One of ASUS’ best creations
Updated: Sep 29, 2024 9:34 pm
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Motherboards are often pretty overlooked when it comes to building a PC, when asked what component is the most important, you’re probably inclined to say something like the CPU or the GPU. Likely because these are the components directly associated with performance, but the truth is, their motherboard is just as important, if not more so.
The motherboard facilitates all communication between the components in your system and offers a literal platform on which to build them. We’re taking a look at the ROG Stix X870E-E Gaming WiFi, one of ASUS’ higher-end offerings from the new 800 series.
Specifications
Socket:: AM5 (LGA 1718)
Chipset:: X870E
Form Factor:: ATX
PCIe Version:: PCIe Gen 5 Storage – PCIe Gen 5 GPU
Memory speed: : 8000MT/s (OC)
Memory capacity:: 192GB DDR5
What We Think
This is one of the nicest, coolest looking motherboards that we have seen from ASUS. It is packed to the brim with features and connectivity that can suit any kind of workload, whether that be gaming or productivity based.
Reasons to Buy
High-speed memory support (8000MT/s)
Easy detach GPU and M.2 heatsink
Facilitates roaring performance from the 9950X
Looks very cool
Reasons to Avoid
Expensive
Chipset runs hot
Takes a long time to memory train (tiny issue)
Of course, these motherboards were designed to incorporate the Ryzne 9000 series, so we paired this motherboard with a Ryzen 9 9950X, and an RTX 4070 Ti for good measure. We’re going to put this motherboard through its paces and see how well it performs as, well, a motherboard.
Design
The Strix X870E, as I will now refer to it, is very gamer-focused and designed to appeal to the gamer aesthetic. There’s jet-black thermal armor adorned with the sharp Strix techno-retro style branding we’ve all come to love. In terms of RGB, there’s an ROG logo that lights up on the I/O plate and can be controlled via Aura Sync.
This motherboard isn’t for someone who wants a board that lays low in their system, it makes a statement with its sharp, visual appeal. You only have to glance at the spec sheet for a second to know that it has the power and features to pair with its dystopian design.
The X870E Strix doesn’t have a backplate, but it does have a considerable amount of thermal armor. The chipset, VRMs, I/O, and M.2 SSDs are all armored up with aluminum thermal Armor. Making for incredibly efficient heat dissipation from these sensitive components.
Specifications
Before we jump into the performance of the X870E Strix, we must first understand the specifications. Studying the specifications on any motherboard gives us insight into why the motherboard performed the way it did in testing, and the use case this motherboard may have.
All of the specifications
These are not all of the specifications of the X870E-E Strix Gaming WIFI, just the ones that we thought you would be the most interested in. All of the specifications can be found linked below.
SocketLGA 1718 (AM5)ChipsetX870EForm FactorATXRAM4 x DIMM slots, max. 192GB, DDR5 8000+MT/s(OC)VRM 18 + 2 + 2 power solution rated for up to 110A per stagePCIe 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slotStorage2 x M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode)1 x M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode)2 x M.2_4 slot (Key M), type 2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)Fan Headers 1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header1 x 4-pin AIO Pump header5 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headersConnectivity2 x USB4 (40Gbps) ports (2 x USB Type-C)1 x USB 20Gbps port (1 x USB Type-C with up to 30W PD Fast-charge)10 x USB 10Gbps ports (9 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C)1 x HDMI port1 x Wi-Fi Module1 x Realtek 5Gb Ethernet2 x Gold-plated audio jacks1 x Optical S/PDIF out port1 x BIOS FlashBack button1 x Clear CMOS buttonYou can find a full list of specifications on ASUS’ webpage on the X870E-E.
As you can see, there are a lot of very capable specifications that ship with this motherboard, some of which may be a lot to take in when laid out in their technical format. These are the specifications that most people give a damn about, but you can find all of the details for this board on ASUS’ website.
