Review and testing of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard. Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS is the oldest of the younger LGA1155 motherboards ASUSTeK Characteristics of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard

Preface

In the previous review, we examined the Asus P8Z77-V motherboard, which has exactly the same name as the entire series of ASUSTeK boards based on Intel Z77 Express logic. This is the basic model, the youngest of all the older boards. It really turned out to be very successful, the list of its capabilities is much above average, it even includes support wireless technologies, but as a result, the price of the board was not so low, which makes it difficult to recklessly recommend it to everyone. Of course, you can always choose one of the entry-level boards, for example, the less expensive Asus P8Z77-V LK or even the simpler and cheaper Asus P8Z77-V LX, but the list of their capabilities is noticeably more modest. It’s great if it suits you, but what if it doesn’t? What to do if you need a board with approximately the same set technical characteristics, like the Asus P8Z77-V, but your budget doesn’t allow you to take this particular model? It turns out that for this it is not at all necessary to turn to products from other manufacturers; a board with similar capabilities, but much cheaper, can be found in the ASUSTeK assortment. The youngest of all the older models is not always the most successful choice; sometimes the oldest of all the younger ones is preferable. The Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS is just such a board; in this review we will examine its capabilities and find out how well they meet our expectations.

Packaging and equipment

Packaging design motherboard Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS is made in the same style as other ASUSTeK boards. On the front side we see the model name and logos of the functions and technologies used, and on the back there is an image of the board, a short list of technical characteristics and information about some features. At the same time, the dimensions of the box are standard, except for the thickness, which is much smaller than usual. This is achieved by a special packaging method, in which the sheet of cardboard separating the board and components is much longer than required, and its edge is wrapped over the board, forming a kind of envelope. This compartment contains relatively thick SATA cables, and at the bottom there is only a flat plug for back panel, CD and paper manuals that take up almost no space. Thanks to this original packaging method and a small number of accessories included in the entry-level board kit, it was possible to significantly reduce the standard thickness of the box.

The set of accessories is modest, but sufficient to immediately start working with the board. It includes:

four Serial ATA cables with metal latches, two of them are specifically designed for connecting SATA 6 Gb/s devices (distinguished by white inserts on the connectors);
flexible bridge for combining two video cards in SLI mode;
plug for the rear panel (I/O Shield);
user guide;
a brochure with quick assembly instructions in several languages;
DVD with software and drivers;
“Powered by ASUS” sticker on the system unit.

Design and Features

The dimensions of the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard are standard and are the usual 305x244 mm. The design is close to classic, and therefore comfortable. Externally, this model is in many ways similar to the previously reviewed Asus P8Z77-V LK or Asus P8Z77-V boards, but upon closer examination you can notice many differences.

Like the older model, the “Dual Intelligent Processors 3” technology, which includes TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) and EPU (Energy Processing Unit) chips, works in conjunction with the “SMART DIGI+” digital power converter. Moreover, the number of phases is intermediate between the older (8+4) and junior (4+1) models; the circuit includes six phases related to the processor, and two more to the graphics core integrated into it. The heating elements are covered with a semi-decorative radiator, since it covers only part of them, and is secured using spring-loaded latches, unlike the radiator on the logic set chip, which uses a durable screw fastening. However, it must be said that we did not notice any strong heating of the elements even under high load and overclocking of the system. Like other ASUSTeK boards, this model can hold up to 32 GB random access memory DDR3, and the range of supported memory frequencies for Ivy Bridge processors extends from 800 to 3200 MHz. Interestingly, all three boards not only had the same set of connectors for expansion cards, but even their relative positions remained unchanged.

The board is capable of dividing 16 PCI Express 3.0/2.0 lanes in half between the blue and light gray video card connectors; it supports combining cards in accordance with NVIDIA SLI or AMD CrossFireX technologies. In the latter case, you can use a third black connector; it is capable of providing PCI Express 2.0 x4 speed, but you will have to disable both PCI Express 2.0 x1 connectors. In addition to the expansion cards listed, there are also two PCI slots. Like the older model, the board’s capabilities for connecting storage devices have been expanded. To the four SATA 3 Gb/s ports (blue connectors) and two SATA 6 Gb/s ports (light gray connectors) with which the board provides the logic set, another SATA 6 Gb/s port has been added using an additional Marvell 88SE91xx family controller (dark blue connector), and the second in the form of eSATA 6 Gb/s is located on the rear panel.

The list of rear panel connectors is as follows:

universal PS/2 connector for connecting a keyboard or mouse;
two USB 2.0 ports, and eight more can be connected to four internal connectors on the board;
video outputs D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort;
the eSATA 6 GB/s port appeared thanks to the additional Marvell 88SE91xx controller; another internal SATA 6 GB/s connector, implemented on the basis of this controller, can be found in the lower right corner of the board;
four USB 3.0 ports (blue connectors), two of them are based on the ASMedia ASM1042 controller, and two more, as well as one internal connector that allows you to output two additional USB 3.0 ports, appeared thanks to the capabilities of the Intel Z77 Express chipset;
connector local network (network adapter built on a Realtek RTL8111F gigabit controller);
optical S/PDIF, as well as six analog audio connectors, which are provided by the eight-channel Realtek ALC889 codec.

Like other ASUSTeK boards, the connectors for video cards use wide and comfortable “Q-Slot” fasteners, but the connectors for memory modules are ordinary. There are no power, reboot, or “Clear CMOS” buttons, but there is a “USB BIOS Flashback” button, designed to enable the firmware update technology of the same name, and there is a “MemOK!” button, which allows the board to start successfully even if there are problems with RAM. The TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) switch will allow you to automatically overclock the processor, and the EPU (Energy Processing Unit) switch will enable a more energy-efficient operating mode. Of the “Q-Led” LED system, which helps track the source of problems at startup, only one “DRAM LED” remains on the board, which is complemented by “Standby Power LED”, “BIOS Flashback LED”, “EPU LED” and “TPU LED” . The board has only one connector for connecting processor fans; in addition to it, there are three more connectors for case fans, all four-pin connectors. At the same time, everything system connectors capable of reducing fan speed even with a three-pin connection, but the processor socket does not have this ability; it can only control four-pin fans.

For convenience, we have compiled a list of the main technical characteristics of the board into a single table:

BIOS Features

In previous reviews of ASUSTeK boards, we have already seen the Asus EFI BIOS - in general, a very successful implementation of the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) standard, so this time we will just briefly go through the main sections.

By default, when entering the BIOS, we are greeted with the “EZ Mode” mode, which mainly performs informational functions, since it allows you to configure almost nothing. You can only find out the basic characteristics of the system, get acquainted with some monitoring parameters, select an economical or productive operating mode and set the order of polling boot devices by simply dragging them with the mouse.

The F7 key is used to switch from EZ Mode to Advanced Mode, or you can use the F3 key, which allows you to quickly move to one of the most frequently used BIOS sections.

Every time you enter the BIOS, you can switch from “EZ Mode” to “Advanced Mode”; you can use the F3 key, which, by the way, works in all other sections of the BIOS, but it will be much more convenient if you set the “Advanced Mode” starting in the settings. In this case, the familiar “Main” section will appear first before our eyes. It provides basic information about the system, allows you to set the current date and time, and it is possible to change the BIOS interface language, including Russian. In the “Security” subsection you can set user and administrator access passwords.

The bulk of the options necessary for overclocking are concentrated in the “Ai Tweaker” section. The main window of the section allows you to change frequencies, multipliers and voltages. To monitor the current voltage values, you do not need to go to the monitoring section; they are listed right there, next to each of the parameters that allow you to change these voltages, which is very convenient. Voltages can be set either higher or lower than nominal.

Some parameters are traditionally placed in separate subsections so as not to overly clutter the main one. The “OC Tuner” parameter only looks like a subsection; in fact, it is used to overclock the system in automatic mode. Changing memory timings is included on a separate page; their number is very large, but using the capabilities of this subsection is quite convenient. You see all the timings that are set by the board for each of the two memory channels. You can change only a few of them, for example, only the main ones, leaving the default values ​​for the rest.

In the “CPU Power Management” subsection, you can independently set the values ​​of options that affect the operating parameters of the technology “ Intel Turbo Boost", however, this is not necessary, since the board automatically adapts to the overclocking parameters you specify.

It is impossible not to notice the large number of options related mainly to power and energy consumption, which appeared thanks to the DIGI+ digital power system. Directly in the BIOS, you can control proprietary energy-saving technologies that allow you to change the number of active processor power phases depending on its load level. The “CPU Load-Line Calibration” technology for counteracting the voltage drop on the processor under load can not only be turned on or off, but also the degree of counteraction can be adjusted.

The capabilities of the subsections of the “Advanced” section are generally well known to us and are clear by their names.

In the “CPU Configuration” subsection we learn basic information about the processor and manage some processor technologies.

All parameters related to energy saving are placed on a separate page “CPU Power Management Configuration”.

The “Monitor” section reports the current values ​​of temperatures, voltages and fan speeds. For all fans, including the processor and three case fans, you can select preset rotation speed adjustment modes from the usual set: “Standard”, “Silent” or “Turbo”, or select the appropriate parameters in manual mode. At the same time, all system connectors are capable of reducing fan rotation speed even with a three-pin connection, but for the processor fan, unfortunately, control is supported only with a four-pin connection.

In the “Boot” section we select the parameters that will be applied when the system starts. Here, by the way, you need to change the starting mode “EZ Mode” to “Advanced Mode”.

Let’s refresh our memory on the capabilities of the subsections of the “Tools” section.

The built-in utility for updating firmware “EZ Flash 2” is one of the most convenient and functional programs of its kind. Unfortunately, the ability to save the current firmware version before updating has been completely eliminated.

Asus motherboards allow you to save and quickly load eight complete BIOS settings profiles. Each profile can be given a short name that reminds you of its content. The bug that prevents profiles from remembering whether to disable the start image display has not yet been fixed, however, the ability to exchange profiles, which was lost with the transition to EFI BIOS, has returned. Recently, profiles can again be saved to external media and loaded from them.

Like on boards from many other manufacturers, we can look at the information embedded in the SPD of memory modules, including XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) profiles.

The last one is the “Exit” section, where you can apply the changes made, load default values, or return back to the simplified “EZ Mode”.

Test system configuration

All experiments were carried out on a test system including the following set of components:

Motherboard - Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS rev. 1.01 (LGA1155, Intel Z77 Express, BIOS version 0901);
Processor - Intel Core i5-3570K (3.6-3.8 GHz, 4 cores, Ivy Bridge rev. E1, 22 nm, 77 W, 1.05 V, LGA1155);
Memory - 2 x 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4X1866C9R, (1866 MHz, 9-10-9-27, supply voltage 1.5 V);
Video card - Gigabyte GV-R797OC-3GD (AMD Radeon HD 7970, Tahiti, 28 nm, 1000/5500 MHz, 384-bit GDDR5 3072 MB);
Disk subsystem - Crucial m4 SSD (CT256M4SSD2, 256 GB, SATA 6 Gb/s);
Cooling system - Noctua NH-D14;
Thermal paste - ARCTIC MX-2;
Power supply - Enhance EPS-1280GA, 800 W;
The case is an open test bench based on the Antec Skeleton case.

As operating system used Microsoft Windows 8 Enterprise 64 bit (Microsoft Windows, Version 6.2, Build 9200), driver set for Intel Chipset Device Software 9.3.0.1026, video card driver - AMD Catalyst 13.1.

Features of operation and overclocking

We did not encounter any difficulties when assembling a test system based on the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard. When the system operated in nominal mode, no problems or even slight difficulties were detected. This is all good, but we didn’t notice any changes for the better during the board’s launch process; this moment is still disappointing. We mean that in the starting picture that the board shows when booting, only the well-known “Del” key is recalled, and there are no other hints about active buttons.

The situation will look a little better if you disable the output of the start image in the BIOS, or without prompting you guess that this can be done with the “Tab” key. As you go through the startup procedure, the board will display a lot of useful information about the model name, BIOS version, processor name, memory size and frequency. However, instead of the actual operating frequency of the processor, you will always be told its nominal frequency, even without taking into account the operation of Turbo technology.

However, modern boards start up so quickly that it is difficult not only to see the information displayed on the screen as you go through the startup procedure, but sometimes you do not have time to press a key to enter the BIOS. To automatically enter the BIOS from the operating room Microsoft systems Windows, you can use the “Asus Boot Setting” utility, which was already described in the review of the Asus P8Z77-V LK board. This time, we saved ourselves from difficulties at the setup stage by simply disabling the “Fast Boot” option in the “Boot” section of BIOS Setup, which is enabled by default.

All Intel processor power-saving technologies work natively on the board, without the need for additional activation, and in addition to them, you can enable the proprietary “EPU Power Saving Mode” technology in the BIOS or using a switch on the board. The processor was also provided with a truly nominal operating mode, according to its official specifications, although it is easy to use the “Asus MultiCore Enhancement” function, which, at any load level, will allow you to increase the processor multiplier to the maximum value provided by Intel Turbo Boost technology only for a single-threaded load . To achieve more significant results, you can use the “OC Tuner” parameter, which helps to automatically overclock the processor, however best results can only be achieved by selecting the most optimal parameter values ​​in manual mode. Unfortunately, at the maximum frequency for our processor instance, 4.6 GHz, the board could only start, but the process of loading the operating system invariably ended with a “blue screen of death.” As a result, we had to limit ourselves to overclocking the processor to 4.5 GHz, and at the same time the memory frequency was increased to 1866 MHz and its timings were adjusted.

It remains to be reminded that we always overclock the system so that it can be fully used in long-term mode. No features or additional controllers of the motherboard are disabled; the functionality of Intel's processor energy-saving technologies is fully preserved, reducing the processor multiplier and the voltage supplied to it, turning off unnecessary blocks and switching the processor to energy-saving modes when there is no load.

Performance Comparison

We traditionally compare motherboards in terms of speed in two modes: when the system operates under nominal conditions and when the processor and memory are overclocked. The first option is interesting from the point of view that it allows you to find out how well motherboards work with default parameters. It is known that a significant part of users do not fine-tune the system; they only set the optimal parameters in the BIOS and do not change anything else. So we carry out the test, almost without interfering with the default values ​​​​set by the boards. For comparison, we used data obtained in reviews of the ASRock Z77 Extreme11, Asus P8Z77-V, Asus P8Z77-V LK and Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H boards. The results in the diagrams are sorted in descending order of performance, and the performance of the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS board is highlighted in color for clarity.

In Cinebench 11.5, we run CPU tests five times and average the results.

The Fritz Chess Benchmark utility has been used in tests for a very long time and has proven itself to be excellent. It produces highly repeatable results, and performance scales well depending on the number of computational threads used.

