Asus unveils its X870/X870E motherboard lineup at Gamescom 2024 and they look pretty darn good

Four Asus X870 and X870E motherboards
(Image credit: Asus)

Asus has unveiled its initial X870E and X870 motherboard lineup at Gamescom 2024. Asus's regular model tiers are represented, with the ROG, Strix, TUF, ProArt and Prime families all featuring X870/E models. All are compatible with Ryzen 9000-series CPUs out of the box, and all support up-to-date feature sets, including USB4 and WiFi 7.

As you'd expect in this day and age, Asus has incorporated several auto-optimizing 'AI' features including AI Networking II, AI Overclocking and AI Cooling II. They include CPU and DRAM overclocking enhancements with more granular controls along with notably robust VRM designs. Various models also support multiple PCIe 5.0 SSDs.

(Image credit: Asus)

The flagship option is the ROG Crosshair X870E Hero. It looks like a ROG board for sure, with long list of features. It comes with a very strong 18+2+2 phase VRM with 110A stages, which even a heavily overclocked Ryzen 9 9950X won't challenge. Add to that support for DDR5-8200+, up to three Gen 5 SSDs, dual USB4, USB 20Gbps with 60W PD, WiFi 7, dual LAN and the typical ROG overclocking features and flourishes, and this is sure to be a solid offering. 

Asus hasn't revealed a price as of yet, but expect this one and Asus' other offerings to cost more than their X670 counterparts.

Next up are four ROG Strix offerings including the ROG Strix Z870-I Gaming WiFi. Asus' X670E-I version is our pick for best Mini-ITX motherboard, so unless Asus really dropped the ball, the X870-I is sure to be a contender for the throne.

The ROG Strix X870-F Gaming and X870-A Gaming are sure to be popular offerings. They include most of the goodies of the more expensive Hero.

A little further down the range comes the Asus TUF Gaming X870-Plus WiFi. This one features a unique blocky-looking aesthetic that I personally find quite appealing. It still includes WiFi 7, USB4 and dual Gen 5 SSD support. 

The TUF brand has evolved from its original military theme with a focus on reliability into more of a budget gaming brand. If the Z870-Plus WiFi is priced right, It could be a really competitive mid range offering. 

(Image credit: Asus)

The ProArt X870E Creator WiFi is aimed at creators. It comes with a 3 month Adobe Creative Cloud subscription which is a decent value add. It's packed with USB ports and it includes 10G LAN alongside 2.5G LAN and WiFi 7. 

I love its black and gold design, though I'd expect this one to cost a pretty penny indeed. Still, it'll be considered cheap when compared to workstation class options.

(Image credit: Asus)

Finally there's Asus' mainstream Prime family. Both the Prime X870-P WiFi and Prime X870-P appear mostly identical, though the latter's name obviously means it lacks WiFi 7, and indeed it doesn't include WiFi at all, which is a bit odd in this day and age.

Both boards still have decent feature lists, with Gen 5 SSD support and USB4. Interestingly, the X870-P WiFi includes four PCIe expansion slots. Unless my eyes fail me, it's the only Asus X870 board to feature that many.

(Image credit: Asus)

These are just the first of many X870E and X870 boards to launch. They'll be better suited to the high end models such as the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X. There's nothing stopping you from buying such a board to use with a Ryzen 5 9600X or Ryzen 7 9700X, but they'll be more logically paired with upcoming B850 motherboards.

We don't have any word on pricing, but Asus not known for its aggressive pricing. With the electrical complexities inherent to boards with PCIe 5.0 GPU and SSD support, faster RAM support and stronger VRM solutions, I'm expecting X870 boards from all manufacturers to be expensive.

Best handheld gaming PCSteam Deck OLED reviewBest Steam Deck accessories


Best handheld gaming PC: What's the best travel buddy?
Steam Deck OLED review: Our verdict on Valve's handheld.
Best Steam Deck accessories: Get decked out.

TOPICS
Chris Szewczyk
Hardware Writer

Chris' gaming experiences go back to the mid-nineties when he conned his parents into buying an 'educational PC' that was conveniently overpowered to play Doom and Tie Fighter. He developed a love of extreme overclocking that destroyed his savings despite the cheaper hardware on offer via his job at a PC store. To afford more LN2 he began moonlighting as a reviewer for VR-Zone before jumping the fence to work for MSI Australia. Since then, he's gone back to journalism, enthusiastically reviewing the latest and greatest components for PC & Tech Authority, PC Powerplay and currently Australian Personal Computer magazine and PC Gamer. Chris still puts far too many hours into Borderlands 3, always striving to become a more efficient killer.

Read more
Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro motherboard with the SSD heatsinks detached and on a light desk.
Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro review
A screenshot from a promotional video for ASRock B860 motherboards
AMD and Intel launch mainstream and budget motherboard chipsets at CES but some of the codenames are so similar that I've already mistaken them for each other
A photo of an Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi motherboard
Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi review
MSI gaming PC
MSI B850 motherboards: The best choice for work or play
An out-of-focus image of a motherboard surrounded by a colorful border, with a PC Gamer Best Motherboard 2024 logo in the center
PC Gamer Hardware Awards: The best gaming motherboard of 2024
Gigabyte's X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice motherboard on a light desk with white background.
Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice review
Latest in Motherboards
A photo of an ASRock Z890 Taichi Lite motherboard
ASRock Z890 Taichi Lite review
A photo of the Asus TUF Gaming B860M-Plus WiFi motherboard
Asus TUF Gaming B860M-Plus WiFi review
A photo of an Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi motherboard
Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi review
Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro motherboard with the SSD heatsinks detached and on a light desk.
Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro review
Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Elite WiFi 7 Ice on a light desk with a white background and SSD covers removed.
Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice review
Gigabyte's X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice motherboard on a light desk with white background.
Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice review
Latest in News
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch
Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers
Sony, which is making a Helldivers 2 movie, is also making a new Starship Troopers movie, but it's not based on the Starship Troopers movie we already have
Assassin's Creed meets PUBG
Ubisoft is reportedly talking to Tencent about creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed and other big games
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
'It really truly changed my life in every possible way': Lady Dimitrescu actor says her Resident Evil Village role was just as transformative for her as it was for roughly half the internet in 2021
Storm trooper hero
Another live service shooter is getting shut down, this time before it even launched on Steam
Possibility Space concept art.
Possibility Space owners sue NetEase for $900 million over allegations it spread 'false and defamatory rumors' of fraud at the studio that ultimately forced it to close