Intel Z270 Motherboard Round-Up: MSI, Gigabyte, And ASUS Offerings For Kaby Lake
ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming Motherboard In Detail
The ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming is also an affordably priced board, but is somewhat more mainstream versus the Gigabyte offering on the previous page. ASUS' STRIX branded products are typically more affordable than the company’s higher end Maximus-branded line-up. Though it's not a flagship offering, this streamlined board is still peppered with high end features catering to a variety of enthusiasts and gamers. The board features 4x DDR4 DIMM slots (64GB max) supporting OC speeds up to 3866MHz. This board also has 2 x PCIE 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x8), 1x PCIE 3.0 x4 slot, and 4x PCIE 3.0 x1 slots. Like the Aorus board, the ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming is ready for 2-Way SLI or 3-Way Crossfire. The STRIX Z270F Gaming also supports a number of hot storage options. It has dual M.2 sockets to support a pair of gumstick style NVMe storage options and 6x SATA 6Gbps ports to suit more conventional drives.
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| CPU: | Intel Core i7 processors - LGA1151 |
| Chipset: | Intel Z270 Chipset |
| Multi GPU: | Supports NVIDIA 2-Way GPU SLI Technology Supports AMD 3-Way CrossFireX Technology |
| Memory: | 4 x DIMM, Dual-Channel DDR4 up to 4133MHZ OC |
| Audio: | 8-Channel ROG SupremeFX HD Codec 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input |
| Connectivity: | LAN: Intel Ethernet LAN |
| Slots: | 2x PCIE 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x8) 4 x PCIe 3.0 x1 Slots |
| Storage: | 2x M.2 supports both SATA & PCIE mode (bandwidth shared w/ SATA Express) 6 x SATA3 6Gb/s ports |
| USB 3.0/3.1: | 2 x USB 3.1 w/ USB Type-C support + 6 x USB 3.0 |
| USB 2.0: | 6 x USB 2.0 ports (4x via internal header) |
| Form Factor: | ATX 30.5cm x 24.4cm |
| Price: | $179.99 Amazon |
The STRIX Z270F Gaming features 2 x USB 3.1 ports, (one is a Type-C) in its back panel IO, which is one less than the Aorus Z270X-Gaming K5. There are also 4 x USB 3.0 ports. Left from there are a host of familiar display connectivity options, input connections, and ports for the on-board 8-Channel SupremeFX audio.
The STRIX Z270F Gaming also offers a touch of RGB lighting to spruce up the otherwise drab color scheme. It consists of a single thin strip of color at the top left of the board along the back I/O panel shroud. Like the Aorus Gaming K5, it can be customized via the company’s software to offer a variety of effects and system notifications.
