Meant to Be Shown Off
The Asus ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming sports three large, brushed-aluminum heatsinks. They make for plenty of eye candy in a Mini-ITX case that has a window.
Ready for Coffee Lake
This board, being based on the Z370 chipset, is overclock-ready for Intel's eighth-generation desktop CPUs, such as the Core i7-8700K.
Not One, But Two, on the M.2
The board has two M.2 slots, which support devices up to Type-2280. Here, the M.2 slot on the top of the board is exposed; it's under a heat spreader. This slot supports SATA- and PCI Express-bus drives.
Underside M.2
The other M.2 slot is outlined here in red. It's on the bottom of the board. It's strictly for PCI Express-bus M.2 drives.
The Rear-Panel I/O
Like on all Mini-ITX boards, the I/O panel runs nearly the entire width of the board. It sports the typical array of audio ports at right, backed by the SupremeFX audio codec. Two Wi-Fi external-antenna connectors are also visible here. (The board supports 802.11ac with MU-MIMO.)
DIMM Slots
The two DIMM slots are as wide as the board and support up to 32GB of DDR4. You can configure the RAM via XMP profiles in the BIOS.
Accessories Galore
The box contents include a Wi-Fi antenna that stands separately from your PC, thanks to a 2.75-foot cord. The kit also features zip ties, four SATA cables (two with L-connectors for better cable management) and an LED-strip extension cable.
Easy to Configure
Aside from some radiator- and backplate-shuffling, the test build was a smooth, speedy endeavor. The board's lighting shone easily through the case window, but many DIY builders will want to invest in a separate RGB strip to boost the bling factor. The board has a connector for one.
BIOS
The ROG Strix Z370-I has a robust BIOS bristling with overclocking and system monitoring features. EZ Mode lists the motherboard model and BIOS version, which is a nice touch. You'll also see a running graph of your CPU temperature so you can see whether the current temp is stable or not.
BIOS Advanced Mode
Advanced Mode is for manual overclockers. Asus keeps your PC's vitals on hand on the right side of the screen and via easy-to-navigate drill-down menus.