ASUS have revealed a mainstream yet cutting-edge AMD AM3+ motherboard, complete with USB 3.1, an M.2 slot and some stunning good looks.
For a long while now - due to a lack of new chipsets - there has been relatively little activity when it comes to AMD AM3+ motherboards. However, that changes today with the introduction of the ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura. Although it is based on the all too familiar AMD 970 northbridge / SB950 southbridge combination, this is a motherboard that packs in a ton of modern features and at least one party trick.
First, as part of AURA product line, this model does indeed have RGB LED illumination that can be adjusted to any number of different colours and customized to create custom lighting effects by changing frequency and direction. There are also presets that cause the LEDs to change shades to indicate CPU temperature, pulsate with the beat of your music, and more. While the AURA RGB lighting effects are cool, they really aren't the most noteworthy feature on this motherboard.
What actually caught our eye was the fact this AM3+ motherboard not only features two USB 3.1 ports but also has a M.2 slot with support for NVMe solid state drives. These are next-generation storage interfaces that we haven't really seen on a mainstream AMD motherboard. This is apparently also the first AMD 970 motherboard certified by NVIDIA for SLI support. Many previous 970 motherboards have supported SLI, but without actually being certified for it. Truthfully though, this shouldn't mean much in practice. The 970 Pro Gaming/Aura's gaming credentials are rounded by an always competent SupremeFX onboard audio solution and Intel gigabit LAN controller, both of which are bolstered by a number of ASUS gaming-oriented technologies like Sonic Radar II and GameFirst. The dedicated water-pump header is sure to make some people happy as well.
We have no insight as to availability or price, but we are going to keep track of this interesting motherboard. Much like we did with the MSI 970 Gaming, we are going to try to get a 970 Gaming Pro/AURA sample for review to see if it can handle the heavy power load of the mighty FX-9590.
Product Press Release:
ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura motherboard
Based on the AMD® 970+SB950 chipset, the ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura is the world’s first AMD 970 motherboard certified by NVIDIA to offer SLI support. It features Aura RGB LEDs for customizable lighting, SupremeFX and Sonic Radar II audio for precise in-game sound, and Intel Gigabit Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard and GameFirst technologies for fast, safe, and lag-free networking. The ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura also has a dedicated water-pump header and dual USB 3.1 ports. It even supports M.2 SSDs based on the NVM Express protocol.
Based on the AMD® 970+SB950 chipset, the ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura is the world’s first AMD 970 motherboard certified by NVIDIA to offer SLI support. It features Aura RGB LEDs for customizable lighting, SupremeFX and Sonic Radar II audio for precise in-game sound, and Intel Gigabit Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard and GameFirst technologies for fast, safe, and lag-free networking. The ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura also has a dedicated water-pump header and dual USB 3.1 ports. It even supports M.2 SSDs based on the NVM Express protocol.
Last edited by a moderator:
