No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,
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Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless
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Offer to Provide Source Code of Certain Software
This product contains copyrighted software that is licensed under the General Public License (“GPL”),
under the Lesser General Public License Version (“LGPL”) and/or other Free Open Source Software
Licenses. Such software in this product is distributed without any warranty to the extent permitted by the
applicable law. Copies of these licenses are included in this product.
Where the applicable license entitles you to the source code of such software and/or other additional data,
you may obtain it for a period of three years after our last shipment of the product, either
(1) for free by downloading it from http://support.asus.com/download
or
(2) for the cost of reproduction and shipment, which is dependent on the preferred carrier and the location
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In your request please provide the name, model number and version, as stated in the About Box of the
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archives, etc. to this email address).
ii
Contents
Safety information ...................................................................................................... vi
About this guide ........................................................................................................ vii
Z170-PRO specifications summary .......................................................................... ix
Package contents ..................................................................................................... xvi
Installation tools and components ........................................................................ xvii
Chapter 1: Product Introduction
1.1 Special features..........................................................................................1-1
ASUS contact information ...................................................................................... A-5
v
Safety information
Electrical safety
• To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet
before relocating the system.
• When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables
for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible,
disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device.
• Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all
power cables are unplugged.
• Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These devices
could interrupt the grounding circuit.
• Ensure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not
sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power
company.
• If the power supply is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
Operation safety
• Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals
that came with the package.
• Before using the product, ensure all cables are correctly connected and the power
cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.
• To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors,
slots, sockets and circuitry.
• Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area
where it may become wet.
• Place the product on a stable surface.
• If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
vi
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring the
motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This guide contains the following parts:
1. Chapter 1: Product Introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it
supports. It includes description of the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the
motherboard.
2. Chapter 2: Basic Installation
This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when
installing system components.
3. Chapter 3: BIOS Setup
This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus.
Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
4. Chapter 4: Software Support
This chapter describes the contents of the support DVD that comes with the
motherboard package and the software.
5. Chapter 5: RAID Support
This chapter describes the RAID congurations.
Where to find more information
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software
updates.
1. ASUS website
The ASUS website (www.asus.com) provides updated information on ASUS hardware
and software products.
2. Optional documentation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty yers,
that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the
standard package.
vii
Conventions used in this guide
To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used
throughout this manual.
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to
complete a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to
complete a task.
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.
Typography
Bold text
Italics
<Key>
<Key1> + <Key2> + <Key3>
Indicates a menu or an item to select.
Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.
Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than sign
means that you must press the enclosed key.
Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or
Return key.
If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key
names are linked with a plus sign (+).
viii
Z170-PRO specifications summary
®
Core™ i7/ i5/ i3/Pentium®/Celeron®
®
HD Graphics support
CPU
Chipset
Memory
Expansion slots
VGA
Multi-GPU
support
LGA1151 socket for 6th Generation Intel
Processors
Supports 14nm CPU
®
Supports Intel
* The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
- Pipe music or movies from your PC to a smart TV, your
entertainment goes wherever you go!
- Media Streamer app for portable smartphone/tablet, supporting
iOS 7 & Android 4.0 systems
HyStream
- Stream Android/iOS/Windows devices’ screen on your PC screen*
*Contact your device vendor for supporting information.
eSports Champions
Turbo LAN
- Fast and smooth online gaming with lower pings and less lags
Crystal Sound 3
- Hear the cleanest sound with dedicated audio design onboard!
ASUS Exclusive
Features
Turbo APP
- Tailored app performance, network priority and audio
conguration for your needs
EZ DIY
Push Notice
- Monitor your PC status with smart devices in real time
UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface
- CrashFree BIOS 3
- EZ Flash 3
Q-Design
- ASUS Q-Shield
- ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
- ASUS Q-Slot
- ASUS Q-DIMM
- ASUS Q-Connector
(continued on the next page)
xii
Z170-PRO specifications summary
ASUS 5X Protection II:
- ASUS LANGuard - Protects against LAN surges, lightning strikes
and static-electricity discharges!
- ASUS Overvoltage Protection - World-class circuit-protecting
power design
- ASUS DIGI+ VRM - 8+2 Phase digital power design
- ASUS DRAM Overcurrent Protection: Enhanced DRAM
ASUS Special Features
ASUS Quiet Thermal
Solution
ASUS Exclusive
Overclocking Features
overcurrent protection
- ASUS Stainless-Steel Back I/O: 3X corrosion-resistance for
greater durability!
