In this article, we will review the Asus Rog maximum iii Hero. The ROG Maximus XIII Hero from Asus is a new motherboard with a long list of capabilities, luxury aesthetics, and a price tag of $499.99. While it is pricey, it is no longer in the realm of flagship motherboards.
However, the new Hero has many USB ports (including Thunderbolt Type-C), high-quality VRMs, and four M.2 connections. All of this, along with a high-end aesthetic and overall firm performance, contribute to making this board well worth the price of admission.
- Intel LGA 1200 socket: Designed to unleash the maximum performance of 10th Gen Intel Core processors
- Robust Power Solution: 14+2 power stages with ProCool II power connector, high-quality alloy chokes and durable capacitors to provide reliable power even when push the CPU performance to the limit
- Optimized Thermal Design: Except comprehensive heatsink, heatpipe and fan headers, features low-noise AI cooling to balance thermals and acoustics by reducing fan speeds and maintaining a 5 Celsius delta
- Fastest Gaming Connectivity: Dual Ethernet with 5Gb and gigabit Ethernet , LANGaurd, dual M. 2, USB 3. 2 Gen 2, and Intel WiFi 6 AX201 (802. 11 ax)
- Industry-leading Gaming Audio: High fidelity audio with the SupremeFX S1220A codec, DTS Sound Unbound and Sonic Studio III draws you deeper into the game action
There are 13 models in the current Z590 product stack from Asus. The ROG Maximus XIII Extreme and its water-cooled equivalent, the Extreme Glacial, are at the top of the lineup, followed by the ROG Hero and the overclocking-focused ROG Apex.
There are four more ROG Gaming boards on the cheap end, the Z590-E/-F/-A/-I(ITX), two TUF Gaming boards, and three Prime boards. Asus offers a well-rounded product stack with boards and pricing ranges for just about everyone from top to bottom.
Overall, our Hero delivered the most significant results from all the boards we’ve tried. The Hero and its out-of-the-box settings dominate the group, even though the difference between most of the higher-performing boards (which circumvent the Intel standard) isn’t significant.
Overclocking proceeded well, with the processor comfortably handling our 5.1 GHz clock speed and DDR4 4000 RAM. This and the MSI MEG Ace were two of the most straightforward boards to overclock and bring the RAM up to speed with little or no tweaking out of the bunch.
The Asus ROG Maximus series has produced (what this reviewer believes) devilishly stunning aesthetics and a vast list of features for the high-end category generation after generation.
However, The Maximus XIII Hero follows this tradition, with minor cosmetic modifications and additional features such as PCIe 4.0 compatibility for M.2 sockets and PCIe slots, Wi-Fi 6E, twin Thunderbolt USB Type-C ports, and more. We’ll go through those and other features in more depth.
In addition to the motherboard, the package contains a variety of peripherals, including cables, graphic cardholders, and a support DVD. When we look at the top part of the board, we can see the gigantic heatsinks/shrouds covering many of the board. Two reinforced 8-pin EPS connections (needed) are sandwiched between the heat pipe-connected VRM heatsink and the CPU.
Four DRAM slots to the right of the socket area and its gunmetal-colored capacitors may accommodate up to 128GB of RAM. Asus offers DDR4 5333 as a compatible speed (OC). However, like with everything, your results may vary.
The first three 4-pin fan/pump headers are located just above the DRAM slots (of eight total). The CPU, Chassis, and AIO Pump headers can handle up to 1A/12W, while the W Pump and H Amp headers can handle up to 3A/36W. The Q-Fan regulates the remainder while the AIO and W Pump headers operate at full speed.
Asus rog maximus xiii hero functionality and design
Let’s start at the top of the board with the design and construction of the ROG Maximus XIII Hero.
The upper half of the board provides a clearer glimpse of the massive shrouds/heatsinks that hide most of the board’s crucial portions. Between the Heatpipe-linked VRM heatsinks, two strengthened 8-pin EPS connections are jammed. This is necessary to provide electricity to the CPU.
Four DRAM slots are located on the right side of the socket area and gunmetal-colored capacitors. These have a memory capacity of up to 128GB.
The first three 4-pin pump/fan headers are located above the DRAM slots. On the board, there are a total of eight headers.
