ASUS RoG Crosshair VI Hero X370 Motherboard Review

Introduction

Ryzen is here at last, and with that comes dozens of motherboards from the many AMD partners. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the new ASUS RoG Crosshair VI Hero, an X370 chipset board for the latest Ryzen AM4 socket chips from AMD. The new board brings all the high-end thrills you would expect, promising plenty of overclocking features, SLI/Crossfire support, M.2 storage, RGB lighting and much more! It’s primed to appeal to enthusiast system builders, overclockers and gamers alike, so let’s take a closer look at what it has to offer!

“For more than a decade, Republic of Gamers has delivered exemplary design and performance to thrill the world’s best players and PC enthusiasts. Our journey is a road without end. Now, it’s time for competitors to be warned and for gamers and enthusiasts to push the limits: The packed and pumped ROG Crosshair VI Hero Series motherboard is ready to defeat all challengers.” – ASUS

Ready for AMD AM4-socket Ryzen, 7th Generation A-series APUs and Athlon APUs

This motherboard supports AMD® Ryzen™ processors, 7th Generation A-series accelerated processing units (APUs) and Athlon™ APUs. The high-performance Ryzen™ processor supports up to eight cores and is based on the innovative Zen core architecture. The 7th Generation A-series APUs feature integrated AMD Radeon R-series graphics. AMD AM4-socket processors feature dual-channel DDR4 memory, native 5Gbps USB 3.0 and 16 PCI Express® 3.0/2.0 lanes for superb performance.

AMD X370 Chipset

The AMD X370 chipset delivers outstanding overclocking capabilities for the latest AMD® AM4-socket Ryzen™ processors, 7th Generation A-series APUs and Athlon™ APUs. It is optimised for multiple GPU configurations including NVIDIA SLI™ and AMD CrossFireX™. It also provides two 10Gbps USB 3.1 ports and eight 6Gbps SATA ports for faster data retrieval.

Features

• ROG Water Cooling Zone : Dominate your cooling system
• Aura Sync RGB LED: Stunning synchronized effects and two Aura 4-pin RGB-strip headers
• SupremeFX: Exclusive new codec plus intuitive Sonic Studio III and Sonic Radar III
• 5-Way Optimization: One-click system-wide overclocking.
• Best gaming networking: Intel® Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard and GameFirst technologies
• Best gaming connectivity: USB 3.1 front-panel connector, M.2 and both USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C
• Best gaming durability: Safeslot and premium components for maximum durability

Specifications

• Socket AM4
• Ryzen 7 “Zen” Support
• 4x DDR4 DIMM
• 3x PCIE x16
• 3x PCIE x1
• 8x SATA 6Gb/s
• 2x M.2 PCIE
• 4x USB 3.0
• 6x USB 2.0
• 3x USB 3.1 TypeA
• 1x USB 3.1 Type-C

Check out the full specifications here!

GameFirst V

Packaging and Accessories

The box is pretty much what you would expect, and comes with a durable design to ensure the product is safely stored. There are a few teasing details on the front too, such as the X370 chipset, SLI, Crossfire, Aura lighting, etc.

Around the back, a nice run down the main specifications, as well as a few fun highlights such as the USB 3.1 front panel header, AURA lighting, SupremeFX CODEC, and support for 3D printed add-ons.

Open up the box, and you’ll find a protective hard plastic cover on the motherboard.

Aside from the motherboard, you’ll also find the basic driver disc (although we always recommend downloading any updated versions where possible), the user guide, and a coaster, because we all need somewhere to put a drink while building our new rig. Skip on to the next page, and we’ll take a look at the star of the show; the motherboard!