AI suite 3
Mobo Connect
USB 3.1 Boost
Ai Charger
MemOK!
Quiet Thermal Design
- ASUS Fan Xpert 3
- ASUS Fanless Design: Heat-sink solution
Precision Tweaker 2
- CPU Core/Cache Voltage: Adjustable CPU Core/Cache Voltage at
0.005V increment
- CPU Graphics Voltage: Adjustable CPU Graphics voltage at
0.005V increment
- CPU VCCIO Voltage: Adjustable CPU VCCIO Voltage at 0.0125V
increment
- CPU System Agent Voltage: Adjustable CPU System Agent
Voltage at 0.0125V increment
- DRAM Voltage: 200-step Memory voltage control
- PCH Core Voltage: 88-step Chipset voltage control
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection)
- BCLK/PCIE frequency tuning from 40MHz up to 500MHz at
0.01MHz increment
Overclocking Protection:
- ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
(continued on the next page)
xiii
Z170-PRO specifications summary
1 x DisplayPort
1 x HDMI port
1 x DVI-D
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
Rear Panel I/O Ports
Internal I/O connectors
BIOS Features
1 x Intel LAN (RJ45) port
1 x USB 3.1/3.0/2.0 port (teal blue, Type A)
1 x USB 3.1/3.0/2.0 port (Type C)
2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (blue)
2 x USB 2.0 ports
8-channel Audio I/O ports
2 x USB 3.0/2.0 connectors support additional 4 USB ports (19-pin)
2 x USB 2.0/1.1 connectors support additional 4 USB ports
1 x M.2 Socket 3 (for M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 devices)
1 x SATA Express connector
4 x SATA 6.0Gb/s connectors (gray)
1 x CPU Fan connector (4-pin) for both 3-pin(DC mode) and
4-pin(PWM mode) CPU coolers control with auto detection
support
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector (4-pin)
1 x Water Pump header (4-pin)
2 x Chassis Fan connectors (4-pin) for both 3-pin(DC mode) and
4-pin(PWM mode) coolers control
1 x Front panel audio connector (AAFP)
1 x S/PDIF out header
1 x Thunderbolt header (5-pin) for ASUS ThunderboltEX series
support
1 x TPM connector
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector
1 x 8-pin EATX 12V Power connector
1 x System Panel(Q-Connector)
1 x MemOK! button
1 x CPU OV jumper
1 x Clear CMOS header
1 x DRCT(Direct Key) header
1 x 5-pin EXT_FAN(Extension Fan) connector
128 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI3.0, WfM2.0, SM
BIOS 3.0, ACPI 5.0, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 3,
CrashFree BIOS 3, F11 EZ Tuning Wizard, F6 Qfan Control, F3
My Favorites, Quick Note, Last Modied log, F12 PrintScreen and
ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information
(continued on the next page)
xiv
Z170-PRO specifications summary
Manageability
Accessories
Support DVD contents
Operating system
support
Form factor
Specications are subject to change without notice.
WfM 2.0, DMI 3.0, WOL by PME, PXE
4 x Serial ATA 6.0Gb/s cables
1 x ASUS SLI bridge connector
1 x ASUS Q-Shield
1 x Q-connector
1 x M.2 screw package
1 x CPU Installation Tool
1 x User’s Manual
1 x Z170 Series Exclusive Feature manual
Drivers
ASUS Utilities
EZ Update
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
®
10*
Windows
®
8.1*
Windows
®
7
Windows
*64-bit supported only.
ATX Form Factor, 12” x 9.6” (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
xv
Package contents
Check your motherboard package for the following items.
1 x M.2 screws
ASUS Z170-PRO Series motherboard
1 x ASUS Q-Shield
1 x ASUS Q-Connector kit
• If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
• The illustrated items above are for reference only. Actual product specications may
vary with different models.
• CPU Installation Tool & Q-Connector are in the color box package only.
4 x Serial ATA 6 Gb/s cables
1 x CPU Installation Tool
1 x ASUS SLI™ bridge connector
Support DVD
User Manual
User manual
xvi
Installation tools and components
Intel® LGA1151 compatible CPU Fan
PC chassis
Power supply unit
SATA hard disk drive
1 bag of screws
Intel® LGA1151 CPU
Phillips (cross) screwdriver
DIMM
SATA optical disc drive (optional)
Graphics card
The tools and components above are not included in the motherboard package.
xvii
xviii
Chapter 1: Product Introduction
Product Introduction
1.1 Special features
1
1.1.1 Product highlights
LGA1151 socket for the 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7/Intel® Core™ i5/Intel®
Core™ i3, Pentium® and Celeron® processors
This motherboard supports 6th generation Intel® Core™ i7/Intel® Core™ i5/Intel® Core™ i3,
Pentium® , and Celeron® processors in the LGA1151 package. It provides great graphics
and system performance with its GPU, dual-channel DDR4 memory slots and PCI Express
2.0/3.0 expansion slots.