The main point to take away from this is the single GPU PCIe slot is Gen 5, which we expect at this point. The motherboard supports a total of 192GB of memory at a maximum transfer speed of 8000MT/s. You have 3 PCIe Gen 5 M.2 storage options, which all support x4 lanes, along with plenty of connectivity.
PCIe and GPU
Not something that changes much intergenerationally is the PCIe version and how many PCIe lanes are assigned to the best GPU. The top safe slot still features X16 PCIe lanes and is reinforced with metal to take the weight of the heavier modern GPUs. The bottom slot can be used for add-in cards such as M.2 expansion cards. SLI is dead, but both slots would default to X8 if it was used.
Power delivery
Power delivery on the X870E-E Strix is pretty well covered with an 18+2+2 solution that essentially gives you three layers of power filtration. CPUs love clean, filtered power, especially high-performance CPUs like the 9950X that we use when testing these motherboards. Power delivery is especially important when overclocking or using PBO, as any fluctuations can render your system unstable.
This motherboard is perfectly suited to running high-performance CPUs with very demanding power requirements. Unfortunately, when we tested the X870E, Hwinfo didn’t have the update required to read the VRM temperature from the sensor on this motherboard. This is something we like to keep an eye on, as it indicates how hard the VRM is struggling to keep up with the requirements of the CPU.
Motherboard performance and efficiency
To test motherboard performance, we paired the X870E-E with a Ryzen 9 9950X and a 4070 Ti. So this text bench should theoretically cut through most of what we throw at it. To understand the performance impact a motherboard has on a CPU, we need to first understand all of the components we have in our system.
ComponentNameGPURTX 4070 Ti Super MemoryCorsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 @ 6600MHz CPURyzen 9 9950XCPU coolerCorsair H170i LCD XT Power supplyASUS ROG Thor 1000W CaseCooler Master Masterframe Strix X870E-E test bench components
Now, we can take a look at the results of our testing to paint a bigger picture of how this motherboard performs. A more accurate description, I suppose, would be how the motherboard facilitates the performance of the components attached. A motherboard has no real parts that contribute to performance, only aspects that can inhibit it.
Synthetic benchmarks
Here are the synthetic benchmarks we performed using a test bench comprised of the components above. We used comparable tests with large databases such as Geekbench and Cinebench so you can compare at home if you happen to be looking to upgrade.
MetricBlender SuiteCB r23 MultiCB 2024 MultiGeekbench 6 MultiScoreMon 260.38 SPM / Jnk 188.16 / Cls 132.3739,932 points2,175 points21,815 pointsPPT AVG (Watts)189.064W168.178W198.002W60.594WAVG Package Power (Watts)189.065168.189W197.997W60.602WCPU Temp (die) Max (°C)74.8°C72.9°C75.6°C71.7°CMax Mobo Temp (°C)38°C36°C37°C37°CTests conducted by WePC
The motherboard manages to facilitate a solid amount of performance from the 9950X with scores pretty much bang on tests from other reviewers. The takeaway is these scores are within the margin of error, and fitting your PC with an X870E motherboard will not limit the performance of your CPU in any way.
If we compare the scores with another motherboard we tested, the Aorus X870E Pro Ice, we can see this level comparison.
MotherboardBlender SuiteCB R23 MultiCB 2024 MultiGeekbench 6X870E-E StrixMon 260.38 SPM / Jnk 188.16 / Cls 132.3739,932 points2,175 Points21,815 PointsX870E Pro IceMon 261.32 SPM / Jnk 186.10 / Cls 130.5240,591 points2,174 Points21,519 PointsX870E-E Strix vs X870E Gigabyte Pro Ice
We observed some slight variance, but all in all the results are the same. The 500-point CB R23 multi-core variance may look big at first glance, but you have to remember; that this is a multi-core core spread over 16 cores. The same can be said for the Geekbench 6 tests, it is well within the margin of error.
Sadly we didn’t get to test PBO, but we expect this motherboard could handle the extra power that the 9950X would demand. The Chipset temperature does get incredibly hot as we noticed when we were disassembling the test bench. Thankfully the area is covered in thermal armor that manages to dissipate a lot of the heat, and though we don’t have exact temperature readings, we assume that the chipset itself was well under control.