The 2-character QCode debug LED still there to its right. Four QLEDs (Boot, CPU, VGA, and DRAM) light up when the computer boots. If there’s a problem with POST, the relevant LED remains on and indicates where the problem is.
You may just use the QCode display to gain additional information. The first two of the four RGB headers are located on the right edge. There are also two ARGB 3-pin headers at this location. The two additional headers are located across the bottom margin.
Configuration of VRM
The manufacturer used a 14-phase paired VRM system for the ROG Maximus XIII Hero. The power is sent to the Renesas ISL-69269 controller (7+2+1), which feeds two phases. There is no doubler inlines here, so keep that in mind.
Let’s move on to the 14 NexFet 90-A Smart Power stage from Texas Instruments. It allows the CPU to use up to 1260-A, one of the highest we’ve observed.
Under these conditions, the Hero may not be the most potent option. Ambient/extreme overclocking, on the other hand, will not be a concern.
Audio
We’ll concentrate on the audio area on the left side of the board’s bottom half. ASUS used the premium Realtek ALC-4082 codec and Japanese Chemicon audio capacitors behind the plastic cover.
The ESS Sabre 9018Q2C DAC/Amp is also available on the ROG Maximus XIII Hero motherboard. This is required for your headphones to function correctly.
M.2 Sockets and PCIe Slots
The M.2 connectors and PCIe slots are located in the board’s center. The board has three full PCIe slots and a single x1 sized slot on the PCIe side.
The CPU is connected to the two PCIe slots on the top. They also support PCIe 4.0 when using an Intel CPU from the 11th generation. While operating at x16|x0, x8|x8, or x8|x4, the top two slots enable Nvidia 2-way SLI.
The chipset feeds the full-length bottom slot, which runs at PCIe 3.0 x4 speeds. The bottom slot is set to PCIe 3.0 x2 mode by default, which disables SATA ports 3/4.
Four M.2 sockets are integrated with PCIe slots on the ROG Maximus XIII Hero motherboard. The PCIe 4.0 x4 connectors at the top are connected. ASUS achieved this by assigning bandwidth to the CPU-fed PCIe slots.
M.2 Socket No. 3
The PCIe 3.0 x4 mode is used in this section, which is connected to the chipset. It can accommodate 80mm modules on the top and 110mm PCIe 3.0 x4 modules on the bottom. In addition, it can handle SATA-based M.2 devices.
The chipset heatsink can be seen to the right of the PCIe slot. RGB LEDs illuminate the ROG symbol from underneath it.
On the right edge, there’s another fan header and six SATA ports. There are two USB 3.2 1st generation front panel headers as well.
Key Features of the ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero Motherboard
Motherboard with Intelligence:
Intelligent software solutions guarantee that your system performs at its best. Thanks to the latest ASUS AI-powered innovations, overclocking, networking, cooling, and integrated audio performance have all improved. Furthermore, they allow both novice and experienced PC builders to do extensive tuning and optimization.
The architecture of the Future:
Today’s CPU designs impose tremendous demand on motherboard power design. Power designs now shift from low-power to full load in a heartbeat, thanks to deep power-saving modes. The newest ROG VRM design employs paired power stages to achieve fast current swings while preserving unrivaled thermal performance.
OptiMem III:
Memory kits may function at lower voltages, higher frequencies, and shorter latencies thanks to OptiMem III OptiMem. It employs patented memory trace structure changes to reduce noise and increase signal integrity.
Design that is easy to do yourself:
The ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero motherboard is one of the most user-friendly motherboards on the market today. It includes an I/O shield that is already installed and QCode, BIOS Flashback, FlexKey, and SafeSlot. The graphics cardholder also avoids sag with its magnetic base and adjustable slider.
Wi-Fi 6E from Intel
The inbuilt Wi-Fi 6E technology makes the most of the new 6GHz radium spectrum. The motherboard now has a bandwidth comparable to three times the 5GHz band and up to seven 160MHz bands. In crowded wireless settings, these qualities result in ultrafast wireless networking speeds and increased capacity and performance.
