Packaging
Z87 Pro
As someone who has a long list of ASUS motherboards, when I took a look at the packaging for the Z87-PRO I didn’t think they had change anything at all. It wasn’t until I dug out photos from our coverage of the Z77 launch that I realized that Asus had actually changed everything. The styling is so Asus that I didn’t even notice. Around on the back there is a small overall photo of the board with a feature breakdown below it. Asus also went into even more detail on their Dual Intelligent Processors 4, Wi-Fi GO!, USB BIOS Flashback, and USB 3.0 Boost. This is actually really important because a lot of people have no idea about these features when they buy what they think is a fairly mainstream motherboard. Inside the box the Z87-PRO came wrapped up in a static protective bag and held up over the accessories with a cardboard “bridge”.
Asus included a user guide for the motherboard as well as a second user guide specific to some of the Z87 Series’ exclusive features. You of course get a driver disc as well as a small blue Asus case badge tucked in with the drive disc. You also get an SLI bridge, four right angle SATA cables, Q Connectors that help you plug in your front panel connections easier, the rear I/O panel, and the wireless antenna. The rear I/O panel is white in color and is color coded around most of the connections to help you hook up everything when you are back behind your PC. The included wireless antenna is designed to lay flat or fold up to sit up on top of your PC or on your desk.
Z87-Plus
Packaging for the Z87-Plus is exactly the same on the front and back as the Z87-Pro other than the photo of the board on the back of the box. I won’t bore you by repeating all of the details again, but Asus does a good job of putting out the information that you need and educating a little.
Most of the accessories that the Z87-Plus comes with are the same as with the Z87-Pro. You don’t get the wireless antenna and along with that you don’t get the second feature guide that covered the wireless features. You still get SATA cables but this time you get two right angle cables and one standard SATA cable. You also get Asus’s Q connectors, an SLI bridge, and the white rear I/O panel with color coding on key plugs.