Intel® Z170 Express Chipset
Intel® Z170 Express Chipset is a single chipset that supports the LGA1151 socket for the
6th generation Intel
processors. It utilizes the serial point-to-point links, which increases bandwidth and enhances
the system’s performance. It natively supports up to ten USB 3.0 ports, six SATA 6 Gb/s
ports, and M.2 Gen 3 X4 support for faster data retrieval.
PCI Express® 3.0
PCI Express® 3.0 (PCIe 3.0) is the PCI Express bus standard that provides twice the
performance and speed of PCIe 2.0. It provides an optimal graphics performance,
unprecedented data speed and seamless transition with its complete backward compatibility
to PCIe 1.0/2.0 devices.
Quad-GPU SLI and 3-WAY CrossFireX™ Support
This motherboad features NVIDIA SLI and 3-Way AMD CrossreX support that enables
mulit-GPU setup, giving you the full power of the latest graphics technologies. It also features
native support for 4K/UHD (ultra high denition) resolution of up to 4096 x 2160 via HDMI or
DisplayPort, resulting to four times the number of pixels for incredible visual clarity, detail,
and realism.
SATA Express support
SATA Express provides faster data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gb/s, allowing your system to
catch up with the speed of the SSDs. It also features backward compatibility with up to two
SATA drives of the same speed.
®
Core™ i7/Intel® Core™ i5/Intel® Core™ i3, Pentium® , and Celeron®
Chapter 1
ASUS Z170-PRO Series
1-1
Dual-Channel DDR4 3866 MHz Support
The motherboard supports the dual-channel DDR4 memory that features data transfer rates
of DDR4 3866 MHz to boost the system’s performance, and to meet the higher bandwidth
Chapter 1
requirements of 3D graphics, multimedia and Internet applications.
PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 Support
With a 4x PCI Express 3.0/2.0 bandwidth, the M.2 can support up to 32 Gbit/s of data transfer
speed. It is a perfect choice for the operating system or application drive, making your system
and its installed apps work in a faster pace.
Complete USB 3.1 integration
This motherboard has the latest USB 3.1 connectivity built in for the very fastest USB data
transfers — that’s up to 10 Gb/s, or twice as fast as USB 3.0. The next-generation standard
is completely backward-compatible with your existing USB devices, and you’ll be all set for
USB 3.1’s breakneck speeds.
1.1.2 Other special features
DTS Connect
To get the most out of your audio entertainment across all formats and quality levels, DTS
Connect combines two enabling technologies, DTS Neo:PC™ upmixes stereo sources (CDs,
MP3s, WMAs, internet radio) into as many as 7.1 channels of incredible surround sound.
Consumers can connect their PC to a home theater system. DTS Interactive is capable of
performing mult-channel encoding of DTS bitstreams on personal computers, and sending
encoded bitstreams out of a digital audio connection (such as S/PDIF or HDMI) designed to
deliver audio to an external decoder.
ErP Ready
The motherboard is European Union’s Energy-related Products (ErP) ready, and ErP
requires products to meet certain energy efciency requirement in regards to energy
consumptions. This is in line with ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and energy-
efcient products through product design and innovation to reduce carbon footprint of the
product and thus mitigate environmental impacts.
1-2
Chapter 1: Product Introduction
1.2 Motherboard overview
1.2.1 Before you proceed
Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change
any motherboard settings.
• Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component.
• Before handling components, use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded
object or a metal object, such as the power supply case, to avoid damaging them due
to static electricity.
• Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.
• Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the
bag that came with the component.
• Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the ATX power supply is
switched off or the power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure to do so
may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals, or components.
Chapter 1
ASUS Z170-PRO Series
1-3
1.2.2 Motherboard layout
Chapter 1
1-4
Refer to 1.2.9 Internal Connectors and 2.2.1 Rear I/O connection for more information
about rear panel connectors and internal connectors.
