Introduction

2019 is wrapping up, and Team Red has managed to gain a lot of ground in the last eleven months. The Ryzen and Navi launch hype started all the way back in January at CES and only got more intense as the year went on. The hype culminated at the outset of July with a single massive launch which actually lived up to most expectations. There is finally real competition in the mainstream CPU marketplace, and with competition comes greater consumer choice. One of the biggest debates that is still ongoing with this launch is which chipset to buy. Do you need X570?

Unlike Intel, AMD has made a commitment to supporting the AM4 socket over multiple CPU generations. So far, the team in red has held to that promise, and the new Zen 2 processors are widely supported on older-generation motherboards. While this is great for consumers, it also creates more complexity as more choice inevitably must. Do you need a new X570 motherboard? Due to the cost of the new chipset, the new generation of boards are more expensive feature for feature than the last two generations. This is largely due to PCIe 4.0, a costly and complex feature to implement.

In the graphics department, no card on the market has saturated even PCIe 3.0 yet, at least in the x16 configuration. The largest immediate benefit is with high-speed storage. NVMe drives in RAID configurations can and will take advantage of the extra bandwidth to push never before seen sequential read and write speeds. With your average game, even the switch from SATA to NVMe can be hard to notice, let alone to an even faster and more expensive RAID array. This is more relevant for content creation and media production, where high-speed storage can save significant time and therefore money, which is further bolstered by the near-HEDT core counts on the high-end Ryzen 3000 CPUs. Of course, graphics cards will eventually catch up as well, so for the discerning gamer who only upgrades every three to five years, the new standard could prove a good investment as well.

When ASUS set out to make the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact, they had one goal in mind: take all the features from their flagship X570 motherboard and cram them into the smallest possible package. While it has taken a little while to achieve, the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact is the closest we have ever come to a no compromise SFF motherboard. When compared to the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO that is ASUS's mainstream flagship, the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact has the same premium audio, the same number of M.2 slots, and all of the same overclocking aids packed into a tiny Mini-DTX package. The VRM, while smaller than the HERO, features top of the line power stages and active VRM cooling. The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact isn't just another SFF board; ASUS had to redesign the entire layout and execute creative solutions to overcome the myriad of challenges surrounding fitting this much motherboard into such a small package. There is a lot to cover, so let's dive right in!

Specifications

Packaging and Contents

The front of the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact box features a black background with subtle, printed patterns. In the top-right corner is a brushed metal background, while the rest of the box has a line pattern. "ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact Gaming Motherboard" is in the center left, with the Republic of Gamers logo in the top right. "ASUS" is in the bottom left, and the brand badging is in the bottom right.

The back of the box at least has variations of what I look for: a shot of the board that includes a good view of the rear I/O, a list of standout features, and the specifications list. Overall, the box design follows the premium minimalist approach, which works very well.


Opening the box, it sits in a cardboard tray. The inside of the lid features the ROG logo and "Welcome to the Republic" in metallic red lettering. The accessories are stored below the tray.


The accessories are typical for high-end ASUS boards, with extras like the ROG coaster, ROG sticker sheet, and a CableMod coupon. Notably absent is any kind of rear I/O shield because the shield is integrated into the board. I am very happy with how often I have been seeing this feature lately, and props to ASUS for incorporating it into the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact.

The full list of accessories includes:

• Manual and support DVD
• 20% off coupon for CableMod cables
• 4x SATA 6 Gb/s cables
• 2x LED extension cable
• Front panel cable
• 2x M.2 mounting screws
• (WiFi) antenna
• ROG Thank You card
• ROG sticker sheet and coaster
• ROG SO-DIMM.2 with heatsink

Board Layout

The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact features a matte black PCB with a subtle pattern of printed lines.


The back of the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact is almost entirely taken up by an aluminium backplate.


The rear I/O cover, which is also the VRM and chipset heatsink, is matte black with silver accents under the fan grills. "Crosshair VIII" and "Impact" are etched in next to the grills.


Underneath a metal top cover are two small cooling fans for the VRM and chipset.


The CPU socket is not as open as on many full-sized boards; there is just too much to pack into such a small layout. I would strongly recommend double checking cooler clearance before purchasing. ASUS has added a metal casing to the CPU 8 pin to protect it from damage, and put it next to the 24 pin on the far right side of the board.


There are only two M.2 slots on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact. They are both on the SO-DIMM.2 expansion card (included with the Impact).


The DIMM.2 slot is just above the PCIe x16 slot.


The SO-DIMM.2 card features a heatsink on both sides, as well as two 4-pin fan headers and one addressable RGB header.


The top of the SO-DIMM.2 features "Republic of Gamers" in white lettering, which is lit by small addressable LEDs.


The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact offers one PCI Express 4.0 x16 slot, encased in metal reinforcement. The board has a total of four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, two of which are placed at a 90 degree angle.


The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact has a good rear I/O offering for an SFF board. The full list consists of:

• Clear CMOS button
• BIOS Flashback button
• Q-Code
• Reset button
• 2x WiFi antenna connectors
• 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
• 5x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A ports
• USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
• RJ-45 LAN port
• Optical SPDIF out port
• 3x LED illuminated 3.5 mm audio jacks

Networking on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact is handled by an Intel I211AT, with an Intel 802.11 AX controller for wireless connectivity.