ASUS ROG Strix Z270i Gaming Motherboard Review

The main software utility for the ASUS motherboard range is the multi-function AI Suite III. It contains within it a significant number of utilities including the EPU and TPU profiles, the Turbo App for core and application specific turbo behaviour, Fan Xpert 4 and on-the-fly overclocking support.

The ROG GameFirst software is now at version IV and supports Multi-Gate Teaming technology and Intelligent mode when used with Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 64-bit.

Multi-Gate teaming allows the onboard WiFi to be used at the same time as the Wired LAN to maximise network throughput, as well as the ability to prioritise different applications to different interfaces. For example gaming applications can take priority usage of the wired connection while torrent downloads could be pushed to the wireless.

The intelligent mode “contains smart learning and app identification, smart learning is to learn the most frequently used software to help choose the best networking connection automatically; app identification is to send unidentified applications to server for instant recognition.”

The ROG RAMCache II software, which complements pre-existing ROG RAMDisk software, has been improved for Z270 to help with program loading and file transfers of regularly accessed data. Users simply need to set aside the amount of RAM they would like to allocate for caching and the RAM Cache II software handles everything else behind the scenes when in Smart mode. There is an advanced mode that gives some additional parameters for controlling the software.

The ASUS AURA RGB software is functional, it serves its intended purposes but it isn't the most intuitive. For instance, the “Independent” mode isn't the mode that lets you control the LED zones independent of each other, it's the mode that lets you set the LED behaviour when the system is turned off and running from standby power – go figure.

That aside, it's still quite easy to apply a wide-range of LED effects and colours to the built in LEDs or an optional strip, we tested with a CableMod unit. The number of lighting modes has increased since we last tested the Aura software, it's a decent RGB implementation and ASUS is improving it all the time.

Our main gripe would be that the software still isn't clear enough in letting users know which permutations of colours, lighting effects, synchronisation and zones are possible or not.

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