The x264 FHD Benchmark v1.0.1 (64bit) test allows you to evaluate system performance in comparison with the results available in the database. The average results of five passes are presented in the diagram.

Performance measurement in Adobe Photoshop We run CS6 using our own test, a creative reworking of the Retouch Artists Photoshop Speed ​​Test, which involves typical processing of four 24-megapixel images taken with a digital camera.

In the data archiving test, a one-gigabyte file is compressed using LZMA2 algorithms, while other compression parameters are left at default values.

As with the compression test, the faster the calculation of 16 million digits of pi is completed, the better. This is the only test where the number of processor cores does not play any role; the load is single-threaded.

The following chart uses only the results of the 3DMark 11 - Physics Score processor tests. This characteristic is the result of a special physical test that simulates the behavior of a complex gaming system with a large number of objects.

The test built into the game Hitman Absolution turned out to be very convenient. It can be launched from the game, from the startup utility (launcher), and even from command line. We make the most of available settings“Ultra” quality and fairly high resolution.

Batman: Arkham City also readily responds to changes in processor frequency, while using DirectX 11. We repeat the built-in performance test five times at “Very High” quality settings and average the results.

We have repeatedly noted that related boards operating under the same conditions show approximately the same level of performance. The data obtained when the systems operated in nominal mode fully confirm this unwritten rule. When overclocking, we conduct tests at the 4.5 GHz processor frequency available for all boards, also with the same parameters for all models, so that we can clearly evaluate how efficiently the boards can work in non-standard modes. However, we remember that of the tested models, only the ASRock Z77 Extreme11, Asus P8Z77-V and Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H boards managed to maximally overclock the processor to 4.6 GHz. Thus, when compared under real, rather than artificial, test conditions, these three boards will have an advantage in speed, since all other models stopped at 4.5 GHz.

It is natural that we did not find any significant changes in the situation when overclocking the systems. A test system based on the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard can show the lowest result compared to all compared boards, as in the Cinebench 11.5 test, or it can produce the highest, as in the x264 FHD Benchmark. In any case, the performance differs slightly from the speed of other ASUSTeK boards; the differences from boards from other manufacturers may be more noticeable, but still not too great.

Energy consumption measurements

Energy consumption is measured using the Extech Power Analyzer 380803. The device is turned on in front of the computer's power supply, that is, it measures the consumption of the entire system “from the outlet,” with the exception of the monitor, but including losses in the power supply itself. When measuring consumption at rest, the system is inactive, we wait for the complete cessation of post-start activity and the absence of access to the drive. Energy consumption for a single-threaded load on the processor is measured during tests for the speed of calculating the number Pi, for a multi-threaded load during performance measurements in the Fritz Chess Benchmark program, and the game Hitman Absolution is used to ensure a complex load on the processor and video card. The results in the diagrams are sorted according to consumption growth, and the indicators of the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS board are highlighted in color for clarity.

Unlike other entry-level boards from ASUSTeK, the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS board cannot boast of low power consumption. Despite the initially working Intel processor energy-saving technologies, its consumption is quite high, and sometimes even maximum compared to conventional boards. High power consumption flagship models companies ASRock and ASUSTeK, equipped with an additional PCI Express bus hub, is not typical for ordinary boards, and therefore the significantly lower consumption of the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS board compared to them is quite natural and is not special distinctive feature or dignity. However, it should be recalled that on ASUSTeK boards, additional savings not only at rest, but also under load, can be achieved if you enable the proprietary “EPU Power Saving Mode” technology in the BIOS or using a switch on the board.

Now let’s compare the power consumption of systems during overclocking with increasing processor and memory frequencies.

If, when operating in nominal mode, the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS board sometimes managed to demonstrate power consumption at the level of other ordinary boards, then during overclocking the situation changed for the worse. As it turned out, this turned out to be the most energy-intensive model, not counting two special boards, which is very disappointing, since you expect more efficiency from entry-level boards, but the reality goes against the assumptions.

Afterword

If we talk about the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS board in general, then, like almost any other motherboard from ASUSTeK, it leaves a good impression. However, it was significantly spoiled by its inability to provide the maximum possible overclocking of the processor and, most importantly, excessively high power consumption, especially during overclocking. There is nothing critical; superiority in 100 MHz processor frequency will not provide other models with a significant advantage. There is no significant difference in power consumption, but we still expected something slightly different from this board, and therefore we were slightly disappointed. The Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS board occupies an intermediate position between older models and entry-level boards. Compared to younger boards, it has more capabilities, a more powerful power subsystem, and support for USB BIOS Flashback technology. However, it is not as economical as them.

If we ignore the noticeable disadvantages, we can find many advantages in the board. Some are typical for all ASUSTeK motherboards, for example, convenient design or three-year warranty support, while others are advantages of this particular model. Don't forget that at a significantly lower price, this board has approximately the same set of technical characteristics as the Asus P8Z77-V board. There is no support for wireless technologies, but it also has its advantages, for example, the eSATA 6 Gb/s port, which the older model was deprived of. Unfortunately, the board did not allow us to confirm the optimal choice of the oldest of the younger models; the youngest of the older ones - the Asus P8Z77-V board - looks better. Perhaps we did not get the most successful example of the Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard, but if you don’t expect too much from this model, you won’t be disappointed.

ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard is a good choice for a home computer

When assembling a new computer based on modern Intel processors, many users turn their attention to the ASUS P8Z77-V line of motherboards. In this post, we will talk in more detail about the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard. First, it’s worth taking a look at the brief characteristics of various modifications of the ASUS P8Z77-V.

		P8Z77-V LX	P8Z77-VL.K.	P8Z77-VL.E.	P8Z77-VPRO
USB 3.0
USB 2.0
PCI-E x16
PCI-E x4
Video outputs	VGA DVI HDMI DisplayPort		DVI HDMI DisplayPort	VGA DVI HDMI DisplayPort	VGA DVI HDMI DisplayPort
SATA 3Gb/s
SATA 6Gb/s
WiFi/Bluetooth
Power phases

As can be seen from the table, the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard is the “golden mean” of the model range.

Specifications of ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard

Manufacturer	ASUS
Model	P8Z77-V LE
Chipset	Intel Z77 Express
CPU socket	LGA 1155
Supported processors	Intel Core i7/Core i5/Core i3 second and third generations
Memory used	DDR3 2400 (O.C.)/2133 (O.C.)/1866(O.C.) /1600/1333/1066 MHz
Memory support	4 x DDR3 DIMM dual channel architecture up to 32 GB Non-ECC, unbuffered and Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory support
Expansion slots	1 x PCIE x16 3.0/2.0 1 x PCIE x16 2.0 (x4) 2 x PCIE x1 3 x PCI
Multi-GPU technology	ATI Quad-GPU CrossFireX, LucidLogix Virtu MVP
Disk subsystem	Intel Z77 chipset: 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s 4 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s with the ability to organize SATA RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 With Intel support Smart Response Technology, Intel Rapid Start Technology, Intel Smart Connect Technology. Marvel PCIe SATA 6Gb/s controller: 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s
Sound subsystem	Realtek ALC892, 8-channel High-Definition Audio codec with optical S/PDIF output
LAN support	Realtek 8111F Gigabit Network Controller
Nutrition	24-pin ATX power connector 8-pin ATX12V power connector
Fan connectors	1 x for CPU cooler, 3 x for case fan
External I/O ports	1 x PS/2 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI port 1 x DVI port 1 x VGA port 1 x LAN (RJ45) 4 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 1 x eSATA 1 x optical S/PDIF 6 audio jacks
Internal I/O ports	3 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s 4 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s 1x S/PDIF output 4 x USB 2.0 (additional 8 ports) 1 x USB 3.0 (additional 2 ports) Front panel audio connectors System panel connector 1 x MemOK! button 1 x EPU button 1 x TPU button 1 x COM
BIOS	64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM 2.0, ACPI v2.0a, SM BIOS 2.7, Support EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3
Proprietary technologies	ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 3 with DIGI+ VRM ASUS TPU ASUS EPU ASUS Digital Power Design MemOK! AI Suite II AI Charger+ USB Charger+ Anti-Surge ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Disk Unlocker USB 3.0 Boost ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution ASUS Q-Design ASUS EZ DIY
Equipment	2 x SATA 6.0 Gbps cables 2 x SATA 3.0 Gbps cables Instructions and Guide 1 x DVD with drivers and software Stub
Form factor, dimensions, mm	ATX 305 x 244
Products webpage	http://www.asus.ru/ The latest version of BIOS and drivers can be downloaded from the support site.

