ASUS has really outdone themselves with the Z97-A. As an entry-level option for Intel's Z97, the Z97-A is packed full of features that might make many other boards blush. It's hard to quantify everything that's here; the sheer number of goodies I personally appreciate is simply too long. If you want a good Z97 board, you don't need to look anywhere else.

If this is the new picture of what entry-level products will be from this point forward, we, as consumers, should all rejoice. Nothing except for a few cables in the box have been left out, and given the scarcity of SATA Express drives at popular retailers, neither will really impact the Z97-A itself. This board is quite intelligently designed, in a way which tells me you are simply asking for too much if you find it lacking.

With a $120 dent left in your wallet after buying this board, one really has to wonder what you get for that extra $200 or so you might pay for a top-tiered board. You may get more drive connectivity, more USB ports, maybe a different slot arrangement that suits your needs better, and you get some esthetics since the ASUS Z97-A is really lacking those. Its brown PCB is detestable. I'd much rather pay an additional $10 for a nicely blacked-out PCB, but what are you waiting for if that doesn't worry you because you use a case without a windowed side panel? You should buy this board, RIGHT NOW!!