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Comparison Asus Maximus X Hero vs Asus ROG STRIX Z370-F GAMING

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Asus Maximus X Hero
Asus ROG STRIX Z370-F GAMING
Asus Maximus X HeroAsus ROG STRIX Z370-F GAMING
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Main
Rear BIOS and CMOS reset buttons.
Featuresgaming for overclockinggaming for overclocking
SocketIntel LGA 1151 v2Intel LGA 1151 v2
Form factorATXATX
Power phases10
VRM heatsink
LED lighting
Lighting syncAsus Aura SyncAsus Aura Sync
Size (HxW)305x244 mm305x244 mm
Chipset
ChipsetIntel Z370Intel Z370
BIOSAmiAmi
UEFI BIOS
RAM
DDR44 slot(s)4 slot(s)
Memory moduleDIMMDIMM
Operation mode2 channel2 channel
Max. clock frequency4133 MHz4000 MHz
Max. memory64 GB64 GB
XMP
Drive interface
SATA 3 (6Gbps)66
M.2 connector22
M.21xSATA/PCI-E 4x, 1xPCI-E 4x1xSATA/PCI-E 4x, 1xPCI-E 4x
M.2 SSD cooling
Integrated RAID controller
 /RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10/
 /RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10/
Expansion slots
1x PCI-E slots34
PCI-E 16x slots33
PCI Modes16x/0x/4x, 8x/8x/4x16x/0x/4x, 8x/8x/4x
PCI Express3.03.0
CrossFire (AMD)
SLI (NVIDIA)
Steel PCI-E connectors
Internal connections
USB 2.022
USB 3.2 gen112
USB 3.2 gen21
Video outputs
DVI outputDVI-D
HDMI output
DisplayPort
Integrated audio
AudiochipSupremeFXSupremeFX
Sound (channels)7.17.1
Optical S/P-DIF
Network interfaces
LAN (RJ-45)1 Gbps1 Gbps
LAN ports11
LAN controllerIntel I219VIntel I219V
External connections
USB 2.022
USB 3.2 gen142
USB 3.2 gen211
USB C 3.2 gen211
BIOS FlashBack
Clear CMOS
Power connectors
Main power socket24 pin24 pin
CPU power8 pin8 pin
Fan power connectors76
Added to E-Catalogoctober 2017october 2017

Power phases

The number of processor power phases provided on the motherboard.

Very simplistically, phases can be described as electronic blocks of a special design, through which power is supplied to the processor. The task of such blocks is to optimize this power, in particular, to minimize power surges when the load on the processor changes. In general, the more phases, the lower the load on each of them, the more stable the power supply and the more durable the electronics of the board. And the more powerful the CPU and the more cores it has, the more phases it needs; this number increases even more if the processor is planned to be overclocked. For example, for a conventional quad-core chip, only four phases are often enough, and for an overclocked one, at least eight may be needed. It is because of this that powerful processors can have problems when used on inexpensive low-phase motherboards.

Detailed recommendations on choosing the number of phases for specific CPU series and models can be found in special sources (including the documentation for CPU itself). Here we note that with numerous phases on the motherboard (more than 8), some of them can be virtual. To do this, real electronic blocks are supplemented with doublers or even triplers, which, formally, increases the number of phases: for example, 12 claimed phases can represent 6 physical blocks with doublers. However, virtual phases are much inferior to real ones in terms of capabilities — in fact, t...hey are just additions that slightly improve the characteristics of real phases. So, let's say, in our example, it is more correct to speak not about twelve, but only about six (though improved) phases. These nuances must be specified when choosing a motherboard.

Max. clock frequency

The maximum RAM clock speed supported by the motherboard. The actual clock frequency of the installed RAM modules should not exceed this indicator — otherwise, malfunctions are possible, and the capabilities of the “RAM” cannot be used to the fullest.

For modern PCs, a RAM frequency of 1500 – 2000 MHz or less is considered very low, 2000 – 2500 MHz is modest, 2500 – 3000 MHz is average, 3000 – 3500 MHz is above average, and the most advanced boards can support frequencies of 3500 – 4000 MHz and even more than 4000 MHz.

1x PCI-E slots

Number of PCI-E (PCI-Express) 1x slots installed on the motherboard. There are motherboards for 1 PCI-E 1x slot, 2 PCI-E 1x slots, 3 PCI-E 1x ports and even more.

The PCI Express bus is used to connect various expansion cards — network and sound cards, video adapters, TV tuners and even SSD drives. The number in the name indicates the number of PCI-E lines (data transfer channels) supported by this slot; the more lines, the higher the throughput. Accordingly, PCI-E 1x is the basic, slowest version of this interface. The data transfer rate for such slots depends on the PCI-E version (see "PCI Express Support"): in particular, it is slightly less than 1 GB / s for version 3.0 and slightly less than 2 GB / s for 4.0.

Separately, we note that the general rule for PCI-E is as follows: the board must be connected to a slot with the same or more lines. Thus, only single-lane boards will be guaranteed to be compatible with PCI-E 1x.

