The Z270-WS from ASUS is a high-end motherboard that comes with a few interesting features. Compared to the previous model, which goes by the name Z170-WS, we see a similar color scheme but a reworked layout and more connectors. This motherboard is designed for workstation or content creation system, in other words the feature set will be a bit different from what we’re seeing on Maximus and Strix series boards.


Like the same model from the previous generation the Z270-WS is based on an ATX form factor, yet this time ASUS is using all the area the PCB has to offer. In general the layout is quite similar to the previous model and therefore it has been equipped with four full-sized PCIe slots. The board comes with a 12-phase CPU power design with server-grade components.

The ASUS Z270-WS motherboard includes a PLX PEX8747 PCI-Express 3.0 x48 bridge chip which add extra lanes. There are six SATA ports that have been angled by 90°, two M.2 slots and two U.2 ports. The first M.2 slot is placed in the middle of motherboard while the second one is in the bottom area. Both M.2 slots are compatible with 22110 units. Looking for additional features we find onboard buttons and a debug display, support for USB 3.1 and a good mix of connectors at the I/O panel.

At a first glance this is certainly a good looking motherboard and we expect to see a price similar to the old Z170 model (around 400 euro). According to the ASUS website, the new Z270-WS should not feature any AURA RGB LED.




Source: Techpowerup