# ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero



## Black Haru (Nov 6, 2020)

The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero is a refresh of last year's award winning ROG Crosshair VIII Hero. With an even more powerful VRM, a sleek new look, and, most importantly, no chipset cooling fan, the ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero looks to be a worthy upgrade from last year's model. 

*Show full review*


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## jsfitz54 (Nov 6, 2020)

I just new you were from the midwest:  accou*ter*ments 

ac·cou·*tre*·ments


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## Object55 (Nov 6, 2020)

Can't wait for these to show up in UK.


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## Nater (Nov 6, 2020)

Anyone found these in stock anywhere?


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## puma99dk| (Nov 6, 2020)

Nater said:


> Anyone found these in stock anywhere?



Have it been released yet? Because some danish retails shows the 17-11-2020 for stock.

It's a good looking board but for £500 I think it's a bit overkill in price.


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## Dammeron (Nov 6, 2020)

So x570 can be passively cooled and it doesn't need a big radiator on top...


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## Joe Harris (Nov 6, 2020)

When will we be able to buy this board?


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## puma99dk| (Nov 6, 2020)

Dammeron said:


> So x570 can be passively cooled and it doesn't need a big radiator on top...



Lol you first realized this now?   

Gigabyte was the first to release a X570 mobo that's passive cooled.

X570 Aorus Xtreme: https://www.gigabyte.com/uk/Motherboard/X570-AORUS-XTREME-rev-10#kf


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## Jism (Nov 6, 2020)

Ditch the wireless and it'll be a very good board.

I had the X470-F which died with first it's NIC (intel) and later the complete board. However their bios is so extended that it's the best brand right now for going high-end Ryzen.


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## AKBrian (Nov 6, 2020)

Your spec page seems to have incorrect information listed for the PCI Express slots - the board has the usual x16/x0 or x8/x8 split, with a single x1 and x4 slot provided via the chipset.

One other small bit - your overclocking and conclusion pages mention a 4.75GHz overclock, which seems both implausible for a 3900X as well as at odds with the 4,475MHz CPU-Z screenshot.

Great review, thanks!


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## Turmania (Nov 6, 2020)

Times have changed, now motherboards costs more than the processor.


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## chris.london (Nov 6, 2020)

I didn’t see it mentioned in this review, but according to der8auer there is a very interesting new OC-related setting in the BIOS called ‘Dynamic OC Switcher’. I didn’t see this setting on Nate’s screenshots, so maybe der8auer was running a special beta BIOS.

Anyway, it lets you set at what load the all-core OC should apply. This should allow you to have high boost clocks in low-threaded applications and high all core OC when you really need it. Check out the video on his youtube channel (it is the one from the 5th).

This seems like a pretty brilliant idea. I hope others will copy this new setting soon.


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## PlasticJesus (Nov 6, 2020)

So besides the $1000 ASRock Aqua and $700 Gigabyte Aorus Extreme this is the first high end motherboard with a... somewhat... justifiable price and presumed availability (looking at you ASRock) for a passively cooled chipset. Besides the way over engineered VRMs, the passive cooling is one of the most unique and enticing parts of this board. However, no comparison on thermal design and efficiency of the heatsink was done here. Is this something that could be added to the review?


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## AKBrian (Nov 7, 2020)

chris.london said:


> I didn’t see it mentioned in this review, but according to der8auer there is a very interesting new OC-related setting in the BIOS called ‘Dynamic OC Switcher’. I didn’t see this setting on Nate’s screenshots, so maybe der8auer was running a special beta BIOS.
> 
> Anyway, it lets you set at what load the all-core OC should apply. This should allow you to have high boost clocks in low-threaded applications and high all core OC when you really need it. Check out the video on his youtube channel (it is the one from the 5th).
> 
> This seems like a pretty brilliant idea. I hope others will copy this new setting soon.



Yeah, that's partly why I was wondering about that portion of the review. The OC page made no mention of this, and the specific wording seemed to suggest it was a normal static overclock (something the CPU-Z screenshot also implied).

It's a great feature, but hopefully one that doesn't remain exclusive to that model (or Asus, even though it was a project by Stilt from what I recall).


