X870 motherboards from ASUS – future-proof foundations and top performance –

This October is quite busy, several novelties have become available for fans of traditional desktop PCs at the same time. In addition to or instead of pumpkin carving, you can start transforming your configuration, and looking around the forums, we see that more and more individuals are appearing who now see the time has come to build a PC from a completely new foundation.

As it gets dark earlier and earlier, the LED lights around the desk turn on, the summer leisure party atmosphere is replaced by gaming, as everything is there to immerse yourself in virtual missions and decision-based story management for longer periods of time. This requires a powerful and modern PC, or at least one that can run the titles selected for the winter months at a suitable frame rate. Now let’s review the basicsincluding the AMD X870 models, of which ASUS has created four types, each of which has a feature that will be very useful for the target group.

An ideal entry into the top

Undeservedly little is said about the PRIME series motherboards, which presumably took a step back on the component stage because the symbols of gamerness cannot really be discovered on them. The question is whether this is really a problem, and the answer is that it is not at all. In fact, an ever-increasing mass of users are looking for those parts whose appearance and knowledge are important, but the specification list is not compiled according to the player’s needs.

A PRIME X870-P WiFi it flashes a pleasant set of knowledge as one of the entry points of the X870 chipset, there is no ostentatious appearance and equipment, instead a practical, understated, but elegant design and a stable circuit structure are on the menu. Right from the start, it is worth clarifying that the board contains “only” the plain X870 chip, that is, the PCIe 5.0 standard is only supported by the PCIe x16 slot intended for video cards and the primary M.2 expansion slot. All other SSD slots peak at 4.0/3.0 speeds, which by no means can be called a painful shortcoming. When building the machine, pay attention to the fact that bare drives can go into the top two M.2, while you can even choose a unit that is equipped with a factory heatsink for the bottom ones.

Speaking of cooling: the 14+2+1 power supply phases integrated on the eight-layer printed circuit have received two separate fins, the total power delivery is more than enough for the soon-to-be launched Ryzen 9000X3D and future processors. This is also true for memory support, with the DDR5-8000+ MT/s frequency management and the ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile setting, today’s fastest modules can be used with one click. There is no shortage of high-speed technologies on the back: the Wi-Fi 7 network card is part of the standard equipment, which is supported by a Realtek 2.5 Gb/s card on the wired front, and if fast USB data connection is important to you, two 40 You get a port capable of Gb/s data transfer, with plenty of free space for typical peripherals.

As for artificial intelligence, the engineers have provided some AI-based help with network operation and cooling in the case of PRIME, especially the latter which will be really useful if you operate multi-fan AiO cooling and house fans installed in various places. You’d be surprised how quiet a power plant can be made with just one click, the good news is that in the case of the PRIME 870P-WiFi, we don’t really have a high-end feeling of absence.

Think small!

The change is sharp, as we immediately jump to the gamer category, but the ROG STRIX X870-I Gaming WiFi The special feature of a motherboard is determined by its size. There are many elements on it that are not and never will be on other, traditional ATX or micro-ATX boards. The efforts of the engineers are respectable, this time they also tried to design the paper’s capabilities in such a way that the small size does not have serious consequences.

This board is a blessing from the eyes of a tuner, the mini printed circuit has always been favorable for memory clock signals, the shorter signal communication and the two sockets count in the extra megahertz. The central element of the board is the AM5 socket, next to which the components were placed in such a way that even a larger air cooler could fit on the motherboard. The design of the VRM cooler speaks volumes, and although the 10+2+1 power supply circuit is less than in the case of PRIME, the maximum current that can be delivered is higher, it is no wonder that more elements supporting overclocking appeared among the functions.

An example is AI Overclocking, which after some system testing is able to extract extra performance from the system. To do this, use the characteristics of the processor, AMD’s Precision Boost Overdrive, the EXPO settings of the memory, and the operation of the power supply circuits. All this with one click from the BIOS or from the downloadable Windows utility. Moreover, you can even decide whether you would rather tune your machine to multi-core or single-core peak performance, e.g. for games, it might be worth trying the latter, especially if you have Ryzen based on two CCDs.

After the tuning capabilities, let’s talk about practicality, which is also present in this small size. The support for M.2 SSDs is very ingenious, two drives can be used simultaneously under the rib labeled ROG STRIX in a bunk arrangement. The card using PCIe 5.0 capabilities was placed at the bottom, while the unit capable of speeds up to PCIe 4.0 could go at the top. All of this is located under a multi-layer heatsink with easy installation. There are no surprises regarding the full-length PCIe x16 slot, even more so on the back, as some of the audio and USB ports have been moved to the externally connectable ROG Strix Hive II box. The device, which can also be considered as an external DAC, can be used to turn on and restart your PC, and based on the Q-LED display, you can also use it for error detection. Similar additions are made by the FPS card, a pair of front panel outputs and USB connections next to the two SATA ports, and a small switch for enabling CPU overvoltage.

