ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus Motherboard Review

Manufacturer: ASUS ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus Motherboard Review
As part of ASUS’ TUF (The Ultimate Force) product line, the TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard was designed for stability and longevity under the most grueling conditions. The board offers support for the latest AMD Ryzen 3000 series processor line as well as Dual Channel DDR4 memory running at up to 3200MHz speeds in stock configuration, featuring full RGB support and active cooling provided for the X570 chipset integrated into the chipset overlay. Further, ASUS integrated PCIe 4.0 slot support into the board’s dual PCIe x16 slots for support of the latest in graphics technologies.
Key Features Courtesy of ASUS
  • AMD AM4 Socket: Ready for 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD RyzenTMprocessors
  • Enhanced Power Solution: Military-grade TUF components, ProCool socket and Digi+ VRM for maximum durability
  • Comprehensive Cooling: Active PCH heatsink, VRM heatsink, M.2 heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert 4
  • Next-Gen Connectivity: Dual PCIe 4.0 M.2 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A /Type-C
  • Gaming Networking: Exclusive Realtek® L8200A Gigabit Ethernet, Intel 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO support, Bluetooth 5.0, TUF LANGuard and TurboLAN technology
  • Realtek S1200A Codec: Features an unprecedented 108dB signal-to-noise ratio for the stereo line-out and a 103dB SNR for the line-in, providing pristine audio quality
  • Aura Sync RGB: Synchronize LED lighting with a vast portfolio of compatible PC gear, including addressable RGB strips
  • TUF Gaming Alliance: ASUS hardware ecosystem ensures the best compatibility and complementary aesthetics from components to case
Technical Specifications
Taken from the ASUS website
CPU AMD AM4 Socket AMD Ryzen™ 2nd Generation / 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ / 2nd and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors
Chipset AMD X570
Memory 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors
4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR4 MHz Un-buffered Memory

2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors
4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR4 MHz Un-buffered Memory

2nd and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors
4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR4 MHz Un-buffered Memory

Dual Channel Memory Architecture
ECC Memory (ECC mode) support varies by CPU.

* Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).
Graphic Integrated Graphics in the 2nd and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors

Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DisplayPort ports
– Supports HDMI 1.4b with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz
– Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution 4096 x 2160 @ 60 Hz
Multi-GPU Support 3rd and 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors
AMD Ryzen™ 2nd Generation / Ryzen™ 1st Generation Processors
Supports AMD CrossFireX™ Technology
Expansion Slots 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors
1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16 mode)

2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 mode)

2nd and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x8 mode)

AMD X570 chipset
1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (max at x4 mode)
2 x PCIe 4.0 x1
Storage 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors :
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, Type 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110 (PCIE 4.0 x4 and SATA modes) storage devices support

2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors :
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, Type 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110 (PCIE 3.0 x4 and SATA modes) storage devices support

AMD X570 chipset :
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, Type 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110 (PCIE 4.0 x4 and SATA modes) storage devices support
8 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s)
Support Raid 0, 1, 10
LAN Realtek® L8200A
ASUS Turbo LAN Utility
TUF LANGuard
Wireless Data Network Intel® Wireless-AC 9260
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Supports dual band frequency 2.4 / 5 GHz
Supports MU-MIMO
Supports channel bandwidth: HT20 / HT40 / HT80 / HT160
Bluetooth Bluetooth® 5.0
Audio Realtek® ALC S1200A 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC

Audio Feature :
– Exclusive DTS Custom for GAMING Headsets.
– Audio Shielding: Ensures precision analog/digital separation and greatly reduced multi-lateral interference
– Dedicated audio PCB layers: Separate layers for left and right channels to guard the quality of the sensitive audio signals
– Premium Japanese audio capacitors: Provide warm, natural and immersive sound with exceptional clarity and fidelity
– Audio Cover: Effective shielding preserves the integrity of audio signals to ensure best quality.
USB Ports 3rd and 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™/2nd and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors :
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s) (4 at back panel)

AMD X570 chipset :
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port(s) (3 at back panel, 2 x Type-A+1 x USB Type-CTM)

AMD X570 chipset :
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s) (2 at mid-board)

AMD X570 chipset :
4 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at mid-board)
Special Features ASUS TUF PROTECTION
ASUS SafeSlot: Protect your graphics card Investment
ASUS ESD Guard: Enhanced ESD protection
ASUS Overvoltage Protection: World-class circuit-protecting power design
ASUS Stainless-Steel Back I/O: 3X corrosion-resistance for greater durability!
ASUS DIGI+ VRM: Precision control for stable power
ASUS LANGuard: Protects against LAN surges, lightning strikes and static-electricity discharges!

