With the Sabertooth X79, ASUS shows the latest TUF-Series motherboard which is based on Intels upcoming X79 chipset. For example the Thermal Rader is quite an interesting feature which allows users to monitor temperatures all over the board and adjust fan speeds accordingly. 
The Sabertooth X79 belongs to ASUS' TUF-series motherboards regarding which the manufacturer focuses on the boards durability. As always we're very curious what this thing is capable of from a layout and design perspective.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Specifications / Delivery
| CPU | Upcoming Intel CPUs |
| Chipset | Intel X79 |
| Memory | Upcoming multi channel memory interface |
| Multi-GPU | Supports NVIDIA Quad-GPU SLI Technology Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX Technology |
| Slots | 3 x PCIe x16 (Dual at x16/x16, Triple
at x 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 1 x PCI |
| Audio | Realtek ALC892, 7.1 Channel |
| Storage | 2 x SATA 6 Gb/s port (Intel RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) 4 x SATA 3 Gb/s port (Intel RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) 2 x SATA 6 Gb/s port (Marvell 912 1 x Power eSATA 6 Gbps port (ASMedia 1061) 1 x eSATA 6 Gb/s port (ASMedia 1061) |
| I/O internal / Connectors | 1 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 connector supports
additional 2 USB 3.0 / 2.0 ports 4 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 connectors support additional 8 USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports 4 x SATA 6 Gb/s connecotrs 4 x SATA 3 Gb/s connectors 1 x CPU Fan connector 1 x CPU OPT fan connector 4 x Chassis Fan connectors 1 x Assistant Fan connector 1 x PCH Fan connector 1 x Front panel audio connector 1 x COM connector 1 x S/PDIF Out header 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector 1 x 8-pin EATX 12V Power connector 1 x System Panel (Q-Connector) 1 x MemOK! button 1 x Clear CMOS jumper |
| I/O external | 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s) 1 x Optical S/PDIF Output port 1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button 1 x Power eSATA 6 Gb/s port 1 x eSATA 6 Gb/s port 1 x FireWire Port 1 x Gigabit LAN 4 x USB 3.0/2.0 port 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 port 1 x 8-channel Audio I/O port |
| Formfactor | ATX (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm) |
| BIOS | 64Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS GUI |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Regarding the delivery you find everything you need. Next numerous manuals there is a SLI bridge, SATA cables, a Q-connector as well as an I/O shield. The one thing we mess is the CrossFire bridge.
Features
| TUF Thermal Armor | The TUF Thermal Armor is a thermal design for the entire motherboard, not just for selected critical areas. It safeguards the system against hot air generated by connected cards and components, keeping temperatures low. With its integrated shunt design, the Thermal Armor improves air circulation, directing it towards important components. It effectively conducts hot air away and out of the case through special airflow channels, contributing to enhanced system stability and extending component lifespan. |
| TUF Thermal Radar | The TUF Thermal Radar monitors temps in critical parts of the motherboard in real time, automatically adjusting fan speeds to make sure the system maintains high stability without overheating. It consists of multiple sensors for various components on the motherboard, giving users the ability to monitor each one individually. The Thermal Radar automatically calculates ideal fan speeds based on different parameters selected by users for each component, keeping everything cooler and longer lasting. |
| ASUS Update | Allows us to check and update the latest available BIOS directly from ASUS website. |
| ASUS FAN Xpert | FAN Xpert allows you to adjust both the CPU and chassis fan speeds according to different ambient temperatures and your PC's system loading. The various fan profiles affer flexible controls of fan speed to achieve a quiet and cool system environment. |
| ASUS MyLogo | Allow you to change the POST Logo at system startup with any pic you want. |
| SSD Caching | According to ASUS SSD caching can boost your system performance by a factor of three. Therefore it uses a small SSD as a caching drive and all the small data is being put onto the SSD which offers way more IOPS than a hard drvie. |
| ASUS DIGI+ VRM | Meanwhile ASUS also provides its boards with digital power designs. Using the the right software, in this case ASUS DIGI+ VRM Utility it is not only possible to adjust voltages whilst being in Windows on can now also control impedances. |
| ASUS TPU | As soon as one activates the TPU this chips monitors all possible voltages and clock speeds using the according software. The difference to the EPU is that TPU will provide as much performance as possible. Therefore it can increase clock speeds and voltages. |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Layout
The Sabertooth X79 comes in the typcial military look, which ASUS provides their TUF series motherboards with. Therefore the manufacturer uses colors like olive-green, black and grey. Generally it is the goal to achieve a look that automatically suggests that this is a high quality and "tough" product. Like the predecessors this model also comes with cooling blocks made from ceramic. Altogether ASUS succeeded in generating a homogenous look but one really needs to like the color scheme and we think that not everybody will enjoy the military looks.
