Pros: NONE!

Cons: EVerything! DOA! Nothing more to say. And after seeing there are dozens of people who had the same problem, I would not take my chances on this board. Go get something more reliable. This board should not be priced at what it is considering the high probability of it being DOA.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for sharing your experience with the Z170-E motherboard. Here at ASUS we take all customer feedback into close consideration. I'm sorry to hear about the issues you are experiencing. What are your hardware specifications? Is your CPU, memory, and power supply all in the qualified vendor list? After you have verified your parts, . Please make sure all your GPU connectors are firmly installed and that all your SATA drives are receiving power from your PSU. If you’re having issues getting your system to POST to BIOS, double check each cable on the motherboard including your 24pin/8pin power plug connectors. Clear CMOS. Use one memory module only. Remove GPU and other devices from board. Just leave the CPU and plug you monitor into the motherboard directly to check for POST. Once the system POSTs, proceed with a firmware update for the latest microcode for your CPU. If the issues persist, it would be best for you to provide us with your full list of parts for further analysis on QVL parts. If you need help with any technical questions or general inquiries, please contact me directly at cl-nestor@asus.com using N160386713 as reference to this case.

Thank you for choosing ASUS!

Best Regards,
-Nestor
ASUS Customer Loyalty – US Support

Pros: When it works, it works great.

Cons: BUYER BEWARE!!!

This is my 5th replacement on this board, ASUS had me pay for the shipping for the first time, then continued to pay the shipping back with a shipping label via Fedex.

I asked for my money back, I was told that wasn't an option; I feel lied to and will never go back to ASUS for any product after this one.













Original post:

Trusted company, previous motherboard lasted a while, works fine when working properly

Cons:

After only having the motherboard with new CPU installed for less than two weeks, the motherboard would not power on. I checked the connections to make sure nothing had changed (no new changes), tried switching the power button off and on to make sure the power was indeed flowing to it (motherboard still wouldn't turn on), and finally I tried unplugging and replugging the power supply cable. After replugging the cable, I flipped the power button on, and a loud POP occurred as a capacitor blew on the motherboard. Now the motherboard will maybe maintain power for 5 seconds before powering itself back off. This is completely unacceptable that a brand new motherboard would have capacitor issues after only two weeks of use, or at all! I have NEVER had a capacitor blow on a motherboard. This issue would never happen with an MSI motherboard. I am severely disappointed that I am now unable to use my computer, and am now left to go through the replacement process to get it fixed.

Other Thoughts:

I am putting in a RMA request now to get the motherboard replaced, but I am sure ASUS will demand that I pay the return shipping, costing me further money for a product that should be working without issue.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for sharing your ASUS experience. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this process has caused. Is your motherboard able to POST? What are you hardware specifications? Please try Clear CMOS and see if the board will POST. If it will not, pull one memory module and place the other stick in the slot furthest from the CPU and see if that helps. I would recommend flashing to the latest UEFI build (1604) if you can get the board to POST for the most recent microcode for your CPU . Which part of the motherboard did you hear a pop coming from? Please make sure to have direct airflow inside your chassis with cold air intake in and hot air exhausting out to protect your hardware from overheating. Please make sure to contact me with any associated RMA number so we can work together to get this issue resolved. If you have any further technical questions or general inquiries, please contact me at cl-nestor@asus.com using N160386137 as reference to your case.

Thank you for choosing ASUS

Best Regards,
-Nestor
ASUS Customer Loyalty - US Support​

Pros: Its really good for overclocking
has a 5 year warrant
Is very sturdy
Simple to setup

Cons: I do not like the color
is a bit overprice
I wouldn't recommend this motherboard unless you plan to overclock

Other Thoughts: if given the choice and I was on a budget I would have gotten a cheaper one. Or if I had the money get an intel motherboard.

Pros: Beautifully crafted motherboard, easily laid out, seamless operation and configuration. Quality components that make an obvious stand against the competition in just about every respect. Rock solid and reliable. Hands down one of the best motherboards that I have ever owned.

Cons: Nothing that I can really think of. The only so-called "con" may be the lack of sata cables that are in the kit.

Other Thoughts: As a CompTia A+ Certified IT Computer Repair Technician, I definitely recommend this product. Newegg's service and support is nothing short of exceptional and the best in the respective industry. The initial board I received was damaged due to a faulty power supply. Newegg's customer service immediately issued an RMA and had a replacement sent out in no time. Now my build is working perfectly and I can't be any happier.