AURA :
– Aura Lighting Control
– Aura RGB Strip Headers
– Addressable Gen 2 Header

ASUS Exclusive Features :
– AI Suite 3
– Ai Charger

ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution :
– Stylish Design: MOS Heat-sink with dual thermal pads design, PCH Fan, PCH and M.2 Heatsink
– ASUS Fan Xpert 4

ASUS EZ DIY :
– ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
– ASUS EZ Flash 3
– ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode

ASUS Q-Design :
– ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
– ASUS Q-Slot
– ASUS Q-DIMM

DIY Friendly Design
– Procool
– SafeSlot
– Digi+ VRM
– Highly Durable components
– ESD Guards
Back I/O Ports 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s)
1 x DisplayPort
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
5 x Audio jack(s)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5Gbps) ports
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10Gbps) ports (Type-A + USB Type-CTM)
ASUS Wi-Fi module (Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v5.0)
Internal I/O Ports 2 x Aura RGB Strip Header(s)
1 x Addressable Gen 2 header(s)
2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, type 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110 storage devices support (SATA mode & X4 PCIE mode)
1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, type 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110 storage devices support (SATA mode & X4 PCIE mode)
1 x SPI TPM header
8 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x CPU Fan connector(s)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s)
3 x Chassis Fan connector(s)
1 x AIO_PUMP connector
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x System panel(s)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s)
1 x COM port header
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5Gbps) connector support additional 2 USB ports
Accessories User’s manual
I/O Shield
2 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
1 x M.2 Screw Package
1 x Supporting DVD
1 x ASUS 2T2R dual band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
1 x TUF GAMING Sticker
1 x TUF Certification card(s)
BIOS 256Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, SM BIOS 3.2, ACPI 6.2, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 3, CrashFree BIOS 3, F6 Qfan Control, F3 My Favorites, F4 AURA ON/OFF, Last Modified log, F9 Search, F12 PrintScreen, and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information
Manageability WOL by PME, PXE
Operating System Windows® 10 64-bit
Form Factor ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm )
Pricing

$189.99 USD list

Manufacturer Description

DURABLE. STABLE. RELIABLE.
“TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) distills the essential elements of the latest AMD platform and combines them with game-ready features and proven durability. Engineered with military-grade components, upgraded power solutions and a comprehensive set of cooling options, these motherboards deliver rock-solid performance with unwavering gaming stability.
When you build with a TUF Gaming motherboard, you also benefit from the TUF Gaming Alliance — an ASUS collaboration with trusted industry partners that ensures easier building, the best compatibility, and complementary aesthetics from components to case.”

Motherboard Layout
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The ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard features a matte black PCB with the the TUF Gaming series logo on the rear panel cover. In keeping with the muted color pattern, the VRM and chipset heat sinks are all black colored as well. The board’s ATX form factor provides more than enough surface area to house the integrated components, as well as giving the board compatibility with most available gamer-friendly enclosures.

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The board’s back is entirely free of sensitive components with some small chips peppering the back surface. With the exception of the area directly behind the CPU socket, the mounting area behind the socket is completely component free.

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ASUS built the TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard with a 14-phase digital power system, capable of providing more than enough power to the CPU for whatever you choose to throw at it. ASUS used a combination of Dr. MOS power stages, TUF chokes, and 5k metallic TUF capacitors to ensure superior power dleivery. The VRMs are cooled by dual large dark chrome aluminum heat sinks. To the upper left of the CPU socket are two 4-pin fan headers and a trusted module port header.