USB 3.2 gen1

The number of USB 3.2 gen1 connectors provided on the motherboard.

USB connectors (all versions) are used to connect to the "motherboard" USB ports located on the outside of the case (usually on the front panel, less often on the top or side). With a special cable, such a port is connected to the connector, while one connector, usually, works with only one port. In other words, the number of connectors on the motherboard corresponds to the maximum number of case USB connectors that can be used with it. At the same time, we note that in this case we are talking about traditional USB A connectors; connectors for newer USB-C are mentioned separately in the specifications.

Specifically, USB 3.2 gen1 (formerly known as USB 3.1 gen1 and USB 3.0) provides transfer speeds of up to 4.8 Gbps and more power than the earlier USB 2.0 standard. At the same time, USB Power Delivery technology, which allows you to reach power up to 100 W, is usually not supported by this version of USB A connectors (although it can be implemented in USB-C connectors).

USB 3.2 gen2

The number of USB 3.2 gen2 connectors provided on the motherboard.

USB connectors (all versions) are used to connect to the "motherboard" USB ports located on the outside of the case (usually on the front panel, less often on the top or side). With a special cable, such a port is connected to the connector, while one connector, usually, works with only one port. In other words, the number of connectors on the motherboard corresponds to the maximum number of case USB connectors that can be used with it. At the same time, we note that in this case we are talking about traditional USB A connectors; connectors for newer USB-C are mentioned separately in the specifications.

As for the USB 3.2 gen2 version specifically (formerly known as USB 3.1 gen2 and USB 3.1), it works at speeds up to 10 Gbps. In addition, such connectors may provide support for USB Power Delivery technology, which allows you to output power up to 100 W per connector; however, this function is not mandatory, its presence should be clarified separately.

DVI output

The motherboard has its own DVI output; this clause also specifies the specific form of this interface.

Such an output is intended for transmitting video from an integrated graphics card (see above) or a processor with integrated graphics (we emphasize that it is impossible to output a signal from a discrete graphics card through the motherboard chipset). As for DVI specifically, this is a standard originally created for digital video devices, however, it also allows an analogue signal format, depending on the type. In modern computer technology, including motherboards, you can find two types of DVI:

— DVI-D. A standard that provides for the transmission of a signal only in digital form. Depending on the supported mode, the maximum resolution of such video can be 1920x1200 (single-link Single Link) or 2560x1600 (two-channel Dual Link); however, Single Link plugs can be connected to Dual Link ports, but not vice versa. Also note that such connectors are compatible with HDMI via adapters, while in some cases even sound transmission may be provided (although this function is not initially supported in DVI-D, and its availability should be specified separately).

— DVI-I. A standard that combines the DVI-D described above with analogue DVI-A and allows the signal to be output in both digital and analogue formats. DVI-A in its characteristics corresponds to VGA (see above): it supports resolutions up to 1280x1024...inclusive and allows you to connect VGA screens through a simple adapter.

USB 3.2 gen1

The number of native USB 3.2 gen1 connectors provided on the back of the motherboard. In this case, traditional, full-size USB A ports are meant.

USB 3.2 gen1(formerly known as USB 3.1 gen1 and USB 3.0) is a direct successor and development of the USB 2.0 interface. The main differences are a 10-fold increase in the maximum data transfer rate — 4.8 Gbps — as well as higher power supply, which is important when connecting several devices to one port through a splitter (hub). At the same time, peripherals of other versions can be connected to this connector.

The more connectors provided in the design, the more peripheral devices can be connected to the motherboard without the use of additional equipment (USB splitters). There are boards on the market that have more than 4 USB 3.2 gen1 ports on the back panel. At the same time, we note that in addition to the connectors on the rear panel, connectors on the board itself (more precisely, ports on the case connected to such connectors) can also provide a USB connection. See below for more on this.

BIOS FlashBack

Motherboards that support BIOS FlashBack provide the ability to flash or restore the BIOS without a processor, video card or memory. The main purpose of the function is to provide users with the ability to update the BIOS in cases where the current version is incompatible with the installed processor or other computer components, which may lead to the inability to start the system. As a rule, the motherboard provides for this a USB connector for a flash drive and a special button (usually labeled BIOS Flashback) - pressing it initiates the update process.

On a separate line, we note that the BIOS FlashBack function can be called differently depending on the manufacturer: in motherboards from ASRock and Asus - BIOS FlashBack, from Gigabyte - Q-Flash Plus, from MSI - Flash BIOS, etc.

Clear CMOS

Jumper on the motherboard to reset the BIOS memory to factory settings. Its presence will come in handy when a computer malfunctions - when it simply does not turn on or freezes at the startup stage, while it is not possible to enter the BIOS and reset the settings through it.

Note that the Clear CMOS jumper is often designated by other similar abbreviations: clr cmos, clear cmos jumper, Clear RTC, etc.
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