ASUS
ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
LGA1851 · Z890 · ATX
8.7
$450Nov 93 videos
ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
ASUS's flagship ATX X870E board: five M.2 slots, 5Gb plus 2.5Gb LAN and USB4, at a premium that is hard to justify.
- AM5
- X870E
- ATX
- DDR5
- 5
PCPR score
8.6
Excellent
Best price we’ve seen
$700MSRP
List price from the maker. Street prices may be higher.
R1
The short version
The ROG Crosshair X870E Hero is ASUS's top AM5 ATX board outside the Dark Hero variants. It pairs an 18-stage power design with five M.2 slots (three PCIe 5.0), two USB4 ports, Wi-Fi 7 and dual 5Gb/2.5Gb Ethernet. Reviewers praise VRM cooling and tool-free build features but note the price sits well above cheaper X870E boards with a similar feature set, so it suits overclockers and buyers who want the full ROG feature list.
Pros
- 18 power stages with strong VRM cooling
- Five M.2 slots, three of them PCIe 5.0 x4
- Two USB4 ports plus 5Gb and 2.5Gb Ethernet and Wi-Fi 7
- Tool-free M.2 and PCIe release hardware plus BIOS FlashBack
Cons
- Priced far above comparable X870E boards
- Large M.2 heatsink can pose clearance issues
- Using both M.2_2 and M.2_3 drops the main GPU slot to x8
- No Thunderbolt certification for the USB4 ports
Best for
- Overclockers wanting the full ROG feature set
- Builders needing many fast NVMe drives
J3
Full specifications
Core
- Socket
- AM5
- Chipset
- X870E
- Form factor
- ATX
Memory
- Memory type
- DDR5
- Memory slots type
- DIMM
- Memory slots
- 4
- Max memory
- 256 GB
- Max memory speed (OC)
- 8,200 MT/s
Expansion
- M.2 slots
- 5
- M.2 PCIe 5.0 slots
- 3
- M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots
- 2
- M.2 PCIe 3.0 slots
- 0
- Supports M.2 22110
- No
- SATA ports
- 4
- PCIe x16 slots
- 2
- Primary PCIe slot version
- 5.0
- PCIe x4 slots
- 0
- PCIe x1 slots
- 0
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 7
- Bluetooth
- 5.4
- Ethernet speed
- 5 GbE
- Ethernet ports
- 2
Ports & I/O
- USB4 / Thunderbolt ports
- 2
- Rear USB-C ports
- 4
- Rear USB-A ports
- 6
- Front USB-C header
- Yes
- USB 3 headers
- 2
- USB 2 headers
- 2
- HDMI outputs (iGPU)
- 1
- DisplayPort outputs (iGPU)
- 0
Cooling
- Fan headers
- 8
- ARGB headers (5V)
- 3
- RGB headers (12V)
- 0
Power
- CPU power
- 2 x 8-pin
Fit
- Back-connect (BTF / Project Zero)
- No
Features
- BIOS flashback
- Yes
- BIOS note
- Newer Ryzen 9000 series chips are supported at launch; verify the BIOS version for Ryzen 9000X3D and later CPUs on the ASUS CPU support list.
Physical
- Color
- Black
Compatibility notes
- M.2_2 and M.2_3 share lanes with the PCIe slots: using both runs the main x16 slot at x8 and disables the second slot.
- Includes a SlimSAS PCIe 4.0 x4 connector for U.2 or extra drives (breakout cable not included).
- Front-panel USB-C 60W fast charging needs the 8-pin PCIe power connector attached.
P1
Where to buy
- Buy from the maker
ASUS official page
Direct link
- Check price on Amazon
Amazon
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- See it at Newegg
Newegg
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- See it at Best Buy
Best Buy
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- See it at B&H
B&H Photo
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- See it at Micro Center
Micro Center
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We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our scores or what we recommend. Prices move quickly, so confirm the final price at the retailer.
AV1
Video reviews
Mixed · Review
ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO: Stunning, but tough sell nevertheless
Laurent's Choice
Detailed walkthrough of the PCB, VRM, storage, PCIe bifurcation and BIOS, concluding it is impressive but a hard sell against sibling boards.
Positive · Review
Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Hero - c'est magnifique
KitGuruTech
Reviews the board's build quality and features while asking whether the high asking price is justified.
Positive · Review
ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO - A MELHOR PLACA-MÃE AM5!
KaBuM!
Portuguese-language first impressions that rate it as the best AM5 board the channel had handled.
AV2
What reviewers and owners say
Tom's Hardware
MixedFinds it one of the better-looking X870E boards, with three Gen5 M.2 sockets and many DIY conveniences, but notes comparable boards cost less and the Hero has no direct equivalent at its price.
Review
Read the sourceBack2Gaming
MixedPraises cooling, VRM thermals and tool-free usability but is held back by the price, missing SlimSAS cable and the oversized M.2 heatsink; calls it solid yet hard to recommend.
8.6 · Review
Read the source
Summaries are written in our words. Follow the links for each source’s own review.
R9
Common questions
Does the Crosshair X870E Hero support Ryzen 9000X3D chips?
Yes. It uses socket AM5 and supports Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 desktop processors. It has a BIOS FlashBack button for updating firmware without a CPU installed.
How many PCIe 5.0 SSDs can it run?
Three M.2 slots are PCIe 5.0 x4 with Ryzen 9000 and 7000 CPUs. Using M.2_2 and M.2_3 together reduces the main graphics slot to x8, so a single Gen5 drive in M.2_1 keeps the GPU at x16.
Is the X870E Hero worth it over the ROG Strix X870E-E?
Reviewers found the Hero a well-built board, but its price puts it well above the Strix and other X870E boards that offer a similar core feature set. The Hero adds extras such as SlimSAS and higher-end OC features.
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