ASUS today just announced their full Z270 motherboard series, in line with the release of the chipset itself and the Intel Kaby Lake CPUs. Now there are Four major series under ASUS’ Z270 banner namely the ROG + ROG Strix, PRIME, Workstation, and TUF. Notice that ASUS totally removed their Signature series out of sight and that is basically replaced by the PRIME.

First off let us go over with the features that could be found at all the Z270 motherboard series that ASUS has to offer. That includes the 5-Way Optimization, Pro Clock, and third-generation T-Topology technologies. Other features included are the Aura Sync, and support for 3D-printed customization (more in line with ROG and TUF series). Note that all of these features might be present at all series but not at all the series’ motherboard models.

Redefining limits for the 7th Gen era

ASUS once again shook the overclocking world with the all-new ROG Maximus IX Apex motherboard. It is the latest ground breaking model in the ROG product family which brings players back to ROG’s roots, a one-of-kind community for world-class cutting-edge enthusiasts looking to reach the apex of gaming performance.

With a performance-oriented layout, the Apex enables overclocking enthusiasts to go beyond the limits by using extreme cooling methods, including liquid nitrogen (LN2) or liquid helium (LHe)— and it’s already scored multiple world records (WRs) and global first places (GFPs), several being long-standing records. These include the best Intel Core processors CPU frequency  processors, with a record of 7.383GHz on a single core and one thread and 7.328GHz on four cores and eight threads using the Intel Core i7-7700K. It also set a reference clock (BCLK) at 584MHz and a memory frequency surpassing 5GHz, with 5041MHz. In total, the Maximus IX Apex has secured eight world records and 13 global first places, as detailed in the following table:

Category Benchmark New score WR/GFP*
2D benchmarks PiFast 8sec 72ms WR
SuperPi 1M 4sec 937ms WR
SuperPi 32M 4mn 17sec 500ms WR
Cinebench R11.5 – 4x 16.73 GFP
Cinebench R15 – 4x 1515 GFP
Geekbench3 multi – x4 29463 GFP
GPUPI for CPU – 1B x4 225643 GFP
HWBOT Prime – 4x 8471 GFP
wPrime 32M – 4x 2sec 891ms GFP
wPrime 1024M – 4x 1mn 31sec 516ms GFP
XTU – 4x 2301 GFP
Category Benchmark New score WR / GFP
Legacy benchmarks Aquamark
1x GPU 652098 GFP
3DMark2001 SE
1x GPU 212326 WR
3DMark03
1x GPU 351557 WR
2x GPU 342682 GFP
3DMark05
1x GPU 88398 WR
2x GPU 87604 GFP
3Dmark06
1x GPU 68888 WR
2x GPU 68766 GFP
Category Benchmark New score WR / GFP
3D Benchmark Unigine Heaven – Xtreme preset
1x GPU 11009.58 GFP
2x GPU 11187.77 WR

ROG and ROG Strix

The ROG motherboard lineup includes Maximus IX Extreme, Maximus IX Formula, Maximus IX Hero and two new models, the Maximus IX Code and Maximus IX Apex, plus a new series from ROG Strix — the latest recruit to the ROG fold. The new boards are all based on the latest Intel Z270 Chipset and engineered with leading innovations and ROG-exclusive technologies to deliver epic performance in every perspective.

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ROG Strix is the all-new gaming creed, with models crafted to appeal to every type of gamer: ROG Strix Z270E Gaming, ROG Strix Z270F Gaming, ROG Strix Z270H Gaming ATX, mATX ROG Strix Z270G Gaming and mini-ITX ROG Strix Z270I Gaming. ROG Strix Z270 gaming motherboards combine bold aesthetics with premier performance and incredible SupremeFX audio to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences and style. Unique, angular patterns inspired by the slashes of a sword lend to ROG Strix series’ striking visual accents, and a reflective polychrome ROG logo emblazoned on a diamond-cut metal nameplate shines as a mark of gaming pride. Additionally, Aura Sync technology adds a burst of vibrancy as it syncs with Aura-enabled components for a system that glows in a nearly infinite spectrum of colors.

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ASUS Prime

ASUS Prime is the next evolution of the ASUS motherboard, born of a pedigree that stretches all the way back to 1989. ASUS’ team of world-class engineers are passionate about empowering everyone to enjoy the benefits of customization and tuning, and the driving force behind the development of Prime is to make advanced enthusiast controls easily accessible — maximizing performance, stability and compatibility for the very best DIY PC experiences.

