ASUS debuts full line-up of Intel Z170 Skylake motherboards

One new chipset, many mobos to choose

ASUS has taken the wraps off its full line of Intel Z170 motherboards at a media event in Bangkok, Thailand in anticipation of the launch of Intel’s new Skylake desktop processors.

The new motherboards will include boards in the mainstream Signature series, the TUF (The Ultimate Force) series, and the gamer and enthusiast-oriented ROG (Republic of Gamers) series. We'll walk you through the new features and enhancements made in each of the series, but first, a quick overview of what the new chipset brings to the table in general.

Intel Z170 chipset platform overview

The new Intel Z170 chipset will support LGA 1151 processors, which means that they will not work with LGA 1150 Haswell and Broadwell processors. However, it appears that the CPU cooler brackets will remain unchanged as the LGA 1150 CPU coolers will still work with the newer CPUs. This is understandable since the overall physical socket design hasn't changed and thus, the existing coolers out there are directly compatible.

Z170 replaces last generation’s Z97 chipset, and will bring changes like support for DDR4 and DDR3L RAM and greater overclocking flexibility in the form of an expanded BCLK range (base clock). In addition, Z170 finally brings support for PCIe 3.0 to the chipset itself (the Z97 supported only PCIe 2.0 from the chipet).

There is also integrated support for up to 10 USB 3.0 ports, up from just six on Z97.

ASUS also introduced a USB 3.1 UPD panel for its new motherboards that will sport two USB 3.1 Type-C ports that are capable of delivering up to 100 watts of power. In addition, it is offering another USB 3.1 panel with two Type-A ports, and a Hyper Express SATA Express enclosure that will allow either two M.2 or mSATA drives to be setup in RAID for speedier storage performance.

For more detailed coverage of each motherboard series and what new features you can expect from them, head on to the following pages as we've covered the Signature, TUF and ROG in significant detail.

The ASUS Z170 Signature series

The mainstream Z170 motherboards bring back the 5-way optimization feature on ASUS’ Z97 boards, which enable features like one-click overclocking and quick optimization of system settings. Here's a short video overview of the highlights of this series:-

Play

The improved Turbo App is now capable of detecting your current use case – idle, gaming, or web browsing for example – and automatically activating the optimum settings so you get the right mix of performance and energy savings.

In addition, ASUS has upgraded its Fan Xpert 3 to include a dedicated header for water pump control. Users will be able to tweak the pump speed in both the BIOS and OS, and the header will function as a regular fan header as well.

The overclocking features on the new boards have also received an upgrade in the form of ASUS TPU and Pro Clock technology, the latter of which provides the full overclock range to users and reduces jitter during extreme overclocks. It also enables a one-step BCLK boost from 100MHz to 400MHz, thereby cutting system boot up time.

Furthermore, storage options get a boost with dual M.2 x4 support (all M.2 sizes) in the form of an onboard slot and a Hyper M.2 x4 mini add-on card. The add-on card can be plugged into any available PCIe slot and allows users to run RAID setups off their M.2 drives. The card will be bundled with the Z170-Premium and Z170 Deluxe boards, but it can be purchased separately as well.

The ASUS Hyper Kit U.2-to-M.2 adapter will also bring support for U.2 NVMe 2.5-inch SSDs, which opens up support for even more RAID combinations involving a mix of U.2 NVMe, PCIe NVMe, and onboard M.2 devices.

It should also come as no surprise that teal-colored USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C ports will be found on the new boards, together with ASUS USB 3.1 Boost for an additional speed bump.

Finally, the UEFI BIOS gets an upgrade with EZ Flash 3, which lets you flash the latest BIOS without entering your OS at all. As long as you have an Internet connection, you can enter the BIOS, choose to flash your BIOS by Internet, select the right connection, and then wait while the update is flashed automatically. We can't stress enough how convenient this is as opposed to archaic methods of just a couple of years ago.

ASUS has further added intuitive user interface tweaks with an in-built FAQ and My Favorites list. The former calls up a QR code, which you can scan with your phone to get more information on a particular BIOS option. On the other hand, the My Favorite preset serves up popular options according to performance, power savings, and boot-related options.

To cap it all off, last year’s Crystal Sound 2 gets bumped up to Crystal Sound 3, featuring improved noise isolation, Japan-made audio capacitors, and a cleaner power input. It does this by eliminating power noise from the power supply to the audio controller, thus providing more consistent and better audio performance.

A new feature called Key Express – reminiscent of the Key Bot feature we saw on the Z97 ROG boards – lets you map shortcuts and macros (up to 16 keys) to buttons on your keyboard. This includes media key functions, one-click Windows log-on, and application launches. You'll also be able to do things like switch quickly between front and rear audio outputs and safely remove USB storage devices.

ASUS has also thrown in lighting control on its new Z170 series boards, with support for 256 colors and a variety of lighting effects. You’ll even be able to set the lights in time with your music. The fancy new colors may even serve up some added utility as they can change colors according to the CPU temperature.

In addition to the features above, the ASUS Z170 Deluxe sports a 3x3 Wireless 802.11ac module that supports a throughput of up to 1,300Mb/s.

Other motherboards in the Signature series include the Z170-A and Z170-AR, which differ mainly by the number of display outputs they have (The Z170-A has additional DVI-D and D-Sub outputs).