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## AnarchoPrimitiv (Nov 7, 2020)

Was anyone else really, really excited for this review UNTIL they saw it was done with Zen2?  Why test a new board, sort of intended for Zen3 with Zen2?  If timing of when you got the Zen3 CPUs was the issue, why not just wait?  I think many could agree on quality over expediency.


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## srsbsns (Nov 7, 2020)

Dynamic OC is a game changer for Ryzen. All core OC while allowing boost clocks to still work. Can't believe TPU missed this.


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## Tsukiyomi91 (Nov 7, 2020)

Der8auer used this board for OCing the R9 5950X in his review video btw.


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## Dammeron (Nov 7, 2020)

puma99dk| said:


> Lol you first realized this now?
> 
> Gigabyte was the first to release a X570 mobo that's passive cooled.
> 
> X570 Aorus Xtreme: https://www.gigabyte.com/uk/Motherboard/X570-AORUS-XTREME-rev-10#kf


Oh, I knew this all too well from the beginning - anyone who managed to properly passively cool old nForce4 chipset should look at X570 and think "nah, this thing's too easy". Still, it didn't stop manufacturers from forcing little squekers on us.


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## Mpk85 (Nov 7, 2020)

I see the board didn’t run the Samsung b-die at tighter timings but would it run CL14 3600mhz at xmp?


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## asdkj1740 (Nov 7, 2020)

interestingly after the second generation rtl8125b (b450m tuf pro s used this) and rtl8125bg is out, asus still uses the original first gen rtl8125 on this latest x570.
some said the first gen rtl8125 has some bugs like packet loss/stuttering, which are fixed on the second gen B/BG edition.


Lowest Power Consumption 2.5G Ethernet Solutions (RTL8125B/RTL8156B/RTL8226B)
Realtek’s 2nd Generation 2.5G Ethernet solutions are the lowest power consumption (<700mW) and smallest package size (6mmx6mm) 2.5G Ethernet products in the world. They cover all application needs with the three most common interfaces PCIe (RTL8125B), USB (RTL8156B), 2500BaseX/HSGMII (RTL8226B). They are the ideal 2.5G Ethernet upgrade choices for Gaming NB/PC, Workstation, NAS, Docking, Dongle, 5G CPE, and Enterprise AP products.





						Realtek to Demonstrate Full Range of Connectivity, Multimedia, and Consumer Electronics Solutions at 2020 CES - REALTEK
					






					www.realtek.com


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## Sickysickybrah (Nov 7, 2020)

How many front usb interfaces will this have?  Will it be able to support all front ports on the lian li 011d xl (four usb 3 and one usb 3.2 type c)?


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## k_c (Nov 7, 2020)

hello!

I ordered the asus rog hero viii wifi for a new 5950 build. I dont mind the internal cooling fan but what I am supposedly loosing with the power phases from 60A to 90A compared to the "dark" refresh

I am not planning to OC but I know that the processor can run some cores around 4.9ghz on heavy workloads.

Thanks in advance


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## JayFiveAlive (Nov 7, 2020)

k_c said:


> hello!
> 
> I ordered the asus rog hero viii wifi for a new 5950 build. I dont mind the internal cooling fan but what I am supposedly loosing with the power phases from 60A to 90A compared to the "dark" refresh
> 
> ...


You are not losing out on anything with the power phases, especially since you aren't OCing. The Hero is plenty fine (and overkill to a lot of people).


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## windwhirl (Nov 7, 2020)

The board is just exquisite.



Sickysickybrah said:


> How many front usb interfaces will this have?  Will it be able to support all front ports on the lian li 011d xl (four usb 3 and one usb 3.2 type c)?


Check storage interfaces 








						ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero Review
					

The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero is a refresh of last year's award winning ROG Crosshair VIII Hero. With an even more powerful VRM, a sleek new look, and, most importantly, no chipset cooling fan, the ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero looks to be a worthy upgrade from last year's model.




					www.techpowerup.com
				




One 3.2 Gen1 and one Gen2 headers, plus 2 USB 2.0 headers. It should fit fine with that case, I think.



k_c said:


> hello!
> 
> I ordered the asus rog hero viii wifi for a new 5950 build. I dont mind the internal cooling fan but what I am supposedly loosing with the power phases from 60A to 90A compared to the "dark" refresh
> 
> ...


