PCIe slots allow you to connect various components to the motherboard, such as graphics cards and SSDs. ASUS is using a Winbond 128Mbit (16MB) BIOS ROM and the little chip that says BIOS on it is most likely a secondary embedded controller or used for the USB BIOS Flashback.

Digi+ Power Control is the industry's leading digital power controller and it's fully compliant with Intel's IMVP8 specifications, for smoother, safer power.

I imagine perhaps people on limited bandwidth could find this useful, but I always take networking software with a pinch of salt. ports in tow, Asus has had to opt for an ASMedia controller to bolster the lackluster four 6Gbps SATA ports (most Z170 boards have six). Also featured on the motherboard is a 'Flashback' button, this allows you to refresh your BIOS in a flash, even when the system is off.

There are only two USB 3 ports in addition to these, so if you have lots of SuperSpeed devices, you may find the Hero a little lacking. Ideal for partnering with one of Intel’s high-end Skylake K CPUs, it packs in plenty of overclocking potential and extra features, without costing the earth. There's a trio of 3/4-pin fan headers at the top of the PCB too and one of these, as we've seen on the Gene and Deluxe, is a dedicated AIO cooler pump header, which is always handy.The Bottom Line: While the ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero has a great feature set and brilliant aesthetics, it has all the right stuff to be an affordable overclocking motherboard aimed at breaking records. I then proceed into Windows and use software to increase the multiplier; in this case I opted to use TurboV Core. Hooking up two CableMod RGB strips straight to the headers saw things fire up instantly in Windows using Asus' Aura software suite, where you can control the colour and lighting effects of the board's ROG logo plus the two headers independently or as part of a group. I expected to have problems with just turning on XMP with my 3600MHz memory kit, but there were none with the Maximus VIII Hero. This solution uses Texas Instruments NexFET™ MOSFETs that are up to 90% more efficient, MicroFine alloy chokes that run up to 31% cooler than chokes with a larger granular structure, and Extreme Engine Digi+ PWM controller and 10K black metallic capacitors that have a 5x improved lifespan with a 20% boost in temperature tolerance to offer improved efficiency and voltage control.

This board is the full package, It comes with everything that you could want and has a plethora of overclocking/performance/debugging features. Still, the Ranger will be worth looking at if you want to save a few notes and aren't fussed about the lighting etc. I will have an overclocking guide in a few days once I get boards from all manufacturers in, so stay tuned!On the hardware side are some ASUS staples like the Q- Connector; Q-Shield to minimize EFI emissions through the I/O; SATA 6Gbps cables for your disk drives, including several with 90 degree ends; and an SLI bridge connection. Layout, on the whole, is excellent, with plenty of space around the CPU socket despite the huge heatsinks and shroud, plus you get angled SATA ports. Fan control is also available in the UEFI, but many prefer to use Windows applications for that, and ASUS has you covered. port, while it does offer support for full-length 110mm SSDs, will be blocked by a second dual-slot graphics card. All these are paramount to overclockers and can provide solace on open air test benches/cases without working buttons.

There are four major input rails to the CPU for Z170; VCC (VCore), VCCGT (Graphics core), VCCSA (System Agent), and VCCIO (CPU IO). Maximus VIII Hero Alpha includes the amazing Aura lighting-control utility to cast stunning multi-color glows across your gaming rig, via the motherboard's powerful built-in RGB LEDs or attached RGB strips, or both — and in perfect synchronization! There is no real way to explain how this works without bombarding you with technical specifications which quite frankly even took me a while to get my head around.

A dedicated base-clock (BCLK) generator designed for 6th-generation Intel processors that allows overclocked base clock frequencies up to 400MHz*. I have been a fan of Texas Instruments parts for a long time, they make solid chips, and their NexFETs are no exception. Power, reset, and clear CMOS buttons are provided at the bottom of the board, and this is a good location especially if you plan on using liquid nitrogen on the memory slots. There are still 6 x SATA3 ports to play with and these support RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 storage configurations. When a digital signal is converted to an analog one (for example when playing audio through speakers or headphones), a certain amount of noise is carried in the signal.