Wednesday, August 5th 2015

ASUS Announces Mainline and Signature Z170 Motherboards

ASUS today announced the Z170 Signature Series motherboard, a fully-featured design that enables flexible, wide-ranging PC builds for day-to-day productivity, entertainment and gaming. The Z170 has a best-in-class overclocking design that includes a dedicated overclocking microprocessor - the TurboV Processing Unit (TPU) - and ASUS Pro Clock technology to give users unlimited overclocking potential. ASUS-exclusive 5-Way Optimization technology dynamically optimizes multiple system parameters for exceptional performance with a single click; while second generation ASUS T-Topology enables DDR4 memory overclocking to up to 3733MHz. There is also enhanced DDR3/3L support on select motherboards for additional flexibility and compatibility.

Crystal Sound 3, Intel Ethernet with LANGuard, and Turbo LAN deliver incredible gaming experiences; while onboard Type-A and Type-C USB 3.1 ports and M.2 support provide rapid data transmission. The Z170-Deluxe motherboard further includes six USB 3.1 ports, 3x3 802.11ac Wi-Fi, as well as a Hyper M.2 x4 Mini card and U.2 Hyper Kit to offer the most complete Z170 experience.
Exceptional overclocking technologies
ASUS Pro Clock Technology has a dedicated base-clock (BCLK) generator designed for 6th-generation Intel processors for overclocked base clock frequencies of up to 400MHz and beyond. It works in tandem with the ASUS TurboV Processing Unit (TPU) to enhance voltage and base-clock overclocking control, and boosts performance to 5.2GHz or more.
5-Way Optimization, another ASUS-exclusive technology, dynamically optimizes essential aspects of the system based on real-time use, ensuring superb processor performance, everyday energy savings, ultra-stable digital power, cool and quiet fans and networking and audio settings that are tailored for preferred apps - perfect for gaming, entertainment, productivity or just about anything else. This latest iteration now includes a dedicated water pump header so users can tweak pump speed in UEFI or Windows.

Second-generation ASUS T-Topology enables DDR4 memory overclocking to up to 3733MHz. A customized trace layout reduces crosstalk and coupling noise to ensure time-aligned signal transfer for improved memory stability and compatibility.

Crystal-clear in-game audio and low-latency networking with LANGuard protection
Crystal Sound 3 provides audio shielding and protection from electromagnetic interference by separating the left and right audio channel circuits. A de-pop circuit design and a new power pre-regulator help reduce input power noise; while an audio amplifier and premium Japanese-made audio capacitors gives gamers immersive in-game audio.
Intel Ethernet with LANGuard protection and Turbo LAN provide low-latency networking with hardware-level protection for reliable online connections and better throughput. It also lets users customize packet priority for smooth online gaming sessions.

A 256-color LED light source on the motherboard lets users customize their build, the lighting can be set to indicate current CPU temperature, or pulse to the beat of the music that is being played.

Extensive connectivity
Onboard USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C ports provide users with data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbit/s, with ASUS-exclusive USB 3.1 Boost technology for even more speed. M.2 x4 PCI Express 3.0 support ensures up to 32Gbit/s transfer speeds - ideal for operating system or application drives. ASUS Z170 Signature even supports NVMe M.2 and PCIe SSDs. The Z170-Deluxe includes super-fast onboard 3x3 802.11ac Wi-Fi, along with Hyper Kit U.2 support for 2.5-inch NVMe storage and Hyper M.2 x4 Mini for an additional M.2 interface. Users can further leverage the PCIe RAID support to build a RAID 0 array using two PCIe storage drives to enjoy lightning fast speeds.
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7 Comments on ASUS Announces Mainline and Signature Z170 Motherboards

#1
Unregistered
FIVE USB3.1 PORTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seems like it's already 2016 :P
#2
haswrong
Shamonto Hasan EashaFIVE USB3.1 PORTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seems like it's already 2016 :p
i like the Z170-A because it has one of each connectors.. ps/2 or even old pci for collectors or users of old hardware. no ISA connectors available though..
Posted on Reply
#3
RejZoR
Deluxe looks incredible.
Posted on Reply
#4
RejZoR
Holy crap, the Deluxe costs more than Maximus Ranger. Almost 300 €. I wonder how much the Maximus Formula will cost. 500 € ? O_o
Posted on Reply
#5
Octavean
RejZoRHoly crap, the Deluxe costs more than Maximus Ranger. Almost 300 €. I wonder how much the Maximus Formula will cost. 500 € ? o_O
Well the Asus Deluxe line is usually in the ~$300+ range so no surprises there.

Interesting to see that all the Asus Z170 boards with white trim seem to have Thunderbolt headers whereas all the others don't. If you care about USB 3.1 then the Deluxe looks like the way to go.

One thing I don't much care for is the way that some manufacturers have taken to referring to USB 3.1 "10Gb/s" and USB 3.1 "5Gb/s". I think this just serves to confuse some people less aware of the differences since they will only see "USB 3.1". Why not just call USB 3.1 5Gb/s USB 3.0 and be done with it.

Edit:

BTW, the price of boards like the Asus Z170 Deluxe is why I tend to stipulate that X99 and X79 builds aren't always more expensive. People typically seem to kneejerk to thinking X99 / X79 is more expensive but that just isn't necessarily true. It depends on the parts that you choose,...
Posted on Reply
#6
RejZoR
It sure wasn't 300 when I had the P5Q Deluxe...
Posted on Reply
#7
Octavean
RejZoRIt sure wasn't 300 when I had the P5Q Deluxe...
Perhaps,...

However,....

My Asus A8N-SLI-Deluxe, P6T Deluxe and P9X79 Deluxe were all ~$300 or more. My Asus X99-A motherboard was about ~$279.99 on release day which is very close to ~$300 and it isn't even a Deluxe model. The Asus X99 Deluxe is still typically well over ~$300 USD (closer to ~$400 USD).
Posted on Reply
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