If you're not going to overclock, then you shouldn't worry. Both boards can handle extreme LN2 overclocking on a 3950X, so running stock 5950X will be easy.


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## ArtKursis (Nov 7, 2020)

@Nate use old calculator....  1.6.2    ....  1.7.2  actual ....  anyw ... here 1900@1.38 cl16 on C8HW  FlareX


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## SMH777 (Nov 7, 2020)

I've gotten incredibly lucky over the last couple of days and managed to get a 5900x at launch from Microcenter, then also finally was able to order an RTX 3080 last night. The only part I still need for the build I am working on is the ASUS ROG Crosshair Dark Hero motherboard. I really wish we could get some concrete availability information for this motherboard. Because currently my 5900x is basically just a very rare and expensive paperweight on my desk. I'm also interested in seeing what the memory OC'ing performance is like on this motherboard with a Ryzen 5000 CPU.


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## puma99dk| (Nov 7, 2020)

SMH777 said:


> I've gotten incredibly lucky over the last couple of days and managed to get a 5900x at launch from Microcenter, then also finally was able to order an RTX 3080 last night. The only part I still need for the build I am working on is the ASUS ROG Crosshair Dark Hero motherboard. I really wish we could get some concrete availability information for this motherboard. Because currently my 5900x is basically just a very rare and expensive paperweight on my desk. I'm also interested in seeing what the memory OC'ing performance is like on this motherboard with a Ryzen 5000 CPU.



I think the mem controller in that CPU is gonna hit you first before the board does, I am not sure how big the penealty with 2:1 ratio on ZEN3 will be doe.

You properly have to wait until  the 17th of November this is the only date I could find but that's for Denmark not sure if that's the US doe.

I was heavly thinking about the Ryzen 9 5900X myself but thinking it over ZEN3 is the last CPU launch for the socket am4 B550/X570 this is why we didn't see the X670 chipset or what AMD would call it so I will properly just stick to my AMD Ryzen 9 3900X since it's only a year old and I only need a graphics card and not sure if it's the Sapphire Radeon RX 6800 XT Nitro or a Sapphire Radeon RX 6900 XT but I am a sucker the Sapphire looks when going AMD because I still got my Sapphire RX 590 Nitro+ Special Edition in it's box I love the light blue colour of it wish Sapphire would bring it back.


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## SMH777 (Nov 8, 2020)

puma99dk| said:


> I think the mem controller in that CPU is gonna hit you first before the board does, I am not sure how big the penealty with 2:1 ratio on ZEN3 will be doe.
> 
> You properly have to wait until  the 17th of November this is the only date I could find but that's for Denmark not sure if that's the US doe.
> 
> I was heavly thinking about the Ryzen 9 5900X myself but thinking it over ZEN3 is the last CPU launch for the socket am4 B550/X570 this is why we didn't see the X670 chipset or what AMD would call it so I will properly just stick to my AMD Ryzen 9 3900X since it's only a year old and I only need a graphics card and not sure if it's the Sapphire Radeon RX 6800 XT Nitro or a Sapphire Radeon RX 6900 XT but I am a sucker the Sapphire looks when going AMD because I still got my Sapphire RX 590 Nitro+ Special Edition in it's box I love the light blue colour of it wish Sapphire would bring it back.


Gotcha. Yeah, I have no desktop computer at the moment. I just got back into PC gaming a couple years ago and I've been using a gaming laptop. But I finally decided to get a proper gaming PC. So basically I will have to upgrade the CPU and motherboard next time I upgrade regardless of whether I went AMD or Intel anyways. I figure a 5900x should last me at least 3 years though. I'll be fine with the RAM performance I get from the 5900x/Dark Hero as long as the RAM I bought performs at it's stated speeds and timings (3600mhz CL16). Still, for a motherboard that has already been announced and is supposed to be coming out in less than a week in the US according to ASUS, there sure is quite an absence of information on it (other than the basics specs). If it just randomly appears in stock at some point next week, sells out in a few minutes and I miss it. I will probably just get a Gigabyte AOROUS X570 Master and be done.