Chapter 1: Product Introduction
Layout contents
Connectors/Jumpers/Buttons and switches/SlotsPage
1. ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 8-pin EATX12V) 1-29
2. LGA1151 CPU socket1-6
3. CPU, water pump, CPU optional, extension, and chassis fan connectors
(4-pin CPU_FAN; 3-pin W_PUMP; 4-pin CPU_OPT; 5-pin EXT_FAN; 4-pin
CHA_FAN1-2)
4. DDR4 DIMM slots 1-7
5. MemOK! button1-19
6. USB 3.0 connectors (20-1 pin USB3_12, USB3_34)1-26
®
7. Intel
8. M.2 Socket 31-32
9. System panel connector (20-5 pin PANEL)1-30
10. Clear RTC RAM (2-pin CLRTC)1-20
11. DirectKey connector (2-pin DRCT) 1-31
12. USB 2.0 connectors (10-1 pin USB1112; USB1314)1-27
13. Thunderbolt header (5-pin TB_HEADER)1-25
14. TPM connector (14-1 pin TPM)1-31
15. T_Sensor connector (2-pin T_SENSOR)1-24
16. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)1-25
17. Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT)1-24
18. CPU Over Voltage jumper (3-pin CPU_OV)1-21
Serial ATA 6 Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA 6G_34; SATA 6G_56;
SATAEXPRESS)
1-28
Chapter 1
1-23
ASUS Z170-PRO Series
1-5
1.2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The motherboard comes with a surface mount LGA1151 socket designed for the 6th
Generation Intel® Core™ i7 / Intel® Core™ i5 / Intel® Core™ i3, Pentium®, and Celeron®
Chapter 1
processors.
Ensure that you install the correct CPU designed for LGA1151 socket only. DO NOT install
a CPU designed for other sockets on the LGA1151 socket.
• Ensure that all power cables are unplugged before installing the CPU.
• Upon purchase of the motherboard, ensure that the PnP cap is on the socket and
the socket contacts are not bent. Contact your retailer immediately if the PnP cap
is missing, or if you see any damage to the PnP cap/socket contacts/motherboard
components. ASUS will shoulder the cost of repair only if the damage is shipment/
transit-related.
• Keep the cap after installing the motherboard. ASUS will process Return Merchandise
Authorization (RMA) requests only if the motherboard comes with the cap on the
LGA1151 socket.
• The product warranty does not cover damage to the socket contacts resulting from
incorrect CPU installation/removal, or misplacement/loss/incorrect removal of the PnP
cap.
1-6
Chapter 1: Product Introduction
1.2.4 System memory
The motherboard comes with four (4) Double Data Rate 4 (DDR4) Dual Inline Memory
Modules (DIMM) slots.
A DDR4 module is notched differently from a DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 module. DO NOT
install a DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 memory module to the DDR4 slot.
Recommended memory configurations
Chapter 1
ASUS Z170-PRO Series
1-7
Memory configurations
You may install 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB unbuffered and non-ECC DDR4 DIMMs into
the DIMM sockets.
Chapter 1
• You may install varying memory sizes in Channel A and Channel B. The system
maps the total size of the lower-sized channel for the dual-channel conguration. Any
excess memory from the higher-sized channel is then mapped for single-channel
operation.
• According to Intel
®
CPU spec, DIMM voltage below 1.65 V is recommended to protect
the CPU.
• Due to the memory address limitation on 32-bit Windows
®
OS, when you install 4GB
or more memory on the motherboard, the actual usable memory for the OS can be
about 3GB or less. For effective use of memory, we recommend that you do any of the
following:
a) Use a maximum of 3GB system memory if you are using a 32-bit Windows
b) Install a 64-bit Windows
®
OS when you want to install 4 GB or more on the
®
OS.
motherboard.
c) For more details, refer to the Microsoft
®
support site at http://support.microsoft.
com/kb/929605/en-us.
• This motherboard does not support DIMMs made up of 512 Mb (64 MB) chips or less
• The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its Serial Presence Detect
(SPD), which is the standard way of accessing information from a memory module.
Under the default state, some memory modules for overclocking may operate at a
lower frequency than the vendor-marked value. To operate at the vendor-marked
or at a higher frequency, refer to section 3.5 Ai Tweaker menu for manual memory
frequency adjustment.
• For system stability, use a more efcient memory cooling system to support a full
memory load (4 DIMMs) or overclocking condition.
• Always install the DIMMS with the same CAS Latency. For an optimum compatibility,
we recommend that you install memory modules of the same version or data code
(D/C) from the same vendor. Check with the vendor to get the correct memory
modules.
• When running XMP at DDR4 3200 MHz or higher, the system’s stability depends on