The ASUS ROG Strix Z370-F Gaming Review: A $200 Motherboard at 5.1 GHz
by Joe Shields on October 1, 2018 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- Asus
- ROG
- M.2
- USB 3.1
- Strix
- Coffee Lake
- i7-8700K
- Z370-F Gaming
- SupremeFX
Board Features
The ASUS Z370-F Gaming (and that series in general) continues to bring the world of ROG into the mainstream with affordable boards that include a lot of functionality and features. This board allows for both SLI and Crossfire configurations (up to 3-Way CF) with its multiple full-length PCIe slots and includes a couple other x1 slots for expansion. Also includes is a robust heatsink on the ample power delivery section to remove heat so overclocking shouldn't be an issue.
ASUS Z370-F Gaming | |
Warranty Period | 3 Years |
Product Page | LINK |
Price | $200 (Amazon) |
Size | ATX |
CPU Interface | LGA1151 |
Chipset | Intel Z370 |
Memory Slots (DDR4) | Four DDR4 Dual Channel Supporting 64GB Up to DDR4 4000 |
Network Connectivity / Wi-Fi | 1 x Intel I219V GbE |
Onboard Audio | SupremeFX S1200A 7.1ch |
Video Outputs | 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort (1.2) 1 x DVI-D |
PCIe Slots for Graphics (from CPU) | 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 1 x PCIe 3.0 x8 |
PCIe Slots for Other (from PCH) | 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 4 x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
Onboard SATA | 6 x RAID 0/1/5/10 |
Onboard SATA Express | None |
Onboard M.2 | 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA |
Onboard U.2 | None |
USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) | ASMedia ASM3142 1 x Type-A 1 x Type-C |
USB 3.0 | Chipset 2 x back panel 2 x onboard headers |
USB 2.0 | Chipset 2 x back panel 2 x onboard headers |
Power Connectors | 1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 8-pin CPU |
Fan Headers | 1 x 4-pin CPU 1 x 4-pin CPU OPT 2 x 4-pin Chassis Fan 1 x 4-pin M.2 fan 1 x 4-pin AIO_Pump 1 x 5-pin EXT_Fan |
IO Panel | 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 1 x HDMI 1 x DVI-D 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C 2 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 1 x RJ-45 LAN ports 1 x 5-plug Audio Stack 1 x Optical SPDIF |
The chipset heatsink doubles as a heatsink for the primary M.2 slot (2x on the board in total) as well. Network connectivity is handled by an Intel I219-V but does not include wireless capabilities. The Z370-F has USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) Type-A and Type-C ports on the back for the latest USB connectivity. Overall the board brings a full list of features most users would epect from this level motherboard.
Test Bed
As per our testing policy, we take a high-end CPU suitable for the motherboard that was released during the socket’s initial launch and equip the system with a suitable amount of memory running at the processor maximum supported frequency. This is also typically run at JEDEC sub timings where possible. It is noted that some users are not keen on this policy, stating that sometimes the maximum supported frequency is quite low, or faster memory is available at a similar price, or that the JEDEC speeds can be prohibitive for performance. While these comments make sense, ultimately very few users apply memory profiles (either XMP or other) as they require interaction with the BIOS, and most users will fall back on JEDEC supported speeds - this includes home users as well as industry who might want to shave off a cent or two from the cost or stay within the margins set by the manufacturer. Where possible, we will extend our testing to include faster memory modules either at the same time as the review or a later date.
Readers of our motherboard review section will have noted the trend in modern motherboards to implement a form of MultiCore Enhancement / Acceleration / Turbo (read our report here) on their motherboards. This does several things, including better benchmark results at stock settings (not entirely needed if overclocking is an end-user goal) at the expense of heat and temperature. It also gives, in essence, an automatic overclock which may be against what the user wants. Our testing methodology is ‘out-of-the-box’, with the latest public BIOS installed and XMP enabled, and thus subject to the whims of this feature. It is ultimately up to the motherboard manufacturer to take this risk – and manufacturers taking risks in the setup is something they do on every product (think C-state settings, USB priority, DPC Latency/monitoring priority, overriding memory sub-timings at JEDEC). Processor speed change is part of that risk, and ultimately if no overclocking is planned, some motherboards will affect how fast that shiny new processor goes and can be an important factor in the system build.
