Friday, September 29th 2017
Upcoming ASUS Z370 Motherboard Roundup
Normally, motherboards go on shelves at the same time as processors do. In this occasion, Intel has confirmed that their Coffee Lake processors will launch on October 5. As per tradition, images of some of the upcoming motherboards from various brands have been leaked on the web. Meanwhile, we know that many of you are already planning your future Z370 builds or deciding on which motherboard to accompany your PC upgrade. If you're a fan of ASUS products, we have a treat for you. From what VideoCardz have gathered so far, ASUS plans to release sixteen different models from their Republic of Gamers (ROG), The Ultimate Force (TUF), Strix and Prime series.
The ROG line will father five Maximus X models: Apex, Formula, Code, Hero with Wi-Fi AC, and Hero. There is no mention of an Extreme model, but our experience tells us that model usually comes at a later date. It's also possible that it may never see the light of day for this generation. From what we can make of the images, the Maximus X Hero will employ a 10-phase digital VRM design. The motherboard retains the black and grey theme with RGB illuminated heatsinks just like its predecessor. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality were present on the Code models and above in the previous generation. We're happy to see ASUS offering a Hero variant this time with those two functionalities.Over the last couple of years, the Strix line of motherboards has grown very popular among ASUS aficionados. This generation of Strix motherboards is comprised of various solid performers. The six soon-to-be-released Strix Gaming models include the Z370E, Z370F, Z370G, Z370G (Wi-Fi AC), Z370H, and Z370I. As it may seem, the Z370-F Gaming and Z370-E Gaming motherboards are equipped with a 10-phase VRM too. RGB lighting can be expected on the high-tier models. The Z370I Strix Gaming will certainly be one of the more popular models, since it's the only mini-ITX option in ASUS's entire Z370 at the moment.Fans of the TUF series get to choose between the Z370-PLUS TUF GAMING and Z370-PRO TUF GAMING at launch. ASUS has chosen a black theme with yellow accents and possibly yellow illumination for this generation of TUF motherboards. The Pro model comes with a 6-phase VRM apparently. The TUF Thermal Armor is nowhere to be seen, hence we suspect that ASUS is holding out on us. There will probably be Mark models later on.Making our way to the Prime offerings, we find the Z370-A and Z370-P motherboards. It's apparent that the Z370-P will carry a 7-phase VRM. We're only able to count five power phases for Z370-A because of the angle at which the image was taken. Since the Z370-A is a the higher-end model of the two, we can expect the phase count to be higher. Not much has changed In regards to aesthetics. We still find a black PCB with metallic heatsinks and white highlights.We don't know much about the Dragon motherboards, except that there will be a ASUS Z370 Dragon model. As usual, it will only be available in certain regions.
Update (September 29, 2017): Official renders have been provided by ASUS and used to replace the images used before.
The ROG line will father five Maximus X models: Apex, Formula, Code, Hero with Wi-Fi AC, and Hero. There is no mention of an Extreme model, but our experience tells us that model usually comes at a later date. It's also possible that it may never see the light of day for this generation. From what we can make of the images, the Maximus X Hero will employ a 10-phase digital VRM design. The motherboard retains the black and grey theme with RGB illuminated heatsinks just like its predecessor. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality were present on the Code models and above in the previous generation. We're happy to see ASUS offering a Hero variant this time with those two functionalities.Over the last couple of years, the Strix line of motherboards has grown very popular among ASUS aficionados. This generation of Strix motherboards is comprised of various solid performers. The six soon-to-be-released Strix Gaming models include the Z370E, Z370F, Z370G, Z370G (Wi-Fi AC), Z370H, and Z370I. As it may seem, the Z370-F Gaming and Z370-E Gaming motherboards are equipped with a 10-phase VRM too. RGB lighting can be expected on the high-tier models. The Z370I Strix Gaming will certainly be one of the more popular models, since it's the only mini-ITX option in ASUS's entire Z370 at the moment.Fans of the TUF series get to choose between the Z370-PLUS TUF GAMING and Z370-PRO TUF GAMING at launch. ASUS has chosen a black theme with yellow accents and possibly yellow illumination for this generation of TUF motherboards. The Pro model comes with a 6-phase VRM apparently. The TUF Thermal Armor is nowhere to be seen, hence we suspect that ASUS is holding out on us. There will probably be Mark models later on.Making our way to the Prime offerings, we find the Z370-A and Z370-P motherboards. It's apparent that the Z370-P will carry a 7-phase VRM. We're only able to count five power phases for Z370-A because of the angle at which the image was taken. Since the Z370-A is a the higher-end model of the two, we can expect the phase count to be higher. Not much has changed In regards to aesthetics. We still find a black PCB with metallic heatsinks and white highlights.We don't know much about the Dragon motherboards, except that there will be a ASUS Z370 Dragon model. As usual, it will only be available in certain regions.
Update (September 29, 2017): Official renders have been provided by ASUS and used to replace the images used before.