ASUS provided their latest TUF-series motherboard with a digital power design, whereas the CPU gets eight phases and the memory gets two phases. Looking at the capacitors themselves you'll find ML caps around the CPU socket. These multilayer polymer capacitors offer advantages over ceramic capacitors. Therefore super ML caps remain stable under regular as well as AC voltage, doesn't have an aging mechanism and are resilient under thermal shock.
Totally you'll find eight DIMM-slots on the ASUS Sabertooth X79. Officially supported are DDR3 1866 / 1600 / 1333 / 1066 MHz with up to 64 Gigabyte capacity. There is enough space to install a big aircoolers and they shouldn't interfere with memory.
The current converters are being held at adequate temperatures via a passive heatpipe cooling solution. There are two separate cooling blocks covering the area which are connected via a heatpipe. The southbridge got a cooling block too, which has not been integrated into the heatpipe loop of the VRM but therefore comes with a small fan. The fact that the cooling blocks around the CPU socket aren't too big makes it comfortable to install a big aircooler. We also noticed the very high manufacturing quality of the cooling blocks and their weight which is quite immense.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Anschlüsse und I/O
Totally ASUS equipped the Sabertooth X79 with eight angled SATA ports which should be enough for any office PC or gaming system. Unfortunately you won't find practical onboard power- and reset-buttons. ASUS also didn't equip the Sabertooth X79 with a debug display which would have been useful if you should once have issues with one of the components in your system. It is quite common that the last PCI-Express x16 slot is also the expansion slot the closest to the bottom edge of the board. That has the consequence that the connectors at this place aren't accessible anymore. With the Sabertooth X79 you find this very scenario. Furthermore there are two PCI-Express x1 slots between the first two full size PCIe connectors. This means then if you should decide to build a multi card setup, there is plenty of space for the graphics cards to breathe.
Totally you'll find seven fan headers on the ASUS Sabertooth X79 which is more than enough, to provide a well equipped midrange or even a high-end-system with fresh air. The fanheaders are located around the CPU and their also spread over the whole board which makes them easily accessible from any position in an enclosure. Furthermore all the fans connected to the different fan headers can be controled via the software you use for the thermal radar.
Looking at the external connectors directly at the back-panel ASUS equipped the Sabertooth X79 with two USB 3.0/2.0 ports, ten USB 2.0 port, two eSATA 3 Gbps ports, one gigabit ethernet port, one firewire port and an analogue audio panel as well as an optical out.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
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Fazit
| Allgemein | + | - | |
| The Sabertooth X79 generally is an interesting board. In combination with a down-draft CPU cooler this motherboard will be cooled very efficiently. This will, as a consequence, extend the components lifespan. With the "Thermal Radar" the Sabertooth X79 offers good possibilities to control the temperatures and airflow in your case. Using the corresponding software one can control the fans connected to the board and therefore realize highly efficient cooling. | - Design - Cooling concept |
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| Layout | + | - | |
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Generally the ASUS Sabertooth X79s layout is well thought. Once more very practical are the angled SATA connectors. Unfortunately there are no practical power/reset buttons onboard and also for a debug LED you'd be looking in vain. Unfortunately the last expansion slots is a PCI-Express x16 slot, which means that if you choose to install a dual slots graphics card at this place you're going to cover the connectors at the bottom edge of the board. On the other hand there are two slots between the PCIe-x16 slots which means that an SLI or CrossFire setup will get a perfect environment when it comes to cooling. |
- Angled SATA connectors - Two slots between first two PCIe-x16 slots |
- No Power/Reset-Button onboard - NoDebug display - PCI-Express x16 as last slot |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 2 - Specifications / Delivery | Page 5 - Conclusion |
| Page 3 - Layout |
Discuss this article in the forums
Author: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch