Sabertooth P67 - Anyone buying?

loki7

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Messages
239
29169990.jpg

54769389.jpg


http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=ZYgjt71bzlh62Zk9

There hasn't been much discussion on this board despite Sandy's Sunday arrival.

Guru3D has reviewed it:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-sabertooth-p67-tuf-review/

The "tactical jacket' (plastic shroud covering the board) supposedly helps air flow, but Guru3D debunks it as mostly aesthetic. The appearance is love or hate. Personally, I like it. I plan to water cool my GPU and CPU come Sandy Bridge, and I think the shroud would look sick with black or white tubing and my Corsair 800D. Careful attention for compatible heatsinks and water blocks will need to be made though, I worry the shroud could interfere.

I also have a curiosity for the purpose of the Sabertooth series. ASUS develops these boards for durability and reliability with military-grade and certified electrical parts, namely the MOSFETs, solid state capacitors and alloy chokes. You can see the certifications here (under Qualified Vendor List).

The Sabertooth P67 is expected around $230. I just need to decide between this and the Maximus or Deluxe.
 
I'm either going with the Maximus IV or the Classified P67 for my watercooled build. Sabertooth was never built to be a super overclocker imo.
 
I'm either going with the Maximus IV or the Classified P67 for my watercooled build. Sabertooth was never built to be a super overclocker imo.

Idk about that, my x58 version does a damn good job at 4.4ghz
 
I actually want this board over the p67 DELUXE.

My only fear is connecting the 6950 crossfire. It's a big distance. And it doesn't come with a long cable... dunno what to do.
 
I actually want this board over the p67 DELUXE.

My only fear is connecting the 6950 crossfire. It's a big distance. And it doesn't come with a long cable... dunno what to do.

They make longer bridges:

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=crossfire+bridge+100mm
http://www.amazon.com/ATI-CrossFire-Interconnect-Bridge-Connecctor/dp/B003NLGR7I

Edit - one more (has positive reviews):
http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Bridge-08G160001230-nVidia-Video/dp/B0025VT6LQ/ref=pd_cp_e_2

And actually, come to think of it, you should be fine. Most people place their 2nd video card 2 slots down for adequate air flow and less heat. A normal bridge should work.
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I immediately discounted this board from my selection as I didn't want some stupid piece of plastic obstructing the view of my motherboard components. Sure it may look sleek, but if a capacitor is bulging I can't see it because its covered by plastic junk! Just my 2 cents.
 
I bought one for $8 off of eBay just in case. I rather be safe than sorry.

I like the "sleek shroud" look over the usual... nice change.
 
I immediately discounted this board from my selection as I didn't want some stupid piece of plastic obstructing the view of my motherboard components. Sure it may look sleek, but if a capacitor is bulging I can't see it because its covered by plastic junk! Just my 2 cents.

Yea, but given how rigorously tested to military-grade those caps are, I don't think they're going to burst. My main concern is dust.. because dust could flow and collect under the shroud.
 
Personally, I like it and it is in the top 3 of the P67 boards I'm looking at. There just aren't that many boards that appeal to me right now - it's this, the Maximus IV or the P67 Classified (though I'm not thrilled with this latest revision of the otherwise awesome Classified lineup).

One thing I notice right off the bat however is that only one fan header is visible - are all of the others covered under the Tact jacket? If so, that's not too useful.
 
Yea, but given how rigorously tested to military-grade those caps are, I don't think they're going to burst. My main concern is dust.. because dust could flow and collect under the shroud.

That is a very good point you bring up, and I didn't consider the fact that the military grade components might not be as susceptible to that. I guess the skeptic in me keeps viewing 'military grade' as the next big thing in marketing terms and i'm not sure how much I actually believe they're better.

Also you bring up another excellent point on the dust. I could definitely see it getting clogged up under there and completely impeding the airflow. Awesome input!
 
You have to clean a motherboard anyway for dust don't you? Just inspect and clean if necessary. I'm sure you can pop it off.
 
I like the board. Dust is a concern for me, though, and the price tag is a bit much for me. I'm trying to justify the difference between $110 P67 boards and $200+ P67 boards when you are OC'ing in Windows now and just changing multis and volts.
 
That is a very good point you bring up, and I didn't consider the fact that the military grade components might not be as susceptible to that. I guess the skeptic in me keeps viewing 'military grade' as the next big thing in marketing terms and i'm not sure how much I actually believe they're better.

I tend to believe the military-grade certifications, [H]ardOCP has done Sabertooth reviews and they've talked about said certifications. I linked the P67 Sabertooth certifications in my first post, they look legit.

2.jpg


The smaller ones (that aren't bulging) are solid state.

Also you bring up another excellent point on the dust. I could definitely see it getting clogged up under there and completely impeding the airflow. Awesome input!

The theory behind the air flow according to ASUS is the CPU cooler directs air under the shroud and out the side ducts.

thermalarmorpic.jpg


The problem is.. I plan to water cool, so there's no air flow via CPU. Dust that settles isn't going anywhere.

You have to clean a motherboard anyway for dust don't you? Just inspect and clean if necessary. I'm sure you can pop it off.

That's a lot of work just to dust. :D Assuming water cooling, I'd have to disassemble everything to take the shroud off. Even without water cooling, have to dismount the CPU cooler (most likely). Maybe I can get a fan filter and cut it into small rectangles to cover the ducts.

I'm probably thinking too much into it, my case is rarely dusty to begin with fan filters and a clean room.
 
Yeah... I don't know... I thought about the dust but I want it so much.

There's a fan that you can attach to the sheath in the middle that would blow out dust, no?
 
Yeah... I don't know... I thought about the dust but I want it so much.

There's a fan that you can attach to the sheath in the middle that would blow out dust, no?

I didn't think about that, but then the fan would be visible and the clean passive look of my water cooled motherboard tarnished. :(
 
No I think it goes inside the shroud. Look at the middle compartment. You place it "inside" - you don't see it.
 
No I think it goes inside the shroud. Look at the middle compartment. You place it "inside" - you don't see it.

I'm not sure a fan would fit inside there with the lid closed, the Northbridge should already have some sort of flush passive heatsink on it.
 
I taking a U turn on SB now.

I see one change that has not had much mentione yet.

Traditionally when overclocking you sacrifice a lot of energy efficiency and temperature. Because people typically disable turbo mode etc.

It seems on this SB you can set a low idle clock and control the turbo mode, which makes much more sense. I would assume also it means can keep idle voltage low. I still wont be buying SB :) but is a good advancement in overclocking.
 
The shroud is nice, seems like a good spot for a vinyl or decal. Also with all parts installed the colored bits will likely be blocked, making for a color neutral system.
 
I think that stupid plastic cover covering the entire motherboard looks kinda stupid, does it really provide better cooling or whatever?
 
I think that stupid plastic cover covering the entire motherboard looks kinda stupid, does it really provide better cooling or whatever?

Depends if you use it or not, it seems:

Thermal_Armor_pic.jpg


This design seems to be aimed towards coolers that blow downwards. The goal is to push air underneath the "thermal armor" and direct it towards components that needs cooling.

As alternative, you can also use a fan that blows air underneath the "thermal armor". Here [H] has a closeup of this fan slot:
1289829853cO4uHyD5zi_1_2_l.jpg


The holes seems to be closed. I think the cover might be good towards air blowing towards the MB as well, since there will be less air resistance and thus better airflow towards GPU and such.

But, I think the general idea is to use a CPU cooler that blows downwards, or use an optional fan in the slot.

I'm eyeing this MB as well. :)
 
I'm either going with the Maximus IV or the Classified P67 for my watercooled build. Sabertooth was never built to be a super overclocker imo.

Really? I mean is it so hard to raise the multiplier? :rolleyes:

Unless you are trying to get another 100mhz in an overclocking competition. I see no evidence that the sabertooth wont be able to clock as high as classified or anything else.

Do you get better quality voltage regulators and other parts? probably. Any mid to high range board should overclock the same with new K series processor.
 
I thought that they added a pull up door for direct nb cooling. correct me if I'm wrong. I follow this for gaming. My old [h]ocp account email is gone. School email changes.
 
