TUF Series Motherboards
The ASUS TUF series motherboards are designed with one goal – optimal performance under the most strenuous conditions. The upcoming lineup does not deviate from its previous generation's color scheme, featuring tan and black coloration with the TUF Armor overlay and TUF Fortifier backplate. ASUS did tweak the design of the board with this new crop, including thermal interface material in between the board back and the TUF Fortifier to promote heat transfer, use of specialized MIL-SPEC MOSFETs with lower voltage bleed and thermals, and upgraded chokes, made from new alloys, that are larger than those used on previous generation TUF boards. The TUF Armor itself was upgraded with configurable airflow channels over the VRM heat sinks to allow for customization of the under-Armor airflow as desired. Further, the fan size was increased to promote better airflow through the system.
Notable TUF series board features include
- Japanese-sourced capacitors rated at 10k hours at 105C operating temperatures
- MIL-SPEC MOSFETs featuring less voltage bleed and lower operating temperatures over previous generations
- ESD (electro-static discharge) protection for USB ports with auto-reset capabilities
- Upgraded TUF chokes which use new alloys and are larger compared to previous generations
- Configurable airflow slots included in TUF Armor overlay
- Larger, ball-bearing fan included for increased airflow at lower noise levels
- TUF chipset for system and thermal monitoring, providing faster response, more sensors, and additional control capabilities
- Board validation testing -> 7000+ hours of validation (approximately 2 months) with 1000+ devices
- Five year warranty
- Thermal Radar 2 with fan-reverse function to clear dust and debris from system
- Updated fan headers supporting 1 amp power draw per header
Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 motherboard
Courtesy of ASUS
Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 motherboard, profile view
Courtesy of ASUS
Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 motherboard, full armor
Courtesy of ASUS
Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 motherboard, configurable airflow slot closeup
Sabertooth Z97 Mark 2 motherboard
Courtesy of ASUS
Sabertooth Z97 Mark 2 motherboard, profile view
Courtesy of ASUS
Gryphon Z97 motherboard
Courtesy of ASUS
Gryphon Z97 motherboard, profile view
Courtesy of ASUS
Nice looking motherboards.
Nice looking motherboards. Asus’s engineers certainly know how to dress up their products.
Those are some nice looking
Those are some nice looking motherboards, if I was in the market for one of those boards, I would be eyeing the Z97 Deluxe motherboard. My Z87 Deluxe works like a champ.