Pros: It was awesome while it lasted. Worked for 6 months and then died. Then the Customer Service from HE(double hockey stick) happened.

(Update 3/16/16 - I have been using this refurbished motherboard for about 2 years and no other issues have arose. This company is an excellent company, if you make enough noise. I had to go through the Better Business Bureau for a month, multiple calls, multiple emails, arguing with upper management, for either a call with the tech that had my motherboard or a new motherboard. I got the phone call)

Cons: It has been 12 weeks since this died in late Oct 2014. ASUS's customer service has given me the run around for 12 weeks. Don't expect an easy fix with them.

The problem with the motherboard is that it verifies POST and then locks up on the TUFF BIOS screen. They say it's one of my components, if that's true then this motherboard is broken because POST is saying the components are okay.

Other Thoughts: Long story short, 12 weeks, 2 motherboards, 3 shipments to ASUS repair facility (a joke, they have no idea what they are doing, I picture monkeys in lab coats looking at my motherboard), and countless hours on the phone and emails.

They are a billion dollar corporation and they for some reason cannot send me a $179, new in the box, motherboard. They want us consumers to just give up instead of being helpful in anyway shape or form. They are a horrible company with horrible policies.

Update: After 2 years, 2 mother boards (Yes I bought the same one because it runs well with the 8-core processor I have), and a bunch of time I will leave you with 2 things.

1. Check all.....ALL components. The problem ended up being a USB dongle for my wireless keyboard and mouse. I did remove them during diagnosis on the first motherboard. There was something wrong with it so they sent me a refurbished motherboard. When the same problem happened to the new one, I failed to remove all of the USB components the second time around, assuming it was a faulty motherboard due to the same issue. Don't assume.

This process helped me learn a bit about hardware and customer service. There are 3 tiers in customer service. Level 1 are the people that can be anyone from the street, reading from a screen. These guys mostly don't know a lot about tech. Level 2 are the people that do know more than level 2 but not as much as level 3. These guys can answer most questions but don't have the "lab" to run tests. Level 3 guys are the ones that know the most and it takes awhile to get to these guys.

I gave this 3 more eggs because of the level 3 guy I talked to on the phone. I specifically asked them to call me and walk me through what they were doing so that we could recreate my problem I was having in my rig. This was my refirbished motherboard. He said nothing was wrong on his end. It boots fine. I had them send it back and that's when I found out it was my USB Dongle. I removed the USB dongle and my computer booted just fine. Needless to say I was extremely upset at myself.

So bought motherboard, motherboard died, something was wrong, received refurbished motherboard, still didn't work (USB Dongle), sent back in, sent back with "nothing wrong", sent back in, BBB contacted, emails, phone calls, finally received tech call, sent back, found out it was the USB dongle.

2. Check all components.

I didn't give them 5 eggs because I shouldn't have had to go through 2+ months of red tape to talk to a tech, even though the first time was their product failing and the second (with the same problem) time was mine.

Pros: - Managed to get a 5.1 ghz overclock on my amd 9370 in literally seconds, where my last two boards either didn't even get close to 5ghz, or crashed out at 4.6 ghz
- Very durable. I wasn't nice to it after some issues with the socket detailed below

Cons: - Upon first installation of the CPU, I noticed some odd grinding noise when closing the lock on the cpu socket, which turned out to be a seating issue. Simply dropping the cpu into the socket wasn't enough to get it in right, I had to really push down on it to the point I was sure I was going to break it. Maybe it was my fault, but it was a large source of stress in the first attempt at installation.

Other Thoughts: Other than the above mentioned issue I had with the board, this is by far the best board I've ever owned.

Pros: Great while it worked!

Cons: Like the millions of threads, posts, and reviews (many even here); I got the same CPU red LED light then power off. RMA to ASUS, they sent it back doing the exact same thing! So Im out my PC for two weeks and $14 to ship and no better!
Tested all my components on another rig; all worked perfectly. Used all components from the other rig; mobo did the exact same thing. Used known good components; 2x CPU's, 3x Video Cards, 3x PSU's.

Other Thoughts: Went with MSI on my new build and love it! Good bye ASUS, you've lost yet another customer. Good job!