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## ancelotti (Nov 8, 2020)

I hope we see some more overclocking results with this board. It appears o/c option ability will be unique to this board and it could end up deciding which processor I buy.

Kind of strange the most important new feature was barely mentioned in what is basically an exclusive review (so far).


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## puma99dk| (Nov 8, 2020)

SMH777 said:


> Gotcha. Yeah, I have no desktop computer at the moment. I just got back into PC gaming a couple years ago and I've been using a gaming laptop. But I finally decided to get a proper gaming PC. So basically I will have to upgrade the CPU and motherboard next time I upgrade regardless of whether I went AMD or Intel anyways. I figure a 5900x should last me at least 3 years though. I'll be fine with the RAM performance I get from the 5900x/Dark Hero as long as the RAM I bought performs at it's stated speeds and timings (3600mhz CL16). Still, for a motherboard that has already been announced and is supposed to be coming out in less than a week in the US according to ASUS, there sure is quite an absence of information on it (other than the basics specs). If it just randomly appears in stock at some point next week, sells out in a few minutes and I miss it. I will probably just get a Gigabyte AOROUS X570 Master and be done.



My only problem with Asus is their way they use features vs the prices because I cannot justify the £500 of this board when a MSI MAG X570 Tomahawk is only £200 and can do Ryzen 9's with no issues and yes I know it's not a Asus board, not as many USB ports, black, or a Intel NIC but for the price difference my money is on the MSI because of their VRM solution with 60A using ISL99390 with ISL6617 doubles for the 12phases that this board have and Asus says doubles makes the transit response time worse but that's up to how it's implemented if you as Buildzoid from Actually Hardcore Overclocking.

Here is the video of VRM Analysis: MSI's X570 Tomahawk May Become Go-To OC Board and if you believe what he says that the EVGA Z390 Dark has the best transit response time then any other board so maybe Asus just cannot implement doublers properly


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## Makaveli (Nov 8, 2020)

This motherboard is very good with great features.

However the price the non dark version is already $500 CAD. If I'm going to spend that much on the board I may as well move up to Threadripper and quad channel memory. Plus I never see the point of WiFi on a desktop motherboard. I don't know a single person that is good with computers that will use a desktop on WiFi.

Other than those things great board for the top of the Asus AM4 stack.


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## Abaidor (Nov 8, 2020)

Makaveli said:


> This motherboard is very good with great features.
> 
> However the price the non dark version is already $500 CAD. If I'm going to spend that much on the board I may as well move up to Threadripper and quad channel memory. Plus I never see the point of WiFi on a desktop motherboard. I don't know a single person that is good with computers that will use a desktop on WiFi.
> 
> Other than those things great board for the top of the Asus AM4 stack.



Well the only point of WiFi for me on desktop is to use it after years when my main PC serves somewhere else in the house where no LAN is available.....other than that.......useless.


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## apav (Nov 9, 2020)

I'm interested in buying this board but I won't be buying the components for my build for a few months, ideally including this. Based on previous generations of ROG boards or high end motherboards in general, do you think this one will still be in stock by then? I know there is limited supply due to limited demand. However the regular Crosshair VIII Hero is still in stock on Best Buy and Newegg over a year later (though eBay says they have 5-6 units each).


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## windwhirl (Nov 9, 2020)

apav said:


> I'm interested in buying this board but I won't be buying the components for my build for a few months, ideally including this. Based on previous generations of ROG boards or high end motherboards in general, do you think this one will still be in stock by then? I know there is limited supply due to limited demand. However the regular Crosshair VIII Hero is still in stock on Best Buy and Newegg over a year later (though eBay says they have 5-6 units each).



It's hard to say for sure, but for reference, Newegg still offers X470 boards like the Crosshair VII. So I think you will still find the VIII a few months down the line.


