Joined on 03/04/13
The speed.
Pros: 802.11AC. Bluetooth
Cons: None
Overall Review: I don't always use wifi, but when I do, I prefer 802.11ac.
It's sort of improved?
Pros: - Budget Friendly - Z97 Chipset - M.2 Sata Express - It's primarily black - Intel Ethernet port - Overclocked ram from 1600 to 2400 with 1.64v. (Although this is more likely to depend on the Integrated Memory Controller on your processor, as well as the ram itself) - Error code readout on board as well as power button.
Cons: - The audio chip is in a questionable position. The problem with it being at the bottom of the board is an analog audio signal is more prone to interference with other components which can result in background noise. With it having to travel further, it more likely to be a problem. There is a reason they're placed on the far left side of a motherboard near the IO on most other motherboards. Luckily I haven't noticed too much excess noise. - The straight sata connectors may conflict with a 2nd GPU. It seems to be spaced enough that it would probably only conflict with 2.5 or 3 slot cards.
Overall Review: My last review may have been done without enough use of the product. It has gained some points as I have used it more. According to the ECS website, the motherboard apparently now supports SLI. In contrary to the email I received that said SLI support wasn't a thing they were looking at adding. I still question this because there hasn't been a bios update since the board was released, or any other driver updates for that matter.
It's low voltage ram.
Pros: It works, what more could you expect from ram.
Cons: RAM is still pricey.
Simple
Pros: Easy to insert 2.5" drive
Cons: Lots of plastic and not the best build quality. Only time will tell if it's durable.
It's a laptop
Pros: - Pretty nice screen with small bezels. Touch screen is a bonus - Was practically new. - Still has 3 month warranty (In Canada at least) regardless of being "refurbished" - Disassembles incredibly easy.
Cons: - Wireless adapter wasn't position under the typical access panel on the bottom. Requires near complete disassemble to access. On a plus it's quite easy compared to other laptops. - Only one ram slot??? - Not compatible with a Crucial M500 SSD??? - Doesn't like to boot off a USB drive when in UEFI boot mode. - Doesn't support legacy boot mode without a bios update.
Overall Review: So essentially, It worked out of the box with the stock hard drive, but because I wanted to put in an SSD, (one that doesn't seem to be compatible), and reinstall windows 8.1 off a usb drive, (which it doesn't seem to want to do) and install an 802.11ac wireless adapter, (which requires disassembly) I didn't have a very fun time.
One year later...
Pros: - It looked nice. - It had decent features compared to other boards.
Cons: - Broke after one year, Asus asked for $120 to fix it. - Incredibly over priced for what you get. You end up paying for all the R&D that ASUS spends on stuff like AI Suite and ROG Supreme FX audio. Which is just a Realtek audio codec with a fancy name. AI Suite is the slowed lamest piece of software I ever used. - The PCI lanes are mind boggling. I pay over $200 and all I get is the x16 3.0 lane supported by the Z87 chipset, and only half of the 2.0 lanes supported by Z87? Where the heck is the other 4 lanes?
Overall Review: Sent away for an RMA, Asus emails me asking for $120 dollars to fix it. $120 to fix a 1 year old $210 motherboard. I'm not about to put over $330 into a already over priced Sh!tfest. Get real ASUS.