Product Comparison: ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E vs ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code

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ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

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ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI M.2 Z270 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

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General Specifications

Brand

ASUS

Model

ROG STRIX Z270E

ROG Maximus IX Code

Origin

China

About the Product

Experience next-level performance and personalization options with the ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING, supporting 7th generation Intel Core processors. Unlock full calibration and customization with 5-Way Optimization, Aura Sync RGB lighting and 3D printing mounts. Dual M.2, onboard AC Wifi and front panel USB 3.1 deliver maximum connectivity speeds.

The ROG Maximus IX Code delivers cutting-edge performance in true gamer style, fusing the distinctive design of ROG Armor with AURA Sync RGB lighting. Gaming-centric features include onboard MU-MIMO Wifi for blazing fast connectivity, SafeSlots for heavyweight GPUs and integrated AIO headers for additional cooling control during marathon gaming sessions.

Key Specs

Form Factor

ATX

Socket

Intel® Socket 1151

LGA1151

Chipset

Intel® Z270

Supported Processors

7th/6th Generation Core™ i7 Processor, 7th/6th Core™ i5 Processor, 7th/6th Core™ i3 Processor, 7th/6th Pentium® Processor, 7th/6th Celeron® Processor

Memory Slot Type

288 pin

What customers say about "Key Specs"

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

If you use an M.2 PCIe SSD in the M.2_2 socket be sure to go into BIOS (the advanced mode BIOS, under the "advanced" tab of that BIOS, under onboard device configuration) and make sure that socket is set to X4 rather than X2. X4 ups the speed at the cost of disabling SATA ports 5&6
A very awesome, rock solid board. I bought this for gaming and gaming. It is great choice for someone looking for a gaming board with tweaking options. It has two NVMe places and plenty Sata 3 connections.
Just be careful that choose the right Motherboard Z270 or Z370 for your Cpu.. Intel changed the Socket so i7-8700k will only work on the Z370. Also make sure if you go with Water cooling that you Disable the Cpu warning in the Bios.
Z270 so the latest i7 Intel chip. It allows two video cards connected by SLI. As I said. I love the MB. It will help me learn and grow and have a lot of fun!!
Good VRM implementation. Great on board audio performance. Very detailed and intuitive BIOS interface
Flukey! Could only use m.2 drive - no other hard drive recognized by UEFI bios! When current SATA driver for Windows 7 64-bit applied, result was BSOD. Several coolers did not fit lga1151 socket as well.
Just got my board today and found bent pin/pins in my CPU socket. Other parts looked fine by inspection.

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI M.2 Z270 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

Just be careful that choose the right Motherboard Z270 or Z370 for your Cpu.. Intel changed the Socket so i7-8700k will only work on the Z370.
If your looking for a new motherboard to fit that new Kaby Lake processor of yours, no need to look further, buy this guy and you won't be disappointed!!!
Thankfully this motherboard doesn't seem to have any issues with maxing out your CPU when you enable both XMP and Turbo Boost. In fact, mine is only operating at around 1.15GHz as I type this.
Mostly built for the Optane and new 7 series processors, will work with older processors from what I understand, but I wouldn't recommend it given most of the board upgrades only work with the new processors.
When I got this motherboard I was super excited. It looks beautiful.. smooth.. it even smelled good.. but, several of the processor pins were bent and even one pin was missing..

Size & Weight

Height

12 in.

Width

9.6 in.

Depth

1 in.

Weight

3.04 lbs.

4.26 lbs.

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code

Memory

Memory Type

DDR4

Maximum Speed

3866 MHz

4133 MHz

Number Of Memory Slots

Max. Memory Supported

64 GB

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code

What customers say about "Memory"

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

It has two M.2 sockets. once would lay down under the main cover. The other mounts perpendicular to the MB in the bottom right corner.
Hands down, one of the best motherboards I have ever owned. Easy to setup, built in features for cooling and lighting, and a excellent BIOS. This is a great motherboard if you are building a rig. I run the Intel i7 KabyLake processor on this with Corsair LED memory.
Installed the CPU and heatsink, and fired it up. The board demanded memory, so I installed just one DIMM. Then it demanded a boot device, so I installed my M.2 drive. Each of the boot lights lit in order and then: BEEP! <3 Fastest build I've ever done; fastest Windows install too!
paired with the i7-7700K and 32GB of G.Skill DDR4 3000 memory modules, this motherboard didn't disappoint. Running the i7-7700K @ 4.950GHz with 1.260v.
That being said, this board rocks. Speeds are great (SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3). Easy set up (use the enclosed driver disk BEFORE allowing Windows 10 64 bit v. 1709 to do driver updates of MS drivers. Nice layout, sturdy pcie slots, memory insertion is a snap. I'm very pleased with this motherboard.
The only real problem I had was memory compatibility. As this time of writing, the latest BIOS is 0607 which is just the first release version + optane update.
Out of the box WIFI driver can be problematic (windows 10). VRM design is good but not great as their last gen, Z170 impact ITX

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI M.2 Z270 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

Absolutely love it. The bios features alone where worth spending the cash for a high end Mother Board. Easiest install I have ever done. All of the software failed to install from the disk which is fine because there old drivers anyway. But would of been nice to see what software came with the MB.
Given that my previous board blew up on the new memory - changed that out and back to tried and true 8x4 from rebranded evga. Worked like a charm. Not a single error in the intire build / install process.
XMP is disabled by default, so if your computer is clocking your RAM low (mine is 3200MHz but was only being registered as 2133MHz), you'll need to turn that on.
Sometimes trying to remove a GPU scares me, but even without being bolted to the case there is a lack of GPU sag, even with a 1080 ti.

Connectivity

PCI-E

2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8), 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x4 mode), 4 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1

2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8, (Gray)), 1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x4 mode, (Black)), 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1

HDMI

USB

6 x USB 3.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, (Blue), 2 at mid-board), 6 x USB 2.0 port(s), 1 x USB 3.1 front panel connector port(s), 2 x USB 3.1 port(s) (Type-A + Type-C, Support 3A power output)

6 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, , 2 at mid-board), 6 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s) (4 at back panel, , 2 at mid-board), 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 port(s) (2 at back panel, , Type-A + USB Type-CTM), 2 x USB 3.1 port(s) (Type-A + Type-C, Support 3A power output)

SATA

Other Interfaces

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wireless LAN (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth V4.1, 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s), 1 x DVI-D, 1 x DisplayPort, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A + Type-C, 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ((Blue)), 1 x Optical S/PDIF out, 5 x Audio jack(s), 1 x ASUS Wi-Fi GO!, 1 x AAFP connector, 2 x RGB Header(s), 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s), 3 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 6 USB 2.0 port(s), 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (PCIE mode only), 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (SATA mode & X4 PCIE mode), 1 x CPU Fan connector(s), 1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s), 2 x Chassis Fan connector(s), 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s), 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s), 1 x Front panel connector(s), 1 x System panel(s) (Chassis intrusion header is inbuilt), 1 x 5-pin EXT_FAN(Extension Fan) connect, 1 x Thermal sensor connector(s), 1 x CPU OV, 1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s), 1 x ROG extension (ROG_EXT) header(s), 1 x 14-1 pin TPM connector, 1 x COM port header, 1 x High AMP Fan header (4-pin), 1 x T_Sensor Connector, 1 x AIO PUMP Header, 3 x 3D Mount screw port(s), 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 front panel connector

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wireless LAN (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth V4.1, 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s), 1 x Optical S/PDIF out, 5 x Audio jack(s), 1 x Clear CMOS button(s), 2 x Wi-Fi antenna port(s), 1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s), 2 x Aura RGB Strip Headers, 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (SATA mode & X4 PCIE mode), 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (PCIE mode only), 1 x TPM connector(s), 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s), 1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin), 1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin), 3 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (3 x 4 -pin), 1 x H_AMP fan connector, 1 x W_PUMP+ connector (1 x 4 -pin), 1 x AIO_PUMP connector (1 x 4 -pin), 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s), 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s), 1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP), 1 x System panel(s) (Q-Connector), 1 x MemOK! button(s), 1 x Slow Mode switch(es), 1 x Reset button(s), 1 x LN2 Mode jumper(s), 1 x ROG extension (ROG_EXT) header(s), 1 x Safe Boot button, 1 x ReTry button, 1 x EXT_Fan header, 1 x W_IN header, 1 x W_OUT header, 1 x W_FLOW header, 1 x Thermal sensor connector(s), 1 x Start button, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 front panel connector