The delivery package for the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard, in addition to a disk with software and drivers, includes:

• User manual on English language;
• Brief installation instructions;
• Two Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s cables;
• Two Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s cables;
• Plug for the rear panel of the case.

ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard is “stripped down” ASUS version P8Z77-V PRO. Unlike ASUS P8Z77-V PRO, the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard has less overclocking potential - some of the power transistors do not have a heatsink. The photo shows that there is only one heatsink installed near the processor socket; ASUS P8Z77-V PRO has two heatsinks.

ASUS P8Z77-V LE does not have all power transistors with a heatsink

There is a metal plate on the back of the processor socket.

This plate makes it possible to use powerful cooling systems, which can hardly be avoided when overclocking the processor.

Cooling of the Intel Z77 Express chipset is carried out using an aluminum radiator

Attention! When installing the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard, do not forget to remove the protective plastic film from the chipset heatsink.

The ASUS P8Z77-V LE board has four DIMM connectors for working with DDR3 memory. The maximum total memory capacity can reach 32 GB(four 8 GB modules).

• 4 SATA 3.0 Gb/s connectors - blue;
• 3 SATA 6.0 Gb/s connectors, one of which is e-SATA (blue) on the Marvel controller.

List of ASUS P8Z77-V LE ports:

• PS/2 (keyboard/mouse);
• 2x USB 2.0 - black;
• 4x USB 3.0 - blue;
• HDMI;
• DisplayPort;
• optical S/PDIF,
• RJ45 connector for network connections (twisted pair cable);
• eSATA;
• six connectors for 8-channel audio.

Separately, it is necessary to say about the BIOS, which can be configured using only a mouse, since the interface has become graphical.

The ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard can be recommended as the basis for a workhorse. The cost of the board, at the time of writing these lines, is about $170. For fans of extreme overclocking, we can recommend the ASUS P8Z77-V PRO motherboard (about $230).

When installing massive processor cooling systems, such as one, you must take into account that difficulties may arise when installing a memory module with a high heatsink in the first slot (closest to the processor).

Evgeny Mukhutdinov

A year has passed since we introduced our readers to the system logic set for Intel Z77 Express desktop systems, but a stream of motherboards based on this chipset continues to arrive for testing. This set of system logic can no longer be called new, but nothing better for productive desktop systems Bye was not announced, so motherboard manufacturers continue to use it as the basis for universal solutions designed for both powerful gaming systems and high-performance home computers. To attract the attention of buyers, manufacturers equip their products with a variety of proprietary technologies and utilities to make it as easy as possible for the end user to use the full potential of the product. The motherboard we are considering this time is ASUS P8Z77- VLEPLUS is no exception, and in terms of the number of branded “know-how” it can compete with even more expensive solutions, but let’s not rush to conclusions, but simply look at this product more carefully and decide what turned out well and what didn’t turn out so well.

ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard specification:

Manufacturer
	Intel Z77 Express
CPU socket
Supported processors	Intel Core i7/Core i5/Core i3/Pentium/Celeron in LGA1155 (Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge)
Memory used	DDR3 2400(O.C.) / 2200(O.C.) / 2133(O.C.) / 2000(O.C.) / 1866(O.C.) / 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Memory support	4 x 240-pin DIMMs, dual-channel architecture up to 32 GB
Multi GPU technology	ATI Quad-GPU CrossFireX or NVIDIA Quad-GPU SLI, AMD 3-Way CrossFireX, LucidLogixVirtu MVP
Expansion slots	2 x PCI Express 3.0/2.0 x16 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
Disk subsystem	Intel B77 Express: 4 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s Marvell PCIe SATA 6Gb/s controller: 1 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s 1 x eSATA 6.0 Gb/s
	Gigabit LAN controller Realtek 8111F
Sound subsystem	8-channel High-Definition Audio codec Realtek ALC889
	24-pin ATX power connector 8-pin EPS12V power connector
Cooling	Passive cooling system consisting of two aluminum radiators
Fan connectors	3 x case fans
External I/O ports	1 x PS/2 (keyboard/mouse) 1 x optical S/PDIF output 1 x eSATA 6.0 Gb/s 1 x LAN (RJ45) port 6 audio jacks for audio connection
Internal I/O ports	1 x Front Panel Audio Jack 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 (connects up to eight ports) 1 x USB 3.0 (dual port connection) 1 x S/PDIF output 1 x MemOK! Button 1 x EPU switch 1 x TPU switch System panel connector
	UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
Proprietary technologies	ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 3 ASUS Hybrid Processor – TPU ASUS Digital Power Design ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution USB BIOS Flashback Network iControl ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
Equipment	User guide; 4 x SATA cables; Bridge SLI; Interface panel cover;
Form factor Dimensions, mm
Products webpage	BIOS and driver updates can be downloaded from the support page.

The packaging of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard is a cardboard box with high-quality color printing. The white and yellow product name, the large logo of the Dual Intelligent Processors 3 and SMART DIGI+ technologies and support for the PCI Express 3.0 interface stand out beautifully against the dark main background. Along the lower left edge of the packaging there are icons indicating the main proprietary functions and technologies used to create the product. In the lower right corner, also using icons, technical information about the product is provided: the chipset installed on the motherboard, the type of CPU supported by the board and the ability to combine several video accelerators using NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossFireX technology.

On the back of the box there is a photograph of the product itself with a detailed description of the interface panel connectors and components installed on the motherboard, as well as a brief specification of the product, which in total allows you to get an almost complete picture of the capabilities of the system. Marketers also didn’t forget about advertising the motherboard’s features, posting a more detailed description of them:

SMART DIGI+ power system together with Dual Intelligent Processors 3 technology - third generation Dual Intelligent Processors technology, which includes two intelligent additional chips (energy controller Energy Processing Unit - EPU and TurboV controller TurboV Processing Unit - TPU), works in conjunction with the digital system SMART DIGI+ power supply, which provides even more stable power supply to components and ample opportunities for their configuration and overclocking.

ASUS Network iControl – this utility manages network traffic in real time and allows you to set priorities for the use of network connection bandwidth various applications using a convenient user interface, and also allows you to quickly set up an Internet connection.

ASUS USB 3.0 Boost – to speed up the USB 3.0 interface, ASUS specialists have implemented support for the UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol), which, when using a compatible peripheral device, increases USB 3.0 data transfer speeds up to 170%.

