With its new Intel 300-series chipset-based motherboard family, ASUS is redoing the segmentation of its various motherboard brands, with the objective of avoiding too many similarly-priced products that bloat the lineup and confuse buyers. The company articulated its segmentation using a triangle (pictured below). At the bottom of this triangle is the mainline "Prime" series, and interestingly, the TUF (The Ultimate Force) series. The TUF series has until now been attributed to moderately expensive motherboards that are designed with very high durability. They are now relegated to the bottom of ASUS' product-stack, targeted at first-time builders and entry-level gamers. These boards are still built "tough" in that they feature high-grade components, but not as many CPU VRM phases as some of ASUS' more expensive boards.Another revelation is that the company's mainline "Prime" series, which has served as the bedrock of the company's motherboard lineup before sub-brands such as ROG came along, is now entry-mid range, with just two SKUs based on the Z370 chipset. The Prime Z370-A is recommended for those users who want to cut through the marketing clutter and pick a board that maxes out this platform without too many frills. This move also ends the possibility of higher Prime-series SKUs such as "Deluxe" and "Premium," which were previously associated with SKUs bursting at the seams with onboard connectivity options.The "Republic of Gamers" (ROG) brand has a clear sub-division, with boards featuring just the "ROG" moniker next to brands such as Crosshair (AMD MSDT), Maximus (Intel MSDT), Rampage (Intel HEDT), and Zenith (AMD HEDT), making up the upper-end; and the Strix brand making up the upper-mid range bulk. The ROG Crosshair, Maximus, Rampage, and Zenith sub-brands will get extensions such as "Ranger," "Hero," "Formula," "Impact," "Gene," "Extreme," "Code," and "Apex;" while the ROG Strix brand will be sub-divided as Strix-E (topmost), Strix-F (second-best), Strix-G (micro-ATX), Strix-H (entry ATX), and Strix-I (mini-ITX). Some of these SKUs may get the "AC" extension denoting a WLAN module with 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.x.

33 Comments on ASUS Motherboard Segmentation Explained - "Prime" Series takes Backseat

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#1 eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman Well this sucks!



My The Ultimate Force Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 pushed this CPU to 5.0GHz, very rugged. Now the Tuf line is bottom barrel stuff, poposterous!





Lets add more confusion with Strix which the word looks stupid, is it pronounched Stricks or Strikes? Then sub categories for products.



I honestly felt TUF sounds better than Strix.



IIRC ROG has been around longer than Prime Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 11:38 Reply

#2 Chaitanya

eidairaman1 Well this sucks!



My The Ultimate Force Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 pushed this CPU to 5.0GHz, very rugged. Now the Tuf line is bottom barrel stuff, poposterous!





Lets add more confusion with Strix which the word looks stupid, is it pronounched Stricks or Strikes? Then sub categories for products.



I honestly felt TUF sounds better than Strix Strix is latin genus name of wood owls and pronunciation is striks . Owls of this genus are known for their stealth and silence when hunting. Strix is latin genus name of wood owls and pronunciation is striks . Owls of this genus are known for their stealth and silence when hunting. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 11:48 Reply

#3 eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman Chaitanya Strix is latin genus name of wood owls and pronunciation is striks . Owls of this genus are known for their stealth and silence when hunting. Thanks for clarification





Well their gpus certainly aren't silent or stealthy lol.



Well I think strikes sounds better than stricks, stricks feels like restricted... Thanks for clarificationWell their gpus certainly aren't silent or stealthy lol.Well I think strikes sounds better than stricks, stricks feels like restricted... Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 11:51 Reply

#4 buggalugs

Doesnt make sense. Why have 2 ranges of gaming motherboards? Or 3 if you include tuf.



Just have one range of gaming boards and one range of Prime/general boards. Its a shame the deluxe model is no more, I have many deluxe boards.



I guess they feel most of the buyers of high end boards are gamers so thats where the marketing goes. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 12:20 Reply

#5 Hood

This marketing strategy leaves out the top channel boards of the past (Deluxe, Workstation, Premium), and puts the top boards into the "gaming" segment (ROG), with all the over-the-top marketing BS, RGB lights, and form-over-function design that many of us would rather not pay extra for. I don't want my system to look like a "boy gamer" wet dream, but I do want some of the high end features, now only found in the $300-$500 ROG segment. I like Asus, but wish they would go back to making boards for performance instead of looks. I guess it doesn't really matter much, you just have to wade through the product stack until you find the right features, and accept the marketing BS and RGB as the inevitable price of "progress" in a world created by marketing and other shameful practices. I love my Z97-Deluxe board, but that line ended with Z170-Deluxe. Oh well, it's all just names... Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 12:26 Reply

#6 ShurikN

"AAA gamers", wtf is a AAA gamer?!?! Or better yet who the hell calls himself a AAA gamer... dafuq did i just read. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 12:28 Reply