Gaming benchmarks
We tested the ASUS Strix in 7 games, and I made the excuse that that would take me 4 hours just so I could sit at work playing games for half of the day, Anyway. We tested the games on the lowest setting preset they offered, ran in 1080p, and turned off all DLSS and Frame generation, we wanted good old hardware doing the rendering. The reason for this, is to make the games CPU-limited, so we can test how well the motherboard supports it.
Gaming will never be the same
Because gaming is a real world benchmark, you have to go into a game and run around a bit, or shoot something. There’s always going to be a tiny margin of error for that very reason. So we have to keep that in mind when speaking about gaming benchmarks. That’s why synthetic benchmarks are very popular when breaking world records or comparing results with other hardware, the test is predictable and repeatable, unlike gaming.
MetricCs2CP 2077Days GoneDoom EternalFrost Punk 2Horizon FWSOTFScoreAVG 333 FPS / 1% 138 AVG 234 FPS / 1% 160 AVG 333 FPS / 1% 141 AVG 461 FPS / 1% 306 AVG 202 FPS / 1% 140 AVG 169 FPS / 1% 121 AVG 189 FPS / 1% 145 PPT AVG W102.34W139.207W107.76W152.912W135.656W130.679W106.088WAVG Package Power102.38W139.467W106.932W151.788W135.651W130.577W106.085WCPU Temp (die) max56.9°C80.3°C59.8°C66.3°C62.4°C68.7°C57.8°CMax Mobo temp36°C37°C37°C38°C37°C37°C38°CWePC testing 9950X in X870E-E Strix Gaming WiFi
As you can see the system got very good numbers in all of the testing, and again these are about what you would expect from a similar configuration. The efficiency of the 9950X is not the focal point of this test, but it continues to amaze me the more I look at it. The difference between the PPT and the package power is always tiny, this means that the motherboard doesn’t waste any power when sending some to the CPU.
The motherboard temp is an average of every sensor on the mainboard, we wanted to pick up the Chipset temp specifically, but HWinfo again couldn’t read it. All in all, thanks to the thermal armor, the motherboard managed to stay largely cool throughout all the testing. We’d have loved to have seen the VRM temps and chipset temps, but what can you do?
Installation
Installation of the ASUS X870E is about as standard as you would expect, the connectors feel robust for the 24-pin motherboard connector. The back of the motherboard can be a little bit sharp, as our senior content producer Miranda found out when she cut herself on it while making a video. This issue isn’t exclusive to ASUS it can happen on any motherboard to any manufacturer, anyway.
One thing to note is that the RAM has two tabs per DIMM where you might only be used to using one. Don’t try to smash the RAM into the slot as you need to unclip both tabs. This motherboard is pretty populated, so if you’re putting it into a tight space, you might struggle to get a screwdriver. You should make sure that you have everything in the motherboard that you need before you start screwing AIOs into the case.
Connectivity
This motherboard is full to the brim of connectivity, as the spec sheet implies. There’s not a single USB 2 port in sight, it’s armed with 20Gbp/s USB, has built-in WiFi, and more. If you want to count, this motherboard has a total of 9 USB-A ports and 4 USB-C ports. ASUS is single-handedly looking to make the USB hub irrelevant. The Strix X870E-E would be the perfect motherboard for those who have a lot of peripherals connected to their PC at any one time, such as content creators or video editors.
If you need more than 9 USB ports then you might as well just buy another computer at that point.
BIOS usability
The Strix BIOS is similar to the setup that we are used to, we have an Easy Mode and an Advanced Mode. Most of the time, there is very little reason to venture outside of the Easy Mode, unless you’re looking to overclock a component manually. One of the best things about ASUS Strix BIOS’ is they never change, so if you’ve seen one, you’ve pretty much seen them all (so far).
