The Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Dark Hero is an ATX motherboard measuring 305 × 244 mm, built around the AM5 socket with compatibility for the X870 chipset and a single CPU socket. It offers Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with backward compatibility across Wi-Fi 4, 5, 6, and 6E standards, complemented by Bluetooth 5.4, though aptX audio codec support is not included. The board features an HDMI 2.1 output, RGB lighting, and is designed to be easy to overclock. Reliability is further supported by dual BIOS and a straightforward BIOS reset option. There is no integrated graphics or integrated CPU on this board, and it carries a 3-year warranty.
The board uses DDR5 memory across four slots arranged in a dual-channel configuration, supporting a maximum total capacity of 256 GB. Overclocked RAM speeds can reach up to 9600 MHz, offering headroom for users who want to push memory performance beyond standard rated frequencies. ECC memory is not supported on this board.
The rear I/O panel provides a well-stocked USB lineup, including six USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports and three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, while two USB 4 40Gbps ports and two Thunderbolt 4 ports cover high-bandwidth and daisy-chaining use cases. There are no USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 2.0, or USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports present. Video output is limited to a single HDMI port, with no DisplayPort, DVI, or VGA connectors available. Wired networking is handled by two RJ45 ports, and legacy connectivity options such as eSATA and PS/2 are absent.
For internal expansion, the board provides four USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers and two USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 headers, along with six USB 2.0 ports through expansion connectors; there are no USB 3.2 Gen 2 or USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 internal headers. Storage connectivity includes five M.2 sockets and four SATA 3 connectors, while SATA 2, U.2, and mSATA are not supported. Cooling is managed through six fan headers, and there is no TPM connector present on this board.
The board offers two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots for expansion, catering to high-bandwidth devices such as discrete graphics cards. No PCIe 4.0, 3.0, or 2.0 x16 slots are present, and there are no PCIe x8, x4, or x1 slots, nor any legacy PCI slots, making the expansion layout straightforward and focused entirely on the two full-speed PCIe 5.0 connections.
The onboard audio supports 7.1-channel output and delivers a DAC signal-to-noise ratio of 120 dB, indicating a clean audio signal with minimal background noise. Two analog audio connectors are available on the board, and a S/PDIF Out port is included for digital audio passthrough to external receivers or DACs.
The board supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 (1+0), covering a range of configurations suited to different priorities such as performance, redundancy, or a combination of both. RAID 0+1 is not supported.
