Final Thoughts
The ASUS Z87-Expert motherboard is a great board that will appeal to many different people from gamers, to overclockers and even your typical user. First lets talk about the design of the board. I really am a fan of the black and gold color scheme that ASUS has gone with on this board and their entire mainstream line of Z87 motherboards. Being from Pittsburgh we love anything black and gold! The layout of the board and there really is not that much to complain about. The PCI-Express slots are spaced evenly, the SATA port and angled, there are more than enough fan connectors and they are in the right place and the debug LED and power button is in a great location.
The two main features that distinguish this board from others in ASUS’s mainstream line is the included 802.11n WiFi and Thunderbolt. Having WiFi on a motherboard is a plus, but ASUS takes it way beyond that. First off you have the ability to turn the WiFi into an access point so if you are getting internet via the Ethernet connection you can share that connection with other wireless devices. Also also packs their very userful WiFi GO! software with the Z87-Expert. This has a lot of useful apps to run remote desktop, transfer files and much more. With Thunderbolt you will have speeds 2x that of USB 3.0 for storage devices.
ASUS’s UEFI BIOS is very well thought out and is not very complicated at all, they even have a main screen for beginners that lists relevant information, allows you to select your XMP profile, change fan settings and your boot device. All in a graphical user interface that you can use your mouse with. Of course if you want to go into the advanced menu you can and everything is nicely organized. There really is not a single option that is hard to find. ASUS has also added features like the favorites page, quick note and last modified settings to the BIOS. Along with the BIOS you have the Ai Suite III software that will allow you to make many changes to your system without even having to go into the BIOS. On top of that it is loaded with very useful software and applications.
If you are in the need for a motherboard that has both WiFi and Thunderbolt the Z87-Expert is a great choice. Now ASUS’s own Z87-Pro is pretty much the same motherboard as this, but does not have WiFi or Thunderbolt. So if you don’t need those features save some money and get that board instead. Right now you can pick up the Z87-Expert at my favorite online retailer for $229.99. Overall ThinkComputers gives the ASUS Z87-Expert motherboard a 10 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– 802.11n WiFi and Thunderbolt
– Well thought out design
– UEFI BIOS
– Ai Suite III software
– Pretty solid for overclocking
– Its black and gold!
Cons:
– None that I found