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The board’s 8-pin and 4-pin ATX12V power connectors are located to the upper right of the CPU socket, in between the VRM heat sinks and the rear panel cover along the board’s upper right edge.

ASUS designed the board with two M.2 slots, one in between the CPU socket and the primary PCI x16 slot (M.2_1) and the other to the lower left edge of the secondary PCIe x16 slot (M.2_2). ASUS chose to integrate an M.2 port cover for the M.2_2 slot only. The cover extends the full length of the slot covered by a full length covers with thermal tape along the inside surface. In previous reviews, such plates where found to reduce M.2 card heat by over 10C when used in a strict passive configuration with optimal cooling obtained when used in conjunction with active air-flow over the port plate.

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The board has a total of four DIMM slots with Dual Channel memory mode active with modules in slots 1 / 3 or 2 / 4. The board supports up to 128GB of memory. Note that memory speeds above 3200MHz are considered overclocked speeds and are outside of the official AMD Ryzen 3 series stock memory speed specifications.

Directly below the memory port block are a USB 3.0 header, the 24-pin ATX power connector, and a 5V addressable RGB LED header. To the upper right of the DIMM slots are the primary and secondary 4-pin CPU fan headers, and a 12V RGB LED header.

The AMD X570 chipset is actively cooled by a low profile aluminum heat sink. The fan plugs into a power header hidden underneath the chipset sink. In addition to the two PCIe x4 M.2 slots, the board features eight SATA III ports, four in the port block directly below the chipset and four on the board’s surface to the left of the chipset. All SATA ports are usable in conjunction with a drive seated in either M.2 port.

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The board contains a total of four PCIe slots – two PCIe 4.0 x16 slots and two PCIe 4.0 x1 slots. The PCIe x16 slots can be used in x16 / x4 mode, depending on the CPU in use. Notice that ASUS designed the primary PCIe x16 slot to hold up to a triple slotted video card without impeding the secondary PCIe x16 slot. Also, the primary slot has been steel-reinforced to prevent damage to the slot when using video cards with larger coolers in a vertical mount orientation.

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The board’s integrated audio components are located just above the PCIe ports. The audio subsystem lives on an isolated PCB to minimize line-noise and distortion caused by other integrated components. To ensure optimal audio performance, ASUS designed the audio system around the Realtek S1200A CODEC and premium Japanese-sourced Audio capacitors.

ASUS integrated support for connecting RGB LED strips directly into the board using the RGB LED headers located in the lower left quadrant and lower right quadrant (by the DIMM slots) of the board. Both 4-pin 12V RGB and 3-pin 5V addressable RGB LED headers are integrated into the board. Connecting an RGB LED strip to the header synchronizes the LED strip color and activity with that of the motherboard’s integrated LEDs. The board is shown with an external RGB strip connected to one the headers in the board’s lower right quadrant.

In addition to the 12V RGB LED header, the UEFI reset jumper, front panel, and surface mounted SATA ports are located on the lower left edge of the board.

Along the upper and mid left side of the board are the front panel audio header, a debug header (used for ASUS factory board testing), multiple 4-pin fan headers, and USB 2.0 headers.

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The following integrated ports into the motherboard’s rear panel assembly: four USB 3.0 ports (blue), two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type A 10Gbps port (teal), a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C 10Gbps port, a Realtek L8200A GigE RJ-45 port, dual WiFi antennae ports, HDMI and DisplayPort video ports, an S/PDIF digital audio output port, and five analogue audio output ports. All USB ports are controlled by the AMD X570 chipset.

CPU Cooler Fit

To test the amount of space surrounding the CPU socket, we mounted the Noctua NH-D15 cooler to the CPU socket. This behemoth CPU air cooler sports a dual fan construction and two huge vertical cooling towers.

When oriented in its default configuration with air blown towards the rear panel of the case, the Noctua cooler fits into the CPU socket area of the TUF Gaming X570-Plus without issue. Further, the spacing between the CPU socket area and the primary PCIe x16 slot are more than adequate to seat a video card with the cooler mounted.

