[section_title title=”Specifications”]

Specifications

• CPU
  Intel® Socket 1151 for 6^th Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors
  Supports Intel® 14 nm CPU
  Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
  * The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
  * Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list
• Chipset
  Intel® Z170
• Memory
  4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR4 3866(O.C.)/3800(O.C.)/3733(O.C.)/3600(O.C.)/3500(O.C.)/3466(O.C.)/3400(O.C.)/3333(O.C.)/3300(O.C.)/3200(O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2133 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
  Dual Channel Memory Architecture
  Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
  * Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.
  * Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).
• Graphic
  Integrated Graphics Processor- Intel® HD Graphics support
  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
  Maximum shared memory of 512 MB
  Supports Intel® InTru™ 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider™
• Multi-GPU Support
  Supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology
  Supports AMD 4-Way CrossFireX Technology
• Expansion Slots
  3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8 or x8/x4/x4, gray)
  1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x4 mode, gray)
  2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1 (black)
• Storage
  Intel® Z170 chipset :
  1 x M.2 x4 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)*¹
  6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray, , 4 ports from 2 x SATA Express
  2 x SATA Express port
  1 x U.2 port
  Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
  Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports*²
  Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology*²
  ASMedia® ASM1061 controller :
  2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), black, *³,
• LAN
  Intel® I219V, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s), GameFirst technology
  Intel® LAN- Dual interconnect between the Integrated LAN controller and Physical Layer (PHY)
  Anti-surge LANGuard
• Wireless Data Network
  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  Supports dual band frequency 2.4/5 GHz
  Up to 1300Mbps transfer speed
• Bluetooth
  Bluetooth V4.0
• Audio
  ROG SupremeFX 2015 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
  – Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
  – SupremeFX Shielding Technology
  – ESS® ES9023P DAC: dB SNR, dB THD+N (Max. kHz/ -bit)
  – TI RC4580 2VRMS audio OP AMP(s)
  Audio Feature :
  – Gold-plated jacks
  – DTS Connect
  – Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
  – Sonic SenseAmp
  – Sonic Studio II
  – Sonic Radar II
• USB Ports
  Intel® Z170 chipset :
  8 x USB 3.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, blue, 4 at mid-board)
  Intel® Z170 chipset : *⁴
  6 x USB 2.0 port(s) (6 at mid-board)
  ASMedia® USB 3.1 controller :
  2 x USB 3.1 port(s) (2 at back panel, red, Type-A)
  Intel® USB 3.1 controller :
  2 x USB 3.1 port(s) (2 at back panel, , Type-A + Type-C)
• OC Panel II
  2.6 ” LCM display
  EXTREME/NORMAL mode switch
  EXTREME Mode for subzero OC benching:
  – VGA Hotwire
  – Subzero Sense
  – Slow Mode
  – Pause Switch
  – ProbeIt
  – ReTry button
  – Safe Boot button
  2 x Thermal sensor connectors
  4 x 4-pin extra fan connectors *⁵
  NORMAL Mode for in-chassis usage:
  – OC button
  – FanSpeed control button
  – LCM backlight on/off button
  I/O Ports:
  – POWER：1 x SATA power connector
  – ROG_EXT port：1 x 18-1 pin data connection port
• Overclocking Features
  Start Button
  Reset Button
  LN2 Mode
  Extreme Engine Digi+ :
  – MicroFine Alloy Chokes
  – 10K Black Metallic Capacitors
  – OptiMOS™ MOSFET
  Mem TweakIt
  ROG Extreme OC kit :
  – ReTry button
  – Safe Boot button
  – Start button
  – Reset button
  – Slow Mode
  – LN2 Mode
  – PCIe x16 Lane Switch
  – Debug LED
  – EZ Plug
  – DRAM channel jumper
  ProbeIt
  KeyBot II
  – One-click Overclocking
  – X.M.P.
  – DirectKey
  – ClrCMOS
  – Power On
  UEFI BIOS features :
  – O.C. Profile
  – GPU.DIMM Post
  – Tweakers’ Paradise
  – ROG SSD Secure Erase
  – Graphic Card Information Preview
  ROG RAMDisk
  iROG
  Extreme Tweaker
  USB BIOS Flashback
  Overclocking Protection :
  – COP EX (Component Overheat Protection – EX)
• Special Features
  OC Design – ASUS PRO Clock Technology
  – Full BCLK range for extreme overclocking performance
  5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5