Play

ASUS Z170 TUF series

The ASUS Z170 TUF series motherboards feature the same Thermal Armor that we’re used to seeing on TUF boards. ASUS only had the Sabertooth Z170 Mark I on display, where it showcased the major features on this year’s TUF series, including a complete cooling system including TUF Detective 2 and Thermal Radar 2.

While the original TUF Detective allowed you to hook up your smartphone to your PC for hardware-based detection and diagnosis of PC problems, TUF Detective 2 adds the ability to flash a new BIOS version via your smartphone.

ASUS has consolidated all these features under something called TUF ICe, which provides zero-latency control over system cooling regardless of the system load.

TUF ICe provides independent control of up to 12 system fans and draws from 12 onboard sensors for more comprehensive monitoring, while Thermal Radar 2 enables dedicated control over the graphics card fans and real-time temperature monitoring to help with the tweaking.

The combination of Thermal Armor and the TUF Fortifier backplate have also been designed to withstand up to 10kg loads, good news for those of you who favor heavy CPU coolers and graphics cards.

In addition, a small system fan between the CPU and PCIe slot helps direct air toward M.2 devices and provide extra cooling for high-speed storage devices.

ASUS Z170 ROG and Pro Gaming series 

For gamers, ASUS has prepared a total of six ROG Maximus VIII boards and two Pro Gaming boards. As usual, the Maximus VIII Extreme and Formula occupy the high-end, while the Hero and Ranger comprise a more affordable performance segment. The micro-ATX Gene and mini-ITX Impact boards round up the small system builder market.

The aesthetics of the ROG series have also been tweaked to a feature a slate gray color with red accents over the predominantly black-and-color scheme of the previous generation.

The ASUS ROG Z170 Maximus VIII Extreme is targeted at gamers who want the absolute best performance and that's what we've gotten most time with in our preview session. Here's a video overview of what this board offers in a nutshell:-

Play

It also features a built-in U.2 connector that allows you to connect an NVMe 2.5-inch SSD without wasting any PCIe slots or using any bulky adapters. The connector runs off a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, which offers up to 32Gbps of throughput. There is also a Thunderbolt 3.0 connector in the form of a USB Type-C connector on the rear I/O panel.

On the other hand, the Maximus VIII Formula is geared toward gamers and PC modders who place aesthetics over performance. ASUS didn’t have the board on display, but from the pictures we saw, it looks like it sports some variant of the Thermal Armor that’s found on the TUF boards.

The Z170 Maximus VIII Hero board provides a more affordable entry into the ROG series, with a handful of core features like Supreme FX 2015, Sonic Studio II, ASUS' GameFirst network optimization utility, and support for ROG RAMCache.

In the Pro Gaming line-up, there is the Z170 Pro Gaming ATX board and the mini-ITX Z170I Pro Gaming, both of which are intended to offer gamers more bang for their buck with a slew of gaming-oriented features.

The Extreme Engine Digi+ voltage regulation mechanism now features dual PWM controllers for more precise voltage tuning.

In addition, the capacitors, chokes, and MOSFETs have been selected for greater endurance, efficiency, and performance.

ASUS is also introducing a new feature called ROG RAMCache that provides a quick way to cache frequently used files, or fragments of files, in RAM to speed up access times. If you have excess RAM, RAMCache will use the extra space to expand your disk cache to minimize any performance slowdowns.

The GameFirst network optimization technology also makes a return on the Z170 ROG and Pro Gaming boards. Gamers will be able to prioritize data packets and bandwidth for online games where low latencies are of paramount importance. In addition, the networking hardware gets a boost with the newer Intel I219-V Ethernet controller, which improves throughput over the older I218-V on previous generation motherboards. 

The latest version of the SupremeFX onboard audio uses an ESS ES9023P DAC, high-quality op-amps, Nichicon capacitors, and other quality components to drive headphones up to 600ohms, which includes most audiophile-grade headphones. The ES9023P DAC is also capable of using its own dedicated clock to eliminate jitter for a cleaner audio signal.

Here's a look at a close-up of the SupremeFX audio circuitry on the Maximus VIII Ranger. The audio hardware is actually shielded under by a plastic shroud on the Hero and Extreme boards so you can't really see the individual components.

The new Sonic Studio II also includes a Casting Enhancer feature to improve the clarity of your voice recordings while streaming. With noise gate, volume stabilizing, and noise reduction capabilities, it helps you produce clearer recordings by disengaging the microphone when you’re not speaking, evening out large fluctuations in volume and filtering out unwanted background noise.

Furthermore, KeyBot gets an upgrade to KeyBot II, which adds the ability to link ASUS’ performance management Turbo App to your keyboard for faster profile switching according to your current usage needs.

And like the regular Z170 series motherboards, the ROG boards will have onboard LEDs that can be customized with a variety of effects and colors. They can also indicate your CPU temperature and be set to pulse in time with your music.

Finally, ASUS showed off a new overclocking tool in the form of the OC Panel II. It introduces a handful of new features over its predecessor, such as safe boot and retry buttons to recover from a failed overclock. There are also four additional four-pin fan headers that allow you to hook up system fans directly to the panel for easier control and monitoring of your fans. The LED-illuminated ROG logo on the panel's front also now serves a functional purpose in that it'll turn off if your system crashes so you know immediately if something's not right.

Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.