ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Dark Hero Preview

ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Dark Hero Preview

Introduction

Whenever a new processor range appears it’s only natural that a lot of people prick up their ears and pay close attention, perhaps even considering an upgrade. With the incredible performance of the 5000 series AMD Ryzen CPUs there will be many Intel owners who have been tempted across and thus have probably spent the last few days scouring AMD motherboards.

With the X570 chipset being largely released a while ago, and many of the models we reviewed having updated versions launched in the interim time period, it is only natural that choosing the ‘right’ one, or the one that’s currently the weapon of choice, isn’t as easy as it was at launch. Companies learn new tricks, the massive increase in user base compared to those testing prior to launch might expose some flaws that need fixing, in short it’s always best to go with the newest product to be closest to guaranteeing a successful purchase.

The ASUS X570 Crosshair range has been a massive success, and indeed forms the basis of both our GPU and AMD CPU test systems, but even ASUS aren’t one to rest upon their laurels and have revisited the monster-selling Crosshair VIII Hero and revised a few elements to better fit in with current needs. Before our full review let’s have a run through what you can expect to find.

Technical Specifications

The full specifications for the Dark Hero aren’t currently available on the ASUS website, but even this brief overview shows the changes from the original version of the Hero; namely the support for Ryzen 5000 processors out of the box, and a 14+2 power phase setup with 90A stages, ensuring even the beefy requirements of the Ryzen 9 5950X won’t be too much. There are some other tweaks but we’ve always believed in showing rather than telling, so let’s move on to the Crosshair VIII Dark Hero in the flesh.

  • AMD AM4 socket: Ready for AMD Ryzen 5000 Series/ 4000 G-Series/ 3000 Series/ 3000 G-Series/ 2000 Series/ 2000 G-Series desktop processors; also supports up to two M.2 drives and features USB 3.2 Gen 2 and AMD StoreMI to maximize connectivity and speed
  • Comprehensive thermal design: Passive chipset heatsink, M.2 aluminum heatsinks and ROG Water Cooling Zone.
  • Robust power delivery: Designed power solution 14+2 TI power stages rated for 90A, ProCool II power connectors, microfine alloy chokes and 10K Japanese-made black metallic capacitors
  • High-performance networking: On-board Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MU-MIMO support, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet, both with ASUS LANGuard protection, and support for GameFirst VI software.
  • 5-Way Optimization: Automated system-wide tuning, providing overclocking and cooling profiles that are tailor made for your rig.
  • DIY Friendly Design: Pre-mounted I/O shield, ASUS SafeSlot, BIOS flashback and premium components for maximum endurance.
  • Unmatched personalization: ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including RGB headers and addressable Gen 2 RGB headers
  • Industry-leading ROG audio: ROG SupremeFX S1220 is combined with the venerable ESS ES9023P to deliver high-fidelity audio to headsets and exotic cans.

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