Since the release of the Z170 series of motherboards we have looked at numerous ASUS offerings. Everything from entry level -A, to the impressive Deluxe and even multiple Republic of Gamers motherboards. However, we have not taken a close look at one of ASUS? more popular lines: The Ultimate Force (TUF) series. As a perennial favorite amongst users who want durability above all else this oversight is rather glaringly obvious in hindsight. Today we fix this issue by reviewing the Z170 Sabertooth, what may be one of the best looking and arguably most advanced ASUS boards on the market today.

The idea behind TUF series motherboards is relatively straightforward: combine features usually only reserved for ASUS? high end mainstream consumer line, with a design that takes a page from the server side of the marketplace. These boards are tested to extreme levels and carry an extended warranty of 5 years (versus the 3 years of other boards), highlighting the confidence ASUS has in these products and we?ve experienced exactly that. One of our X58 Sabertooth boards was overclocked to extremely high levels and still lives on within a system we donated to a local charity all these years later.

In recent years the Sabertooth series has proven so popular that ASUS has felt the need to make two models intended for slightly different rice brackets: the Mark 1 and the Mark 2. The largest difference between these two models is the Mark I is intended for more enthusiast-grade users who can justify its asking price, whereas the Mark II is the more value-oriented model. At this time ASUS has not released a Z170 based Mark 2 (that may change soon) and as such we will only be putting the Mark 1 under the microscope today.