LGA1155 Intel® 3rd/2nd Generation Processors Ready
This motherboard supports Intel® 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor-based platform and 2nd generation Core™ i7 / i5 / i3 / Pentium® / Celeron® processors, with iGPU, memory and PCI Express controllers integrated to support onboard graphics output with dedicated chipsets, 2-channel (2 DIMM) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 3.0/2.0 lanes. This provides great graphics performance. Intel® 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor-based platform and 2nd generation Core™ i7 / i5 / i3 / Pentium® / Celeron® processors are among the most powerful and energy efficient CPUs in the world.
PCIe 3.0 Ready
PCI Express® 3.0 (PCIe 3.0) is the latest PCI Express bus standard with improved encoding schemes that provide twice the performance of current PCIe 2.0. Total bandwidth for a x16 link reaches a maximum of 32GB/s, double the 16GB/s of PCIe 2.0 (in x16 mode). As such, PCIe 3.0 provides users unprecedented data speeds, combined with the convenience and seamless transition offered by complete backward compatibility with PCIe 1.0 and PCIe 2.0 devices. PCIe 3.0 will become a must-have feature for users who wish to improve and optimize graphic performance, as well as have the latest technology available to them.
Intel® Z77 Express Chipset
The Intel® Z77 Express Chipset is a single-chipset design to support socket 1155 Intel® 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor-based platform and 2nd generation Core™ i7/i5/i3/Pentium®/Celeron® processors. It provides improved performance by utilizing serial point-to-point links, allowing increased bandwidth and stability. Additionally, Z77 chipset provides 4 USB 3.0 ports for 10 times faster data retrieval speed. Moreover, Intel® Z77 Express Chipset can also enable iGPU function, letting users enjoy the latest Intel® integrated graphic performance.
Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM
Digital Power Design: The New Standard
The world’s first Dual Intelligent Processors from ASUS pioneered the use of two onboard chips - EPU (Energy Processing Unit) and TPU (TurboV Processing Unit). The new generation of Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM provides precise Vcore PWM, integrated graphics voltages and frequency module adjustments with minimal power loss through BIOS tuning and an exclusive user interface to increase the board’s overclocking range while performance reaches its full potential. ASUS DIGI+ VRM digital power design empowers users with superior flexibility and perfect precision to ensure optimized performance, extreme system stability and greater power efficiency.
DIGI+ VRM
Herald the Arrival of a New Digital Power Design Era
VRM, or voltage regulator modules, are considered among the most essential motherboard design components. They supply the voltage demanded by the CPU, and a good VRM must intelligently detect actual CPU power draw to provide precise power accordingly. ASUS DIGI+ VRM is an innovative, industry-leading technology that fully integrates Intel® VRD12 specifications on a native level, greatly enhancing power to go far beyond the limits of analog designs.
TPU
The Ultimate Turbo Processor
Unleash your performance with ASUS' simple onboard switch or AI Suite II utility. The TPU chip offers precise voltage control and advanced monitoring through Auto Tuning , GPU Boost and TurboV functions. Auto Tuning offers a user friendly way to automatically optimize the system for fast, yet stable clock speeds, while TurboV enables unlimited freedom to adjust CPU frequencies and ratios for optimized performance in diverse situations.
EPU
Energy Efficiency All Around
Tap into the world's first real-time PC power saving chip through a simple onboard switch or AI Suite II utility. Get total system-wide energy optimization by automatically detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power consumption. This also reduces fan noise and extends component longevity!
USB 3.0 Boost
Faster USB 3.0 Transmission with UASP
New ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology supports UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol), the latest USB 3.0 standard. With USB 3.0 Boost technology, a USB device's transmission speed is significantly increased up to 170%, adding to an already impressive fast USB 3.0 transfer speed. ASUS software automatically accelerates data speeds for compatible USB 3.0 peripherals without the need for any user interaction.