The Noctua hold down mechanism is large enough to qualify the socket space for use with the majority of mount methods included with a CPU cooler. The Noctua mount fits the CPU socket without issue.

Included Accessories

The TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard comes with all the components necessary to get the board up and running.

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The TUF Gaming X570-Plus package included the motherboard manual, driver DVD, TUF-branded case stickers and board labels, and a coupon for 20% off of the purchase of CableMod power cables. The included manual gave an in-depth description of the board components and setup as we’ve come to expect from ASUS.

ASUS bundled in two black plastic-sleeved 6Gb/s rated SATA cables for use with the integrated ports. The cables have integrated port locks and a mix of straight and 90 degree connectors. ASUS also bundled in a 2×2 802.11AC antenna and a rear panel shield.

Application Overview

Included Applications
  • ASUS AI Suite 3
  • DIGI+ Power Control
  • EPU
  • Turbo EVO
  • Fan Xpert 4
  • PC Cleaner
  • EZ Update
  • Ai Charger
  • Turbo LAN
  • Armory Crate
  • AURA RGB Lighting Control
  • Norton Internet Security
AI Suite 3
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The AI Suite 3 application is a bundling mechanism for all the included ASUS designed utilities, providing a centralized panel from which to access and run the applets. All applets can be accessed by clicking on the expansion button on the middle left side of the page. The applet list then slides out to the right in a frame along the inside left of the page.
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The main app opens to the DIGI+ VRM page that houses settings specific to the board CPU power circuitry. The EPU page houses power saving related settings. The overclocking settings are housed in the TurboV EVO page. The Fan Xpert4 section contains fan controls. The System Information page houses board and CPU-specific information settings. Along the bottom of the app are real-time monitoring display settings.

ASUS Armoury Crate
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The ASUS Armoury Crate application is a new addition to the ASUS utility lineup that is a UEFI-driven tool that automatically installs to Windows with an active Internet connection when the Armoury Crate setting (within the UEFI Tools menu) is enabled. It can be used to control the integrated RBG LEDs and RGB LEDs connected to the onboard headers, as well as installing board drivers, tools, and new UEFI versions without the need for a driver dvd.

ASUS AURA Syc

Hosted within the Armoury Crate application, the ASUS AURA applet controls the active state of the RGB LEDs embedded in to the board as well as LED strips connected to the board’s RGB LED 12V header. The controlled LEDs can be configured for any desired color using the color picker control and to operate in a variety of modes including static, breathing, strobing, color cycle, rainbow, starry night, music, smart, and dark.

ASUS Turbo LAN

Turbo LAN is the latest revision of ASUS’ application for optimizing network traffic through the on-board network controllers for gaming use. It offers the same functionality as offered with the Killer NIC series of network adapters. The application offers traffic monitoring via its main interface, as well as a variety of traffic shaping and network information options through the Preferences menus.

UEFI Features

ASUS bundled the TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard with the latest revision of their ASUS UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) implementation, a customized version of the AMI baseline UEFI BIOS replacement. The UEFI offers full keyboard and mouse support while using the BIOS pages. ASUS changed the way mouse right-click functions in their UEFI implementation with right-click having no impact on the screen. By default, the user sees the EZ mode screen when entering the UEFI. The Advanced mode screens accessible via the Exit/Advanced Mode button at the upper right corner of the screen or by hitting the F7 function key. Advanced mode screens can be set for the default user interface via the UEFI Boot menu as well.

As we’ve stated in previous reviews, the ASUS UEFI implementation remains among the best out there. The UEFI is very responsive to both keyboard and mouse input with almost no lag or questionable click-space evident anywhere. The UEFI is designed in an intuitive manner so that both novice and advance BIOS users can quickly find what they are looking for. The EZ Mode screen lays out everything in a highly readable format, while the Advanced Mode tabbed layout displays as you would expect from a traditional BIOS. ASUS also gives you the ability to taken screen captures from within the BIOS by pressing the F12 key with those screen-caps saved in a 1024×768 bitmap format to an attached USB device. From the Tools menu, ASUS houses their collection of of BIOS-related tools and applets, ranging from an UEFI-based updater (EZ Flash3) to their full UEFI profile load and save utility.