LucidLogix Virtu MVP – software, which implements automatic switching between the graphics core built into the processor and a discrete video card, putting the discrete video accelerator into sleep mode at those moments when its resources are not needed, and vice versa; to speed up the main video card, you can use the built-in graphics core, which allows you to increase the performance of the video subsystem by 60% (based on tests in 3DMark Vantage).

Together with motherboard ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS you will find:

user instructions;

quick installation instructions;

port interface panel plug;

four SATA cables;

SLI bridge;

DVD with drivers and utilities.

The motherboard package is quite sufficient for assembling the system, but you always want more. For example, not only an SLI bridge for combining two video cards using technology from NVIDIA, but also a special remote module for USB 2.0 ports. After all, the board has 4 internal USB connectors with two ports connected each, and without the use of such remote modules, at least half of them will not be used.

The ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard is made on PCB in a “proprietary” dark brown color. All capacitors installed on the board are with solid electrolyte, which will have a positive effect on the stability, reliability and durability of the product. In general, the design of the motherboard evokes only positive emotions, but let's take a closer look at the components.

Along the bottom edge of the board there are connectors for connecting front panel audio connectors and S/PDIF output. Their close proximity to each other will create some inconvenience when connecting inside the case, but since this procedure is performed almost once, this will not cause permanent difficulties. Further in the row are a COM port connector, a TB_HEADER connector, which allows you to get support for the Thunderbolt interface using an additional module, and four internal USB 2.0 connectors for connecting two ports to each.

Between internal USB ports and the front panel connector there is a button and LED indicator for the proprietary USB BIOS Flashback function, which allows you to update the BIOS firmware from a USB drive. This function is activated by pressing and holding the button for three seconds, and to operate, only the standby voltage from the power supply is enough, and the presence of a CPU and RAM is not at all necessary. Indeed, everything is simple and convenient.

Above the front panel connector, near the SATA connectors, there is a KB3722Q chip that performs TPU functions.

On the right edge of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard, opposite the DIMM connectors, there is a 24-pin main power connector and, with this location, there will be no difficulties with convenient wiring. Below the main power connector there is a 19-pin header for connecting two USB 3.0 ports, and above there is a “MemOK!” button, which will be useful if there are errors in the RAM. And, since we’re talking about RAM, we note that four DIMM slots are provided for installing DDR3 RAM modules, and the maximum addressable volume is 32 GB. DDR3 memory modules are powered by a two-phase stabilizer, the power of which, given the low power consumption of RAM, is sufficient to spare.

Along the top edge of the board there are EPU and TPU switches, the activation of which is indicated by LEDs located nearby. Access to these switches when the system is installed in the case is not entirely convenient, so decide in advance on the priorities of the computer: either in smart overclocking mode or in energy saving mode. Also on the top edge of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard there is an 8-pin connector additional food EPS12V, which allows double the current flow compared to the standard 4-pin ATX12V connector, which provides greater system stability and reliability during overclocking.

The ASP1105 PWM controller is responsible for powering the central processor on the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard. Around the processor socket there are nine chokes and the same number of power phases, visually divided into three groups. The first group consists of one phase, which consists of two PH7030AL transistors manufactured by NXP, the second group consists of six phases of three transistors each (PH7030AL in the upper side and two PH5030AL in the lower side), the third group consists of two phases with two transistors each ( PH7030AL and PH5030AL in the upper and lower arms respectively). Upon careful inspection, we found only one transistor control driver, located between the phases of the third group, so we decided to look for the rest on the reverse side.

On the back of the motherboard we found seven more drivers. Therefore, we can safely talk about powering the central processor according to a 6+1+1 phase scheme with double the number of elements in the last phase, where six phases power the computing cores of the processor and one power phase each goes to the integrated graphics core and memory controller. Such a circuit will be quite sufficient to supply a stable supply voltage to the computing cores and auxiliary nodes of the central processor, not only in the nominal operating mode, but also when overclocking the system.

Now let's evaluate the expansion capabilities of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard, first by listing the connectors installed on it:

PCI Express x1 2.0

PCI Express x16 3.0/2.0

PCI Express x1 2.0

PCI Express x16 3.0/2.0

PCI Express x16 2.0

Now about the operating modes of the PCI Express x16 connectors: when installing the appropriate CPU, the top two connectors will support the PCI Express 3.0 bus version, the video subsystem with one adapter will receive all sixteen lines, and a tandem of two video cards will divide the lines in half - eight for each. The bottom PCI Express x16 slot has only four lanes of version 2.0 and, although the manufacturer claims to support AMD 3-Way CrossFireX technology, installing a third video card in this slot seems to us an impractical solution. In our opinion, a combination of NVIDIA Quad-GPU SLI or AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX from two corresponding adapters will be much more effective, and it is better to leave the bottom connector for expansion cards that support Thunderbolt technology. And even though such boards are not yet very common, who knows what will happen tomorrow and how the situation on the computer components market will change.

The Intel Z77 Express system logic set does not support the PCI bus, so to ensure the operation of the two installed PCI connectors, ASUS engineers used a specialized ASM1083 controller manufactured by ASMedia.

This is not the only additional ASMedia controller installed on the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard. Using the ASM1442 chip, the HDMI port on the interface panel is implemented, and the ASM1042 controller handles the operation of two USB 3.0 ports, also located on the interface panel.

The motherboard uses a passive cooling system consisting of two aluminum radiators: one on the Intel Z77 Express system logic set and the second on the power elements of the processor power stabilizer. The heatsink on the chipset is attached using a reliable screw clamp and copes with its task very effectively: during testing, its temperature was 38.5°C. But the cooling of the second “hot spot”, namely the power elements of the CPU power stabilizer, can be said to be unfinished. Thus, the radiator cools only one power phase of the system agent built into the processor and four phases that power the computing cores. What about another phase of power supply to auxiliary nodes and the remaining two phases of power supply to cores?

The disk subsystem of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard has eight SATA ports, six of which are serviced by the Intel Z77 Express system logic set. The chipset is controlled by two SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports, highlighted in white, and four SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports, highlighted in blue, four USB 3.0 ports, the connection to which is divided equally between the interface panel and the connectivity on the board itself, and ten USB 2.0 ports, of which only two found a place on the port panel. It is worth noting that the SATA ports, served by the system logic set, support the organization of RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 5 and 10 and, to prevent access restrictions when installing a long video card, are deployed parallel to the PCB. A blue connector for the SATA 6.0 Gb/s port is installed separately, served by a specialized Marvell controller, under the guidance of which the eSATA port located on the interface panel operates.

The audio subsystem is implemented on an 8-channel Realtek ALC889 audio codec, the sound quality of which should be quite sufficient for most users, but we will find out how well the wiring of this chip is done in the corresponding test section. The PS/2 interface for connecting a keyboard or mouse, the operation of the COM port and the system monitor are implemented on the Nuvoton NCT6779D I/O controller. Network connections are serviced by a Realtek 8111F LAN controller, which supports connection speeds of up to 1 Gb/s.

The interface panel of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard contains the following ports:

PS/2 combo port for connecting a keyboard or mouse;

two USB 2.0 ports;

optical output S/PDIF;

HDMI connector;

• DVI connector;

  D-SUB connector;

  eSATA 6.0 Gb/s connector;

  four USB 3.0 ports, highlighted in blue;

  RJ45 connector for connecting via LAN network;

  6 analog connectors for connecting multi-channel audio.

