The Asus ROG Strix Z270G Gaming Motherboard Review

Asus ROG Strix Z270G Gaming Conclusion

The Asus ROG Strix Z270G Gaming is mainly designed for gamers that want to build an SLI/Crossfire system but want something slightly smaller than a full-size ATX motherboard. The end system will definitely be larger than that of a Mini ITX system but a good Micro ATX case can be compact enough. Its market potential, however, is not limited to that of SLI/Crossfire builds, as it will also appeal to users that need other features, such as two M.2 slots or four DIMM slots.

Asus designed the ROG Strix Z270G Gaming so as to accommodate both amateur and expert users. For amateurs, it features a lot of automated tweaking/overclocking options, starting from the overclocking wizards within the BIOS and expanding to the automated LAN management profiles within the Gamefirst IV software. For experts, there is a wealth of advanced options and overclocking settings within the BIOS, with many of them also available within the AI Suite 3 software. The range and step of the voltage, frequency, and amperage settings is exceptional, allowing very precise control for seasoned and competition overclockers.

The selection of controllers is straightforward, with the designer trying to use the most popular and proven components. We found the implementation of the Realtek ALC1220A to be particularly well-applied, giving us the best audio performance results that we have seen on any Z270-based motherboard to this date. There is only one wired LAN controller, the proven Intel I219-V, plus a WiFi/Bluetooth controller from Qualcomm (Atheros QCNFA364A). ASMedia supplies the two ASM2142 controllers found on this motherboard. These are PCIe ×2 controllers, meaning that two PCIe lanes are attached to each of them. The controller at the rear of the board has to split that bandwidth between the two available Type-A and Type-C ports. The other controller is for the internal USB 3.1 header, a rare sight on Z270-based motherboards.

The quality of the Asus ROG Strix Z270G Gaming is excellent overall. It is built with very high-quality components and sports a strong power circuitry, providing both long-term reliability and excellent overclocking headroom. Asus’ engineers were also very careful with the layout, trying to make the ROG Strix Z270G Gaming as practical as possible. The reduced size of the Micro ATX board forced the designer to make some sacrifices, such as the move of the first full-length PCIe ×16 slot at the top of the array, placing the first GPU right next to the DIMM modules. The DIMM slots only lock at the top, so the presence of a GPU card will not completely block the installation/removal of the DIMM modules, yet the proximity of a large card to the DIMM slots could make access difficult inside a tight case. If two large graphics cards are installed, they will block both of the PCIe ×1 slots and direct access to the front M.2 slot. We cannot consider these to be design issues, as there is no other space on the motherboard that the designer could have moved these slots to.

Overall, the Asus ROG Strix Z270G Gaming is a very flexible Micro ATX motherboard that is capable of satisfying the needs of both the inexperienced gamer and the seasoned overclocker. It has excellent onboard controllers and a particularly good audio circuitry that are more than sufficient for the needs of a modern gaming and overall entertainment system. The only enemy of the ROG Strix Z270G Gaming is its high retail price, which is just shy of $190 at the time of this review. It definitely is a very good product but such a price tag places it above many other rivaling products and dangerously close to more recently released platforms. A price drop or sale could make the ROG Strix Z270G Gaming the basis of an excellent cost-effective gaming system but, considering its current retail price, we find it difficult to recommend it at this point of time.

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