Can someone clear up misinformation on the Z390 XI Hero's power phasing?

[jackflynn]

Greetings,

There's a buzz currently on Youtube and Reddit regarding some comments made by Steve from techtuber channel Hardware Unboxed, surrounding comments he made about what he called "fake 8-phase that's really a 4-phase VRM" power phasing on the Maximus XI Hero.

Initially in his video he doesn't reference the Maximus XI Hero by name but shows a slide of it describing it as a motherboard packing a "measly 4 phase VRM"

https://youtu.be/NGHiRrQ2AAo?t=213

Bizzarely enough, he then makes comparisons of the XI Hero to the 4 phase Z370 PC Pro and infers that the problems with the XI Hero are due to it's inferior VRM's - so somehow making an equivalency between the Z370 PC Pro and the Z390 XI Hero. but there's more ....

Further below in the comment section he describes the XI Hero as having "fake 8-phase that's really a 4-phase VRM" basically implying both incompetence and deception on Asus's part. He later apologized for that in the comment section but as you can imagine the damage was done.

The Reddit threads lit up and further picked up on this and a slew of impressionables are rushing to cancel or return their XI Hero's and XI Code's..

Can someone please link me to info regarding the power phasing on the board?

I have this from overclock.net
https://www.overclock.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=223640&d=1539304287

which led to this description of the Vishay SiC639 power phasing
https://www.vishay.com/docs/76585/sic639.pdf

but it kind of conflicts with this info from Dutch site Hardwareluxx.de
https://www.hardwareluxx.de/community/f12/lga-1151-mainboard-vrm-liste-1175784.html#z390

which describes it as 4 +2

So ... which is it? And what info is the correct info to clear this up?

Thanks

[tostitobandito]

Check out these two posts at overclock.net for more details on the VRM config.

https://www.overclock.net/forum/6-intel-motherboards/1711414-z390-aurous-master-vrs-asus-rog-hero.ht...
https://www.overclock.net/forum/6-intel-motherboards/1638955-z370-z390-vrm-discussion-thread-254.htm...

On the cpu it's a 4 phase using a doubled set of components, two full power stages per phase. This reduces response time compared to boards which use doublers (probably the biggest reason they went this way), and the mosfets used also have great thermal performance. In practice, this board behaves more or less like an 8 phase, and seems to perform at least on par with comparable 8-10 phase boards. An example was given where it had lower VRM temps than a 10 phase Z390 board with the same amount of power.

As has been stated a bunch of times already, there's no empirical evidence anywhere that this board is a bad overclocker. The hardware unboxed video was completely wrong about the source of Linus's low temps and power. There's already documentation of the Maximus Hero going to 6.5-7.0 GHz on LN2 or helium, so the VRM's can obviously handle far more current than any of us are likely to run through it.

As for the "Is Asus being deceptive?" question, it's unclear. While not technically an 8 phase board, it does have 8 power stages on the core with double per phase. This is probably where the "twin 8 phase" BS came from. It's all marketing speak so I don't think it's in the same ballpark as Asus publishing technical specs which clearly mis-state the phase configuration. Non-technical product/marketing descriptions play fast and loose with the facts all the time; Asus isn't the only one who does this. I'd love it if all the manufacturers would publish components/specs in detail, but there are valid reasons why they don't and I understand. So I sort of understand why the called it 8 phase, but I wish they'd provided more detail/explanation since it was a departure from their previous generation and confused people for a number of days until we figured it out.

[mdzcpa]

That was great info over on overclock.net. So the Hero XI is indeed a beefed up 4 phase that runs in parallel (without doublers) and has 8 drivers and 8 power stages. AlphaC on OC.net believes this design is more efficient than running doublers and he clearly recommends the board. That info also explains Asus' market terminology of "Twin 8 phase power design".... so that passes muster IMO.

Well, this issue is closed for me unless some other news pops up. Thanks to those that posted good info here on the thread.

Just waiting on the 9900k to ship....and while I'm waiting I may rethink a custom water loop versus the Corsair 150i I was planning.

[elmor]

Extended 8-phase = 4x PWM signals + doubler IC in interleaving mode
Twin 8-phase = 4x PWM signals each to two power stages

Load step from 45A to 193A. What you see is the transient response, ie the resulting output voltage with load changes. It's not that the VRM has less droop, it's that the VRM is faster at adapting to the new load scenario resulting in less undershoot.

[Doko15]

Well that Twin 8 phase looks much more tight and sexier than the Extended 8 phase. I know one thing, im definitely keeping my Maxims XI Hero. Now we just need Intel to send us some 9900Ks faster !!!

[ScomComputers_L]

Elmor
"STRIX Z370-E / Z370-F ... Reportedly they have a 200W power limit in BIOS."
This is true?
Do you have any new information?
Thanks...

[jackflynn]

ScomComputers LTD. wrote:
Elmor
"STRIX Z370-E / Z370-F ... Reportedly they have a 200W power limit in BIOS."
This is true?
Do you have any new information?
Thanks...

Here is an interesting update to the whole power limiting issue. An answer provided by Asus to Bryan from TechYESCity on the floor @ PAX Aus Oct 27th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv_WlnfttYo
While this doesn't name the STRIX Z370-E and Z370-F specifically it does say the Maximus Hero XI can handle well over 200 Watts absolutely fine.
Importantly it clears up the question of how Linus and other reviewers got power limited on the board.

But to answer your question as to whether this would also apply to the STRIX Z370-E / Z370-F, perhaps Elmor could still weigh in.

[elmor]

ScomComputers LTD. wrote:
Elmor
"STRIX Z370-E / Z370-F ... Reportedly they have a 200W power limit in BIOS."
This is true?
Do you have any new information?
Thanks...

Seems ok to me. Just 50x ratio set, offset + 0.100V, Tjmax = 115*C.

[ScomComputers_L]

elmor wrote:
Seems ok to me. Just 50x ratio set, offset + 0.100V, Tjmax = 115*C.

Thank you!
I think I do not buy a hero, I buy f-gaming, I do not use prime95 and linx ,only games.
😛

[sherriffjb]

elmor wrote:
Seems ok to me. Just 50x ratio set, offset + 0.100V, Tjmax = 115*C.

1.48v for 5ghz?!?
Should have shot way higher with that amount of juice. 🙂

[elmor]

sherriffjb wrote:
1.48v for 5ghz?!?
Should have shot way higher with that amount of juice. 🙂

That's the requested VID before load-line is applied etc. Anyhow I just needed to get the power consumption up to verify there's no 200W limit.