The interface panel is quite functional, with a good set of ports for image output and convenient connection of a multi-channel sound system using analog connectors or digital optical S/PDIF output. It is also worth noting the presence of an eSATA 6.0 Gb/s connector, which is very convenient to connect to HDD for quick copying of information.

The motherboard has four 4-pin fan headers. One connector serves the active element of the processor cooler, and three are intended for connecting case fans. With so many connectors, creating good ventilation inside the case will not be difficult.

UEFI BIOS

When entering the UEFI BIOS we are taken to the first page “EZ Mode”, intended for novice users. It displays the main monitoring parameters and allows you to configure the basic operating mode of the system. On the same page you can select the interface language, and Russian is also included in the list.

In the advanced settings mode, on the “Ai Tweaker” tab, we get access to parameter settings that directly affect system performance. As usual, we have placed all customizable parameters in a pivot table.

The “Advanced” tab allows you to configure the operating modes of integrated equipment, USB and SATA ports, enable or disable processor functions, and much more.

Table of configurable parameters:

Parameter	Menu item name	Range
CPU multiplier
Processor technologies	C1E, EIST, Virtualization Technology, Multi-Threading, Intel Turbo Boost Mode
Memory frequency, MHz	Memory Frequency	800, 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2133, 2400
Memory timings	CAS Latency, RAS to CAS, RAS PRE, RAS ACT, COMMAND Mode, RAS to RAS, REF, Cycle, DRAM Refresh, WRITE Recovery, READ to PRE, FOUR ACT WIN, WRITE to READ, CKE Minimum, CAS Write, RTL ( CHA), RTL (CHB), tWRDR, tRWDR, tRWSR, tRR, tRRSR, tWW(DD), tWW(DR), tWWSR
System bus frequency, MHz	BLCK/PCIE Frequency
Frequency multiplier	Core Ratio Limit
Maximum graphics core frequency, MHz
Amount of video memory of the graphics core of the processor, MB		32, 64, 96, 128, 160, 192, 224, 256, 288, 320, 352, 384, 416, 448, 480, 512, 1024
Power limitation during long-term acceleration, W	Long Duration Power Limit
Duration of long-term acceleration, s	Long Duration Maintained
Power limitation during short-term acceleration,	Short Duration Power Limit
Limitation of power supplied to the CPU, A	Primary Plane Current Limit	0,125 – 1023,875
Limitation of power supplied to the GPU, A	Secondary Plane Current Limit	0,125 – 1023,875
CPU voltage, V	CPU Manual Voltage
Graphics core voltage, V	iGPUManual Voltage
Northbridge voltage, V
Voltage on memory modules, V

The “Monitor” tab displays the temperature of the CPU and motherboard, the voltage on the CPU and the main power lines +3.3V, +5V and +12V, as well as the rotation speed of the case fans and the active part of the processor cooler. Unfortunately, the voltage on the memory modules system monitor does not show, but monitoring of this parameter has been very rare lately. The temperature-dependent fan speed control function is available for all four connection points.

Testing

The following equipment was used to test the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard

CPU	Intel Core i5-2500K (LGA1155, 3.3 GHz, L3 6 MB) Turbo Boost: enable C1E:enable
	Scythe Kama Angle Rev.B
RAM	2x DDR3-2000 1024 MB Kingston HyperX KHX16000D3T1K3/3GX
Video card	MSI R4850-2D1G-OC (Radeon HD 4850, 1 GB GDDR3, PCIe 2.0)
HDD	Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS, 500 GB, SATA-300, NCQ
Optical drive	ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA
power unit	Seasonic SS-650JT Active PFC (650 W, 120 mm fan)
	CODEGEN M603 MidiTower (2x 120 mm in/out fans)

The performance of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS motherboard in nominal operating modes does not differ from the performance of other solutions based on the same set of system logic. This indicates a well-oiled BIOS firmware and high-quality layout of components on the board itself.

Overclocking options and utilities

In manual overclocking mode, we managed to raise the clock frequency of our test processor to 4423 MHz. As you can see, the frequency increase was 34%, which is a very good result.

Overclocking in automatic mode also showed a very high result of 4326 MHz and the frequency increase was 31%. Moreover, overclocking is carried out by increasing the CPU multiplier and practically does not affect the reference frequency, so the RAM worked in normal mode.

Using the ASUS TurboV EVO proprietary utility, it is very easy to overclock the system directly from the OS, both manually and automatically.

The ASUS DIGI+ VRM utility helps to unlock the full potential of the digital power circuit used on the motherboard.

For people who prefer energy saving and energy efficiency of the system, the ASUS EPU utility will be very useful.

Using the ASUS FAN Xpert+ proprietary utility, users who value quiet operation of their computer will be able to adjust fan operating modes depending on temperature, creating a truly “quiet” system.

The ASUS Probe II utility allows you to monitor the main supply voltages, the temperature of the CPU and motherboard, as well as the fan speed in real time and, if you wish, issue an alarm when the parameter exceeds the critical value you specified.

A good addition to the previous utility will be “ASUS Sensor Recorder”, which allows you not only to monitor, but also records the history of changes in the monitoring parameters you select.

The ASUS USB 3.0 Boost utility will increase the data transfer speed through the USB 3.0 port

The ASUS Network iControl utility will help you manage network traffic and set usage priorities network connection various applications.

Testing the audio path based on the codecRealtekA.L.C.889

General results (RightMarkAudioAnalyzer)

Operating mode 16-bit, 44.1 kHz

		Very good
Noise level, dB (A)		Very good
Dynamic range, dB (A)		Very good
Harmonic distortion,%		Very good
		Very good
Intermodulation at 10 kHz, %		Very good
Overall rating		Very good

Operating mode 24-bit, 192 kHz

Frequency response unevenness (in the range 40 Hz - 15 kHz), dB		Very good
Noise level, dB (A)
Dynamic range, dB (A)
Harmonic distortion,%		Very good
Harmonic distortion + noise, dB(A)
Intermodulation distortion + noise, %
Interpenetration of channels, dB
Intermodulation at 10 kHz, %
Overall rating		Very good

The Realtek ALC889 audio codec showed very good results in testing. The sound quality of the integrated sound solution will be quite sufficient for both games and video or audio content. Installing a discrete sound card may be necessary for very demanding music lovers, but regular users differences in sound quality between separate sound card and an integrated solution will not be noticed.

conclusions

Motherboard ASUSP8 Z77- VL.E.PLUS showed high performance and amazing overclocking potential. We can confidently recommend the purchase this decision people who want to build a productive gaming station, or overclocking enthusiasts, and simply those buyers who will appreciate the stability, reliability and quality of this product. Digital circuit power supply, together with the proprietary EPU energy saving technology and the intelligent overclocking function of the TPU system, ensure stable supply voltage and its precise adjustment depending on your task - energy efficiency or maximum performance. Now anyone, even the most inexperienced user, can make their hardware work faster, just press one button in proprietary utility"TurboV EVO" and the system will do everything itself, and a 30 percent increase clock frequency CPU, as in our case, is a very serious increase in system performance. And that's just a little of what you'll get for the price of around $160.

We express our gratitude to the company MTI, official distributor of productsASUS , for the motherboard provided for testing.

We express our gratitude to the companies Intel , Kingston , MSI And SeaSonic for provided for test bench equipment.