#7 cucker tarlson

Jeez either people must be really stupid or Asus thinks they are. Different price tiers for esport and aaa gamers ? Asus is on my black list from now on, especially after hearing in some threads that with product segmentation Asus also divides consumer priority into categories. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 12:31 Reply

#8 thebluebumblebee

with the objective of avoiding too many similarly-priced products that bloat the lineup and confuse buyers. Then why come out with 19 Z370 motherboards? How many 300 series motherboards are they going to end up with once they add the "H" and "B" versions?:shadedshu: eidairaman1 Well their gpus certainly aren't silent or stealthy lol. The original Strix GPU's were, such as my GTX 980 Strix. Here's what w1zzard said: ASUS's card is almost inaudible even under full load, while being faster than any other single-GPU card on the market. Really impressive. And then he gave it a 10. Then why come out withZ370 motherboards? How many 300 series motherboards are they going to end up with once they add the "H" and "B" versions?:shadedshu:The original Strix GPU's were, such as my GTX 980 Strix. Here's what w1zzard said:And then he gave it a 10. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 12:39 Reply

#9 dj-electric

I'm fine with most of the asus stuff but also think that TUF took a huge nose dive since it began.



Where are the rugged power delivery systems, extended warranty and no frills design? All gone Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 13:11 Reply

#10 cyneater

Should be renamed

Wank with way to many options

More wank with lights and to many optiosn

extra wanky features



:P Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 13:11 Reply

#11 Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop ShurikN "AAA gamers", wtf is a AAA gamer?!?! Or better yet who the hell calls himself a AAA gamer... dafuq did i just read. The "gamer" thing is a bit silly all around. I read a user review on a case which was decent but he found it to not be a very good gamer case becuase you couldn't really do any kind of decent cable management in it. A gamer is evidentily like the guy having Nascar stickers on his Honda Accord, but probably worse. The "gamer" thing is a bit silly all around. I read a user review on a case which was decent but he found it to not be a very good gamer case becuase you couldn't really do any kind of decent cable management in it. A gamer is evidentily like the guy having Nascar stickers on his Honda Accord, but probably worse. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 13:11 Reply

#12 erixx

Always confusion, always, always...



Starting with ROG line. Why in heaven would a gamer bother with hardcore overclocking and nitrogene features (s/he wants stable gaming, no crashes or excesive heat), and why would a hardcore benchmarker bother with RGB LEDS and looks?



Etc, etc.



Maybe I am old and all todays kids do all the liquid nitrogen stuff and tensionmeters checks when they come back from school??????? Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 13:17 Reply

#13 evernessince

I guess this is why their x370 motherboard is sub-par. You can get ASRock's "gaming grade" motherboard for less than ASUS's "mainstream". Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 13:40 Reply

#14 TheLostSwede

So this is why the Premium boards are no longer properly overclockable... Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 14:18 Reply

#15 eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman Dj-ElectriC I'm fine with most of the asus stuff but also think that TUF took a huge nose dive since it began.





Where are the rugged power delivery systems, extended warranty and no frills design? All gone I like the color of my sysspec board, it was in a case that is black interior anyway, i have blue and green led fans inside so it doesnt show the color anyway, it is subdued...



if anything TUF should of been the best all around board for hardcore Ocers, Gamers/mainstream. Rog should of been catered to gamers that don't do extreme oc. I like the color of my sysspec board, it was in a case that is black interior anyway, i have blue and green led fans inside so it doesnt show the color anyway, it is subdued...if anything TUF should of been the best all around board for hardcore Ocers, Gamers/mainstream. Rog should of been catered to gamers that don't do extreme oc. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 14:59 Reply

#16 CheapMeat

Ugh. Should be the reverse with TUF and Prime near the top for real enthusiasts and ROG stuff at the bottom. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 16:24 Reply

#17 Readlight

Nothing better and cheaper than prime b350m-e i can not find 80€ and am4 socket will haw new cpu in the future. i use spotify a loot audio is important also. Until new AMD chip set will come out and APU, AMD OEM alwasys haw sucked because they ar like shit in games for 1000€ PC even old i5 probably is better. They probably now thinking how to more mess whit customers minds to spend more. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 16:54 Reply

#18 FreedomEclipse

~Technological Technocrat~ ShurikN "AAA gamers", wtf is a AAA gamer?!?! Or better yet who the hell calls himself a AAA gamer... dafuq did i just read. I am a tripple A rated gamer I am a tripple A rated gamer Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 17:24 Reply

#19 RCG

Readlight Nothing better and cheaper than prime b350m-e i can not find 80€ and am4 socket will haw new cpu in the future. i use spotify a loot audio is important also. Until new AMD chip set will come out and APU, AMD OEM alwasys haw sucked because they ar like shit in games for 1000€ PC even old i5 probably is better. They probably now thinking how to more mess whit customers minds to spend more. .....Uh.....huh.....



