ASUS ROG Maximus IX Hero Z270 Review – The Ultimate Mid-Range Z270 Motherboard?
The Intel’s Z270 chipset now upon us, there is a massive array of options to choose from and in true Republic of Gamers style, ASUS have launched a hefty amount of boards for all types of consumers right from launch. Of course, the Z270 chipset is to support the release of Intel’s Kaby Lake 7th generation processors, but let’s not forget that Z270 also supports the 6th generation Intel Skylake processors too!
The ROG Maximus IX Hero is a fully fledged ATX motherboard offering an affordable alternative to the higher priced Maximus IX motherboards such as the Code and the Formula, but keeping within the same feature heavy mindset. The Maximus IX Hero comes with the same software bundle which includes ROG RAMDisk, RAMCache II, AI Suite III, ASUS AURA and CloneDisk. The onboard audio via ROG SupremeFX has also been upgraded to the ROG ALC1220 HD codec which improves your audio experience; perfect for audiophiles on a budget and gamers alike.
For overclockers, there is an LN2 mode jumper featured on the Hero and an 8+2 digital phase design which is accompanied by the excellent and award winning ROG UEFI BIOS. The BIOS itself has many settings which can be tweaked for maximum efficiency and monstrous overclocks; the kind that has made ROG motherboards a household name across the world for quality and performance.
USB 3.1 is well featured including a front panel USB 3.1 header and with 2 x M.2 ports/6 SATA ports, all your storage needs are catered for, aside from U.2 that is. In terms of features, connections, software and performance, this is one of the best value Z270 motherboards at launch and I believe it deserves recognition via our value award; I will be awarding the Hero with this today.
Looking at the overall picture, yes there are things which would be nice to improve such as the bottom PCIe x16 slot featuring the same metal armour as the other lanes, but it just wasn’t meant to be. If you’re looking for one of the best value, but not feature sacrificing motherboards for your new Intel Kaby Lake 7th generation processor and want performance, then the ROG Maximus IX Hero should be on your shortlist. There is no doubting that the Hero is one of the most complete boards on the Z270 platform and I would like to award the Hero our gold award too!
Big thanks to ASUS ROG for sending the Maximus IX Hero motherboard in for review.
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Performance
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Design
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Value
Summary
Pros:
– Very strong feature set
– Looks good and performs well
– Sits at a better value price point than most Maximus IX Z270 boards
– Virtually a direct replacement to the premium Z170 Maximus VIII Hero Alpha (but better)
– One of the best value Z270 motherboards at launch
Cons:
– None
