ASUS Z270 Workstation Review

Conclusion

If we had to summarise the ASUS Z270 WS in a single word it would be ‘Relentless’.

Fortunately we don’t have such limitations, but it’s very difficult to come away from our time with the Workstation without being left struggling to find the words to express how utterly consistent it was. There are only a couple of tests where it wasn’t amongst the motherboards at the top of our graphs, but even in those the gap between it and the others was negligible. Having such a beefy overclock will always help a motherboard to shine in those tests that rely heavily upon fast CPU speeds, but the results in the ones that place more of an emphasis on the entire system were also fantastic.

So it performs brilliantly, but that isn’t all the Z270 WS has to offer. Or, if you prefer, it isn’t the only string to its bow.

As well as being able to take our Intel Core i7-7700K well above the 5 GHz barrier the combination of the ASUS T-Topology technology – which helps eliminate DDR4 crosstalk whilst also assisting stability – and a BIOS that is as user friendly as you expect an ASUS BIOS to be, mean that your DDR4 speeds can be equally high so you get the full benefit of a speedy system. If you aren’t just wanting to push the final CPU figure as high as it can go but want to be all about the base clock then the robust power phases and ASUS clock generator allow you to take your BCLK into new stratospheres. Even an average CPU will go comfortably past the 400 MHz marker.

Elsewhere it is a selection of high bandwidth technologies, just as you would expect from a premium motherboard. USB 3.1 isn’t unique, although it’s great to see both Type-A and Type-C included on the WS. If you prefer the Intel wide band solution then the WS is equipped with Intel’s Thunderbolt too. Elsewhere there are six SATA3 ports for your regular storage needs. If, however, you’re more demanding then there are also two 32 Gb/s M.2 slots on the WS. We’ve seen M.2 quickly establish itself as the go-to storage solution for modern systems, but having two of them is still a premium feature and something that should interest the power users amongst you. If after all that you’re still thirsting for more then the ASUS Z270 WS is the first motherboard we can recall that also has twin U.2 sockets to go alongside dual M.2s. Away from the storage options the WS also has dual Intel Gigabit LANs. That isn’t all though as ASUS have also stuffed enough PLX controllers on the PCB to enable Quad-GPU support, should you happen to have recently won the lottery and want the very best gaming experience possible. 

All of that means that the ASUS Z270 WS is nearly the ultimate enthusiasts motherboard. It might not have the flash and flair of a ROG or Strix motherboard, and you’re certainly paying for the privilege of all this capability, but there is nothing it doesn’t handle with aplomb and comfortably deserves our OC3D Performance Award.

  

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