This could be most most Off Topic post for these thread except for mine pointing this out.



Or to the next guy/gal to point this out to me .....Uh.....huh.....This could be most most Off Topic post for these thread except for mine pointing this out.Or to the next guy/gal to point this out to me Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 18:03 Reply

#20 Endeavour

Sincerely, I'm not against all the silly gamer aesthetics and RGB, because I can just simply use a case without windows and/or turn off all LEDs. Yes, I would rather have a clean design on high end boards too, but it really doesn't bother me that much.

What I really hate nowadays is the terrible software most hardware manufacturers provide and their hideous design: Splash screens at start up, weird shaped interface, settings that aren't saved unless you're running their sh***y software, privacy offenders... Those are the kind of things I really despise.



So, as long as I can still set up *everything* including custom curves for DC fans directly in the BIOS I'm cool with whatever hardware design silliness they come up with.

And sadly this is not just limited to Asus or even mainboards. I'm staring at you, Razer. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 18:11 Reply

#21 RejZoR

FreedomEclipse I am a tripple A rated gamer I'm an A+++ gamer. I come with an energy label. I'm an A+++ gamer. I come with an energy label. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 18:24 Reply

#22 StrayKAT

Endeavour Sincerely, I'm not against all the silly gamer aesthetics and RGB, because I can just simply use a case without windows and/or turn off all LEDs. Yes, I would rather have a clean design on high end boards too, but it really doesn't bother me that much.

What I really hate nowadays is the terrible software most hardware manufacturers provide and their hideous design: Splash screens at start up, weird shaped interface, settings that aren't saved unless you're running their sh***y software, privacy offenders... Those are the kind of things I really despise.



So, as long as I can still set up *everything* including custom curves for DC fans directly in the BIOS I'm cool with whatever hardware design silliness they come up with.

And sadly this is not just limited to Asus or even mainboards. I'm staring at you, Razer. Well, ROG has customization options for those slash screens at least (mylogo.. which should be part of the AISuite).



That said, I set aside my recent 270 ROG board for something a bit more neutral (from Supermicro). It's still another 270 though (but more PCI slots and other interfaces). I like boards to be neutral. It also has a graphic BIOS interface, but almost too many options. It's overwhelming. They have a 299 brewing up as well, but I hope they improve the BIOS there. One positive about ASUS is it had an EZ Mode. Well, ROG has customization options for those slash screens at least (mylogo.. which should be part of the AISuite).That said, I set aside my recent 270 ROG board for something a bit more neutral (from Supermicro). It's still another 270 though (but more PCI slots and other interfaces). I like boards to be neutral. It also has a graphic BIOS interface, but almost too many options. It's overwhelming. They have a 299 brewing up as well, but I hope they improve the BIOS there. One positive about ASUS is it had an EZ Mode. Posted on Oct 2nd 2017, 18:44 Reply

#24 Hood

erixx Always confusion, always, always...



Starting with ROG line. Why in heaven would a gamer bother with hardcore overclocking and nitrogene features (s/he wants stable gaming, no crashes or excesive heat), and why would a hardcore benchmarker bother with RGB LEDS and looks?



Etc, etc.



Maybe I am old and all todays kids do all the liquid nitrogen stuff and tensionmeters checks when they come back from school??????? Because young people in general are all about "styling and profiling", "bragging rights", and other meaningless crap. I think that 1% or less of "ROG Extreme" buyers actually use those features, the rest are "riding the coattails" of a handful of real extreme OC guys, telling all their friends "I'm gonna do that, as soon as I get my liquid nitrogen setup". Apologies to those who buy top ROG boards because they just want a great OC experience on air or water, and can afford the best, I'm not talking about you. Asus' marketing team plays on the insecurities of the young wanna-be overclocker, who see people like der8auer as heroic role models, for the same reason Rawlings sells $150 youth baseball gloves with a famous players signature on them. Because young people in general are all about "styling and profiling", "bragging rights", and other meaningless crap. I think that 1% or less of "ROG Extreme" buyers actually use those features, the rest are "riding the coattails" of a handful of real extreme OC guys, telling all their friends "I'm gonna do that, as soon as I get my liquid nitrogen setup". Apologies to those who buy top ROG boards because they just want a great OC experience on air or water, and can afford the best, I'm not talking about you. Asus' marketing team plays on the insecurities of the young wanna-be overclocker, who see people like der8auer as heroic role models, for the same reason Rawlings sells $150 youth baseball gloves with a famous players signature on them. Posted on Oct 3rd 2017, 0:47 Reply

#25 cdawall

where the hell are my stars thebluebumblebee The original Strix GPU's were, such as my GTX 980 Strix. Here's what w1zzard said: The strix 1080ti is the quietest aircooled card on the market as well... The strix 1080ti is the quietest aircooled card on the market as well... Posted on Oct 3rd 2017, 1:38 Reply