Many different motherboards come out almost every week. Initially, manufacturers try to create the most interesting and expensive solutions, in fact, immediately after that, products for the mass segment appear, and only then, as a rule, nothing new and unusual comes out. And what is so special about a motherboard? Most motherboards, if you look closely, are similar to each other, especially if they are designed on the same chipset. But in today's article we will review a truly 100% unusual motherboard from a popular vendor - Asus Sabertooth P67.
Asus SABERTOOTH P67 motherboard [Socket 1155, Intel P67, 4 x DDR3, RealtekALC892 8-Ch, RAID, 1 Gb LAN, IEEE1394a, USB 2.0 and 3.0, ATX]
The Asus Sabertooth line was released relatively recently among the products of this company. As you know, the most powerful motherboards used the original "gaming" design, had a bunch of additional expensive options and so on, that is, they were a kind of maximum. But not every user needs such models. First, the bright, eye-catching, color-backlit design is not always suitable for customers. Secondly, what can a person do if he just needs a high-quality motherboard without unnecessary pathos, but, nevertheless, belongs to the top segment of models? This is how the Asus Sabertooth line of motherboards came out, which belongs to The Ultimate Force series, that is, the most reliable motherboards.
Chipset capabilities.
The motherboard has a high-performance Intel P67 chipset, although we expected the appearance of the Z68, but if you look, these chipsets are similar and differ only in the available ability to use the integrated video of the Sandy Bridge central processors. Accordingly, the general characteristics of this chipset are the maximum available for the built-in I nt el LGA 1155 platform, for example, it is possible to use up to 32 GB of DDR3 memory operating on a two-channel transmission structure.
Packaging and equipment.
Packaging.
The packaging is made in a serious style and has an extremely reliable look, thanks to the excellent fixation of the motherboard and sturdy cardboard. The box has an image of the TUF logo, indicating that it is in reality a reliable product with military quality. The box is large, slightly thicker than standard.
Contents of delivery.
Apart from the "paper" package, which includes: user manual and manufacturer's certificate of reliability, confirming that the motherboard and its components have passed a number of tests, there is a small part of the essentials. Here we put a protective bar for the rear panel, an SLI bridge for two NVIDIA video adapters, and SATA-600/300 cables. In general, a completely satisfactory delivery kit, although, in principle, it could be wider for such an interesting device.
A few words about the TUF certificate. Asus guarantees that every element of the motherboard (and the finished whole product) has passed a series of tests for overall performance and operation in the most extreme conditions, such as vibration or high temperatures. All this immediately tells us that if office and gaming motherboards are designed for the general user, then "TUF" will withstand work in any of the harshest environments.
Appearance and technical features.
View from above. Asus Sabertooth P67 has not only an unusual look, it is literally unique. This appearance is a very important feature of the motherboard due to Thermal Armor - a kind of casing that covers the entire area of the motherboard. At the same time, slots were made for buttons, external ports and connectors, groups of the most "protruding" elements, as well as aluminum radiators.But why do we need such "protection"? Most importantly, the concept has changed a bit since the motherboard appeared. The device was presented at an international exhibition in January and then this casing was called a "tactical shield", which can protect the Sabertooth board from any physical impact (for example, if the owner drops something on the board or a screwdriver slips during the installation of the CO, etc. Further). Today Asus calls it a kind of thermal shield, which prevents any heating of all additional elements from any external sources (video adapters, radiators, CO processors) and helps to cool them when installing the fan inside (unfortunately, it is not included delivery). However, the traditional overview of the elements will clearly not be appropriate here. Engineers, as best they could, tried to place each connector so that it did not interfere with the other and fit into the slots of the applied "thermal shield". It should also be noted a rather unusual color of the motherboard and slots for a military style, and in general, a very nice design. The CO radiators are not very large, but they should be in moderation, especially considering that the motherboard has passed many tests for extreme heating. SATA ports. The Asus Sabertooth P67 has excellent expansion options, for example, as many as eight SATA ports at once, because usually 4-6 ports are used on standard motherboards. Four ports belong to the chipset, and the rest are made on the basis of other controllers from Marvel. Most of the connectors support 6Gbps transfer rate. Not every computer case will be able to accommodate 8 hard drives at once, so the company's engineers clearly installed the ports with a margin and an eye for the future. Expansion slots. But in terms of its set of expansion slots, the tested motherboard will hardly be able to somehow stand out among high-quality devices based on P67. There are six slots in total: PCI, 3 PCI Express x1 and 2 graphics PCI Express x16. The latter can work with paired configurations of video adapters and run them in an SLI or CrossFire array, while the maximum transfer speed will drop to 8x (which, in general, does not actually affect the overall performance of accelerators, since the PCI Express 2.0 bus is used, with a huge bandwidth ). Motherboard power supply. The power supply subsystem of the board consists of 10 phases, which work as "8 + 2" phases. Asus places particular emphasis on the overall quality of this system. The power circuits are completely digital and refer to the new Asus DIGI + technology and are software configurable. The "TUF" series implies the use of reliable components: solid-state capacitors and coils with an individual alloy core, capable of withstanding work with amperage up to 40 A. In addition, each power supply circuit is strengthened, not just the CPU (as is usual on expensive motherboards) ... This will help all overclocking enthusiasts get the most out of their performance. Rear panel. The rear panel houses: 8xUSB 2.0, 2xUSB 3.0, 2xeSATA (3 Gb / s), one 1 Gigabit network port, 1xPS / 2 (combined), an optical output and a traditional panel of multichannel audio outputs. The board is equipped with a high-quality integrated HD audio codec for 8 channels - Realtek ALC892. Unlike conventional codecs found on inexpensive cards, this unit can handle optical connectivity and BD Lossless audio on Blu-ray movies. Protection of audio content from Blu-ray is also supported. Proprietary technologies. Asus "TUF": The Ultimate Force series guarantees users the true reliability of all elements. Equipped with advanced protection and efficiency technologies, the board stands out from many others. Asus Thermal Radar: additional temperature sensors are installed, the readings from which are read by software. Asus Thermal Armor: the main part of the board surface is covered with a separate special "shield" that protects the soldered components from any external heat source.When the fan is installed, the temperature of the elements is reduced by 13 degrees (according to the manufacturer's calculations). Asus DIGI + VRM: installed digital-based power stabilizers, and they are placed on all power circuits. This makes it possible to fine-tune the energy consumption, in particular through a separate dedicated software. Asus MemOk: A free-standing button on the motherboard makes it possible to start the system in compatibility mode, in which even non-certified memory modules can be confused. Asus ESD Guards: There is a rear panel protector that was designed to prevent static discharge, doubling the reliability of the system. Conclusions. This happens very rarely, but the final conclusion after examining the Asus P67 Sabertooth motherboard is completely unambiguous. This is one of the most reliable and secure motherboards for the new Intel LGA 1155 platform, and Asus engineers can be proud of this fact. It should be noted that this product has a large number of other advantages, for example, other high-end products can envy the number of built-in SATA ports. The device has a good integrated audio codec that will satisfy the emerging needs of many users who are not avid music lovers, and support for SLI and CrossFire arrays will help all gamers build a very powerful gaming station. In the end, there is only a material question, but everything is fine here. The cost of the board cannot be called excessive for this level. In short, we recommend MB Asus P67 Sabertooth to everyone!
