Spend some "quality time" getting to know the M8H, and you won't be disappointed. Fantastic all-around board. Windows/software issues can happen to anything, usually because Microsoft goes and does something that the software developers don't expect. AI Suite and Windows 10 weren't getting along for the longest while, but honestly, the BIOS is a better place to do overclocking and fan settings -- and the Asus BIOS is one of the very best out there. Very easy to work with, and let me fine tune voltages to get a great overclock out of my I7-6700K.
Not sure why the audio output protection relay bugs people -- it isolates the sound output so your speakers or headphones don't get hit with any power spikes when the system turns on. It's a good thing, and a common feature in high-end audio gear.
Z170 is a good chipset, and the whole Maximus VIII series is great for getting the most out of it. Very straightforward to set up, really. With Skylake/Z170, you should remember to add a little increase to SA, VCCIO and DRAM voltages especially with overclocked memory. The Z170 platform is stingy with power, so adding a little bit in your OC settings will pay off in stability. The "sweet spot" will also give you the best temperatures. Too much voltage and you'll see the effect of waste heat from excess power to dissipate. Too little, and heat goes up due to excess current draw. Fine-tuning that behavior is very easy to do in the M8H BIOS and the board is very stable once it's dialed-in.
For OC stability, find a power supply with a reputation for rock-stable power output. On Z170/Skylake, you don't need outrageous wattage unless you're running multiple power-hungry GPUs. But fast, stable demand response is vital for a stable overclock. 750 watts is more than enough unless you want to run a crazy SLI setup. I run a 650 watt Antec (SeaSonic) PSU, and it's powering spinning HDDs (I'm old-school!) 5 fans including the H80i cooler and an overclocked GTX 960. That was planned because I expected to switch to the more power-efficient 10xx series this year or next, so it's doubtful I'll have to upgrade the PSU any time soon. Pro tip -- PSU's don't reach their stated efficiency rating until they're loaded to 50%-80%. So an oversized PSU just wastes energy. It's worth calculating the expected current needs of your system and using that to figure out how big your PSU should be.
Motherboard: Maximus VIII Hero
Processor: I7 6700K - 4.9GHz OC
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i v2
Memory: G.Skill DDR4-3000 16GB
Graphics: EVGA GTX 1080 FTW2 1721/1860MHz
Storage #1: 1TB Western Digital Black
Storage #2: 2TB Western Digital Black
Case: Antec Nine Hundred
Power Supply: Antec Edge 650 80+ Gold
OS: Windows 10 Pro