  – 5-Way Optimization tuning key perfectly consolidates TPU, EPU, DIGI+ Power Control, Fan Xpert 3, and Turbo App
  ASUS Wi-Fi GO!
  – Wi-Fi GO! Function: Cloud GO!, Remote Desktop, Remote Keyboard & Mouse, File Transfer
  – Wi-Fi GO! & NFC Remote app for portable smartphone/tablet, supporting iOS 7 & Android 4.0 systems
  ASUS Exclusive Features :
  – GPU Boost
  – MemOK!
  – AI Suite 3
  – Ai Charger+
  – USB 3.1 Boost
  – Disk Unlocker
  – Mobo Connect
  – PC Cleaner
  Remote Entertainment
  – Media Streamer
  – HyStream
  ASUS EZ DIY :
  – ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
  – ASUS EZ Flash 3
  – ASUS USB BIOS Flashback
  – Push Notice
  ASUS Q-Design :
  – ASUS Q-Shield
  – ASUS Q-Code
  – ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
  – ASUS Q-Slot
  – ASUS Q-DIMM
  – ASUS Q-Connector
  RAMCache
• Operating System Support
  Windows® 10 , 64bit
  Windows® 8.1 , 64bit
  Windows® 7 , 32bit/64bit
• Back I/O Ports
  1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s)
  1 x DisplayPort
  1 x HDMI
  1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
  1 x USB 3.1 (black)Type-C
  3 x USB 3.1 (red)Type-A
  4 x USB 3.0 (blue)
  1 x Optical S/PDIF out
  5 x Audio jack(s)
  1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
  1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s)
  1 x ASUS Wi-Fi GO! module (Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v4.0/3.0+HS)
• Internal I/O
  1 x U.2 port
  1 x AAFP connector
  2 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.0 port(s)
  3 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 6 USB 2.0 port(s)
  2 x SATA Express connector: gray, Compatible with 4 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports
  1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key design, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (Supports both SATA & PCIE SSD)
  4 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
  1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
  1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
  4 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
  1 x Thunderbolt header(s)
  1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
  1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
  1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
  1 x 4-pin EZ_PLUG Power connector(s)
  1 x System panel(s) (Q-Connector)
  1 x 5-pin EXT_FAN(Extension Fan) connector
  1 x MemOK! button(s)
  1 x Slow Mode switch(es)
  9 x ProbeIt Measurement Points
  3 x Thermal sensor connector(s)
  1 x DRAM channel jumper
  1 x Power-on button(s)
  1 x Reset button(s)
  1 x BIOS Switch button(s)
  1 x SLI/CFX button (2/3/4-way adjustments)
  1 x Water Pump header (4-pin)
  1 x LN2 Mode jumper(s)
  1 x ROG extension (ROG_EXT) header(s)
  1 x Safe Boot button
  1 x ReTry button
• Accessories
  User’s manual
  ASUS Q-Shield
  8 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
  1 x M.2 Screw Package
  1 x CPU installation tool
  1 x Supporting DVD
  1 x ASUS 3T3R dual band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
  1 x Fan Extension Card (3 x 4-pin fan out)
  1 x Fan Extension card screw pack
  1 x SLI bridge(s)
  1 x CrossFire cable(s)
  1 x Q-connector(s) (1 in 1)
  3 x Thermal sensor cable pack(s)
  1 x 12 in 1 ROG Cable Label(s)
  ROG Fan Label
  1 x 5-pin to 5-pin cable
  1 x ROG Door Hanger(s)
  OC Panel II :
  1 x OC Panel II(s)
  1 x OC Panel II 5.25-inch bay metal case
  1 x OC Panel II Cable(s)
  1 x OC Panel II screw pack(s)
• BIOS
  1 x 128 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI3.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 3.0, ACPI 5.0, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 3, CrashFree BIOS 3, F11 EZ Tuning Wizard, F6 Qfan Control, F3 My Favorites, F9 Quick Note, Last Modified log, F12 PrintScreen, F3 Shortcut functions and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information.
• Manageability
  WfM2.0, DMI3.0, WOL by PME, PXE
• Support Disc
  Drivers
  ROG GameFirst technology
  ROG RAMDisk
  ROG RAMCache
  ROG CPU-Z
  ROG Mem TweakIt
  Overwolf
  ROG Keybot II
  Kaspersky® Anti-Virus
  DAEMON Tools Pro Standard
  ASUS WebStorage
  ASUS Utilities
• Form Factor
  Extended ATX Form Factor
  12 inch x 10.7 inch ( 30.5 cm x 27.2 cm )
• Note
  *1 The M.2 slot shares bandwidth with U.2 slot and SATA Express 1 slot. Please refers to user manual for detail information.
  *2 This function will work depending on the CPU installed.
  *3 These SATA ports are for data hard drives only. ATAPI devices are not supported.
  *4 2 x USB2.0 port at mid-board comes from the ROG extension (ROG_EXT) port.
  *5 2 of the Fan connectors on OC Panel support PWM mode.