UEFI Notable Features

In addition to the normal features you would find in an enthusiast-friendly UEFI, ASUS exposed many advanced features specific to the AMD Ryzen 3000 series processor line, mostly concentrated in the AMD-specific links under the Advanced Page. One of the nicer features of the UEFI was the breadcrumb title that appeared on every page, making it much easier to navigate through the deeply nested sub-menus. Updated and notable features include the EZ Mode page, the Advanced mode My Favorites tab, Shortcut screen, a graphical fan tuning interface, modified settings log on UEFI save, and a keyword setting search feature.

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The EZ Mode page presents information organized into sections in an easy-to-read manner for those users who do not want to be bothered with the labyrinth of the Advanced Mode settings. ASUS enhanced this interface with an animated background, making for an interested effect.

The My Favorites tab houses user selected settings for access to these from a centralized location. To access, select the My Favorites tab from within the Advanced Mode interface. Note that if a menu or sub-menu is added to this page, all fields on that page will be added. The real strength in this My Favorites tab implementation comes with the ability to mix and match commonly used options in a central location, rather than having to hunt them down through multiple sub-levels of menus.

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The Search page, accessed from a link at the top of the Advanced mode page or by pressing the F9 function key, displays all settings that match the entered search terms. This can save the user a huge amount of time, especially when trying to find that one key setting buried under numerous sub-menus within the UEFI.

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The Q-Fan Tuning page allows for graphical configuration of fan operation based on predefined threshold levels. The interface is similar in nature to the Windows-based Fan Xpert 4 fan configuration interface and is a nice touch in-lei of the text-based configuration approach. The Q-Fan Tuning page is accessed by clicking on the Manual Fan Tuning button within the EZ Mode page or clicking the F6 function key from within the Advanced Mode interface.

ASUS allows for storing up to eight UEFI profiles through the ASUS User Profiles page within the Tools tab in the Advanced mode interface. The saved profiles contain all user configured settings from the UEFI, and can be saved to or restored from any attached storage device.

The ASUS EZ Flash 3 utility was updated, allowing for BIOS update via an attached drive or through a network connection. When selecting the network update method, the utility launches a network connection wizard for getting the most up to date BIOS file from the ASUS servers.

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The download and enable setting within the ASUS Armoury Crate page controls the automated download of the Armoury Crate applet from within Windows 10. Armoury Crate can be used to configure attached RGB LED strips from the ASUS Aura app and automatically installs all board drivers and utilities without the need for a driver disk.

The AI Tweaker tab houses the settings controlling all board overclocking settings.

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The Save & Reset page displays to the user a scrollable list of all UEFI changes made since the last save. Listed changes are not committed to BIOS memory until saved by the user. Note that the same list displays when the user chooses any of the save settings from the Exit page or the Last Modified option with Advanced Mode active.

UEFI Walkthrough highlights – Advanced mode interface
Main tab

The System Information tab displays board model and BIOS version information, as well as housing the language selection and system time and date settings.

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Ai Tweaker tab

The Ai Tweaker tab houses various sub-tabs and settings for controlling motherboard performance settings. The other settings are logically divided up between the linked pages – CPU Core Ratio (Per CCX), Precision Boost Overdrive, DRAM Timing Control, and DIGI+ VRM.

Advanced tab

The Advanced tab houses settings within linked sub-tabs for controlling the various subsystems and devices integrated into the motherboard, like the PCIe M.2 slots, SATA ports, USB slots, etc. Advanced AMD processor-specific performance and overclocking settings are housed within the AMD labeled sub-menus.

AMD CBS settings

The AMD CBS submenu, accessed from the AMD CBS link in the Advanced tab, houses AMD Ryzen-specific advanced settings for configuring the processor internal settings.

AMD Overclocking settings

The AMD Overclocking submenu, accessed from the AMD Overclocking link in the Advanced tab, houses AMD Ryzen-specific advanced settings for configuring voltage and frequency settings outside of the Ai Tweaker tab.

