# ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING Motherboard Review PART-I



## rakesh_sharma23 (Sep 3, 2015)

*ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING Motherboard Review*


*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/Z170ProGaming.jpg


With the new Intel’s new Skylake platform ASUS is ready with a comprehensive range of Z170 chipset based motherboards targeting every segment from overclockers to enthusiast to gamers and more, complementing almost every PC build . Earlier we have reviewed the top mid-range ROG motherboard, the  ASUS Maximus VIII RANGER Motherboard Review - PC TeK INDIA  ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING Motherboard  and now we have the honour of reviewing the ASUS Z170 PRO Gaming Motherboard, a new product from ASUS Pro Gaming series of motherboards designed for today's value-conscious gamers, demanding the very best of technologies at an affordable price. 


ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming motherboard, an ATX gaming motherboard packed with many exclusive gaming optimized features like SupremeFX Audio with Sonic Radar II, Intel Gigabit Ethernet for superior gaming networking and speed along with LANGuard, GameFirst and RAMCache packages for the best gaming experience.


Now let’s see what this ASUS board have for us.


*Features*


 LGA1151 socket for 6th-gen Intel® Core™ desktop processors. 
 Dual DDR4 3400 (OC) support. 
 PRO Clock technology, 5-Way Optimization and 2nd-generation T-Topology: Easy and stable overclocking
 SupremeFX: Flawless audio that makes you part of the game
 Intel Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard & GameFirst III: Top-speed protected networking
 RAMCache: Speed up your game loads
 USB 3.1 Type A/C & M.2: Ultra-speedy transfers for faster gaming
 Gamer's Guardian: Highly-durable components and smart DIY features
 Sonic Radar ll: Scan and detect your enemies to dominate 



SupremeFX Audio - SupremeFX audio technology achieves near-lossless audio quality and has multiple light effects to illuminate the exclusive red-line shielding, plus Sonic Radar II technology to locate battlefield enemies before they spot you!.
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Sonic Radar II - Sonic Radar II displays a stealthy overlay that shows what your opponents and teammates are up to on the battlefield, all managed via a simple control panel and customizable game list. See the direction and origin of key in-game sounds, and practice your enemy-pinpointing skill, plus exclusive Audio Enhancement technology clarifies every last blast.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/03.jpg


One-stop performance-optimization panel - AI Suite 3 is an exclusive ASUS dashboard-style control panel that lets you fine-tune almost every aspect of your Z170 Pro Gaming-based system for the best balance between performance, stability, efficiency and aesthetics — all via a simple and intuitive interface.
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 ASUS PRO CLOCK TECHNOLOGY – A dedicated base-clock (BCLK) generator designed for 6th-generation Intel® processors that allows overclocked base clock frequencies up to 400MHz. This custom solution works in tandem with the ASUS Turbo Processor Unit (TPU), to enhance voltage and base-clock overclocking control — granting an exciting new way to boost performance to extreme heights.
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DDR4 OVERCLOCKING STRENGTH IN NUMBERS – ASUS 2nd generation T-Topology allows DDR4 memory overclocking to reach new heights: over DDR4-3400 MHz with all memory slots populated. Featuring a customized trace layout for reduced crosstalk and coupling noise, ASUS 2nd generation T-Topology ensures time-aligned signal transfer for improved memory stability and compatibility.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/08.jpg


INTEL GIGABIT ETHERNET - ROG features the very latest Intel® Ethernet (I219-V) for faster, smoother gaming — always. Intel's LAN has the serious double advantage of reducing CPU overhead and offering exceptionally high TCP and UDP throughput, so there's more power for your game and your gameplay.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/09.jpg


LANGUARD Signal-coupling technology and premium surface-mounted components ensure a more reliable connection and better throughput. Additionally, electrostatically-guarded and surge-protected components (ESD Guards) allow for 1.9x-greater tolerance to static electricity and 2.5x-greater protection (up to 15kV) against surges!
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/10.jpg


GAMEFIRST III - Exclusive GameFirst III prioritizes game-related packets and allocates more bandwidth to games, eliminating laggy gameplay, streaming stutters and file-sharing slowdown — so you'll always be the frontrunner. Choose from Optimization, Game, Media Streaming or File Sharing presets and watch your network fly! *www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/11.jpg
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Gamer’s Guardian -Motherboard self-protection with loads of brilliant defenses, including our unique smart DIY features. Individually they're tough, together they're unstoppable. *www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/13.jpg
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ESD GuardsASUS ESD Guards actively protect against sudden electrostatic discharge (ESD), meaning the components will last much longer — and you get protection that's up to twice as resilient as industry standards!
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/15.jpg


RAMCache – Uniquely-intelligent technology that effectively caches an entire storage device so that favorite games and apps launch at breakneck speeds, getting to work the moment it's activated. RAMCache turns milliseconds into microseconds to boost game-load times to stratospheric levels!
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/16.jpg


*Specifications* 
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*Package*
Board comes in a nice Red cardboard box with model number, image of the board and details about supporting technology and features.
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*Inside the box*
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Board comes with very nice set of accessories:
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*Looks*
Board made with a black PCB of size ATX (30.5 X 24.4 cm).  
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*Layout*
Detailed layout of board.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/25.jpg


1. Intel LGA 1151 socket 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/26.jpg


2. ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING is equipped with four DIMM for dual channel DDR4 memory supporting max. 64GB at 2133MHz in normal and up to 3400MHz when OC.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/27.jpg


3. ATX Power connector (24-pin EATXPWR)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/28.jpg


4. ATX CPU Power Connector 8-pin ATX12V_2x4.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/29.jpg


5. Back I/O Ports - 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s), 1 x DVI, 1 x D-Sub, 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s), 1 x , USB 3.1 (red)Type-A, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 4 x USB 3.0 , 2 x USB 2.0 , 1 x Optical S/PDIF out, 5 x Audio jack(s) 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/30.jpg


6. 7. 8. 17. 1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin), 1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin), x Chassis Fan connector(s) (3 x 4 -pin)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/31.jpg


9. USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.0 port(s) (19-pin)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/32.jpg


10.1 x SATA Express connector: gray, Compatible with 4 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports,4 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/33.jpg


11. M.2 Socket 3 with M Key design, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (Supports both SATA & PCIE SSD)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/34.jpg


12. 13.System Front panel(s) (Q-Connector) and 5-pin EXT_FAN(Extension Fan) connector.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/35.jpg


14. USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/36.jpg


15. ROG extension (ROG_EXT) header(s) 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/37.jpg


16.  TPM connector(s) 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/38.jpg


18.  COM port connector(s) 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/39.jpg


19. Front panel Audio connector 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/40.jpg


20. Expansion Slots - 2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8), 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (max at x4 mode), 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/ASUSZ170PROGAMING/41.jpg


*Removing Heat-sinks*
Heatsinks are made up of dense aluminum with thermal pad installed, giving great passive cooling to VRM MOSFETs and Z170 chipset.
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