World’s 1st USB 3.0 UASP Support – 170% faster instantly
Complete USB 3.0 Solution – Performance boost for most USB devices
Simple Plug & Boost – Auto detection design ensures best performance always
USB BIOS Flashback
Simple Plug & Press - Hardware-based BIOS Flashback
A truly revolutionary hardware-based update solution. USB BIOS Flashback offers the most convenient way ever to update the BIOS! It allows users to update new UEFI BIOS versions even without hardware such as a CPU or DRAM installed into the motherboard. Just plug in a USB flash drive containing the BIOS file, and press the BIOS Flashback button for 3 seconds with the power supply connected. The UEFI BIOS will then automatically update without requiring further interaction. With its new, complementary Windows application, users can regularly check for UEFI BIOS updates and download the latest BIOS automatically. Hassle-free updating for the ultimate convenience!
UEFI BIOS (EZ mode)
Flexible and Easy BIOS Interface
ASUS UEFI BIOS offers a user-friendly interface that goes beyond traditional keyboard-only BIOS controls to enable more flexible and convenient mouse input. Users can easily navigate the UEFI BIOS with the smoothness of their operating system. Quick and simple overclocking and setup sharing is facilitated by the F12 hotkey BIOS snapshot feature. The exclusive EZ Mode displays frequently-accessed setup info, while the Advanced Mode is for experienced performance enthusiasts that demand far more intricate system control, including detailed DRAM information.
Supports Hard Drives over 2.2TB
ASUS UEFI BIOS natively supports hard drives larger than 2.2TB in 64-bit, with full storage space utilization helping deliver far more exciting computing than traditional BIOS versions.
AI Suite II
One-stop Access to Innovative ASUS Features
With its user-friendly interface, ASUS AI Suite II consolidates all the exclusive ASUS features into one simple to use software package. It allows users to supervise overclocking, energy management, fan speed control, voltage and sensor readings, and even interact with mobile devices via Wi-Fi. This all-in-one software offers diverse and ease to use functions, with no need to switch back and forth between different utilities.
LucidLogix Virtu MVP
Up to 60% Hybrid Graphics Boost and 3X Faster Video Conversion
LucidLogix Virtu MVP featuring HyperFormance™ Technology boosts your discrete graphics card up to 60% beyond its original performance through the test of 3DMark Vantage. Designed for Intel® processor graphics and Windows® 7 PCs, it perfectly combines the performance of discrete graphics cards with fast computing iGPU. Also with the newly designed Virtual Sync, users can enjoy a smoother gaming experience by eliminating tearing artifacts. LucidLogix Virtu MVP could also dynamically assign tasks to the best available graphics resource, based on power, performance and system load. This allows users to fully utilize 3x faster video conversion with Intel® Quick Sync Video technology while retaining high-end 3D rendering and gaming performance, provided by both NVIDIA® and AMD graphic cards. When the discrete graphics card is not required, power consumption goes automatically down to near zero, making the system more environmentally-friendly. For users searching for perfection, LucidLogix Virtu MVP provides great graphical performance and the best flexibility and efficiency.
DTS Connect
Expand Your PC Audio Experience
To get the most out of your audio entertainment across all formats and quality levels, DTS Connect combines two enabling technologies. DTS Neo:PC™ upmixes stereo sources (CDs, MP3s, WMAs, internet radio) into as many as 7.1 channels of incredible surround sound. Consumers can then connect their PC to a home theater system.DTS Interactive is capable of performing multi-channel encoding of DTS bitstreams on personal computers, and sending encoded bitstreams out of a digital audio connection (such as S/PDIF or HDMI) designed to deliver audio to an external decoder.
DTS UltraPC II
DTS UltraPC II delivers exceptional 7.1 surround through the most popular PC audio setups - your existing stereo speakers or headphones. In addition to virtual surround, it upgrades original sound to new levels with Audio Restoration, recreating the dynamic range of audio files. Symmetry mode improves the balance of perceived loudness across different input sources and Enhance boosts audio quality through high and low frequency equalization. With these technologies, users experience better home theater audio with ease.