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## LorDClockaN (Nov 10, 2020)

Board is still unavailable to purchase anywhere. WHat I gathered in the last 2 days of manically trying to buy it is that it will come to stores before the end of November

Have 5950x and all the other parts sitting at home except mbo


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## SMH777 (Nov 10, 2020)

LorDClockaN said:


> Board is still unavailable to purchase anywhere. WHat I gathered in the last 2 days of manically trying to buy it is that it will come to stores before the end of November
> 
> Have 5950x and all the other parts sitting at home except mbo


They are apparently already on sale in FINLAND lol. Some guy there said he got one from the store yesterday, I'd imagine they will start being in stock in the US within the next week or two at the latest.


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## LorDClockaN (Nov 10, 2020)

SMH777 said:


> They are apparently already on sale in FINLAND lol. Some guy there said he got one from the store yesterday, I'd imagine they will start being in stock in the US within the next week or two at the latest.


I am from Europe

Can you ask the guy from what store please?



SMH777 said:


> They are apparently already on sale in FINLAND lol. Some guy there said he got one from the store yesterday, I'd imagine they will start being in stock in the US within the next week or two at the latest.


Found this Finland store 
Currently unavailable, but arriving 11.11., so tomorrow 25 pieces 



			https://www.jimms.fi/fi/Product/Show/166064/rog-crosshair-viii-dark-hero/asus-rog-crosshair-viii-dark-hero-atx-emolevy


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## SMH777 (Nov 10, 2020)

LorDClockaN said:


> I am from Europe
> 
> Can you ask the guy from what store please?
> 
> ...


Yep i know. Already saw it. I just hope it means that we will be getting US stock stoon


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## urawzrd (Nov 11, 2020)

how does this compare to the msi x570 unify? I'm about to do a new build with the 5950x, but I don't really want to keep delaying. Board seems overkill, are the new features worth waiting for?


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## LorDClockaN (Nov 11, 2020)

urawzrd said:


> how does this compare to the msi x570 unify? I'm about to do a new build with the 5950x, but I don't really want to keep delaying. Board seems overkill, are the new features worth waiting for?


If you are gonna properly overclock and watercool and don't want to lose performance while overclocking Ryzen, then Asus dynamic oc is definitely worth it


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## urawzrd (Nov 11, 2020)

LorDClockaN said:


> If you are gonna properly overclock and watercool and don't want to lose performance while overclocking Ryzen, then Asus dynamic oc is definitely worth it



Prob not too applicable to me. Just running a 360mm aio on my end. Utilizing dynamic oc to go to 4.5+ all cores would probably put me at 80/90+ on high load right? What about when comparing the other features of the boards


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## LorDClockaN (Nov 11, 2020)

urawzrd said:


> Prob not too applicable to me. Just running a 360mm aio and utilizing dynamic oc to go to 4.5+ all cores would probably put me at 80/90+ on high load right? What about when comparing the other features of the boards


Don't know. It has 2 M2 slots, some want 3. Rest is excellent. From network to audio afaik

The board can be purchased here if you are from EU:


			https://www.alternate.de/ASUS/ROG-CROSSHAIR-VIII-DARK-HERO-Mainboard/html/product/1694060?campaign=Sockel+AM4/ASUS/1694060
		


it's expected to ship in 8 days

I got me one


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## Dacur (Nov 11, 2020)

Just got it in the mail today, ordered it Oct. 20. at Proshop.dk. Now it says availability expected on Nov. 24 on their hp.


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## SMH777 (Nov 11, 2020)

LorDClockaN said:


> Don't know. It has 2 M2 slots, some want 3. Rest is excellent. From network to audio afaik
> 
> The board can be purchased here if you are from EU:
> 
> ...


Nice! Still nothing in the US and Microcenter finally responded to me. But all they said is that they will be stocking it, but they haven't received any yet, so I should "check their website regularly". At least my RTX 3080 should arrive today!


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## Nater (Nov 12, 2020)

I see it has a spot on pcpartpicker.com now.


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## SMH777 (Nov 12, 2020)

Nater said:


> I see it has a spot on pcpartpicker.com now.


Yeah, it's been that way for about a week at this point. But you still have to fill in the price yourself


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## Nater (Nov 13, 2020)

SMH777 said:


> Yeah, it's been that way for about a week at this point. But you still have to fill in the price yourself


Really?  I could never get it to come up at all.


