As with nearly every other modern Intel processor launch, a new architecture introduces a new socket type, breaking compatibility with existing motherboards, and making a new motherboard mandatory if you want one of the new chips. In the case of Skylake, the new socket is called LGA1151, and the motherboards use the new 100-series chipsets. At the top end is the Z170 chipset; however, as with previous chipset launches, there will be cheaper variants with slightly fewer features as well.
It’s early days for Skylake, so you can expect a wide range of Z170 boards from just about every manufacturer to go on sale soon. However, as the launch of Skylake was so close to our print date, very few boards were available to test. Asus was quick off the mark getting the feature-laden Z170 Deluxe into our hands though.
The Z170 chipset
The key changes to the Z170 chipset are DDR4 memory support, more 8GB/sec PCI-E 3 lanes, better system-level support for M.2 devices, and improved granularity for overclocking using the base clock (B-Clock) frequency and for memory overclocking.
The chipset now has 20 PCI-E 3 lanes, up from 18 in Z97, in addition to the 16 lanes for graphics cards in the CPU, which allows a variety of configurations, including adding an extra single graphics card in a 16x configuration (or a pair of cards in 8x configuration) with enough lanes to spare for a 4x M.2 device. There aren’t any consumer 4x M.2 drives available yet (the Samsung SM951 is a 4x PCI-E 3 enterprise SSD) but when they’re available, Z170 will enable you to get full speed from it, with an interface that can transfer data at up to 32Gb/sec, removing a serious storage bottleneck from the system.
M.2 support at the system level also means easier booting from an M.2 device, and support for creating a RAID array.
As we found when overclocking the Skylake processors, using the base clock to increase the CPU frequency is now very flexible. Previously you only had a number of straps from which to choose: 1:1 1:133 and 1:166, but now you can adjust the frequency in 0.5 MHz increments if you wish. You don’t get the same level of control over memory overclocking, but the granularity has been improved in this respect too, with increments of 100/133MHz rather than 200/266MHz.
Layout and features
Although new features have been introduced, the layout of Asus’ Z170 Deluxe isn’t far removed from equivalent Z97 motherboards. There are three 16x PCI-E slots (supporting two-way SLI and three-way CrossFire) and four 1x PCI-E slots. One of the 1x slots is located above the top-most fulllength slot, with two more underneath it, giving additional space for portly graphics cards with large coolers.
A protective white plastic cover shields the top of the rear I/O ports, to match the white heatsinks for the VRMs. This I/O section houses six 10Gb/sec USB 3.1 ports thanks to an ASMedia ASM1142 controller (plus a USB 3 port and a USB 2 port), and one of the 3.1 ports has the newer, smaller type-C connector rather than a traditional type-A connector. USB type-C connectors double up as 40Gb/sec Thunderbolt 3 ports as well, with the ability to carry a DisplayPort video signal. There are also two video outputs: HDMI 2 and DisplayPort 1.2, so the Z170 Deluxe can output to three displays at once, and output to a 4K TV at 60Hz using your CPU’s integrated graphics.
Meanwhile, there are six SATA 6Gbps ports (controlled by the Z170 chipset) on the right-hand side, with a handy ‘OS Drive’ label next to the first SATA port. There are two more SATA ports (courtesy of a third-party controller) and a SATA Express port next to it, along with an M.2 connector, which supports all the various length and shapes of M.2 devices.
In the box you also get a pair of adaptors, one for NVMe U.2 devices (for connecting 2.5in PCI-E SSDs). The other adaptor is a PCI-E-form-factor card with another 4x M.2 slot on it, so you can have two M.2 drives in the same system, perhaps for a RAID array or indeed other types of M.2 device.
As Z170 still supports dual-channel memory, rather than the quad-channel memory systems supported by Intel’s enthusiast platforms, there are still just four memory slots. However, these slots take DDR4 memory with a frequency of up to 3466MHz in Asus’ OC mode, and you can install up to 64GB (4 x 16GB) of RAM too.
Meanwhile, Asus offers built-in wireless via a mini card, supporting Bluetooth 4 and 3x3 802.11ac (1300Mb/sec) speeds, which is a great thing to see given how most PC manufacturers seem content with 2x2 802.11ac (866Mb/sec) adaptors. An oddly shaped external plastic antenna unit is included. Finally the standard audio connectors support 8-channel DTS, and there’s also a PS/2 connector for legacy peripherals.
The EFI
The Asus EFI has the usual split between Advanced and Easy mode, with quick shortcut access to boot menus and so on. The AiTweaker menu, as always with Asus, is where you’ll find the options to overclock the processor, memory and adjust voltages, while the Advanced CPU menu lets you turn off features such as Turbo Mode and Hyper-Threading.
As with the Maximus Z97 motherboards, SSD Secure Erase is built in, offering a wonderfully simple way to restore an SSD to full performance, without having to mess about with Linux commands or third-party software. The similarly useful Asus EZ Flash 3 system also allows you to flash the motherboard’s firmware without needing a processor installed, and there’s now the ability to download a new BIOS directly from the internet without having to copy it to a USB stick first.
Overclocking is really simple with a K-series Skylake CPU, with no more than two settings to change, switching the multiplier mode from Auto to ‘Sync All Cores’ and the desired value of the multiplier. As previously stated, you can overclock by adjusting the base clock as well. This second method also overclocks the cache, which you can adjust back again with a further setting, while you’ll also need to ensure the memory is still running at its correct speed.
By default, all the voltages are set to Auto and will be raised as soon as you save the EFI settings and reboot. We found the Z170 raised the voltage quite high with more extreme overclocks – to 1.477V, which resulted in CoreTemp showing temperatures of 100°C, but we reduced this setting to 1.38V with no loss of stability, but a lower temperature.
Conclusion
Without any other Z170 boards available for comparison at the time of testing, it’s hard to say conclusively that the Asus Z170 Deluxe is a true performance champion, but at this point, its range of features sets a high standard for others to follow.
It gives plenty of headroom for overclocking, and the EFI is well designed with nifty features such as EZ Flash 3 and SSD secure erase, as well as full 3x3 802.11ac Wi-Fi and loads of USB 3.1 ports.
However, it’s the M.2 support that really sets the Z170 chipset apart from the crowd, as it’s the first consumergrade motherboard to support 4x PCI-E NVMe SSDs, and the performance is fantastic.
Of course, the Asus Z170 Deluxe is also a premium motherboard, and cheaper Z170 boards will follow suit, but it justifies its price with a solid layout, as well as loads of genuinely useful features, making it a solid Skylake board for us to recommend if you’re looking to build a premium Core i7-6700K Skylake build. For everyone else, though, keep an eye out for reviews of more Skylake motherboards in our next issue. ORESTIS BASTOUNIS
SPECIFICATIONS
Chipset Intel Z170
CPU socket Intel LGA1151
Memory support 4 slots: max 64GB DDR4 (3466MHz OC)
Expansion slots Three 16x PCI-E 3, four 1x PCI-E 3
Sound Asus Crystal Sound 3
Networking 2 x Intel Gigabit LAN, 3x3 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Overclocking Base clock 40–400MHz, CPU multiplier 8–33x; max voltages, CPU 1.7V, RAM 2V
Ports 6 x SATA 6Gbps (Z170), 2 x SATA 6Gps (third-party controller) 1 x SATA Express, 1 x M.2, 1 x USB 2, 1 x USB 3, 6 x USB 3.1 (ASMedia ASM1142 controller), 2 x Gigabit LAN, surround audio out, line in, mic
Dimensions (mm) 305 x 244