ASUS Announces Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura

ASUS today announced Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura, the world’s first  3D-printing-friendly motherboard with a patent-pending mounting design, plus Aura RGB LED lighting to enable the creation of exciting color-matched custom builds with ease.

Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura is packed with many exclusive features optimized for the best gaming experience and incorporating multiple performance-boosting overclocking technologies. Features include flawless gaming audio with SupremeFX and Sonic Radar II, plus superior gaming networking and speed with Intel Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard, GameFirst IV and RAMCache technologies. The new motherboard even protects itself and the gamer with Gamer’s Guardian components, multiple smart DIY features and the all-new, reinforced SafeSlot PCIe®.

Based on the Intel® Z170 chipset, Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura’s ASUS-exclusive performance-enhancing features include 5-Way Optimization auto-tuning technology for instant speed boosts, second-generation T-Topology for next-level DDR4 memory overclocking, and Pro Clock technology for turbo-charged base-clock (BCLK) frequencies.

Built to customize: Patent-pending mounting of 3D-printed parts, plus Aura RGB LED lighting

Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura is the world’s first 3D-printing-friendly motherboard with a patent-pending mounting design, and represents the roll-out of the Make It Your Own 3D Printing Project, demonstrated by ASUS on a variety of modified X99 motherboards and concept designs at Computex 2016. Our patent-pending mounting application gives users exclusive freedom to easily mount their custom 3D-printed parts in the Z170 Pro Gaming/ Aura’s M.2 area, or even extend to the audio area, using the standard included M.2 nuts. Hobbyists can download, design and print custom nameplates and then integrate them seamlessly into their Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura builds. Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura also enables enthusiast and modders to design protective armor or cable-management solutions using the exclusive dedicated 3D-printing mounts. ASUS intends to release a variety of 3D source files, from customizable nameplates and cable-management solutions, making it easy for users to create perfectly color-matched aesthetics.

Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura users can also customize their builds using Aura, the exclusive RGB LED-illumination technology invented by ASUS. Aura makes it easy to light up any Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura build with an endless spectrum of color combinations, as well as enabling loads of fascinating and fun effects — all of which can be synced with an ever-growing portfolio of Aura-capable ASUS hardware.

Aura includes simple software controls for customizing the LED lighting. The intuitive interface lets gamers cast a stunning multi-color glow across builds, including static, a breathing effect, strobing, and color cycle, plus the ability to change shades to indicate CPU temperature, or pulsate in time to the beat of favorite music. Other named effects include Rainbow, Comet, Flash and Dash, Wave, Starry Night and Glowing Yo-Yo.

Built to game: SupremeFX, Sonic Radar II, Intel Ethernet, LANGuard, GameFirst IV and RAMCache

Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura has SupremeFX audio technology built in with a remarkable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 115dB for near-lossless audio quality, and premium Nichicon® audio capacitors for warmer, more natural sounds.

SupremeFX is engineered with effective shielding to prevent electromagnetic interference, preserving the integrity of audio signals for the premium quality. It also has a 300ohm-headphone amplifier to drive some of the very best headphones available for exceptional, immersive gaming audio and music-listening. The illuminated red-line shielding is even customizable, enabling the user to create eye-catching lighting effects.

For a helping hand on the battlefield, Sonic Radar II displays a stealthy overlay that shows what opponents and teammates are up to, all managed via a simple control panel and customizable game list. This allows the player to see the direction and origin of key in-game sounds, and practice enemy-pinpointing skill. It also includes exclusive Audio Enhancement technology to clarify every blast.

Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura has the very latest Intel Gigabit Ethernet (I219-V) integrated to reduce CPU overhead and deliver exceptionally-high TCP and UDP throughput, freeing up more computing power for gaming and gameplay. It also has ASUS-exclusive LANGuard with signal-coupling technology and premium surface-mounted to ensure reliable connections and better throughput, plus electrostatically-guarded and surge-protected components (ESD Guards) for 1.9X-greater tolerance to static electricity and 2.5X-greater protection (up to 15KV) against surges.

GameFirst IV optimizes network traffic for faster, lag-free online gaming, and includes Multi-Gate Teaming that enables Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura users to team all their networks for maximum bandwidth and the smoothest-ever gameplay. GameFirst IV also includes all-new Intelligent mode, which automatically compiles a database by parsing new app data to ensure that every game is optimized to maximize performance potential.

Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura’s uniquely-intelligent RAMCache technology effectively caches an entire storage device so that favorite games and apps launch at breakneck speeds, getting to work the moment it’s activated. RAMCache turns milliseconds into microseconds to boost game-load times to stratospheric levels, and minimizes risk of data loss.

Built to perform: 5-Way Optimization, second-gen T-Topology and Pro Clock technology

Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura’s 5-Way Optimization technology provides instant, highly-controllable performance boosts. This exclusive tool dynamically optimizes ASUS TPU (TurboV Processing Unit), EPU (Energy Processing Unit) and Digi+ voltage-regulator module (VRM), Fan Xpert 3 and Turbo App technologies for precision-enhanced performance and efficiency, and all with a single click. Performance is smoother, energy use is lowered, power is ultra-stable, operation is cooler and fans are quieter.

The new motherboard also has second-generation ASUS T-Topology built in, enabling users to take DDR4 memory overclocking to new heights: up to 3466MHz is possible with all memory slots populated. Featuring a customized trace layout for reduced crosstalk and coupling noise, second-generation T-Topology ensures time-aligned signal transfer for improved memory stability and compatibility.

Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura includes Pro Clock technology, a dedicated base-clock (BCLK) generator designed for 6th-generation Intel processors that allows overclocked base-clock frequencies up to 400MHz. This custom solution works in tandem with the ASUS TPU to enhance voltage and base-clock overclocking control. Boot times can be reduced, jitter is lowered and stability is increased under heavy overclocking — providing an exciting new way to boost performance to the extreme.

Built to protect: ASUS-exclusive SafeSlot, Gamer’s Guardian components and smart DIY features

Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura has loads of self-defenses called Gamer’s Guardian, including the all-new, reinforced SafeSlot PCIe. This has been engineered by ASUS to provide superior retention and shearing resistance. Manufactured in a single step using a new insert -molding process that integrates the slot with the fortifying metal for an inherently stronger slot, which is then firmly anchored to the motherboard through additional solder points.

Gamer’s Guardian also includes the Digi+ voltage-regulator module (VRM) for ultra-smooth and ultra-clean power delivery to the CPU, DRAM Overcurrent Protection with resettable fuses to prevent overcurrent and short-circuit damage, and superior chokes.

Smart DIY features include the pin-protecting CPU Installation Tool, one-clip Q-Slot graphics card installation and Q-DIMM memory slots with one-sided clips for super-simple, super-secure handling of memory modules. Q-Shield prevents nicks and cuts during building, while four Q-LED lamps indicate problems with the CPU, memory, graphics card or boot device for quick diagnosis.

ASUS ESD Guards actively protect against sudden electrostatic discharge (ESD), ensuring port protection for USB, audio and LAN that’s up to twice as resilient as industry standards.