A silly Home windows 11 requirement makes Asus' easy new Wi-Fi motherboard characteristic a winner
As a lot as I like motherboard, reviewing them can usually be a irritating expertise, particularly if it has a brand-new chipset. Wonky BIOS recordsdata and awkward connectors are straightforward sufficient to take care of, but it surely’s a complete totally different story with regards to Wi-Fi drivers. That is why Asus‘ new ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial is noteworthy, as a result of it comes with these drivers pre-installed on the board.
It is not the one spangly characteristic the X870E Glacial has; it is a high-end Asus mannequin, in any case. The truth is, the mobo sports activities a veritable smorgasbord of devices, extras, and choices, all designed to make it as user-friendly as attainable. I additionally must say that the entire thing actually does look very good.
It is not simply Asus that has this drawback with guess-the-vendor Wi-Fi drivers, as I do know that some Gigabyte motherboards are like this, too. To be truthful to each firms, it would not actually be a difficulty if Microsoft simply allow you to rapidly skip previous the Web requirement throughout Home windows set up, although you’ll nonetheless be confronted with guessing which set is the appropriate one to make use of.
The automated set up of drivers is one thing that is comparatively new on this planet of motherboards, however I am glad it is right here, because it actually does assist with the entire means of establishing a brand new construct. That stated, it solely takes place as soon as Home windows is totally put in and even then, you are reliant on the board distributors having the most recent drivers on their servers, and you continue to want a internet connection to start out with.
Sticking the entire key drivers right into a little bit of onboard reminiscence on the motherboard appears to be the very best answer, to my eyes not less than. Sadly, it additionally provides to the price of manufacturing the motherboard (not simply the rise within the invoice of supplies but additionally the time it takes to package deal the product), so we might by no means see this filter all the way down to the mainstream or finances sector.
There once more, with DRAM set to be vastly costly for not less than one other 12 months, maybe Asus and the like may simply add it as an choice to all their new motherboards as a method to maintain individuals eager about shopping for a brand new mobo. It will not make constructing a PC as straightforward as sticking Lego bricks collectively, however each little helps.
Greatest gaming motherboard 2026