ASUS X870/X870E Motherboard Roundup & VRM Analysis

Peter Donnell / 2 months ago

Final Thoughts

So, hopefully that’s given you an idea as to what’s on offer from ASUS. A board seemingly for every person and every budget with features to match no matter if you’re on the lower-end, the higher-end or the more obscure end of the market.

What’s really impressive is to how easy building PCs has become and with the EZ PC DIY features that all of these boards now include to some degree, with some including more than others, it’s now made if even easier for novice, first time builders to get up and running, along with system integrators who are building tens of hundreds of computers a day. Imagine if you are doing those numbers, as to how much time can be saved from not having to screw in an M.2 drive for instance. It all adds up, and even beyond that point, it makes it easier for the end-user to configure their machine for upgrades at a later date.

One thing that I think is clear to see is that ASUS have really improved on the visual aspects of each board, from toning things down somewhat on the TUF boards from their inception, to giving the users choice in terms of colour schemes with a white board, a silver accented board, and the more stealthy black, that is always going to be the most popular. There really is something for everyone, and it goes further than just aesthetics, because performance is a very key metric when choosing a motherboard.

It’s here where we found VRM performance to be strong across the board, along with having a lot of headroom available for running the latest flagship processor, and utilising a healthy overclock too if you desire it, all while remaining cool, even under the most extreme loads, whether that be simulated Prime95 type workloads with small FFTs, or a more real-world test like Cinebench 2024, which is why we tested both for a prolonged amount of time to show the very worst case scenario. No matter the board that we tested today, they all came in at comfortable levels including the mini ITX board that was always going to be the hottest of the bunch, due to its smaller form factor, and cramming tons of hardware and features into the mix.

The thing that I think will impress people the most is that the cost of everything in life has increased and in some cases, risen to levels that are beyond comprehension, but ASUS have managed to be extremely aggressive with these new boards hitting the same price point, or in some cases, lower with the big one being the X870-P with an almost 17% lower price point. For a board that packs that much in terms of features, along with looking and performing great, $249 is a very cheap price for what you get, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it becomes one of the more popular selling boards, though I think for others, depending on budget and needs, the likes of the -E, -I, Crosshair and ProArt are really going to appeal, along with that unique looking -A board with its white styling, or the TUF with its strong and robust look and feature set. I guess it’s hard to whittle down which board is right for you, because they are all extremely good in their own unique way and I honestly think, that’s what ASUS have set out to do and I really think it could work for them.

Regardless of what board you decide to go for, there’s a much clearer distinction between each board and more importantly, between the chipsets, unlike what we saw with X670 and X670E where the water was a little muddied, though it will be interesting to see how the B-Series of boards stack up, so you can expect similar content for them when they drop in the near future.

With the fastest features that we’ve ever seen on a set of motherboards like WiFi7, USB4 and more connectivity options than ever before, X870 and X870E seems to be a huge step up for consumers in all different markets, from professionals, to gamers, and enthusiasts.

Then, if you are a gamer, couple all of this in with the new X3D CPUs that will be bestowed upon us very soon, and you could end up with a winning combination that could be a match made in heaven, though for now, you’ll have to wait just a little bit longer, but if the 7800X3D is anything to go by, the wait should be worth it.

For a more in-depth look at all of the boards, you can check out each individual review below: