
– 6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s)(brown) with RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 support
– Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Rapid Start Technology, and Intel® Samrt Connect Technology*

* These functions will work depending on the CPU installed.
** These SATA ports are for data hard drives only. ATAPI devices are not supported.

Audio

Realtek® ALC892 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
– Absolute pitch 192khz/24bit true BS lossless sound
– BD audio layer content protection
– Supports jack sense, multi-streaming and font panel jack-retasking
– Optical S/PDIF out ports at rear I/O

USB

Intel® Z87 Express chipset – supports ASUS USB 3.0 Boost UASP Mode.*
6 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (2 ports at mid-board, 4 ports at rear panel)
8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 ports at mid-board, 4 ports at rear panel)

* The USB 3.0 ports support Windows® 7 or later version. UASP standard only supports Windows® 8.

Exclusive TUF Features

"Ultimate COOL!" Thermal Solution
– TUF Thermal Radar 2

"TUF ENGINE" Power Design
– 8+2 Digital Phase Power Design
– TUF Components (Choke, Ti-Cap & MOSFET; certified by military-standard)
– ASUS DIGI+ Power Control Utility

"SAFE and Stable!" Guardian Angel
– ESD Guards
– MemOK!
– Anti-surge

Rear Panel I/O Ports

1 x DVI-D port
1 x HDMI port
1 x Optical S/PDIF out port
1 x LAN (RJ45) port
4 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (blue, 1 supports USB BIOS Flashbck)
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
8 Channel Audio I/O ports

Other Special Features

– USB 3.0 Boost featuring speedy USB 3.0 transmission
– USB BIOS Flashback wiht USB BIOS Flashback Wizard for EZ BIOS download scheduling
– USB Charger+ featuring quick-charging function for all smart devices
– ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface
– AI Suite 3
– ASUS Q-Connector
– ASUS Q-Shield
– ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
– ASUS Q-Slot
– ASUS Q-DIMM
– ASUS O.C. Profile
– ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
– EZ Update
– Disk Unlocker
– ASUS EZ Flash 2
– ASUS MyLogo 2
– Multi-language BIOS

Internal I/O Connectors

1 x 19-pin USB 3.0/2.0 connector supports additional 2 USB ports (moss green)
2 x USB 2.0/1.1 connectors support additional 4 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (brown)
1 x 4-pin CPU Fan connector (black)
1 x 4-pin CPU Optional Fan connector (black)
4 x 4-pin Chassis Fan connectors (black)
1 x 3-pin Assistance Fan connector (white)
1 x Front panel audio coneector (AAFP)
1 x S/PDIF out header
1 x Thunderbolt header
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector
1 x 8-pin EATX 12V Power connector
1 x System Panel (Q-Connector)
1 x USB BIOS Flashback button
1 x MemOK! button
1 x Clear CMOS jumper
1 x Directkey button
1 x DRCT (Directkey) header
3 x Thermal Ssensor connectors
1 x TPM header

BIOS Features

64 Mb UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3, My Favorites, Quick Note, Last Modified log, F12 PrintScreen, F3 Shortcut functions, and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information

Manageability

WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, PXE

Support DVD Contents

Drivers
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
Network iControl
ASUS Utilities

Form Factor

uATX Form Factor: 9.6" x 9.6" (24.4cm x 24.4cm)
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