I thought that they added a pull up door for direct nb cooling. correct me if I'm wrong. I follow this for gaming. My old [h]ocp account email is gone. School email changes.

According to ASUS PR, they made the "Thermal Armor" to cool the whole MB and not just selected components:

Total Airflow-Boosting Heat Dissipation
The TUF Thermal Armor is the world’s first ever thermal design for the entire motherboard, not just for select critical areas. It safeguards the system against hot air generated by connected cards and components, keeping temps down. With its sophisticated and agile integrated shunt design, the Thermal Armor improves cool air circulation, directing it towards every important part for a complete motherboard cool down. It effectively conducts hot air away and out of the case through special airflow channels, contributing to enhanced system stability and extending component lifespan.
http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=ZYgjt71bzlh62Zk9

So, I assume that since Asus calls this "assistant fan" in their specs, its made to assist doing just that, cooling the entire motherboard.

We'll be using it to cool NB though if we ever need to use it. :p
 
was giving this board serious consideration until I realized it has 6 sata ports and I need 8..
 
the sata port count seems low compared to p55. looks due to them sacrificing 2 internal ports for e-sata.
 
was giving this board serious consideration until I realized it has 6 sata ports and I need 8..

:confused: It has 4x Sata ports and 4X Sata 6GB ports. Same as all the other Asus cards, including the P8P67 DELUXE you have in your signature. The only extra you get with the P8P67 DELUXE is 2X eSata instead of 1X.

P8P67 DELUXE:
Intel® P67 Express Chipset
2 xSATA 6.0 Gb/s ports (gray)
4 xSATA 3.0 Gb/s ports (blue)
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
Marvell® PCIe 9128 SATA 6Gb/s controller with HyperDuo function*
2 xSATA 6.0 Gb/s ports (navy blue)
JMicron® JMB362 SATA controller*
2 xExternal SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports (1 x Power eSATA)
* These SATA ports are for data hard drives only. ATAPI devices are not supported.
http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=FpufhQASBFHNvccl&templete=2

SABERTOOTH P67:
Intel® P67 Express Chipset
2 xSATA 6.0 Gb/s ports (brown)
4 xSATA 3Gb/s ports (black)
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
Marvell® PCIe SATA 6Gb/s controller
2 xSATA 6Gb/s ports (gray)
JMicron® JMB362 SATA controller
1 xPower eSATA 3Gb/s port (green)
1 xExternal SATA 3Gb/s port (red)
http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=ZYgjt71bzlh62Zk9

Maximus IV Extreme:
Intel® P67 Express Chipset
2 xSATA 6.0 Gb/s ports (Red)
4 xSATA 3Gb/s ports (Gray)
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
Marvell® 9182 PCIe SATA6Gb/s controller
2 xSATA 6Gb/s ports (Red)
JMicron® 362 controller
2 xExternal SATA 3Gb/s ports at rear (SATA On-the-Go)
* Due to the Windows XP/ Vista limitation, the RAID array with the total capacity over 2TB cannot be set as a boot disk. A RAID array over 2TB can only be set as a data disk only.
http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=AoHE7iDJrYucOm0n
 
shit, you are right...in the images I didn't notice the white ports..hell...I may get this one tomorrow if they have them at MC....thanks!!
 
Considering it. We'll see what actual release prices bring, and not just pre-release gouging. Gigabyte UD4 is still my top choice, but I'd consider the Sabertooth if the price is comparable.
 
shit, you are right...in the images I didn't notice the white ports..hell...I may get this one tomorrow if they have them at MC....thanks!!

NP :)

I am considering the deluxe as well, due to the TPU and Bluetooth. Gives me a lazy way to OC and a lazy way to connect ipod touch and such without anything extra. I'm not building the system until the end of this month, so I still have time to read some reviews.
 
I was aiming for a Sabertooth, but it appears to be a soft launch, as I couldn't find one anywhere!
 
According to newegg, it's gonna be 220 plus shipping. Bah. More expensive than it's x58 counterpart.
 
Back
Top