ASUS Z170 ROG Maximus VIII Hero
Yes -- we can be heroes
Yes -- we can be heroes
In this review we test the ASUS Z170 ROG Maximus VIII Hero. If you fire it up with that new 14nm Skylake based Core i7 6700K processor this product will bring a smile to your face. The Maximus VIII Hero comes with a ROG black & grey design with red accents. Add to that the hippest features of 2015 and you are sure you'll have the right infrastructure for a gaming d-e-li-cious PC. These motherboards can (well must) be paired with new Skylake series processors. We'll quickly dive into the two most import ones. Skylake Core i5-6600K and Core i7-6700K processors for the desktop platform have been released. We test both processors, yet have separate reviews on each of these processors. A new chip, a new package meaning both of them are Socket 1151. The new series Skylake processors are energy efficient, quite powerful and this need to be paired with a new motherboards series. For you guys that means the Z170 and H170 range. In this review we test the Core i7-6700K. An unlocked Skylake processor that has four cores and slim a 92 Watt TDP, that is lower compared to Haswell with its 95 W TDP, thanks to the new and smaller 14 nm fabrication process. The quad core CPU has 8 MB L3 cache, and an integrated memory controller that supports both DDR4 and DDR3 memory. The Z170 and H170 series motherboards will all be offered with DDR4 though. For the gaming community two processors are the most important.
http://gokano.com/ref/BafNOBwuIO4xFSmvPL6Core i7-6700K
Four CPU cores with Hyper-Threading, 4.0 GHz frequency, 4.20 GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency, 8 MB last-level cache, dual-channel DDR3/DDR4 memory controller with 1600 MHz or 2133 MHz support, Intel HD Graphics 530-series integrated graphics core, LGA1151 packaging
Core i5-6600K
Four cores, 3.50 GHz frequency, 3.90 GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency, 6 MB last-level cache, dual-channel DDR3/DDR4 memory controller with 1600 MHz or 2133 MHz support, Intel HD Graphics 530-series integrated graphics core, LGA1151 packaging;
Skylake is the code-name used by Intel for the 14 nm processor micro-architecture under development and is the successor to the Broadwell architecture. That cool looking ASUS Z170 ROG Maximus VIII Hero then. The HERO is the somewhat cheaper version og the Maximus VIII Extreme. The product comes with an 8-Pin power connector for the CPu which is tied to a 10 Phase DIGI+ VRM. Much like all other Z170 board, you will spot four DDR4 DIMMs which can seat a maximum combined 64 GB DDR4 memory. The expansion slots for all you graphics lovin' include three PCI-e 3.0 x16 slots as well as three PCI-e 3.0 x1. Storage options are 8 SATA III 6 GB/s ports and two SATA Express (SATAe) ports rated. There's one M.2. slot, but it is linked as x4 thus offers 32 Gbps of bandwidth. You will spot a multitude of features like Supreme FX audio, USB 3.1 Type-C ports, USB 3.0 ports, USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, Display port and a Gigabit Ethernet jack.
Have a peek at the ASUS Z170 ROG Maximus VIII Hero and then head on-wards into the review.
Awards
- image: http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/awards/tr-recommended.png
SUMMARY
OUR SCORE:
PROS
- Excellent styling and layout
- Good baseline performance
- Packed with high-quality features
- Good manual and automated overclocking
CONS
- No single standout feature
- Not the absolute fastest motherboard we've tested
- Plastic shroud is all form and no function
kEyfATURES
- Intel Z170 chipset
- Intel LGA 1151 socket
- SupremeFX 2015 audio with Realtek ALC 1150 codec
- EPU power saving features
- TPU auto overclocking chip
- USB 3.1 with Type-C
- Three PCIe x16 slots
- 1 x M.2 SSD slot
- Manufacturer: Asus
- Review Price: £170.00
WHAT IS THE ASUS MAXIMUS VIII HERO?
The Maximus VIII Hero is Asus' top-of-the-range gaming motherboard based on Intel’s Z170 chipset. Ideal for partnering with one of Intel’s high-end Skylake K CPUs, it packs in plenty of overclocking potential and extra features, without costing the earth.
Priced at around £170, it’s at the upper end of the Z170 motherboard spectrum. However, considering most are priced between £100 and £180, it’s not a huge stretch to go from a mid-range board to a higher end one such the Maximus VIII Hero.