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Prime features ASUS-exclusive 5-Way Optimization for one-click full-system tuning, with upgraded auto-tuning easily overclock up to 4.8GHz or beyond and an upgraded Fan Xpert 4 with the ability to monitor GPU temperatures for cooler gaming. Third-gen T-Topology pushes DDR4 to 3866MHz and beyond, with ultra-consistent quality and minimal crosstalk, while 5X Protection III offers multiple hardware safeguards include all-new SafeSlot core, featuring a fortified design that is anchored to the motherboard by a special hook, which provides 1.6x stronger retention and 1.3x greater shearing resistance than standard expansion slots.

Prime series motherboards also include ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync with an integrated 4-pin RGB header to offer synchronized illumination with Aura Sync-capable hardware, plus a dedicated 3D mount for 3D-printing-friendly design. Prime series also refines audio experiences with the S1220A codec. Designed in close collaboration with Realtek®, the codec improves performance to provide 120dB signal-to-noise ratio for the stereo line-out and 113dB SNR for the line-in, to capture pristine audio; and has an impedance-sensing circuit that automatically adjusts the gain to ensure the optimal volume range for headphones. Integrated DTS Headphone:X®  technology delivers immersive 3D surround sound for rich audio experiences.

Ultra-fast connectivity is also a key theme of the all-new Prime Z270 series, with up to dual M.2 slots to tap into 32Gbps of PCI Express® (PCIe®) bandwidth, and USB 3.1 Type-A and reversible Type-C™. Most Prime series motherboards also supports Intel Optane™ memory. Prime Z270-A and Z270-AR also includes ASUS SLI HB Bridge (2-Way-M), a quick-to-fit expansion card that doubles the available transfer bandwidth to provide silky-smooth surround gaming, which compatible with NVIDIA® Titan X, GeForce® GTX™ 1080 and GeForce GTX 1070 graphics cards

ASUS TUF

TUF is where ambition for reliably brilliant performance meets reality. Some of the world’s most respected independent testing laboratories have certified TUF components as fit for military use. ASUS is so confident of the reliability and durability of their products that each and every TUF motherboard is backed by a five-year warranty.

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For the first time, TUF motherboards are made for overclocking. Implementing a new engineering-intensive DRAM layout, the third-generation ASUS T-Topology delivers new DDR4-overclocking dynamics to let users push memory frequencies further than ever — all the way up to 3866MHz if all memory slots are being utilized.

Pro Clock is the ASUS-exclusive base-clock generator that pushes base-clock frequencies up to 425MHz with 7th Generation Intel CPUs, taking TUF system performance to extreme heights. The boards also include Thermal Radar 2+ with TurboV Processing Unit (TPU) for efficient operation from precise voltage control and monitoring — all managed with a single click.

ASUS TUF engineers have forged TUF ICe, a dedicated processor that monitors onboard temperature sensors and fan speeds for ultra-accurate cooling, whether adjusting settings manually or using the automatic one-click optimization via Thermal Radar 2+ and TUF Detective 2. Thermal Radar 2+ lets users control fans on ASUS graphics cards as well as case fans. Multiple onboard sensors enable the monitoring of onboard temperatures as well as GPU temperatures while gaming and content-creating, for instant real-time cooling – with users able to make adjustments manually or optimize automatically, with a single click.

ASUS Workstations

ASUS workstation motherboards have also been upgraded for the Z270 era. Z270-WS features ASUS 5-Way Optimization to dynamically optimize performance with a click — ensuring the whole system is tuned to its optimal potential based on real-time use.

Z270-WS has four PCI Express x16 slots, protected by reinforced ASUS SafeSlot technology, and able to carry up to four dual-slot graphic cards. Supporting NVIDIA GeForce SLI, NVIDIA Quadro® SLI, and AMD® CrossFireX™, Z270-WS is an excellent choice for designers and other professionals that depend on powerful graphic — so it’s perfect for design and modeling, processing-intensive simulation, and 3D-rendering applications.

Similar to the Prime Series, Z270-WS is fitted with Realtek S1220A and Crystal Sound 3. And with newly-added DTS Headphone:X Technology, the Z270-WS delivers flawless audio with immersive 3D surrounding sound.

Z270-WS also offers scalable high-speed storage and expandable connectivity, with dual M.2 and dual U.2 on demand — for up to 32Gbps of PCIe bandwidth. Z270-WS provides great backward compatibility with integrated USB 3.1 Type-A, plus future-proof connectivity in the shape of reversible USB 3.1 Type-C — all protected by the stainless-steel back I/O shield. In addition to up to 10Gbps transfer speeds, Z270-WS also supports ASUS ThunderboltEX 3, a quick-to-fit expansion card for blistering transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps. It also has built-in dual Intel Gigabit LAN, making connections to multiple networks both easy and convenient.

Availability and Pricing

ASUS Z270 motherboards are now available in the Philippines starting January 2017. Suggested retail prices will be updated.

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