Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx. US$186 – ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING on AMAZON
PH – Approx. PHP10550 – ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING on LAZADA
Intel’s new generation platform has been with us for a while now and with a peculiar launch strategy, the Skylake platform has for the most part filled many market segments with the various SKUs now available. Going back to launch day, there weren’t a lot of motherboards present with name brands betting on their most noteworthy product lines to set the stage for next-generation desktops.
Today we have the ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING motherboard. Now everyone might be very familiar with the ROG brand, like that of our first Z170 review of the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII GENE, but those paying close attention to the market would’ve already noticed that ASUS has been taking a more diverse approach now with its gaming offerings and has branched off its PRO lineup to include the PRO GAMING (used to be PRO GAMER.) This lineup focuses more on essentials and value for money while still offering a packed set of features that cater to gamer. Let’s take a closer look at the latest evolution of the PRO GAMING line and see what it has to offer in this review. Read on!
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
Intel Skylake CPU
Intel has opted to stagger the launch of the Skylake CPUs with the flagship Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K unlocked processors debuting at launch together with the Z170 chipset. Further SKUs were released after launch for the lower end of the product stack.
Intel Skylake CPUs presents a new microarchitecture using the 14nm process seen in Broadwell processors. Intel Skylake CPUs will feature improved efficiency numbers and IPC performance together with a new IGP. As with all launch CPUs, these top-end unlocked processors are aimed at enthusiasts and support multiplier overclocking.
Also in the platform is support for DDR4. The new processors fully supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with the new DDR4 modules supporting higher default memory of 2133MHz at only 1.2v. Some motherboard makers may also opt to use DDR3 still as the processor still retain support for that.
The Intel Z170 Chipset
Accompanying the Intel Skylake 6th-gen processors is the new 100-series chipset, codenamed Sunrise Point. As the primary consumer chipset for the 6th-generation Intel Core processors, the 100-series chipset is available in various chipset series from the mainstream H110, H170 and Z170 and the business-class B150, Q150 and Q170. Intel has decided to stagger the release of their Skylake processors which made the release of the other chipset only happen recently. While it’d take an entire post to describe the finer details on the difference of each chipset, to sum it up really quick the chipsets differ in features: with the Z170 offering the most in terms of expansion and support as well as PCI-e lanes with lower model chipsets reducing on what’s offering the business-class ones expanding to include Small Business Basics and Small Business Advantage.
For the most part of what we’re reviewing we’ll take a look at the Z170 chipset, the top-end chipset for desktop and offers the most features and support for multiplier overclocking.
One of the primary changes from Z97 to Z170 is support for a newsocket, the LGA 1151. LGA 1151 supports Intel Skylake CPUs and is not compatible with LGA 1150 processors and vice versa. Mounting holes for the 115x range have remained the same though so your old LGA 1156/1155/1150 will still be compatible with the new LGA 1151 motherboards.
Support for DDR4 memory is also one of the changes that comes with the new chipset. Connectivity between CPU and chipset also utilizes DMI 3.0 allowing a full 20 PCI-e 3.0 lanes which is up to the motherboard maker on how they utilize it.
Closer Look – ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING
The ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING isn’t part of the ROG lineup, and with the new look for the high-end lineup, ASUS has pretty much passed the torch to the PRO GAMING series. Packaging for the Z170 PRO GAMING features the same tone of red found on the ROG boxes but for this release, ASUS has teamed up with Wargaming and is including a 15-day premium account pass plus a Diana Cruiser. This code is valid for new accounts only and can be redeemed in this link. Inside the package are SATA cables, an installation disc, label stickers, and ASUS CPU installation tool.
The ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING continues the design trend from the earlier PRO GAMER series. The PRO GAMING line resumes the use of the signature red on black. The PRO GAMING line differs in many ways from the ROG lineup in many ways, mostly subtle, but the most obvious physical difference is that where the Z170 ROGs are heavily armored right now, the PRO GAMING lineup sticks to traditional design. The ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING features a 10-phase PWM cooled by a stylized but rather simple heatsink. It also features support for USB 3.1 Type-C connectors.
Performance Testing
Test Setup
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700K
Motherboard: ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3000
Storage: Kingston HyperX FURY 240GB
PSU: Corsair AX860i
Cooling: Custom loop (XSPC Raystorm block, EK DCP 4.0, BlackIce Stealth GT 360 rad)
Monitor: LG 42UB820T UltraHD TV
VGA: GIGABYTE GTX 980 Ti GAMING G1
Performance Testing – Synthetic
Cinebench R15, Cinebench R11.5
wPrime, SuperPI 32M
3DMark 06, 3DMark Vantage
Performance Testing – Real World
Video Conversion, Audio Encoding
Compression, Image Resizing
Performance Testing – 3D Benchmarks
3DMark 11, 3DMark Fire Strike
Overclocking
Overclocking at a glance: ASUS doesn’t really hold back when it comes to its new UEFI BIOS features and the Z170 PRO GAMING isn’t limited in terms of overclocking either. While it doesn’t have granular controls for fine-tuning your overclock, there’s plenty of control to bring out more juice from your Skylake CPU.
