Seems like a really good price, the average on staticice is around $200.
It was recommended on Linus' video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jDXbYuNf_s) which is what prompted me to look it up.
Z97 is newer, but the Asus Z97-A is over $180 so this deal was too good to pass up.
Clicking the stock availability tab shows the stores that have it. I ended up ordering from SA Online as there was no stock in NSW. Shipping was around $12.
You can check stock with the "Stock Availability" tab, it's in stock at a few other stores too.
Thanks for that. I don't usually expect much of the MSY site.
You can use the USB Flashback function to flash to newer BIOS.
This board doesn't appear to support USB Flashback, so you would need to double check CPU compatibility before buying
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z87A/specifications/
http://www.asus.com/microsite/2014/MB/New_4th_gen_Intel_proc…
You can use the USB Flashback function to flash to newer BIOS.
You don't need that rubbish.
ASUS EZ Flash (old look; UEFI look) should be able to read ROM files stored on any of the motherboard's attached hard drives.
Even my spare PC's old X58 Sabertooth can flash the BIOS from a ROM file stored on the system drive (C:). You just boot into the ASUS EZ Flash Utility and browse for the file (generally saving it in the root directory of the drive is the best bet).
The only easier option is the one I've seen on HP Workstation boards that can flash BIOS ROMs from inside Windows via HPQFlash and even change BIOS settings from inside Windows.
Older boards like this will most likely come with older BIOS revisions meaning it might not be compatible with Haswell Refresh CPUs like a 4690K.
Using an incompatible CPU = not being able to POST, therefore not being able to update the BIOS in a conventional way
USB Flashback allows flashing the BIOS without needing a CPU at all, although this board doesn't even support the said feature.
Good point, according to this link, revision 2.00.02 added support for Haswell Refresh in 24/07/2014 so it is likely old stock will be on an older BIOS version.
Then again, this is an older motherboard that significantly predates Haswell Refresh, so the amount of buyers who will be putting Haswell Refresh CPUs into Z87 mobos, I'm not sure is something to be concerned about.
Is this the cheapest board that has more than one x16 pcie slot that runs at at least x8x8?
no, Gigabyte G1-SNIPER-M5 (Z87 mATX) is cheaper @ $89. with another 10% off it's a very good deal but only in stock at Ultimo. If you plan to SLI bottom card might interfere with front panel cable (due to the 16x/8x pci-e layout). Also this will require BIOS update for new haswell cpu. check out the owner's thread here
mATX dosn't suit everyone
If going SLI/Xfire it's probably best to get an ATX mobo for the extra slot of space between the GPUs. The top GPU usually becomes air starved and it's pretty common to have it 10~20C hotter than the bottom GPU.
Thanks, I missed the $99 Gryphon deal way back so looks like this will be a decent alternative if there isn't any hardware problems.
I agree but the m5 might be the only matx mb out there with pcie 16x/8x located at slot 1 and 4 so the end result might be the same. This is why I didnt mention it as a limitation.
If you plan to buy this board, probably shouldn't look at the reviews on newegg or amazon
Hello
looking for a system build that can take 16 gb or more ram possibly 32 gb. want to run sap hana in memory db
CPU is not too important but good to go with newer, any suggestions
The $200 price you're seeing on SI is outdated. The newer Z97-A is selling for $188 at MSY.
If you're trying to save money on a build by using and older, yet decent board then this is a good deal.
You can use the USB Flashback function to flash to newer BIOS.
Also, it seems to only show under their Clayton store (Pickup in-store only from what I see on their site), so you may want to amend OP with this info.