ASUS Sabertooth Z170 S Review
Introduction
There seems to be a never ending supply of ASUS motherboard variations. No sooner have we finished up reviewing one than there is another just waiting to be put through the mill.
Today’s offering is the Sabertooth Z170 S, a motherboard which takes the idea that we saw with the Z97 Sabranco and strips away the TUF Armor to provide a more affordable motherboard. However, this still – as you can see above – has the Arctic Digipat camouflage as well as plenty of tricks of its own to get your credit card finger twitching.
Regular readers will be only too aware of what the Z170 has up its sleeve and if you’re not a regular reader … WHERE’VE YOU BEEN?
Technical Specifications
The latest range of ASUS motherboards has been a triumph, with the formula (the method not the motherboard) of excellent power circuitry, fantastic BIOS and a distinctive aesthetic being honed to perfection. There might be a lot of variants but each of them has something to catch your eye and the Sabertooth Z170 S is no exception.
The power phases, always a vital part of any motherboard, have been given the full TUF treatment with alloy chokes, 10K CAPs and the ASUS trademark DIGI+ power control, ensuring that you have smooth power deliver with minimal droop whether you’re ticking along at stock or banging out the high-end overclocks. Add to that all the usual Z170 trimmings of USB 3.1, M.2 support, DDR4 capable of 3800MHz (OC) and enough PCI Express 3.0 slots to keep even the most ardent graphics whore happy, you know that the Sabertooth has got your back.
Just above the second PCI Express 3.0 slot is the ASUS TUF ICe chip. This processor monitors the temperatures and fan speeds to provide you the most accurate cooling around. Not only does it give you microfine control but, thanks to the Thermal Radar 2 you can monitor and control 11 fans. Eleven. That’s far more than the next best motherboard around and a boon to anyone demanding the maximum cooling performance. This is all linked in to the TUF Detective 2 software which allows you to wirelessly control your fans using your smart device. Perfect for the tech heads amongst us who just love a gadget to play with or want absolute control over every single fan in your system.
