Review: Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi

by Tarinder Sandhu on 26 July 2019, 13:00

Tags: ASUSTeK (TPE:2357), AMD (NYSE:AMD)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaeboe

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Test Methodology

Comparison Configurations

Model
Firmware Version
0702
7B77v190
Chipset
X570
X470
CPU
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
CPU Cores / Threads
12 / 24
8 / 16
CPU Base Clock / Turbo
3.8GHz / 4.6GHz

3.7GHz / 4.3GHz

CPU TDP
105W
Memory
G.Skill Trident Z DDR4-3200 32GB
Memory Speed
DDR4-3200
DDR4-2933
Memory Timings
14-14-14-34-1T
Graphics
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (19.7.1)
Primary Storage Device
SK hynix Canvas SC300 (512GB)
Secondary Storage Device
Corsair MP600 2TB PCIe 4.0
Power Supply
be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 (1,000W)
Operating System
Windows 10 (64-bit)

Benchmark Suite

CPU Benchmarks
HEXUS PiFast Our number-crunching benchmark stresses a single core by calculating Pi to 10m places
Cinebench R20 Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses all cores
Handbrake 1.2.2 Free-to-use video encoder that stresses all CPU cores
Storage Benchmarks
CrystalDiskMark Popular free-to-use storage benchmark, used to gauge read and write performance via M.2 (2TB Corsair MP600), SATA (512GB SK hynix Canvas SC300) and USB 3.1 (512GB SK hynix Canvas SC300)
Memory Benchmarks
AIDA64 Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency
System Benchmarks
3DMark Time Spy DX12 graphics benchmark run using the Time Spy test
PCMark 10 System test using the standard preset
World of Tanks Graphics benchmark run at FHD to determine CPU involvement
Gaming Benchmarks
Civilization VI: Gathering Storm 1,920x1,080 ultra settings
Forza Horizon 4 1,920x1,080 ultra settings
Total War: Three Kingdoms 1,920x1,080 ultra settings
Miscellaneous Benchmarks
Power Consumption Noted at idle, while running the HandBrake video-transcoding test and when playing Forza Horizon 4

Notes

Appreciating the premium nature of the Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi pricing, we have paired it with the current best-in-class Ryzen 9 3900X CPU. Offering context, we have it up against a last-gen Ryzen 7 2700X and decent X470 board from MSI.

The purpose is to show the performance uptick when you take the best of one generation and compare it against its direct predecessor.

Interestingly, we updated the Asus board's BIOS to 0702 prior to testing, which enables slightly higher sustained turbo frequencies than shown in the CPU review. Power consumption, as you will see, goes up a bit, as well.