Asus Z170 PRO GAMING

The Asus Z170 PRO GAMING gaming board can be considered a model for middle-class models. This $200 model is noticeably more expensive than some low-cost solutions. This is justified by the fact that it has excellent equipment and it allows you to overclock Skylake to the maximum.

Main advantages

First, the Asus board is equipped with an M.2 PCI-E 3.0 x4 slot for SSD drives, a SATAe connector, and USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C ports (except 4 USB 3.0). Therefore, you can use the fastest drives, both for system installation and for storing content on external drives. And also quickly charge mobile devices. In addition to CrossFire support, Asus, unlike the MSI board, can work with 2 or 4 NVIDIA cards in SLI mode.

System overclocking options

Secondly, Asus has supplemented the overclocking capabilities of the Z170 chipset with improved components for stable operation of the CPU and memory at increased “revs”. And the proprietary AI Suite 3 programme and rich BIOS settings will allow you to configure many system settings. Therefore, the Z170 PRO GAMING will be a good purchase not only for gamers, but also for overclockers who want to "squeeze" the maximum out of the new Intel platform. Please note that without overclocking, the difference in games will not be noticeable in comparison with low-cost solutions.

Benefits in games

However, even if you do not plan to overclock the CPU, buying Z170 PRO GAMING will bring only positive impressions. This board has an Intel network adapter optimized for online gaming, and an improved sound controller is equipped with a headphone amplifier (up to 300 ohms). And from gaming solutions from other manufacturers, Asus is distinguished by its proprietary technology for visualizing sound sources in games. In network shooters, it will allow you to more clearly determine where shots are fired or where the enemy is sneaking up from. Care for the buyer is also manifested in such details as a gift to them in the form of a premium for World of Warships.