ASUS has unveiled their Z370 line during a recent event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While they went over some details about what features each board has, they also took the time to clarify their new Z370 lineup segmentation. We looked over the 11 boards they are announcing for launch previously. And while the top end still remains the ASUS Republic of Gamers board at the top, many are wondering why the new TUF board is lacking features.
ASUS TUF Now for Casual Gaming
It appears that ASUS is shifting this brand towards the casual gaming crowd. It still retains some TUF features, such as additional ESD protection, server-class stability, etc. However, features like audio are scaled back. In fact it does not make use of the latest Realtek ALC1220 audio codec like the rest of ASUS’ boards. It uses an ALC887 HD audio codec instead.
It does not have a full-cover armor and only the top-most PCIe x16 has reinforcement now. Its VRM is also quite modest and although ideal for stock performance stability, it is not quite for overclockers.
ASUS Prime Series
The ROG Strix brand is now at the mainstream segment, while the PRIME series encompasses both the entry level and mainstream level. Which is why the two introductory boards from the PRIME series show the lowest-end and the highest-end of that segment.
More Republic of Gamers Boards Coming
In addition to the Maximus X Apex and Maximus X Hero, ASUS is also releasing more Maximus X boards soon according to Back2Gaming who was present at the Malaysian event. This includes the Maximus X Formula and Maximus X Code, with a release date closer to November.
