Introduction

2019 so far has been dominated by Team Red. 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.

This is the third board in the "high end mainstream" bracket I have looked at, and by now, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the $350-$400 price bracket. So lets dive into the ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) from ASUS to see what the Republic of Gamers has brought to the table. The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) has been equipped with the accoutrement one would expect from the ROG brand ASUS has built up. With M.2 heatsinks on both slots, a premium lighting solution, integrated rear I/O shield, and great ASUS BIOS, the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) has the ingredients of a premium board. Does it have the performance as well?

Specifications

Packaging and Contents

The front of the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) 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 HERO (WiFi) 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, the board sits in a cardboard tray, underneath a molded plastic cover. 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 of high-end ASUS boards, with extras like a 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 HERO (WiFi).

The full list of accessories includes:

• Manual and support DVD
• 20% off coupon for CableMod cables
• 4x SATA 6 Gb/s cables
• 2x Addressable LED extension cable
• 2x M.2 mounting screws
• Q-Connector
• (WiFi) antenna
• SLI hard bridge
• ROG sticker sheet and coaster

Board Layout

The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) features a matte black PCB with a subtle pattern of printed lines. The rear I/O cover is also matte black, with "Crosshair VIII" in subtle gray across the top. The heatsinks for the VRM, chipset, and M.2 drives are a deep black with a granular finish.

The back of the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) is a uniform matte black with more printed gloss lines for accenting.


The CPU socket is open enough to accommodate most coolers, and the VRM heatsink looks quite capable.


ASUS has even added a metal casing to the CPU 8 pin to protect it from damage.


There are only two M.2 slots on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi). The first sits just under the CPU socket, while the second is between the second and third PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. Both have heatsinks for improved thermal performance.


The chipset fan has two covers over it, one out of black brushed metal that also covers part of the top M.2 heatsink, and another out of plastic to improve the aesthetic.


The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) offers three PCI Express 4.0 x16 slots, the first two of which are encased in metal reinforcement, as well as one PCI Express 4.0 x1 slot. The board has a total of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and all are angled 90 degrees from the board.


The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) has a good rear I/O offering that includes substantial USB options, as well as an optical S/PDIF out port. The full list consists of:

• 1x Clear CMOS button
• 1x BIOS Flashback button
• 2x WiFi antenna connectors
• 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
• 7x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A ports
• 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
• 2x RJ-45 LAN port
• 1x Optical SPDIF out port
• 5x 3.5 mm audio jacks

Networking on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) is handled by an Intel I211AT and a Realtek RTL8125 for the 2.5 Gb/s LAN, with an Intel 802.11 AX controller for wireless connectivity.