The black heatsink cools the Z97 Deluxe.
The black heatsink cools the Z97 Deluxe.
Check out the M2 review for the ASUS Z97 Deluxe. It highlights key features and performance insights.
the reason for the heatpipe on the VRM heatsink is likely for thermal management. z97 boards often use Gen2 SSDs that don’t require extra cooling, so the manual should clarify this. also, there’s no M.2 slot visible in the picture you mentioned.
That image shows a Z97-A model, not the Z97 Deluxe. The M.2 slot is located on the lower left side, and the Gen 2 SSDs don’t require cooling—probably not as large as the heatsink on the Deluxe version.
Another heat sink design focuses on linking from a central heatsink to another adjacent one near the CPU socket. Placing an M.2 slot there would be unusual and impractical, which is why it’s omitted here. The Z97-A includes an M.2 port for extra VRM cooling, while the Deluxe uses that spot for more efficient heat dissipation instead.