ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VII HERO/ACU LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

More throughput, less CPU usage and great gaming experiences!

Maximus VII Hero features the very latest Intel® Ethernet for faster, smoother gaming — always. Intel's LAN has the serious double advantage of reducing CPU overhead and offering exceptionally high TCP and UDP throughput. This significantly reduces the processor's workload, so there's more power for your game and your gameplay!

ASUS engineers used IxChariot, an independent network-assessment test tool, to determine just how much quicker Intel Gigabit Ethernet deals with the smaller (sub-256 bytes) UDP data packets that are vital for responsive gaming. The results are in — and with Maximus VII Hero your game-data packets flow up to two times (2X) faster than competing gaming-LAN technologies!

Pumped-up throughput. Best surge protection.

ROG has reinvented the LAN port. Advanced signal-coupling technology and premium surface-mounted capacitors improve throughput, while surge-protected and electrostatically-guarded components (ESD Guards) protect your motherboard from lightning strikes and static electricity!

Network-optimization software for no-delay gameplay!

Exclusive GameFirst III has been upgraded with even more gamer-helping features and an interface that's even more intuitive! GameFirst III helps you to assign top priority to game packets and allocate more bandwidth to the game, ensuring the best online gaming experience.

Choose from a preset mode to suit what you're doing – Optimization, Game, Media Streaming or File Sharing. You can manage bandwidth down to the level of individual applications, with five priority levels (highest, higher, normal, lower, lowest) and even the ability to block specific traffic. GameFirst III even has a built-in Network Monitor tool, so you can supervise your network traffic and test your connection speed to check that you're getting the bandwidth you pay for!

Precision-engineered audio that's as great as a dedicated sound card

ROG knows the importance of flawless audio – pristine effects and full-range soundtracks make the game. That's why we invest substantial engineering resources to perfect onboard audio. The result is SupremeFX. Cutting-edge isolation technologies minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI) and exceptionally premium components deliver best-in-class audio that's as great as a dedicated soundcard. But we never rest on our laurels, which is why SupremeFX 2014 has been refined even further for Maximus VII motherboards. That means even finer components and superbly clever software innovations for gaming and multimedia experiences beyond compare!

1. 8-channel gold-plated output
   Minimize EMI (electromagnetic interference)
2. 
3. 
4. Sonic SenseAmp – Amp up your headset!
   Sonic SenseAmp is a ROG invention that detects headphone impedance (below 65 / 65 ~ 150 / 150 or higher ohms) and adjusts the built-in amp automatically, for pitch-perfect listening right away!
5. ELNA® capacitors – Exceptionally warm and natural sound
   Premium Japanese-made ELNA® audio capacitors
6. Sonic SoundStage – Hardware-level audio-profiles switch
   Apply the best settings for your favorite game genres in real time on any OS, via the onboard Sonic SoundStage button. The debug LED displays the mode — FPS (01), racing (02), fighting (03) or sports (04).*

* Sonic SenseAmp and Sonic SoundStage supports only analog-audio front-panel (AAFP) connections

Sonic Studio - Brilliant one-click virtual sound!

Sonic Studio is a brand-new audio-tuning suite that provides an aural treat. Use the one-click Virtual Surround function to 7.1 channels, even through a stereo (2.0-channel) headset. It offers five more superb audio controls, including Reverb, Bass Boost, Equalizer, Voice Clarity and Smart EQ — ensuring that everything you hear sounds just amazing!

Perfect Voice – Simple and effective noise reduction

1. Normalizes the microphone volumes for stable recording consistency
2. Minimizes ambient noise during sentences (i.e. pauses and periods of silence)
3. Spectral-subtraction algorithm analyzes and calculates ambient noise

Your keyboard, instantly upgraded!

Fancy a free keyboard upgrade? That's what KeyBot gives you — instantly. Just plug your existing keyboard into the dedicated USB socket to activate the exclusive KeyBot microprocessor on the Maximus VII Hero. Use the easy-to-use utility to assign macros to function keys F1-F10, launch any application with a single press or control multimedia playback.

Dynamically unleash your RAM – 20X faster than SSD!

With RAMDisk you can turn system memory into superfast temporary storage. Put large files, such as game maps, into RAMDisk and watch loading times fly — you'll never again wait to play. The improved 2014 edition of RAMDisk dynamically allocates memory, so unused RAM is released back to the system when it's needed. You'll even enjoy the bonus of protecting your SSD drives, as RAMDisk reduces excessive reads and writes that can reduce lifespan!
Last but not least, the junction function serves as quick links between files and RAM storage. All files are automatically saved and restored to their specific locations on hard drives when you turn your PC off, then go back to RAM when you power on again.