What customers say about "Connectivity"

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

I absolutely love the onboard wifi and Bluetooth. This was the distinguisher for me for the Code vs the Hero. I wanted wifi and Bluetooth. The antennae has a magnetic base, so it is very easy to use.
I noticed was that everything (fan headers, usb headers, etc.) was easy to get to. The next thing I noticed was that when I fired it up for the first time everything worked - which is always nice.
Up and running after spending a couple days guessing the poorly documented tower cables that were identified partially. I started with one simple OS drive and am adding a couple drives at a time. Bios discovered my Cpu,memory and os drive easily.
Bought this to replace yet another Gigabyte MB that nearly toasted the other components. Worked out of the box, reinstalled the Core i7 6th gen processor, memory, CLC, and the video card. Easy to do firmware upgrades.
Some of the connectors are behind the cover, so not as easy to access
The front case USB 3.0 connector had some pins that were a bit crooked. I ended up bending a pin. Luckily I had a good tool set and slowly and carefully bent it back and made it work.

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI M.2 Z270 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

A very awesome, rock solid board. I bought this for gaming and gaming. It is great choice for someone looking for a gaming board with tweaking options. It has two NVMe places and plenty Sata 3 connections.
If you're installing a M.2 drive, the slot for it is underneath the plastic logo. There is a screw that will have to be taken out first. Lift up on the plastic and you'll find it.
Great gaming mobo. Tech support is one of the best in the industry. Overclocking beast.
I installed the latest BIOS. A few days later, I realized that I was not able to see the drives plugged in the SATA 5 & 6 ports. I spent several hours troubleshooting - Swapping power cables and SATA cables to no avail. Any drive plugged into SATA 5 or 6 was not recognized.
When I first completed my build, the rear audio port was constantly giving off white noise with anything I plugged into it. After updating the BIOS and installing the sound drivers from the ASUS support page, the issue was gone.
The only complaint I have was putting it into a small case. The USB 3 connector was parallel to the motherboard (next to the sata connectors). Since the USB 3 cable is a little larger it was a tight fit. I would have preferred to have a USB 3 connector that was perpendicular to the board.

Features

Native Audio

SupremeFX

ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC

Additional Accessories Included

User's manual, ASUS Q-Shield, 4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s), 1 x M.2 Screw Package, 1 x CPU installation tool, 1 x Supporting DVD, 1 x ASUS 2T2R dual band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant), 1 x SLI HB BRIDGE(2-WAY-M), 1 x ROG Strix stickers, 1 x 10-in-1 ROG cable label, 1 x Extension Cable for RGB strips (80 cm), 1 x 3D printing mount package, 1 x ROG coaster(s)

User's manual, I/O Shield, 4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s), 1 x M.2 Screw Package, 1 x CPU installation tool, 1 x Supporting DVD, 1 x ASUS 2T2R dual band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant), 1 x SLI HB BRIDGE(2-WAY-M), 1 x ROG big sticker, 1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1), 1 x 10-in-1 ROG cable label, 1 x M.2 bracket, 1 x Extension Cable for RGB strips (80 cm), 1 x ROG coaster(s)

Extras

OC Design - ASUS PRO Clock Technology, 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5, TPU, Gamer's Guardian:, ASUS Exclusive Features, ASUS EZ DIY, ASUS Q-Design, Gaming Aesthetics, Digi+VRM, Turbo APP, M.2 Onboard

ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5, ASUS Exclusive Features, ASUS EZ DIY, ASUS Q-Design, Overclocking Protection

What customers say about "Features"