Power & Temperatures
We check to see how motherboard makers tune their default BIOS settings and see how it impacts temperatures and power consumption. The system is left to idle for 30 minutes before readings are taken and load data is taken 30 minutes while AIDA64 stress test is running. Power readings are taken for the entire system from the socket. Power draw for the entire system is captured for this test via an outlet wattmeter and temperatures are recorded via Intel Extreme Tuning app.
At a glance: The current pack of our Z170 boards currently don’t have newer BIOS releases like that of the Max 8 GENE and thus tend to have higher-tuned voltages out of the box. That said, it does affect the voltage and temps here and we highly recommend more familiar users to fine-tune their voltages to really balance their system.
Conclusion
Skylake has been a very weird launch but despite of that, it is still a new platform and will be the one we will have going forward to 2016. As we’ve seen throughout the last generations, motherboard technology has reached the point where all brands can compete evenly in terms of performance and they all bring-out the best of their respective processors. What has been and always be the contention point for components is their feature set, quality and aesthetic. Let’s break it down for the ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING:
Performance. We’ve always pointed out that some of the “raw” boards out there tend to outscore their higher-end counterparts in terms of benchmark performance but that’s always just by a small margin. The Z170 PRO GAMING goes head to head with its ROG brother and also delivers nicely in the OC department.
Build Quality. As an ASUS product, the Z170 PRO GAMING exudes very good build quality and while its looks might be a bit more plain than other “gaming” models, the overall build quality is top-notch and there’s really nothing left to be desired in terms of component choice and layout. Still, as ASUS drives its ROG line further we can see the large gap between quality of the two line. While it may not necessarily be a bad thing, it leaves the Z170 PRO GAMING always being compared to the higher-end lineup which really hurts its positioning. Still, its a well-made product overall and can stand on its own just fine.
Functionality. The ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING is a full-featured motherboard and has got everything nailed down to serve as a solid foundation for any gaming build. Solid overclocking support, the latest connectivity, souped-up audio and multi-card support cover all the bases for a good system. A solid addition to this board is RAMcache built-in and the amped-up SupremeFX audio solutio from ASUS to give it that better audio experience.
Bundle. ASUS has a good bundle with this motherboard starting off with the World of Warship premium invite and Diana cruiser. Now this might be a case to case basis but for newcomer to the game, its a good value. Otherwise, ASUS’ RAMcache, SonicRadar II, etc. all add to the value of this board.
Value. At $186, the ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING competes in the upper-entry level-to-mainstream market pitting it against the entry-level gaming boards from Gigabyte and MSI. This is where it gets interested as the PRO GAMING isn’t tiered against those boards and is relegated mostly for the ROG Maximus VIII Hero to take on. Even so, if you’re not after looks and are going for a purely purpose-built system, the ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING delivers on all aspects and is a good value for money.
Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx. US$186 – ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING on AMAZON
PH – Approx. PHP10550 – ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING on LAZADA
As we’ve mentioned, the ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING suffers from an identity crisis serving as a bridge between the ASUS PRO line and ASUS ROG line of products. Despite this, its a solid, all-around board for gaming and serves as a good foundation for a high-performance system armed with support for the latest tech. While it may not be as visually appealing as its more expensive counterparts, the real beauty of the ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING is where it delivers high-end features to a wider audience, letting them experience a taste of what ASUS’s higher end line offers but in itself is a capable high-performance platform for any build.
If you’re looking for a gaming motherboard but don’t want to dabble in the high-end pool or don’t need the extra features they bring, the ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING takes in the essentials and wraps it in ASUS’ quality assurance, guaranteeing top-notch performance.
ASUS backs the Z170 PRO GAMING with a solid 3-year warranty. We give it our B2G Recommended Seal!
6 Comments
if you need that extra performance boost but not needing the extra presets and tweaking features from the higher tier ROG board, the pro gaming board is just right on the spot. (y)
Right on, dugiii!
Shut up and take my money! jk, I have no money.
I know that feels T_T
Hi! Could you please do a review about the Asus Z170-A Motherboard? I’m planning to build my first system with a black and white theme and i’m thinking of getting the Z170-A because of it’s colors =D Thanks in advance =D God Bless and more power!!!
I’m not sure they have samples but sure, I’ll see what we can do. 😀