Testing Configuration and Benchmarks Used
To verify that the motherboard works as advertised, the board was run through our standard benchmark suite. In most cases, the results are presented for the motherboard under review as well as a different similar-class motherboards for performance comparison purposes. The benchmark tests used should give you a good understanding of the board’s capabilities for both office and gaming use so that you, the reader, can make a more informed purchasing decision.
| Test System Setup | |
| Motherboards | Intel Z170-based systems ASUS Z170-A GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 Intel Z97-based system ASUS Z97-Pro Intel X99-based systems ASUS X99-A |
| CPU | Intel Z170-based system Intel Core i7-6700K (4.0GHz CPU and Ring Bus, 40 x 100MHz Base Clock) Intel Z97-based system Intel Core i7-4770K (3.5GHz CPU and Ring Bus, 35 x 100MHz Base Clock) Intel X99-based systems Intel Core i7-5960X (3.0GHz CPU and Ring Bus, 30 x 100MHz Base Clock) |
| Memory | Intel Z170-based system Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 modules (1600MHz, 16-18-18-35-1T, 1.225V) Intel Z97-based system Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 modules (1600MHz, 9-10-9-27-1T, 1.525V) Intel X99-based systems Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 modules (2133MHz, 15-17-17-35-1T, 1.225V) |
| Hard Drive | Intel 730 240GB SSD Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA III HD |
| Sound Card | On-board sound |
| Video Card | ASUS Poseidon GTX 780 3GB |
| CPU Cooling | XSPC Raystorm D5 Photon RX480 V3 WaterCooling Kit |
| Video Drivers | NVIDIA 353.62 |
| Power Supply | Corsair HX750 |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro x64 |
Test Setup Explanation
The 64-bit Windows 10 based test bench used For Intel Z170 LGA1151 board testing includes an Intel Core i7-6700K processor, 16GB of DDR4-2666 memory, an ASUS Poseidon GTX 780 3GB video card, and an Intel 730 240GB SSD drive. For the Z97-based board testing, an Intel Core i7-4770K CPU, 16GB of DDR3-2400 memory, an ASUS Poseidon GTX 780 3GB video card, and an Intel 730 240GB SSD drive were used in the test system. For Intel X99 LGA2011-V3 board testing includes an Intel Core i7-5960X CPU, 32GB of DDR4-2666 memory, an ASUS Poseidon GTX 780 3GB video card, and an Intel 730 240GB SSD drive. Using the selected components gives us the ability to demonstrate the motherboard's capabilities rather than that of the components themselves.
Benchmark Tests used for evaluation:
- SoftPerfect Research NetWorx Speed Test v5.41
- LanBench v1.1.0
- ATTO Disk Benchmark v3.05
- SiSoft Sandra 2015 SP2b (v2015.07.21.42)
- Intel Linpack Benchmark v11.3.0.004
- Maxon Cinebench R15
- PCMark 8 v2.4.304
From the specs:
DVI-D with
From the specs:
DVI-D with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
That looks like a dual link DVI connector which should have a max resolution of 2560×1600.
I understand what it actually
I understand what it actually is, but, in most pictures that Sata Express port looks a lot like an IDE connector. It certainly brings back memories.
What does this BLK
What does this BLK overclocking capability mean for non-k chips? It looks like it is a much more viable option for skylake than it has been for many generations.
for both, it decouples the
for both, it decouples the PCIe clock from the base clock so your PCIe clock remains static no matter what. However, your memory speed is still tied to the base clock value. For non-K overclocking specifically, it is still bound to the limits of what speed your CPU can run at. Should be easier than with a Z97, but still constrained because you cannot change the CPU ratio – your memory may not like odd base clocks as much…
It looks like there are a
It looks like there are a bunch of memory strap options as well though. The article states that they got the BLK up to 266 from 100. That seems to be a huge amount of headroom.
I’m having a nightmare with
I’m having a nightmare with the onboard ethernet (I219-V) on this board.
The moment I install the Intel ethernet driver (version 12.13.17.4), the system will not reboot. It makes it past the splash screen and I’m then left with a blinking cursor in the top left of the screen. It seems as if the SSD isn’t being recognised?
I’ve searched for a other/newer versions of the driver on both the Asus and Intel sites but cannot come up with any alternatives. So frustrating…
The non-K OC is really easy
The non-K OC is really easy and can be done within few minutes. Depending on the CPU you can increase the clock between 15-70% without any problems.
Pre-Skylake CPUs such as Haswell or Devils Canyon could only be overclocked by about 3-5% using the BCLK because the BCLK was still tied to the DMI and the PCIe.
However, for Skylake CPUs, BCLK and PCIe have a dedicated reference clock which always stays at 100 MHz – no matter how you change the BCLK. In other words: You can push the BCLK without worrying about other components.
The non-K BIOS is skipping some parts of the power-management, so there are few things you have to keep in mind:-
1) The missing power-management will not allow to read out any core temperature. No matter which tool you use, it will always just read 100°C.
2) No C-States. CPUs will always run full speed and full voltage.
3) No Turbo-Mode.
4) No iGPU.
5) Intel AVX is screwed. Some benchmarks like Intel XTU use AVX and you will have about 4-5 times lower score. As far as I know no game is using AVX so it’s no problem to use this for gaming rigs. Not suitable for professional usage though.
6) Avoid high memory clocks. Everything around 2600 MHz will be fine.
Follow this link for a complete OC guide:-
http://overclocking.guide/asus-z170-non-k-overclocking-guide/
My ASUS-Z170-A motherboard
My ASUS-Z170-A motherboard bios; Under ‘Tools’ tab, the ‘Graphics Card Information’ does not exist. Could you please tell me what is wrong? (CPU: Intel core I5-6600k).
I am sorry, my mistake. It is
I am sorry, my mistake. It is a H110M-D D3 Asus motherboard.
Would a be quiet Dark Rock
Would a be quiet Dark Rock Pro 3 CPU Cooler be compatible with this motherboard? I think the backplate might come into contact with that troublesome chip…