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

I absolutely love this MB. It has nearly everything. I am new to building PCs and this was great to start, with lots of room to grow.
In the upper right corner, the MB has a two digit code that tells you what is going on. It helped me during start up. I had plugged in my water cooled cpu cooler into the wrong plug... the code showed on the MB and it stated something was wrong when I started up, before I could get to the bios
It supports a full blown water cooling system, control and temperature. I did not use this, just a water cooled CPU cooler, that does not use this.
Very nice looking board with a tasteful color scheme. Overclocks my 7700K 5.2GHz easily at 1.392V. The on-board audio is alright I guess, a step down to a $30 Creative sound card in my old system.
The board itself is gorgeous! I personally like the shifting colors, it's a very nice effect with my NZXT s340 White Steel Case. I look forward to all the case mods I can do with this board.
very good board only problem I had was when installing hyper 212 evo cooler. if tightened a little too much one memory bank will not register so if your having an issue with one of your dimm slots try loosening your cpu cooler after many frustrating hours that was my issue all along.
DVD for installation software and driver - its 2017 and you would wonder why manufacturers still prefer DVDs? especially for mini ITX motherboards where the target audience are SFF builders, they would not have imagined a DVD drive even in their dreams to consider it on their system

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI M.2 Z270 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

Is there any more to say? The shielding on this thing looks amazing, the RBG lighting brings my computer to life, and the new z270 chipset suites my new I7 7700k perfectly. I couldn't be happier about the purchase, and did i mention this things comes with some awesome stickers?
The Board seems to have nice features so there is the three stars would like to rate higher but in good conscious I can't there warranty process sucks especially since this board is only 6 weeks old
Other then that its been super reliable for about 6 months. I had zero issue with a raid setup. Asus boards are pretty reliable for the most part. My last one lasted easily 5 years and probably would have went longer until I finally upgraded it.
This is a RGB-lit motherboard, and out of the box it will cycle through colors constantly. You will probably want to change this. The option, however, is not in the BIOS like you might expect. The only RGB option there is to disable it entirely.
You will need to download another program from ASUS (called AURA) to change the lighting settings and sync it with other AURA-enabled components.
Pretty solid motherboard. Not a huge fan of the LED lighting- Kind of cheap IMO, I think for the price it should be more what Gigabyte is doing.

Power

Power Connectors

1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)

1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)

What customers say about "Power"

ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

The lights make this a cool looking MB especially if you couple in RGB memory. I put in an Intel Kaby Lake 7700K and instructions made installation a snap.
I hooked the MoBo up to my wifes desktop power supply(an evga 750W) still same results. Hooked up my psu to her desktop and it fired right up. So no issues there(Mine is a "Beast 700w" or somehting like that)
The build power/ reset buttons makes it easy for first time builders, it is super easy and they look nice.
It has a dedicated base-clock chip & Digi+ power control to really push the BCLK frequency, micro-fine alloy chokes, and Texas Instruments NexFet MOSFET's which are twice as efficient as standard MOSFETS, as well as anti-static & surge protection built in all around.
I assembled it, turned on my power supply. Immediately, I had pretty lights. I had an orange LED on the board indicating it was getting power. I hit the power switch and the rest of my parts lit up. (OMG, so pretty!) But there was no beep.
I did not have much idea to assemble the PC myself. Be careful when purchasing this board, this requires minimum 350 watt PSU and since its mini itx form factor, its not a good idea to buy a high watt PSU which are mostly big.

ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI M.2 Z270 ATX Motherboard with onboard AC Wifi and USB 3.1

Handles older 770 SLI, a i7-7700k OC and runs very cool while drawing less power (but that is from using a 4 year old board comparison)
I rigged a jumper at the mother board for the two pins found on power supply test jumper (I think it was "PWRON" and gnd and then everything came up on motherboard and I proceeded to install software. It works like a champ but I still have to have that jumper in place.
They provide a jumper to test out the power supply before you put the supply in the PC chasis and the power supply came on as expected, with all voltages present. But when you connect the power cable to mother board (no jumper) there is NO VOLTAGE points anywhere going to mother board.
Sturdy, looks good, and has plenty of features. The only thing that this bad boy lacks is onboard USB headers if you have a ridiculous case, at that point you can get an internal USB header for pretty cheap, but even then you have EIGHT USB PORTS on the rear I/O panel anyways.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

3 year(s)

Certifications

FCC, CE