Monitor tab

The Monitor tab contains settings related to BIOS monitored temperature, voltage, and fan speed settings. Additionally, fan header operation can be configured via settings at the page bottom (in addition to using the graphical based Qfan Control functionality).

 Boot tab

The Boot tab contains settings related to system initialization and boot, including the boot override settings. CSM (Compatibility Support Module) and Secure Boot settings can also be configured via the links at the bottom of the tab.

 Tool tab

The Tool tab houses all ASUS-specific customizations to the UEFI, logically grouped in the linked sub-pages. ASUS customizations include a BIOS flash utility, a UEFI profile load and save app, memory-based SPD information display, and the ability to enable/disable the ASUS Armoury Crate functionality.

Testing and System Benchmark Configuration

Testing Configuration
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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 AMD X570-based systems
ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus
ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming
ASRock X570 Steel Legend
CPU AMD X570-based system
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
(3.7GHz CPU, 37 x 100MHz FSB)
Memory AMD X570-based system
Micron Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 modules
(3200MHz, 16-18-18-36-1T, 1.35V)
Hard Drive Intel 730 240GB SSD
Toshiba 1TB SATA III HD
Sound Card On-board sound
Video Card NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB
CPU Cooling Processor Block
XSPC Raystorm Pro water block

Cooling Loop Components
XSPC Photon 170 Tube Reservoir with D5 pump
XSPC RX480 V3 Radiator
Video Drivers NVIDIA 431.60
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Operating System Windows 10 Pro x64, May 2019 Update (v1903)
Test Setup Explanation The 64-bit Windows 10 based test bench used for the AMD X570 AM4 board testing includes an AMD Ryzen 5 3600X processor, 16GB of DDR4-3200 memory, an NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB video card, and an Intel 730 240GB SSD drive were used in the test system. 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
  • SiSoft Sandra 2020 (v2020.1.30.14)
  • Handbrake video transcoder v1.2.2
  • Maxon Cinebench R20
  • PCMark 10 v2.0.2115
  • ATTO Disk Benchmark v4.01.0f1

System and Application Benchmark Testing

System Benchmark Testing
ATTO Disk Benchmark

To validate that the board’s device ports were functioning correctly, we connected an Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SATA III SSD to the system and ran the ATTO Disk Benchmark against the drive. The SSD was directly connected to the native SATA III ports. NGFF port testing was performed using an M.2 based Samsung 950 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 256GB SSD. The M.2 device was tested using the board’s integrated M.2 slot. USB port testing performed using a SATA to USB 3.0 convert cable. Unfortunately, tesing against the USB 3.1 ports was not completed because of compatibility issues with the board and the M.2 drive MyDigitalSSD M2X USB 3.1 Gen 2 compatible enclosure. ATTO was configured to test against transfer sizes from 0.5 to 8192 KB with Total Length set to 512 MB and Queue Depth set to 10. The M.2 SSD selected for testing has a maximum read throughput of 2200 MB/s and a write throughput of 900 MB/s over a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 bus. The selected SSD has a maximum read throughput of 540 MB/s and a write throughput of 520 MB/s on a SATA III controller. The drive tests were repeated three times with the highest repeatable read and write speeds recorded.

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Across the board, drives connected to the native chipset controlled SATA and M.2 ports performed within specs with a few surprises encountered. The most surprising results were with drive performance when attached to the SATA III ports. The SATA III drives managed just about 500 MB/s for read performance while dipping into the 460 MB/s range for writes. Typically, both of those values should be well above 500 MB/s. With the SSD attached to the USB 3.0 port, performance fell slightly behind that of the SATA ports, hovering around the 400 MB/s range.

SiSoft Sandra 2020

SiSoftware’s Sandra benchmark is an industry-standard suite for measuring various aspects of a systems performance. We use the CPU and memory-subsystem tests to validate how well those subsystems perform related to similar classed boards. This test was repeated three times with the highest repeatable scores recorded from each benchmark.

The Sandra benchmarks remain a fast and easy way to determine system quality from a CPU and memory subsystem perspective. The TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard performed as expected with it’s performance matching that of other similarly classed AMD X570-based systems. This CPU and memory performance parity indicates proper CPU and memory subsystem operation.