Article read 27484 times

Subscribe to our channels

In our test laboratory, following the mass ASUS P8Z77-V LX I also visited a motherboard built on a chipset Intel Z77 Express, which was released in early April. Let us recall the main differences between this chipset and the previous set of system logic:

Guaranteed support for Intel Ivy Bridge CPU;

Guaranteed support for PCI Express 3.0 when using Intel Ivy Bridge processors;

Built-in USB 3.0 controller;

Ability to display images on three monitors simultaneously (when using a CPU with Intel Ivy Bridge microarchitecture).

ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard is a “stripped down” version ASUS P8Z77-V PRO, accordingly, its price is lower. Next, we will take a closer look at the differences from the PRO version and try to evaluate the rationality of purchasing such a motherboard.

ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard specification:

Manufacturer
	Intel Z77 Express
CPU socket
Supported processors	Intel Core i7/Core i5/Core i3 second and third generations
Memory used	DDR3 2400 (O.C.)/2133 (O.C.)/1866(O.C.) /1600/1333/1066 MHz
Memory support	4 x DDR3 DIMM dual channel architecture up to 32 GB Non-ECC, unbuffered and Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory support
Expansion slots	1 x PCIE x16 3.0/2.0 1 x PCIE x16 2.0 (x4) 2 x PCIE x1 3 x PCI
Multi-GPU technology	ATI Quad-GPU CrossFireX, LucidLogix Virtu MVP
Disk subsystem	Intel Z77 chipset: 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s 4 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s with the ability to organize SATA RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 with support for Intel Smart Response Technology, Intel Rapid Start Technology, Intel Smart Connect Technology. Marvel PCIe SATA 6Gb/s controller: 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s
Sound subsystem	Realtek ALC892, 8-channel High-Definition Audio codec with optical S/PDIF output
LAN support	Realtek 8111F Gigabit Network Controller
	24-pin ATX power connector 8-pin ATX12V power connector
Fan connectors	1 x for CPU cooler, 3 x for case fan
External I/O ports	1 x PS/2 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI port 1 x DVI port 1 x VGA port 1 x LAN (RJ45) 4 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 1 x eSATA 1 x optical S/PDIF 6 audio jacks
Internal I/O ports	3 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s 4 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s 1x S/PDIF output 4 x USB 2.0 (additional 8 ports) 1 x USB 3.0 (additional 2 ports) Front panel audio connectors System panel connector 1 x MemOK! button 1 x EPU button 1 x TPU button 1 x COM
	64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM 2.0, ACPI v2.0a, SM BIOS 2.7, Support EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3
Proprietary technologies	ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 3 with DIGI+ VRM ASUS TPU ASUS EPU ASUS Digital Power Design MemOK! AI Suite II AI Charger+ USB Charger+ Anti-Surge ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Disk Unlocker USB 3.0 Boost ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution ASUS Q-Design ASUS EZ DIY
Equipment	2 x SATA 6.0 Gbps cables 2 x SATA 3.0 Gbps cables Instructions and Guide 1 x DVD with drivers and software Stub
Form factor, dimensions, mm	ATX 305 x 244
Products webpage

The packaging of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard has a stylish black design. On the front of the package there are several pictograms indicating the technologies used. But most of the information is on the other side of the box.

On the back of the box you can find a photo and specifications of the motherboard. There are also descriptions of some proprietary technologies. Let's look at some of them.

ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 3 technology includes 3 processors:

TPU is a controller that allows overclocking and fine tuning using the AI ​​Suit II utility.

Energy Processor EPU designed to optimize power consumption and noise levels by monitoring load in real time and adjusting the power parameters of board components according to current needs.

DIGI+ VRM is a second-generation digital processor power regulator capable of changing the sampling frequency and the number of active phases depending on the operating mode.

ASUS Network iControl - allows you to set priorities network traffic for a particular application, or configure priority profiles.

The ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard's equipment is quite sparse, but corresponds to its positioning:

DVD with software and drivers;

User manual in English and brief installation instructions;

two Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s cables;

plug for the rear panel of the case.

The layout of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard is made competently, with virtually no flaws. For ease of connection, power connectors and main ports are located along the edge of the board. PCI-E x16 slots, which provide for combining video cards in a CrossFireX configuration, are located across two slots, which allows you to install video adapters with three-slot cooling systems. But given the non-gaming nature of the motherboard, such a configuration is unlikely to be used, and the practical value of such a tandem is reduced due to the use of the x16+x4 formula.

The motherboard in question has four 240-pin DIMM connectors of dual-channel architecture for working with DDR3 memory. The maximum total memory capacity can reach 32 GB when installing four 8 GB modules. The maximum guaranteed RAM frequency is 2400 MHz in overclocking mode. To organize memory operation in dual-channel mode, it is necessary to fill the slots of the same color.

To cool the Intel Z77 Express chip on the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard, a stylized aluminum heatsink is used. During testing, the heatsink reached a temperature of 42ºC, this is a typical temperature for most modern motherboards, and can be considered quite acceptable.

Due to the capabilities of the Intel Z77 system logic, the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard has four SATA 3 Gb/s ports and two SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Two additional SATA 6 Gb/s ports, one of which is eSATA, are provided by the Marvel PCIe SATA controller. The SATA connectors are not turned to the side like the ASUS P8Z77-VE PRO, but are installed perpendicular to the board. In this regard, there is a high probability that access to them will be blocked by a long video card installed in the second slot.

The ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard has two PCI-E x16 slots, but only one of them is full-speed PCI Express 3.0. The second PCI-E x16 slot only works with 4 PCI Express 2.0 lanes. The use of only one PCI Express 3.0 slot and the operation of the second slot in PCI Express 2.0 mode clearly indicates that this is a simplified motherboard that is not designed for building graphics stations or a high-performance gaming computer. Of course, you can install even two dual-chip video cards, in which case AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX Technology will be used, but this will not give the desired performance increase. This configuration will most likely provide moral satisfaction from the installed two graphics accelerators. In addition, the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard has two more PCI-E x1 slots and three PCI slots for using expansion cards.

Since the Intel Z77 system logic set does not support the PCI bus, the operation of three PCI slots is implemented using the PCI Express to PCI bridge ASMedia ASM1083.

The ASUS P8Z77-V LE uses a fairly high-quality and widespread 8-channel Realtek ALC892 HDA codec as an audio codec, the front panel connector of which supports HDA and AC`97 formats.

To support two additional USB 3.0 interface ports, the ASMedia ASM1042 controller is used. This controller was previously used by ASUS in its motherboards. In total, the board has 6 USB 3.0 ports, four of which, controlled by the chipset, are located on the interface panel, and two more can be connected via an internal connector. There are 10 USB 2.0 ports, and only 2 of them are displayed on the interface panel.

According to established tradition, the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard also has an ASMedia ASM1442 chip, which is responsible for switching the video output between HDMI v1.3 and DVI ports.

To connect to the local network, the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard uses a Realtek RTL8111F gigabit network controller.

The Nuvoton NCT67790 chip controls the universal PS/2 port, system fans and provides monitoring.

Near the connectors for internal USB ports there is a “TPU” auto-overclocking function switch, and an “EPU” energy-saving technology switch is located near the processor socket. “MemOK!” button - a means of correcting errors in the operation of system memory in the event of overclocking or incomplete compliance of the module with specifications is located where logic dictates - near the RAM slots. The RAM power supply unit on the ASUS P8Z77-V LE has a two-phase design.

