ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero Preview

Introduction and Specifications

Introduction

Normally when a new processor is launched there are a raft of new motherboards that come along too. With AMD this is often lessened by their commitment to running a socket for as long as possible. Yes there might be new chipsets, but your current board will support the new CPUs too. With the new 9000 range of AMD Ryzen processors this continues to be the case. However, unlike normal proceedings the motherboards have come along a bit later. Still within the launch window. Timing is strange.

Welcome, therefore, to the X870E motherboard range. We’ve got plenty to preview for you so that you can enjoy staring and dreaming prior to launch. For those of you who’ve been around for a while you’ll understand that we’re not allowed to talk about performance. Sometimes there are other new bits that we have to skip too. But a little experience, and a lot of enlarging photographs, should give all the information you need.

The last time we reviewed a Crosshair Hero it was the X670E model. Today we’ve got the newest in the ASUS Republic of Gamers range, the Crosshair X870E Hero. Boasting a lot of extra features as part of the revised X870E chipset, and some unique ASUS ROG touches, it’s a very desirable high end motherboard option. Let’s run through what you’re getting.

Specifications

Such was the hugely capable X670E chipset that the new X870E is an evolution rather than a wholesale revolution. It speaks highly of how on the ball AMD are. The primary change is the addition of USB 4 by default. This ASUS Crosshair Hero also has a SlimSAS connector. SAS – Serial Attached SCSI – is normally for enterprise solutions. Finding one on a desktop motherboard is perplexing. We’ll find out through the course of our previews if this is unique to ASUS or part of the X870E chipset itself. Either way there must be a reason it’s here.