Multimedia and Application Benchmark Testing
Handbrake v1.2.2

Handbrake was used to convert an uncompressed version of the Iron Man Blu-ray movie in MKV format to a compressed 1080P30 MP4 format. The Iron Man MKV file was ripped from the Blu-ray disc in the past with the file size for the uncompressed media coming in at 26 GB. Handbrake was run with the Fast 1080p30 preset settings enforced with the exception of Anamorphic set to Loose. This test was repeated three times with the lowest repeatable conversion time recorded.

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Video encoding is one of the more system intensive operations, making it a good test to measure system performance quirks under elevated usage scenarios. The TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard performed on par with the other AMD X570-based test systems.

Maxon Cinebench R20

Maxon’s Cinebench R20 benchmark can be used determine a system’s ability to render 3D content based on their Cinema 4D animation software. The CPU benchmark test was run three times, with the highest reproducible Cinebench points score recorded.

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The TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard again performed well in comparison with the other AMD X570-based systems, illustrating its optimal functioning.

UL PCMark 10

UL’s PCMark 10 can be used to reliably ascertain a system’s performance in a Windows 10-based use environment. The tests chosen for benchmarking included the Extended Suite and the Applications Suite. The Extended Suite of tests is comprised of the Essentials test, the Productivity test, the Digital Content Creation test, and the Gaming test. The Applications Suite of tests is comprised of the MS Word test, the MS Excel test, the MS Powerpoint test, and the MS Edge browser test. For the Applications Suite, MS Office 365 was used in conjuction with PCMark 10. All test suites within the PCMark 10 benchmark suites were run three times, with the highest reproducible PCMark scores recorded.

The TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard performed well for the most part in comparison to the other test systems in this real-world application benchmark. The small performance differences between the TUF Gaming X570-Plus board and the other X570-based systems could be attributed to quirks with the benchmark itself and how different manufacturers and UEFI versions manage CPU ratios and voltages at stock settings.

Overclocking Performance

To give a feel for the overclocking performance potential of the ROG Strix X570-E Gaming motherboard, we attempted to push it to known CPU-supported performance parameters with minimal tweaking. At the stock base clock speed of 100Mhz, we pushed the CPU to 4.3GHz across all cores with a 1800MHz Infinity Fabric frequency and a 3600MHz memory speed. This was done at a 1.450V CPU voltage, a 1.20V SOC/Uncore OC Voltage, and a 1.375V memory voltage with all other values left at default settings. All overclocking sessions remained stable for over 4hrs. System stability was tested running the AIDA64 stability test in conjunction with EVGA’s OC Scanner X graphical benchmark running at 1280×1024 resolution and 8x MSAA in stress test mode. Note that 8GB (2 x 4GB) of Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4-4000 memory modules were used for the overclocking tests. 100MHz Base Clock Stats with 4.3GHZ CPU speed (all cores), 1800MHz Infinity Fabric frequency, and 3600MHz memory speed

Conclusion

ASUS has another winning design with the TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard. Its layout and design keep to ASUS’ typical high standards with no hard to reach or crowded components. The board features the TUF Gaming aesthetics with black chromed VRM heat sinks as well as the muted RGB LEDs across its surface. Its base black PCB acts as a good accent to the design with it easily fitting in to most gamer-centric builds. All of the normal niceties you find with TUF-branded boards are integrated, including multiple 12v and 5v RGB headers, enhanced VRM power circuitry, and various stability and longevity features in the integrated components. Performance-wise, it doesn’t disappoint with excellent performance across the board at both stock and overclocked speeds. Surprisingly, there is really little not to like about this board. For both the gamers and the TUF-enthusiasts, I’d recommend giving this board a hard look.