Test Setup | |
Processor | Intel i7 8700K (6C/12T, 3.7G, 95W) |
Motherboard | ASUS Z370-F Gaming (BIOS 1002) |
Cooling | Corsair H115i |
Power Supply | Corsair HX750 |
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 4x8GB DDR4 2666 CL16 Corsair Vengeance 4x4GB DDR4 3200 CL16 (used in 2x 4/8GB capacity on dual Channel Platform |
Memory Settings | DDR4 2666 CL16-18-18-35 2T |
Video Cards | ASUS Strix GTX 980 |
Hard Drive | Crucial MX300 1TB |
Optical Drive | TSST TS-H653G |
Case | Open Test Bed |
Operating System | Windows 10 RS3 inc. Spectre/Meltdown Patches |
*It should be noted that from this point on in our Z370 motherboard reviews, we are using Windows 10 RS3 with the Spectre/Meltdown patches as well as other script adjustments.
Many thanks to...
We must thank the following companies for kindly providing hardware for our multiple test beds. Some of this hardware is not in this testbed specifically but is used in other testing.
Thank you to ASUS for providing us with GTX 980 Strix GPUs. At the time of release, the STRIX brand from ASUS was aimed at silent running, or to use the marketing term: '0dB Silent Gaming'. This enables the card to disable the fans when the GPU is dealing with low loads well within temperature specifications. These cards equip the GTX 980 silicon with ASUS' Direct CU II cooler and 10-phase digital VRMs, aimed at high-efficiency conversion. Along with the card, ASUS bundles GPU Tweak software for overclocking and streaming assistance.
The GTX 980 uses NVIDIA's GM204 silicon die, built upon their Maxwell architecture. This die is 5.2 billion transistors for a die size of 298 mm2, built on TMSC's 28nm process. A GTX 980 uses the full GM204 core, with 2048 CUDA Cores and 64 ROPs with a 256-bit memory bus to GDDR5. The official power rating for the GTX 980 is 165W.
The ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB (or the full name of STRIX-GTX980-DC2OC-4GD5) runs a reasonable overclock over a reference GTX 980 card, with frequencies in the range of 1178-1279 MHz. The memory runs at stock, in this case, 7010 MHz. Video outputs include three DisplayPort connectors, one HDMI 2.0 connector, and a DVI-I.
Further Reading: AnandTech's NVIDIA GTX 980 Review
Thank you to Crucial for providing us with MX300 SSDs. Crucial stepped up to the plate as our benchmark list grows larger with newer benchmarks and titles, and the 1TB MX300 units are strong performers. Based on Marvell's 88SS1074 controller and using Micron's 384Gbit 32-layer 3D TLC NAND, these are 7mm high, 2.5-inch drives rated for 92K random read IOPS and 530/510 MB/s sequential read and write speeds.
The 1TB models we are using here support TCG Opal 2.0 and IEEE-1667 (eDrive) encryption and have a 360TB rated endurance with a three-year warranty.
Further Reading: AnandTech's Crucial MX300 (750 GB) Review
Thank you to Corsair for providing us with Vengeance LPX DDR4 Memory, HX750 Power Supply, and H115i CPU Cooler.
Corsair kindly sent a 4x8GB DDR4 2666 set of their Vengeance LPX low profile, high-performance memory for our stock testing. The heatsink is made of pure aluminum to help remove heat from the sticks and has an eight-layer PCB. The heatsink is a low profile design to help fit in spaces where there may not be room for a tall heat spreader; think a SFF case or using a large heatsink. Timings on this specific set come in at 16-18-18-35. The Vengeance LPX line supports XMP 2.0 profiles for easily setting the speed and timings. It also comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
Powering the test system is Corsair's HX750 Power Supply. This HX750 is a dual mode unit able to switch from a single 12V rail (62.5A/750W) to a five rail CPU (40A max ea.) and is also fully modular. It has a typical selection of connectors, including dual EPS 4+4 pin four PCIe connectors and a whopping 16 SATA power leads, as well as four 4-pin Molex connectors.
The 135mm fluid dynamic bearing fan remains off until it is 40% loaded offering complete silence in light workloads. The HX750 comes with a ten-year warranty.
In order to cool these high-TDP HEDT CPUs, Corsair sent over its latest and largest AIO in the H115i. This closed-loop system uses a 280mm radiator with 2x140mm SP140L PWM controlled fans. The pump/block combination mounts to all modern CPU sockets. Users are also able to integrate this cooler into the Corsair link software via USB for more control and options.
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sniperganso - Monday, October 1, 2018 - link
There is a mistake in the "Overclocking page", it says "ASRock Z370-F" instead of "ASUS Z370-F"CarlosR - Monday, October 1, 2018 - link
Has anybody tested the performance with more than 1 M.2 PCIe SSD while simultaneous access of data? I am not sure how the line sharing is affecting the performance.dakishimesan - Monday, October 1, 2018 - link
This is the motherboard I have in my system. Each m.2 slot Can be used in x4 mode, but when you do so with both of them it disables sata ports five and six.prateekprakash - Monday, October 1, 2018 - link
Could you please confirm if the HDMI port is 2.0? Then it may support DRM to play uhd...