This board lacks any single killer feature to set it apart, instead relying on each of its components being a step up from more entry-level models. Overall this leads to better overclocking, power management, fan control, audio, storage options and more. The result is a board that should be ideal for those looking to build a quality gaming rig with which they’ll do regular tinkering and upgrading, but that won’t be pushed to the absolute overclocking limits.
ASUS MAXIMUS VIII HERO – DESIGN AND FEATURES
The Maximus VIII Hero is a great-looking board. Asus has opted to go low-key, with the predominantly black and grey theme accented by only a hint of red.
In addition, the black PCB has an attractive matte finish, the components all feeling of a certain quality and the reinforcing plates on the back giving the board reassuring solidity.
The only letdown is the large plastic shroud that covers the power circuitry and IO ports. This is now a common occurrence on the latest high-end boards, since it covers up the shiny tops of the IO ports. However, it doesn’t serve any practical purpose and in my opinion it isn't entirely successful as an aesthetic addition – although it certainly beats the bright-white equivalent on the Asus Z170-A.
Otherwise, the Maximus VIII Hero ticks all the boxes thanks to near-flawless layout. Just about every header, connection and other physical feature has been placed round the edge of the motherboard and so is accessible even when the system is loaded up.
Power, reset and CMOS clear buttons run along the bottom edge, alongside the front-panel and USB headers. Personally, I prefer the placement of the power and reset buttons to be in the top-right corner, since they're less likely to be blocked by expansion cards.
Along the right side are the six SATA and two SATA Express storage connections, all of which are right-angled and so face towards where your drives are likely to sit.
Also in this region is the M.2 SSD slot, which sits below the south bridge. This spot is more likely to be accessible than in-between the two x16 PCI-E slots, where many motherboard manufacturers put it, although if you’re using two large graphics cards then the second one will probably still be in the way.
A second M.2 slot would have been a nice addition, as you get on the MSI Z170-Gaming 7, but with SSD capacities getting so large now, it’s certainly far from a necessity.
The area around the CPU socket has been kept clear, so cooler installation is fairly easy. Also, all the fan headers are easy to access: there are a couple in-between the graphics card and CPU, and three four-pin headers in a row along the top edge (one of which is allocated for use with a water-pump). It’s a really intuitive and tidy way to manage all the cooling requirements for the top half of your case.
Some of the more standard – but no less welcome – features are the easy-access release clips on the trio of x16 PCI Express slots. These make removing your graphics cards much easier than the small sprung versions found on some boards.
Likewise, the Q-DIMM RAM slots have a clip only on one side, which means you won't have a situation where your graphics card gets in the way of opening the set of clips next to it.
Included in the box is a front-panel header go-between that can be used to keep all your case’s header cables together, allowing them to be attached and removed from the motherboard in one go. There’s also a CPU installation tool to help prevent damage to the delicate mounting pins, an SLI connector, six SATA cables and a black rear I/O cover.
Speaking of rear I/O, this motherboard has a decent selection of ports, although it’s nothing out of the ordinary. You get four USB 2.0, two USB 3.0 and two USB 3.1 ports, with one of the latter being of the new Type-C style. There are also headers for four more USB 2.0 and four more USB 3.0 ports.
Joining the above is a PS2 port for connecting legacy devices such as old keyboards and mice, a BIOS flashing button, HDMI and DisplayPort connections for the onboard graphics of the Intel processors, a gigabit Ethernet port and six audio ports.
Asus is proud of the audio solution on this board – and with good reason. It’s based around the quality Realtek ALC 1150 codec and then Asus adds an ESS ES9023P DAC, a Texas Instruments R4580 headphone amplifier, an NEC UD2-4 5NU de-pop relay, Nichicon audio capacitors and a dedicated clock. That should all add up to a cleaner, more detailed and generally more pleasing sound than more basic offerings.
This board’s one nod to the more gimmicky side of high-end motherboards is an embedded RGB LED in the south bridge heatsink. It lets you add coloured light to your system and is controlled via the included software. It’s a fun little addition.
On a more practical note, you have Asus’ two performance-enhancing processors: the TPU and EPU. The former is a dedicated chip that essentially provides an auto-overclocking function that’s literally a one-click operation. Similarly, the EPU deals with power consumption analysis and aims to provide power savings where it can.
0 comments:
Post a Comment