Strengths

  • Stock and Overclocking performance
  • Gamer-friendly board aesthetics, layout, and design
  • UEFI BIOS design and usability
  • Chipset active cooling
  • Storage offerings – dual M.2 PCIe 4.0 ports and SATA ports
  • Network offerings – Realtek GigE LAN and 2×2 802.11ax Wi-Fi ports
  • Configurable board-integrated RGB LEDs using the Windows app
  • Multiple 12V RGB and 5V addressable RGB LED headers
  • M.2 port placement
  • CMOS battery placement
  • Price

Weaknesses

  • Lack of removable port covers / coolers for both M.2 ports
  • Lack of usable PCIe x1 port with all PCIe x16 ports populated
  • Lack of dual video card support
  • Secondary PCIe x16 slot supports maximum of x4 bandwidth, limiting performance of devices used in that slot
PC Perspective Silver Award

Review Disclosures

This disclosure statement covers the way the product being reviewed was obtained and the relationship between the product's manufacturer and PC Perspective.

How Product Was Obtained

The motherboard is on loan from ASUS for the purpose of this review.

What Happens To Product After Review

The motherboard remains the property of ASUS but will be on extended loan to PC Perspective for the purpose of future testing and product comparisons.

Company Involvement

ASUS provided the product sample and technical brief to PC Perspective but had no control over the content of the review and was not consulted prior to publication.

PC Perspective Compensation

Neither PC Perspective nor any of its staff were paid or compensated in any way by ASUS for this review.

Advertising Disclosure

ASUS has purchased advertising at PC Perspective during the past twelve months.

Affiliate Links

This article contains affiliate links to online retailers. PC Perspective may receive compensation for purchases made through those links.

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About The Author

Morry Teitelman

Hardware Editor at PC Perspective. Main focus is on motherboard reviews, but does branch out to other areas of interest from time to time (read that as water cooling). Morry has been building his own systems since the mid-90's and has a passion for PC modding and watercooling. If you've been to Quakecon, there's a chance you've seen one of his builds.

12 Comments

  1. James Nakashian

    No offense to Sebastion but it’s nice to see other people do reviews for Pcper. I’m pretty tied of only seeing Sebastions name on those review articles. I’d like to Jeremy or Josh do a major releases review.

    Otherwise keep up the great work!

    Reply
    • Sebastian Peak

      Comments like this are the reason I do this. Thank you.

      Reply
      • BigTed

        I love the way he prefaced his offensive comment with ‘no offence’. Don’t worry Sebastian. I’m sure there are literally tens of people who appreciate what you do.

        Reply
        • Sebastian Peak

          Ok, “tens” might actually be pushing it. I estimate that as many as 12 people appreciate my reviews.

          Side note, I do appreciate anyone who comments anymore, even if it’s critical. Asking people to create an account – as many sites do in an attempt to control the insane volume of spam – does reduce interaction by roughly 99%.

          Reply
          • Jeremy Hellstrom

            OH! I thought he said tense people and that your photography could be therapeutic for them.

            Reply
          • Steve Fox

            Amen man, this is so true. Social media and spam have destroyed good old fashioned websites.

            Reply
  2. WayneJetSki

    I am using an old ASRock AB350 Pro4 motherboard for a PC I built back in Sept. 2017. I realize that this Asus Tuf Gaming x570 board is like 90 bucks more expensive but this seems like a good deal for all things it offers.

    Reply
  3. Corey buckner

    Nice review. I have this board and it is working well. Only issue I have is the lack of a header for my case’s USB type C front panel port. @Sebastian Peak You mentioned on the last podcast that there are adapters for those headers. Any recommendations?

    Reply
    • Sebastian Peak

      There are adapters, with the SilverStone CP14 one example – but that will only support USB 3.0 and no power delivery:

      “CP14 turns your 19pin motherboard header into the latest 20pin Key A standard for use with latest case front port standard.”

      It’s an unfortunate reality that many lower-cost AMD boards don’t offer the modern standard. I’m guessing that margins are the culprit.

      Reply
  4. Richard Conti

    Curious, why does my rx 580 come up as pciex16 3.0 x1 in the first pcie_1 slot

    Reply
    • Jeremy Hellstrom

      It’s a PCIe 3.0 card. If it comes up as PCIe 2.0 in another slot, that could be odd as I can’t think of a motherboard that has both on it.

      Reply
    • Sebastian Peak

      A reading of x1 in GPUZ will change to x16 once the card is actually doing something. It’s an idle thing.

      Reply

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