It’s a real, small PC assembly dream, so if you’re thinking about mini-ITX, buy the ASUS board first!

Unlimited speed creativity

If we mentioned elegance in connection with PRIME, then in the case of ProArt this feeling can only be amplified. The image typical of this product line is being recognized and sought after by more and more people, as it is free from gaming effects, but specifically seeks maximum performance and speed.
Well, in this search the ProArt X870E-CREATOR WiFi it does quite well, starting with being the first model to use an AMD X870E chipset. What does this mean? Even more PCIe 5.0 lanes are available for different components, the ProArt board can accordingly handle two video cards and two SSD drives according to this standard. Unfortunately, we are not yet there to run everything at maximum speed at the same time, but two 5.0 SSDs can fit next to a VGA, and the performance is not limited to PC operation in a noticeable way.

By the way, the structure of the motherboard itself is top-class, the power control has changed to 16+2+2, and ASUS ensures a high degree of availability with a separate factory testing process, which is expected in the creative and design profession. We can almost speak of a workstation-style motherboard, which provides the maximum data transfer standards available for home PCs wherever possible. Support for Wi-Fi 7 and USB4 is not at all surprising, but the dual LAN wired network configuration is downright lavish, the usual 2.5 Gb/s Realtek chip is complemented by a Marvell AQtion controller capable of a maximum of 10 Gb/s. The number 10 is also definitely present in the USB ports, almost all USB-A connections are capable of 10 Gb/s, only one orphan port offers USB 2.0 speed.

If you want to use integrated graphics (why not with the Ryzen 8000G?), then you can choose between one DisplayPort and one HDMI output, and at this point it is worth thinking about the ecosystem a little and choosing the monitor with ASUS ProArt branding. The utilities include the Color Management section, which uses the Pantone color scale to provide detailed color adjustment options tailored to the specific productivity process. WorkSmart makes working as convenient as possible, with which you can start an entire software environment with one click, based on a project or a specific workflow.

Peak creativity, this is the adjective that most reminds you of the ProArt X870E-CREATOR WiFi, which of course comes with a free three-month Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.

Overdrive is in the crosshairs

A ROG Crosshair X870E HERO perhaps the only card from our selection that we don’t really need to introduce. In other words, it is of course worth looking at a few new extras, but if you have ever met a ROG motherboard, then you have an idea of ​​what the latest variant is capable of. It can be described briefly for almost everything, and although this may be a bit of an exaggeration, it is difficult to find a grip on it. Perhaps the only thing that everyone has a comment about is the price. However, after seeing the amount, you should look back at the specification list, the structure of the component and the bunch of tuning functions.

There are also many extras that overclock the basic performance on the motherboard and its BIOS, so we would like to highlight just one. It seems that the memory management solution with the fancy name NitroPath is only reserved by the engineers for the top boards, or only a few selected ROG Strix variants can get it. Not by chance, since the improved sockets and the new wiring running in the printed circuit layers create advantages specifically for the cards that come with four RAM sockets.

The goal was that the motherboard stably ensures the memory frequencies that can be reached by overclocking in the case of Ryzen processors, so that more can be extracted from the memory controller integrated in the CPU, according to ASUS, up to 400 MT/s more for a given module. How does this happen? The secret lies in the socket, shorter and stronger contact points, and interference treatment, which e.g. it came from the two free slots in the previously usual RAM slots. In this way, not only can 8000 MT/s be achieved stably, but above that it is also impossible to operate, or you can even make the timings even tighter at lower clock signals.

For this, you get the still brutally detailed ROG BIOS or the much easier-to-use Windows utilities. But all this would be difficult to achieve without the motherboard VRM cooler with an integrated heat pipe, the 18+2+2 VRM phases and the extra 8-pin PCIe connection. We wouldn’t be surprised if it provided the basis for more world records, but of course, in home conditions, it can assist in the process of fine-tuning.

In terms of storage spaces and different data transfer standards, the concept is a bit similar to ProArt, only minor differences can be discovered. You can use a total of five M.2 SSD storage spaces at the same time, two of which can operate at PCIe 5.0 speed. Double LAN support is also provided by Crosshair, the 2.5 Gb/s Intel chip is accompanied by a 5 Gb/s Realtek controller, and the two USB4 ports are accompanied by eight 10 Gb/s adapters you get Of course, Wi-Fi 7 cannot be missing, and the audio unit is perhaps the most comprehensive on this board thanks to the ESS ES9219 quad DAC. There are more and more latches and buttons that make installation easier on the Crosshair, just as the RGB lighting effects are also improving every year. You can spend a few relaxing minutes adjusting the Polymo Lightning II lighting, you will need it after discovering the tuning capabilities.