A second USB 3.2 Gen 22 lane has been added:
The latest USB standard adds a USB 3.2 Gen 2 lane to the front panel, which you may discover. Data transport rates of up to 20 Gbps are possible with these connections.
Ready for PCIe 4.0:
The ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero has four M.2 slots onboard. Two of them support PCIe 4.0 for the newest high-performance SSDs and GPUs.
The SupremeFX ALC4082 with the Built-in DAC:
The ESS Sabre 9018Q2C is used for audio on the ROG Maximus XIII Hero. It incorporates a DAC amplifier that can provide -115 dB total harmonic distortion. With this, you may experience playback that captures all of the audio track’s subtleties and nuances.
Furthermore, the 121 dB dynamic range, or DNR, gives an incredibly low noise-floor, enhancing dynamics and punch even further.
Reputable Software:
When you buy the ROG Maximus XIII Hero, you’ll get a one-year membership to AIDA64 Extreme thrown in for free. This utility program gives detailed information on your hardware, software, and benchmarks for evaluating the performance of your system. It may also transmit information on the status of your component.
Pros
- VRM with 14 phases and 90 amps of high quality
- ten USB ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Wi-Fi 6E plus dual 2.5 GbE
- M.2 sockets (four)
- High-quality audio
Cons
- Expensive
Asus rog maximus xiii hero Technical Specifications:
| RAM | DDR4 |
| Memory Speed | 5333 MHz |
| Wireless Type | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 802.11ax |
| Brand | ASUS |
| Series | DDR4 128GB; INTEL 11 10 GEN;aura sync;RGB lighting |
| Item model number | ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO |
| Item Weight | 6.5 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 14.57 x 12.28 x 4.25 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 14.57 x 12.28 x 4.25 inches |
| Color | ROG; ROG gaming; Asus ROG motherboard; ROG Z590 |
| Manufacturer | Asus |
| ASIN | B08T6BHQC8 |
| Country of Origin | China |
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the hero of ASUS ROG Maximus XIII?
The ROG Maximus XIII Hero from Asus is a full-featured Z590 motherboard with a reliable power supply, excellent audio with a DAC, four M. 2 sockets, twin 2.5 GbE ports, and integrated Wi-Fi 6E. Overall, Intel’s Z590 platform’s $499 Hero is a well-rounded premium board.
Is the Asus ROG Maximus XIII Hero a decent gaming laptop?
We think the ROG Maximus XI Hero is fantastic since it’s beautifully designed and performs effectively. We really like the AI overclocking tool, which is a brand-new feature that overclocking beginners would love.
Is the Asus Maximus VIII Hero a decent purchase?
The Hero is a motherboard with a lot of features. It has strong overclocking potential, a plethora of software and hardware capabilities, and it performs well in terms of audio and stock speeds.
Is Bluetooth available on the Asus Maximus XI Hero?
Both variants include a single Intel I219V Gigabit-powered LAN port, five 3.5 mm audio jacks, and S/PDIF optical output powered by the SupremeFX S1220 HD audio codec, while the Wi-Fi-equipped model features an Intel 9560 2T2R Wave 2 802.11 Wi-Fi adapter with Bluetooth 5 capability.
Is there WiFi on the Asus Maximus Hero?
ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero (Wi-Fi) Z390 Gaming Motherboard LGA1151 (Intel 8th 9th Gen) ATX DDR4 DP HDMI M. 2 USB 3.1 Gen2 802.11AC Wi-Fi ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero (Wi-Fi) Z390 Gaming Motherboard
Final Verdict:
With our conclusion, we’ll wrap up our ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero motherboard review. The ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero is a powerful Z590 motherboard with high-quality audio and power delivery. It also includes all of the current generation sockets, ports, and headers that your system needs today.
While this motherboard has a lot of capabilities, not all of them are necessary for every user. However, it performs well and efficiently. It also offers completely adjustable RGB LEDs, ideal for individuals who desire a stunning PC setup.
There is a price to pay for every ROG product. The ROG Maximus XIII Hero, on the other hand, proved to be well worth the money thanks to its exceptional performance in our testing.
ASUS is also recognized for upgrading its BIOS frequently until every last problem is fixed. As a result, you can be confident that you will have no issues utilizing this motherboard.