The main digital processor voltage converter complies with the Intel VRD 12.5 standard. It is noteworthy that polymer-type capacitors and chokes with ferrite cores are used. Cooling of the power supply is improved through the use of a radiator with a sufficiently large dissipative surface. The area of ​​the dissipating surface is increased due to the strong fins of the radiator. However, only the most loaded part of the power elements is cooled.

Power is supplied to the processor through an 8-pin EPS12V connector, which is designed to handle more current than a typical 4-pin ATX12V connector.

The DIGI+ VRM ASP1105 chip manufactured by CHiL Semiconductor Corp is used as a PWM controller for the power supply, thanks to which the 9-phase converter complies with the latest Intel VRD12.5 specification.

The interface panel of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard has the following ports:

PS/2 (keyboard/mouse)

• optical S/PDIF,

  RJ45 connector for network connections,

  six connectors for 8-channel audio.

There are only four fan connectors on the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard. Three four-pin, one of which is for connecting a processor fan. The rest are used to connect case fans. Plus there is another three-pin connector.

UEFI BIOS

On the ASUS P8Z77-V LX motherboard, as well as on other solutions based on the Intel Z77 Express system logic, UEFI is used as a preloader, in which settings can be selected using just a mouse.

By going to the “AI Tweaker” section with settings for overclocking and optimizing the system, you can note a long list of a variety of options that are responsible for the frequency, supply voltage and even the operating mode of the power converter. In general, the number of settings in GEFI, traditionally for ASUS, cannot but rejoice.

The settings required for overclocking are summarized in the table:

Parameter	Menu name	Range
Processor technologies	C1E, EIST, Virtualization Technology, Multi-Threading Intel Turbo Boost Mode
System bus frequency	BLCK/PCIE Frequency	80 – 300 MHz
Turbo Boost frequency multiplier	Core Ratio Limit
Memory divider	Memory Frequency	800, 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866, 2133, 2400
Maximum graphics core frequency		1100 – 3000 MHz
RAM Latency	DRAM Timing Control	CAS Latency, RAS to CAS, RAS PRE, RAS ACT, COMMAND Mode, RAS to RAS, REF Cycle, DRAM Refresh, WRITE Recovery, READ to PRE, FOUR ACT WIN, WRITE to READ, CKE Minimum, CAS Write, RTL (CHA ), RTL (CHB), tWRDR, tRWDR, tRWSR, tRR, tRRSR, tWW(DD), tWW(DR), tWWSR
CPU multiplier
Power limitation during long acceleration	Long Duration Power Limit
Duration of long acceleration	Long Duration Maintained
Power limitation during short-term acceleration	Short Duration Power Limit
Main current limit	Primary Plane Current Limit	0,125 – 1023,875
Secondary current limit	Secondary Plane Current Limit	0,125 – 1023,875
CPU supply voltage	CPU Manual Voltage
Graphics core voltage, V	iGPU Manual Voltage
Voltage on memory modules, V
Northbridge voltage

Overclocking the processor on a motherboard with the Intel Z77 chipset, as well as on the Intel Z68, is supposed to be done using multipliers. The frequencies of the SATA and PCIE buses are tied to the system bus frequency. Therefore, increasing the BCLK frequency very quickly leads to a loss of stability.

The memory frequency multiplier allows you to set the frequency from 800 MHz to 2400 MHz.

In addition to overclocking the processor and memory, the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard is capable of overclocking the graphics core built into the processor in 50 MHz steps from 1100 MHz to 3000 MHz.

You can also configure timings (delays) and sub-timings (minor delays) of RAM “manually” in the “DRAM Timing Control” section.

The power management settings allow you to set voltages in fairly small increments over a fairly large range.

Settings for managing various processor technologies and functions are collected in the “CPU Configuration” section.

You can select the data transfer speed on the PCI-Express x16 bus. You can set the compliance to PCI Express x16 2.0 or PCI Express x16 3.0.

UEFI also has a separate monitoring section, where you can monitor:

temperature of the motherboard and processor;

rotation speed of the processor cooler and four case fans;

processor core voltage;

voltage on the power line is +12 V, +5 V and +3.3 V.

The RAM supply voltage readings are still missing.

In addition, in this section you can enable the automatic control function of the CPU Q-Fan Control processor cooler and case fans, which have different intensity modes.

Utilities

Overclocking the system and changing the supply voltage of various components can be done using the ASUS TurboV EVO utility. The utility has an intuitive interface.

A unique feature, typical mainly for ASUS motherboards, is the ability to configure the operating mode of the processor power stabilizer.

With a discrete video adapter installed, we tested the capabilities of overclocking the processor in the “Auto Tuning” tab. Auto overclocking can also be activated using settings in EFI and a switch on the motherboard.

The result obtained is 4386 MHz. This is an excellent result for auto overclocking.

Overclocking in manual mode is good, but the difference with automatic overclocking is minimal. Another confirmation of excellent board optimization.

Testing

The following equipment was used to test the capabilities of motherboards:

CPU	Intel Core i5-2500K (LGA1155, 3.3 GHz, L3 6 MB) Turbo Boost: enable C1E:enable
	Scythe Kama Angle Rev.B
RAM	2x DDR3-2000 1024 MB Kingston HyperX KHX16000D3T1K3/3GX
Video card	MSI R4850-2D1G-OC (Radeon HD 4850, 1 GB GDDR3, PCIe 2.0)
HDD	Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS, 500 GB, SATA-300, NCQ
Optical drive	ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA
power unit	Seasonic SS-650JT Active PFC (650 W, 120 mm fan)
	CODEGEN M603 MidiTower (2x 120 mm in/out fans)

Test results:

The performance level of the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard is practically no different from other test participants. Reducing the cost of the motherboard did not affect its performance in any way.

Testing the audio path based on the Realtek ALC892 codec

Overall results (RightMark Audio Analyzer)

16-bit, 44.1 kHz

The Realtek ALC892 audio codec is very different good quality audio signal processing, especially if there is high-quality wiring. On the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard, the sound subsystem also showed very good test results. It is quite suitable for building a multimedia system.

conclusions

The ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard is an excellent basis for an inexpensive, but reliable and productive home computer. If you install one powerful video card in it, you can get a functional and modern gaming computer. But as the basis for an office computer, it would be more appropriate to use motherboards based on Intel H77 Express system logic.

This motherboard is built on a powerful Intel Z77 Express chipset and has good overclocking potential, has a high-quality element base and a high-quality audio codec, and its functionality is expanded with additional controllers. All this makes it a good basis for a mid-level home PC. If we compare ASUS P8Z77-V LE with the more expensive ASUS P8Z77-V PRO, then the main differences will be small:

The PRO version has two high-speed PCI-E x16 slots versus one in ASUS P8Z77-V LE, which allows you to create more rational video card tandems;

The LE uses a slightly simplified power supply unit, including 9 phases versus 16, while some of the power transistors do not have a heatsink;

ASUS P8Z77-V LE does not have a wireless module Wi-Fi networks GO!

At the same time, the difference in cost between ASUS P8Z77-V LE and ASUS P8Z77-V PRO at the time of writing was about $60. Thus, if you do not plan to build NVIDIA SLI or AMD CrossFireX configurations, are not into serious overclocking for constant use of the PC in accelerated mode, and do not have an urgent need for a proprietary wireless module, then the ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard will be a more rational choice.

ASUS for the motherboard provided for testing.

We express our gratitude to the companies Intel , Kingston , MSI And SeaSonic for the equipment provided for the test bench.

Article read 55349 times

Subscribe to our channels