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Newegg Customer,

We appreciate the feedback you have provided with your Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 motherboard. I'm sorry to hear about the issues you are experiencing. Where did you purchase your motherboard? It shows that you are not a verified purchaser. What are your hardware specs? Is your memory, and power supply all in the qualified vendor list? Please make sure all your parts are compatible with your motherboard located on the ASUS QVL before building your PC. What DIMM kit are you using? After you have verified your parts, please double check each cable on the motherboard including your 24pin/8pin power plug connectors. Please make sure all your GPU connectors are firmly installed and that all your SATA drives are receiving power from your PSU. If you have any further questions or inquires please feel free to contact me at cl-nestor@asus.com. For more information on qualified parts and compatible drivers please navigate to our ASUS Support Website https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_990FX/HelpDesk_Download/.

Thank you for choosing ASUS!

Best Regards,
-Nestor
ASUS Customer Loyalty - US Support

Pros: Plenty of room for the PCI slots.

Cons: Had to RMA the first board, would not even boot up. Ive been now using it for roughly a year and a half and whenever the power supply is unplugged and I go to plug it in to turn the computer on, it fails to boot. I have to remove the CMOS Battery and reset the CMOS every single time. CPU fan light on the mobo itself turns red. Not sure why. Only happens when fully unplugged. Simply turning the computer on and off doesn't change it. Once in a while I will be missing icons in the bottom right taskbar (Win 7). Devices wont post. Happens every now and then.

Other Thoughts: Seems pricey being this old. Next time Ill go with another reputable company. ASUS Usually doesn't fail me though.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for informing us on your experience with the Sabertooth 990fx R2 Motherboard. I'll be directing this feedback to the appropriate department for continuous improvements to this product. Do you recall which BIOS version presented the issue? For improved BIOS stability please make sure you update your UEFI to BIOS 1604. You can locate the .cap file on our ASUS Support website. https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_990FX/HelpDesk_Download/Please provide me with more details to your problems. If you have any questions, please contact me at cl-nestor@asus.com. You can use N160334598 on your email header to quickly reference this case.

Thank you for Choosing ASUS!

Best Regards,
-Nestor
ASUS Customer Loyalty - US Support

Pros: Rock solid performance. Overclocked my FX-8350 to 4.6 Ghz with just the multiplier and no bump in voltage. Runs BOINC science projects 24/7.

Cons: Ran with no problems for 3 years. Just this last January the first PCIeX16 slot would not support any graphics card under load. Still ran my other video card in PCIeX16 slot 4 with no issues. Also lost the audio output from the motherboard. A trip back to ASUS for warranty repair, (TUF warranty is 5 years - the rep first said it was only for 3 years until I set him straight) and got the repaired board back in about a week. Board works like new again. Pretty easy RMA and good response from ASUS.

Other Thoughts: Had heard of iffy RMA responses from ASUS lately and had doubts but my experience was very good. I will do business with ASUS in the future.

Pros: No pros that I'm aware of; product is a brick.

Cons: Got the mobo, hooked everything up, flipped the infamous power supply switch and the stand-by LED came on. Then hit the power switch and the CPU LED flashed once for a very brief second and that was it. Double checked all connections - they were all good. Checked processor, no bent pins. Put it back together and got the same thing. Processor was AMD FX 8650. I suspect the mobo as Google has a few experiencing the same issue with this mobo.

Manufacturer Response:

Greetings Steven M,

Thank you for sharing your experience and providing feedback with your Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 motherboard. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this process has caused. Can you please provide me with your hardware specification? What DIMM kit are you using? What type of PSU do you have installed? Is your memory, and power supply all in the ASUS qualified vendor list? Please make sure all your parts are compatible before building your PC. After you have verified your parts, please double check each cable on the motherboard including your 24pin/8pin power plug connectors. Please make sure all your GPU connectors are firmly installed and that all your SATA drives are receiving power from your PSU. If you want to test your motherboard outside of it's chassis to check for a short please make sure the motherboard is properly grounded and test all your hardware before putting it in your chassis. Please install 1-DIMM kit only to check for POST. If the motherboard isn't POSTing after further troubleshooting please make sure to contact your Place of Purchase for an exchange for a new motherboard. If you can please provide me with more details on this situation so we can take the appropriate steps to get this issues straightened out. If you need help with what you should do with your hardware before building, please contact me directly at cl-nestor@asus.com using N160322873 as reference to this case​

Thank you for choosing ASUS!

Best Regards,
-Nestor
ASUS Customer Loyalty - US Support