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Asus MAXIMUS VIII RANGER Motherboard
Asus MAXIMUS VIII RANGER
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Asus Z170-A Motherboard
Asus Z170-A
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MSI Z170A Gaming M5 Motherboard
MSI Z170A Gaming M5
Editiorial reviews
5
5 editorial reviews
Our first Intel Z170 motherboard review comes in the form of the ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) Maximus VIII Hero. Let's take a close look now.Read more
Z87 saw cost-effective gaming-calibre motherboards take the limelight. All of the big vendors releasRead more
ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger: 5 out of 5 stars on Australia's largest opinion site ProductReview.com.au.Read more
Read editorial reviews
9
9 editorial reviews
All the Intel Z170 motherboard you actually need?Read more
ASUS Z170-A ReviewRead more
Intel's next-gen CPU architecture, Kaby Lake, is expected at some point in the coming months but forRead more
Read editorial reviews
6
6 editorial reviews
MSI was among the first to participate in our Z170 review series. Will the now-mature firmware give its $180 Z170A Gaming M5 a lead in the upper-midrange LGA 1151 enthusiast segment?Read more
MSI has been on a roll lately and their 'Gaming' series has been at the forefront of a newly revived motherboard lineup. Much like GIGABYTE’s own Gaming-branded products and ASUS’ RoG brand these boards cater to gamers and overclockers alike with a unique mix of features and capabilities that...Read more
With a great price and cutting-edge features, like USB 3.1 Gen 2 and dual M.2 support, the MSI Z170A Gaming M5 motherboard is a standout pick for a Skylake-based gaming build.Read more
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User rating
34
4.2 out of 5
34 user ratings
5 stars
47 %
4 stars
29 %
3 stars
20 %
2 stars
2 %
1 stars
0 %
38
3.9 out of 5
38 user ratings
5 stars
26 %
4 stars
39 %
3 stars
34 %
2 stars
0 %
1 stars
0 %
33
4.2 out of 5
33 user ratings
5 stars
39 %
4 stars
45 %
3 stars
15 %
2 stars
0 %
1 stars
0 %

General

Motherboard typeATXATXATX
Processor socket
LGA 1151
LGA 1151
LGA 1151

Memory

Supported memory bus clock
  • 2133 MHz
  • 2800 MHz
  • 2666 MHz
  • 2400 MHz
  • 3000 MHz
  • 3200 MHz
  • 3300 MHz
  • 3400 MHz
  • 3333 MHz
  • 2800 MHz
  • 2933 MHz
  • 2666 MHz
  • 2600 MHz
  • 2400 MHz
  • 2133 MHz
  • 3000 MHz
  • 3100 MHz
  • 3300 MHz
  • 3400 MHz
  • 3333 MHz
  • 2400 MHz
  • 2133 MHz
  • 2800 MHz
  • 2600 MHz
  • 3000 MHz
  • 3200 MHz
  • 3600 MHz
RAM technologyDDR4DDR4DDR4
Memory slots typeDIMMDIMMDIMM
Maximum RAM size64 GB64 GB64 GB
Number of memory slots44
N/A
Unbuffered memoryyesyes
N/A
Memory channelsDualDualDual
Non-ECCyesyes
N/A
Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)yesyesyes
ECC
N/A
N/A
yes

Audio properties

Audio codecSupremeFX 2015Realtek ALC892Realtek ALC1150
Audio output channels7.17.17.1

Graphics

Parallel processing technology support
  • 3-Way CrossFireX
  • Quad-GPU SLI
  • 4-Way CrossFireX
  • Quad-GPU SLI
  • 2-Way SLI
  • 3-Way CrossFireX
Maximum resolution
  • 4096
  • 2304
N/A
  • 4096
  • 2160

Technical details

Compatible processor series
  • Intel Celeron
  • Intel Pentium
  • Intel Celeron
  • Intel Pentium
  • Intel Celeron
  • Intel Pentium
Maximum number of processors111

BIOS

BIOS typeUEFI AMIUEFI AMIUEFI
BIOS features
  • WfM 2.0 support
  • Multilingual BIOS
  • ASUS O.C. Profile
  • USB BIOS Flashback
  • UEFI BIOS
  • ACPI 5.0 support
  • ASUS EZ Flash 3
  • DMI 3.0 support
  • SMBIOS 3.0 support
  • WfM 2.0 support
  • Multilingual BIOS
  • ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution
  • USB BIOS Flashback
  • UEFI BIOS
  • ACPI 5.0 support
  • ASUS EZ Flash 3
  • DMI 3.0 support
  • SMBIOS 3.0 support
  • DMI support
  • UEFI BIOS
  • BIOS FlashBack+
  • MSI ClickBIOS 5
BIOS memory size16.0 mB16.0 mB
N/A
ACPI version5.05.0
N/A

Storage

Supported storage drive interfacesSerial ATA III
  • Serial ATA
  • Serial ATA III
  • M.2
  • Serial ATA III
RAID levels
  • 0
  • 1
  • 5
  • 10
  • 1
  • 5
  • 10
  • 1
  • 5
  • 10

Expansion slots

Number of M.2 (M) slots112
PCI slots
N/A
1
N/A

Internal I/O ports

CPU fan connectoryesyesyes
Number of EATX power connectors11
N/A
Number of chassis fan connectors443
EPS power connector (8-pin)yesyesyes
ATX Power connector (24-pin)YYY
Number of SATA III connectors666
Number of SATA Express connectors2
N/A
2
S/PDIF out connector
N/A
yes
N/A
Thunderbolt headers
N/A
1
N/A
Number of COM connectors
N/A
1
N/A
TPM connector
N/A
yesyes
Serial port headers
N/A
N/A
1

Rear panel I/O ports

S/PDIF out portyes
N/A
N/A
HDMI ports quantity111
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports111
PS/2 ports quantity111
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-A ports quantity226
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantity22
N/A
DisplayPorts quantity11
N/A
Microphone input
N/A
yes
N/A
Headphone outputs
N/A
1
N/A
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantity
N/A
1
N/A
DVI-D ports quantity
N/A
11

Network

Ethernet LAN (Network)yesyesyes
LAN controllerIntel I219-V
N/A
N/A
Ethernet interface typeGigabit EthernetGigabit EthernetGigabit Ethernet

Dimensions

Width12.01 in12.01 in12.01 in
Depth9.61 in9.61 in9.61 in

Often compared with Asus MAXIMUS VIII RANGER

Often compared with Asus Z170-A

Often compared with MSI Z170A Gaming M5