Rog X570 Crosshair VIII Hero MB

I really wish this could be a glowing review of the product however it cannot. There are two big issues with this board and I will start with them.

1. Internet Performance: The BIOS version it is shipped with seems to have issues with internal device communications to the point where internet performance and USB performance is degraded. For the internet performance, I was consistently getting below 30MBS on wired and wi-fi on half GB internet service. Once I upgraded the BIOS this improved by 20MB on both (on average), still an issue. After removing bloatware called “Gamers First” which was installed with the MB drivers disk internet performance improved to 150MB wired and 140MB wi-fi. This is still half of what my 4 year old laptop will get but I am going to have to live with it since there seems to be no solution. This is likely a MB software related issue which will never get fixed.

2. Connecting LED ARGB Fans to use Arora Sync software: This is flakey and does not work, I tried 2 sets of fans and can’t return either. This means I have had to buy yet another set and will need to use the software provided with that set to control the case fans I added.

A few minor issues: The MB packaging was horrible, the manual was hard to (I ended up going to youtube), It was very difficult to install an ASUS Strix 2070 Super GPU next to the CPU in the first PCI 16 slot. The layout of the board makes this difficult at least in the cases I tried and the one I finally used.

The biggest issue with this board is my first problem. I did call ASUS support and they immediately wanted it RMAed and would send me a factory refurbished unit. This will just end in more unhappiness and problems.
Thankfully I was able to isolate and resolve this issue myself and I realized that there is a compatibility issue with non-bleeding edge network routers and the MB included software tools that are bloatware cause issues with network connectivity as well.

I cannot recommend this product, there are better boards for lower prices that will work on your cable internet service with no issues. I am stuck with it, likely until the next refrsh in 4 years.

Additional Update 6/20: Onboard wi-fi disappeared and after several reboots and 2 windows installed.. appeared again. However this time it does not function.. can’t connect to any router, tried 2 both 5.0 and updated. I am using a spare USB wifi adapter to work while I decide on next steps. I may end up having to RMA. Wifi is that critical and the board was advertised as having it… if I keep it and use a USB adapter what will stop working next?

Additional Update July 2020: I returned the original board and ordered a new one. The new board worked perfectly with no issues and has been working with no issues for a month now. My conclusion is that the board I had originally received was defective. Paired with a Ryzen 9 3050x and a popular brand 360 MM AIO CPU cooler the system I have setup is working well with good CPU and MB temps.

I have adjusted my review to 3 stars. Since I received a working product my brand loyalty is maintained.

Pros:

– Solid wi-fi
– Good VRM and overall temps
– liquid cooling support
– 5gb wired network support
– Decent CMOS/BIOS Software

Cons

– First board was defective
– High Price

Teamed up with a super fast gaming CPU, good memory, a fast SSD, and a high end GPU (or two in my case in SLI) this motherboard is amazing. I have never had a single problem with this motherboard since building my system two years ago. This is my third build with a high end Asus motherboard and except for some software issues there has never been a problem on the hardware end. The hardware is first rate.

One thing though. GPU Tweak is great, but the rest of Asus software it is bloatware really. I would strongly advise against using most Asus software. It has often been a source of problems for some, and in my case I simply never install it and have never been happier. You can control your fans from the BIOS. I have the RGB off and it makes no difference to me that the software meant to control it can stop working after some time.

This is a solid piece of kit. Passively cooled but with the ability to use liquid cooling on the VRM’s make this an excellent and top class motherboard for overclocking. It even has settings for using Ln2 (liquid nitrogen).

Amazing overclocking abilities aside it also has 2 built in heatsinks for gen4 m.2 drives that work way better than I expected. Plenty of PWM fan headers, RGB headers, built in RGB that can thankfully be disabled, and an easy to read display so you won’t be guessing why it isn’t booting after you changed some settings. It also has an easy to access CMOS (bios) clear button, and tons more… I don’t need to list the features lol, they are listed above and on the website.

So I guess all you need to know is whether it’s worth the steep asking price.. and the answer is yes BUT only if you plan on doing some serious overclocking to your CPU and memory. You don’t need to go Ln2 extreme to get your money’s worth. What matters is this board has amazing power delivery, every setting you could want (yes it will support Win11 with 2nd and 3rd gen Ryzen), it’s easy to setup and built to last..

I would absolutely recommend this board to enthusiasts. If all you’re after is a decent board that has good overclocking potential then obviously don’t buy this. Instead go a model lower but I’d recommend sticking with Asus as they seem to have ryzen support nailed.

Lastly the built in audio is actually pretty good as is support for the board. They are still releasing new firmware revisions, drivers and software for the board which is fantastic.

The last motherboard I bought was a higher end (Intel based) gigabyte and drivers never got updated, bios was rarely updated and the Windows based software was absolutely atrocious. It actually looked like someone took a geocities website and made software out of it lol.

I build alot of computers. I build INTEL, but often I would get a brand new – perfectly closed, cellophane wrapped INTEL board, open the box and be missing parts or have a faulty board. It’s a real pain in the A*S to build an entire computer and then go to turn it on – and nothing happens. Then have to tear out your hair trying to figure out if it’s a hardware issue or what.

So, a year ago I decided go in an entirely new direction and give the asus & AMD brands of motherboards & processors a shot. I ordered this motherboard (the one without the water-cooling option) and the Ryzen 3900 processor. The motherboard came with everything it was supposed to and worked perfectly right out of the box (I understand that some people get bad boards) the processor is insanely powerful and to this day have yet to find an application that really makes it sweat. To top it off the computer is still running perfectly a year later in a 24/7/52 “permanently on” state. It only gets shut down 3 times a year for cleaning.

This time I decided to go with the water-cooled version of the exact same motherboard. Just like the first, the board came with everything it was supposed to and worked perfectly right out of the box. I used the same processor (why mess with perfection?) and achieved the exact same results.

The on;y difference in the 2 boards is cost. $500 for the non-cooled Vs. $700 for the water cooled. Other than that this is the exact same board.

I am now very impressed with the ASUS line of motherbaords and AMD processors. They really seem to have gotten serious about trashing the competition and now seem to have a corner on the market that INTEL just can’t match (IMHO).