ASUS ROG Crosshair VI Hero (X370) Motherboard Review

Rating: 8.0.

ASUS' Crosshair VI Hero is currently flying the flag for the Republic of Gamers (ROG) range on AMD's new AM4 platform. Sporting the X370 chipset and a healthy power delivery system to feed thirsty Ryzen CPUs, ASUS' premium ATX motherboard also comes equipped with RGB lighting, onboard M.2, and an internal 10Gbps USB 3.1 header.

Bolstered by the feature-heavy nature of AMD's new X370 chipset, the ASUS ROG Crosshair VI Hero is able to tick a number of boxes that will appeal to mainstream enthusiasts and prosumers. There's support for a pair of high-bandwidth graphics cards in CrossFire and SLI, a dozen power delivery phases for the CPU and SOC rails, and controllable RGB lighting alongside two 4-pin strip headers. On the storage side, the Hero sports a single 32Gbps PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 connector, 10Gbps USB 3.1 from multiple sources, and eight SATA 6Gbps ports for media junkies.

ASUS gives thought to fan control by deploying seven 4-pin headers, each with individual adjustment capability. A unique cooling-driven feature is the inclusion of AM3 mounting holes that allow long-time AMD users to bring their old CPU cooler along for the Ryzen ride. This is particularly useful to consumers who have a CPU cooler or liquid cooling block that hasn't been updated to support AM4 mounting.

With a vast array of features and what looks to be a strong power delivery system, how will ASUS‘ roughly £250 ROG Crosshair VI Hero perform in our testing?

Features (taken from the ASUS product page):

• Aura Sync RGB LED: Stunning synchronised effects and two Aura 4-pin RGB-strip headers
• SupremeFX: Exclusive new codec plus intuitive Sonic Studio III and Sonic Radar III
• Compatible with both AM3/AM4 coolers and LN2 pots
• ROG Water Cooling Zone : Dominate your cooling system
• 5-Way Optimisation: One-click system-wide overclocking.
• Best gaming networking: Intel® Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard and GameFirst technologies
• Best gaming connectivity: M.2, USB 3.1 front-panel connector and both USB 3.1 Type-A/C
• Best gaming durability: Safeslot and premium components for maximum durability

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