Introduction
Asus are calling this their “Flagship micro-ATX Z170 with 5X Protection II for dependable stability, fantastic DDR4 performance, and reversible USB Type-C connectivity”. It’s a rather odd claim for this motherboard, Asus have flagship product lines, the Rampage and ROG series for example. Why would they call Z170M Plus motherboard a flagship?
Anyway, another Intel Z170 Chipset motherboard for review and this one is a little more conventional. A micro-ATX motherboard supporting M.2, DDR4 and AMD Crossfire amongst other things, it is looking like a good feature choice for anyone who just wants a solid Z170 Chipset without the gaming frills or a bunch of features you just won’t use.
This doesn’t have a feature most would want however, Asus have kept SLi out of the equation for this range, but you will still get two Fury’s in there for VR heaven! Ok, so Asus can do what they want with their range, and they do have enough motherboards in their product line to satisfy most, let’s see if this has enough to satisfy the rest.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Socket 1151 for 6th Generation Core i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium/Celeron Processors Supports Intel® 14 nm CPU Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 |
| Chipset | Intel Z170 Express Chipset |
| Memory | 4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB Dual Channel Memory Architecture DDR4 2133 - 3466MHz (O.C.) Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) |
| Multi-GPU Support | Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX Technology |
| On-board Graphics | Integrated Graphics Processor- Intel® HD Graphics support Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DVI/DVI-D/RGB ports Maximum shared memory of 1024 MB Supports Intel® InTru™ 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, Insider™ Supports up to 3 displays simultaneously |
| Audio | Realtek® ALC887 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC |
| LAN | Intel® I219V, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s) Intel® LAN- Dual interconnect between the Integrated LAN controller and Physical Layer (PHY) |
| Expansion Slots | 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 mode, gray) 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (max at x4 mode) 2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1 |
| Storage Interface | 1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode) 1 x SATA Express port, gray, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports 6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology |
| USB | 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 port(s) (2 at back panel, black, Type-A, 4 at mid-board) 6 x USB 3.0/2.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, Type-A, 4 at mid-board) 1 x USB 5Gb/s port(s) port(s) (1 at back panel, black, Type-C, Reversible, Support 3A power output) |
| Back Panel Connectors | 1 x PS/2 keyboard (purple) 1 x PS/2 mouse (green) 1 x DVI-D 1 x D-Sub 1 x HDMI 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 1 x USB 5Gb/s port(s) Type-C ( support 3A power output ) 2 x USB 3.0 (blue) Type-A 2 x USB 2.0 3 x Audio jack(s) |
Product Gallery
Flagship or not, accessories are at the budget to mid range level, though everything you need to get going from a motherboard point of view.
Asus Z170M Plus mATX Motherboard Review
Package - 7.5
Performance - 8.5
Price - 8
Consumer Experience - 8
8
It's hard to see why Asus would call this a flagship micro-ATX motherboard, it just doesn't have the prestige or the package. We would have also thought that a flagship motherboard would have both SLi and CrossFireX support. So we are not sure on the whole flagship front, but we do like this little gem a lot. It doesn't throw any heavyweight punches, or come with amazing accessories, it's just arrives ready to go and performs really well.