The Easy Mode allows you to pick a memory profile, select your boot drive, select fan curves, and view vital info such as CPU temps and voltages. Advanced Mode allows you to manually overclock components, fiddle with PCIe settings, set voltages, and pretty much everything you could ever need. The great thing about BIOS these days is that they pretty much won’t allow you to fry a component, but don’t take that as a challenge, you should only enter advanced mode if you know what you are doing.
BIOS Flashing
BIOS flashing is simple when it comes to the X870E Strix, we’d say quick and easy, but it’s never quick. There are two ways to change a BIOS on this motherboard, one through the EZ-Flash utility, and the other through the BIOS Flashback on the back of the motherboard.
Method one is by far the easiest and only requires you to enter the BIOS, with the BIOS file on your USB stick, navigate to tools, and enter the utility. If you want to use the flashback, you can do so without a CPU installed, if you want, though it does not matter. You have to have the BIOS file renamed, and it has to be on a USB stick inserted into the USB slot marked for BIOS before starting the flashback.
The BIOS Renamer
Don’t worry If you don’t know what to rename the BIOS off the top of your head, every time you download a BIOS from ASUS’ website, it comes bundled in a Zip file with an automatic BIOS rename. It some’s as a batch file and should be extracted along with the BIOS into the same folder before running.
This only needs to be done if you are flashing the BIOS via flashback, if you are updating the BIOS through EZ-Flash, you can call it whatever you want.
Memory stability
As usual, the memory that we used while testing was not best friends with the motherboard, this is very common on AMD motherboards. It also took about 3-4 minutes to memory train, we had to drop the voltage down from 1.40 to 1.38 to get the memory to run at its rated speeds. Once we dropped the voltage, we ran stability tests to ensure the memory was stable in the long term.
Nice to have features
One of the main things that stand out is the easy quick-release PCIe slot for the GPU, no longer do you have to press a tab down, you just sort of yank the GPU out. It seems really strange to do, but we tested it a few times and nothing seems to be breaking. The PCIe tab is actually unreachable once the GPU is installed, thanks to all the thermal armor included on this motherboard.
Another feature is the quick-release main M.2 slot heatsink, it’s completely screwless, operating on a push tab. You just press the tab down and the heatsink pops, which I think is a fantastic feature, especially for people who like to swap their M.2 slots around, or who want to use this motherboard for a test bench.
CPUs that pair well with this motherboard
The X870E-E is so extreme it has E in the name twice. This indicates that it is targeted more toward the enthusiast gamers who want to get the most out of gaming. So with that said it’s likely that you will find yourself using the Ryzen 9 series in this motherboard, whether that be the 7000 or 9000 series. This motherboard certainly wouldn’t be wasted on the upcoming Ryzen 9000 X3D series either.
With that being said, any AM5 CPU will work in this motherboard, you can put a 7600X in here if you so wish. Nut just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
Final Word
Specifications
Socket:: AM5 (LGA 1718)
Chipset:: X870E
Form Factor:: ATX
PCIe Version:: PCIe Gen 5 Storage – PCIe Gen 5 GPU
Memory speed: : 8000MT/s (OC)
Memory capacity:: 192GB DDR5
What We Think
This is one of the nicest, coolest looking motherboards that we have seen from ASUS. It is packed to the brim with features and connectivity that can suit any kind of workload, whether that be gaming or productivity based.
Reasons to Buy
High-speed memory support (8000MT/s)
Easy detach GPU and M.2 heatsink
Facilitates roaring performance from the 9950X
Looks very cool
Reasons to Avoid
Expensive
Chipset runs hot
Takes a long time to memory train (tiny issue)
The ASUS Strix X870E-E Gaming WiFi is a motherboard aimed more towards enthusiasts than it is the mainstream market, it has a plethora of features that will facilitate almost any use case whatsoever. It has the VRM capacity to support even the most power-hungry CPUs of AMD’s offerings, as we have seen, and it looks good doing it. I’m personally a fan of the aesthetic the X870E-E is going for, and I’d certainly consider it for a place in my system.