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## Super XP (Nov 26, 2020)

Dammeron said:


> So x570 can be passively cooled and it doesn't need a big radiator on top...


I believe after a bios update, x570 runs pretty cool. And for me, I would never buy a motherboard that needed a running fan.


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## EarthDog (Dec 4, 2020)

@Black Haru, @W1zzard  - Wondering when/if you're going to change to the latest USB naming conventions in your reviews. The newest ones have been out for nearly two years (announced for over 3).

USB 3.2 Gen 1: 5Gbps
USB 3.2 Gen 2: 10Gbps
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2: 20Gbps



> the USB 3.2 specification is absorbing all prior USB 3.x specifications











						USB is doubling in speed, but the naming conventions are getting ridiculous
					

Make way for several USB 3.2 standards.




					www.pcgamer.com
				




EDIT:

USB 1.1 ---> still USB 1.1 (Full Speed)
USB 2.0 ---> *still USB 2.0 (High Speed)*
USB 3.0 ---> USB 3.1 Gen 1 ---> *USB 3.2 Gen 1 (SuperSpeed)*
USB 3.1 Gen 2 ---> *USB 3.2 Gen 2 (SuperSpeed 10Gbps)*
*USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (SuperSpeed 20Gbps)*

EDIT2: I also think its a great idea to test these new boards with the new flagship chip (and even some old boards with the new chip). I've found that some inexpensive boards could handle a 3900x, but not a 5950x without some throttling. Some that could overclock a 3900x couldn't handle 5950x PBO, for example. Clearly this is only with cheap boards (or Biostar that seems to have a hard current limit), but surely you understand the point.

EDIT3: Sorry... the specs table is borked with this board, yes? The expansion slots show 3x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots and 3x PCie 4.0 x1 slots. In looking at the board, there is only one x1 slot. The full-size slots are 2x @ PCIe 4.0 and 1x at PCIe 3.0  (at x8 speeds) and sourced from the chipset, right? Your table doesn't reflect that? 

Asus' specs page is hella confusing to me...


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## EarthDog (Dec 8, 2020)

@Black Haru @W1zzard -  BUMP for the existing questions  above and a new question (I can't edit the above post so I have to double post).

One other thing, for power delivery, you mention 1080A... these are 90A parts, so that means 12 phases for Vcore? The site says 16 in 14+2. Did I miss something?


Above I meant......
EDIT3: Sorry... the specs table is borked with this board, yes? The expansion slots show 3x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots and 3x PCie 4.0 x1 slots. In looking at the board, there is only one x1 slot. The full-size slots are correct.


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## Black Haru (Dec 11, 2020)

EarthDog said:


> @Black Haru @W1zzard -  BUMP for the existing questions  above and a new question (I can't edit the above post so I have to double post).
> 
> One other thing, for power delivery, you mention 1080A... these are 90A parts, so that means 12 phases for Vcore? The site says 16 in 14+2. Did I miss something?
> 
> ...



Fixed for both, good catch.


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## Battler624 (Jan 1, 2021)

Nate random question, whats your bios times? task manager > startup > top right?


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## ThrashZone (Jan 2, 2021)

Hi,
This is a nice board
If it and 5k amd would of dropped before z490 and 10900k It would of been mine 

Bloat wise I don't have any of it installed on z490 so doubt you really need it on this board either turn off in bios to auto install


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## Nitro-Max (Jan 2, 2021)

Few years back when they did the asus maximus you could flash them with the Rampage Bios. And get a free upgrade, I wonder if its still possible with the dark hero bios?


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## harm9963 (Jan 20, 2021)

My 5950X  , cant wait for it


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## harm9963 (Feb 6, 2021)

Got my DARK HERO at Micro Center , was 24 at 3am , place my order ,  then exchange my ASUS ROG E X570 , that's all she wrote.
OC switching is amazing


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## Hossein Almet (Mar 20, 2021)

The annoying thing about this board is that you cannot set the pump rpm (custom loop) in BIOS, it always runs at 100% rpm.  To set the pump rpm curve, you have to use the AI suite.  Fortunately, the AI suite happens to work wonder.


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