ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero Z370 Motherboard Review
The Hero Coffee Lake Deserves
Intels 8th Generation Core processor, code named Coffee Lake, is living up to the hype. The gaming performance and clock speed potential of the Intel Coffee Lake K series is unprecedented. Some of you (those lucky enough to get your hands on a CPU) may still be wondering which motherboard should you consider putting your Coffee Lake beast into? We submit for your review, the ASUS Maximus X Hero.
The ASUS Maximus X Hero comes in near the top of the ASUS Z370 chipset lineup, priced at $259.99 shipped. The ASUS Maximus X Hero is said to be the “sweet spot” for gamers and overclockers as it should have all the features you need and doesn’t have 802.11ac wireless. If you need an Intel Z370 board with Wi-Fi you’ll need to spend an extra $20 and get the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS X Hero (WI-FI AC) version that costs $279.99 shipped. Going above this price gets into the yet to be released ASUS Maximus X Code and ASUS Maximus X Formula. The X Formula adds watercooled VRM heatsinks, larger PCH heatsink, and black “armor” that covers the board to help resist heat. Sitting at the top of ASUS product stack is the aptly named ASUS Maximus X Apex. It is aimed squarely at overclockers and is priced at $349.99.
Going down the stack from the X Hero, we have the ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-E Gaming which takes away the ESS Sabre DAC and some of the thermal sensor headers for a price of $209.99, including AC/Wifi. The ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-F drops the Wifi module and one of the two USB 3.1 controllers for $194.99. Below this price point is the ROG microATX and Mini-ITX offerings where the form factor begins to really determine the amount of features equipped. Also below $194.99 are the ASUS Prime series of motherboards, which are great motherboards, but make some feature changes in order to appeal to more price conscious consumers.
After wearing out the F5 button on our keyboard for the last several weeks, we are happy to say that our testing is with a retail sample of the Intel Core i7-8700K acquired from Microcenter.
The ASUS Maximus X Hero is of course based on Intels Z370 chipset, the only current LGA 1151 socket supporting Coffee Lake processers. It is an ATX design with a plethora of features, sure to please many. Below are the specifications and a list of features, which we will detail in the pages that follow.
ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero Specifications
| CPU | Intel Socket 1151 for 8th Generation Core Processors |
| Chipset | Intel Z370 |
| Memory | 4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR4 2666/2400/2133 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
2800 MHz – 4133 MHz Overclock Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) |
| On Board Graphics | Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DisplayPort 1.2 ports
Supports HDMI with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution 4096 x 2304 @ 60 Hz |
| Multi-GPU Support | Supports NVIDIA 2-Way SLI Technology Supports AMD 3-Way CrossFireX Technology |
| Expansion Slots | 2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode) 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1 |
| Storage | 1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode) 1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode) 6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s) Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 Supports Intel Smart Response Technology Intel Optane Memory Ready |
| Audio | ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC S1220 Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input SupremeFX Shielding Technology ESS ES9023P Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback Audio Feature : Gold-plated jacks Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel Sonic Radar III Sonic Studio III |
| USB Ports | ASMedia USB 3.1 Gen 2 controller : 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 front panel connector port(s) ASMedia USB 3.1 Gen 2 controller : 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 port(s) (2 at back panel, , Type-A + USB Type-CTM) Intel Z370 Chipset : 6 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s) (4 at back panel, +blue, 2 at mid-board) Intel Z370 Chipset : 6 x USB 2.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, +black, 4 at mid-board) |
| ROG Exclusive Features | ROG RAMCache II ROG CPU-Z ROG CloneDrive Pre-mounted I/O Shield MemOK! Button Slow Mode Overwolf GameFirst IV Extreme Engine Digi+ : – MicroFine Alloy Chokes – NexFET Power Block MOSFET – 10K Black Metallic Capacitors Mem TweakIt ROG Extreme OC kit : – ReTry button – Safe Boot button – Start button – Reset button – LN2 Mode KeyBot II – One-click Overclocking – X.M.P. – DirectKey – ClrCMOS – Power On UEFI BIOS features : – O.C. Profile – Tweakers’ Paradise – ROG SSD Secure Erase ROG RAMDisk Extreme Tweaker USB BIOS Flashback Overclocking Protection : – ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall) |
| Special Features | ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5 : – 5-Way Optimization tuning key perfectly consolidates TPU, EPU, DIGI+ VRM, Fan Expert 4, and Turbo App AURA : – Aura Lighting Control – Aura RGB Strip Headers – Aura Lighting Effects Synchronization with compatible ASUS ROG devices – Aura Addressable Strip Header(s) ASUS Exclusive Features : – AI Suite 3 – Disk Unlocker ASUS EZ DIY : – ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 – ASUS EZ Flash 3 CPU Installation Tool – Three-step simplicity and safety ASUS Q-Design : – ASUS Q-Code – ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED) – ASUS Q-Slot – ASUS Q-DIMM – ASUS Q-Connector Gaming Aesthetics : – 3D printing friendly – AURA-RGB Lighting |
| Back I/O Ports | 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A + USB Type-CT 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (blue) 2 x USB 2.0 1 x Optical S/PDIF out 1 x Clear CMOS button(s) 1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s) 5 x Gold-plated audio jacks |
| Form Factor | ATX Form Factor 12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm ) |
Let’s take a look at the board layout!