  Testing Setup:

Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme/Assembly
CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K @ 4.2 GHz core / 4.0 GHz cache
CPU Cooling: Corsair H100i v2
GPU: GALAX GTX 980 SOC @ 1228 (1329 boost)/1800 MHz
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2666 2x8GB C14
PSU: Corsair AX1200i 80+ Platinum
OS: Windows 10 Professional x64

Previous Motherboard Reviews:

ASUS Maximus VIII Hero
ASUS Maximus VIII Hero Alpha
ASUS Maximus VIII Formula
ASUS Maximus VIII Impact
ASUS Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1
ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING
ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING
GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming 7
MSI Z170A GAMING M7
MSI Z170A GAMING PRO CARBON
MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING
MSI Z170 XPOWER Gaming Titanium Edition
MSI Z170I Pro Gaming AC

Methodology:

All benchmarks are done on a fresh install of Windows 10 Professional 64-bit that is fully up-to-date with Windows Updates to ensure that the performance reflects a real-world scenario and not that of a tweaked benchmarking system. Every benchmark runs for a total of three times and then an average is taken of those results.

2D Benchmarks:

AIDA64 – CPU Queen/CPU Photoworxx/CPU AES/Memory Read/Memory Write
Cinebench 11.5 – CPU
Cinebench R15 – CPU
SiSandra – Processor Arithmetic/Processor Multi-Core Efficiency/Cache & Memory Bandwidth

3D Benchmarks:

3DMark 11 – Performance
3DMark Fire Strike – Normal

Gaming Benchmarks:

Company of Heroes 2 – Maximum Settings @ 1080P/1440P
F1 2015 – Ultra Preset @ 1080P/1440P
Total War: ROME II – Extreme Preset @ 1080P/1440P

AIDA64

This simple integer benchmark focuses on the branch prediction capabilities and the misprediction penalties of the CPU. It finds the solutions for the classic “Queens problem” on a 10 by 10 sized chessboard. At the same clock speed, theoretically the processor with the shorter pipeline and smaller misprediction penalties will attain higher benchmark scores. For example — with HyperThreading disabled — the Intel Northwood core processors get higher scores than the Intel Prescott core based ones due to the 20-step vs 31-step long pipeline. CPU Queen Test uses integer MMX, SSE2, and SSSE3 optimizations.

Cinebench 11.5

CINEBENCH is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON’s award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia and many more.

Cinebench R15

CINEBENCH is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON’s award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia and many more.