ASUS STRIX H370-I GAMING (Intel H370) Motherboard Review (Page 4)

STRIX H370-I GAMING Circuit Analysis Continued

The audio codec is the Realtek ALC1220, and it has been upgraded with OP1688A and RC4580 amplifiers for voltage and current. Gold electrolytic audio capacitors and a physical PCB divide are used to improve audio quality.

An Intel i219v PHY provides the GBit LAN port from Intel, while a Realtek RTL8111H is used for the second Realtek based Gbit NIC.

A two-port Pericom PI3EQX USB 3.1 re-driver is used to improve the signal from the PCH to the two type-A ports. The ASMedia ASM1543 type-C controller is used for the USB 3.0 type-C port on the rear IO panel.

An Intel 9560NGW is used as the Wireless-AC controller, which is rated up to 1.733Gbps if it uses the 160MHz band. A Nuvoton NVT6796D SuperIO is used for the motherboard fan and other control, with a 128Mbit BIOS ROM used for the system UEFI.

An SMT32F microcontroller is used to control the RGB LEDs on the underside of the PCB, and this chip needs to be on the motherboard since every single RGB LED is individually controlled. An AURA RGB LED controller controls the addressable RGB LED header.