ASUS Announces B150 Pro Gaming/Aura

When I go motherboard shopping, there is one thing that makes it first on the list of must-haves – Intel NIC. So it was awesome to see that the ASUS B150 Pro Gaming/Aura for Intel Skylake CPUs includes the I219-V. The price is right @ $129 and there’s lots of good stuff like M.2, USB Type-C and DDR4 support, but there are two potential drawbacks depending on use: no DisplayPort, and it lights up.

ASUS Announces the B150 Pro Gaming/Aura

— A value-packed B150 Express motherboard with the latest connectivity, class-leading fan controls, and gamer-oriented features —

KEY POINTS Gaming aesthetics: Gorgeous LED illumination casts an endless spectrum of colors across B150 Pro Gaming/Aura builds, with fun effects. Gaming-grade audio and networking: SupremeFX and Sonic Radar II, plus Intel I219-V Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard and GameFirst technologies Gaming-grade cooling: Dedicated water-pump header for instant liquid cooling, plus intuitive control with Fan Xpert 3 The latest connectivity: USB 3.1 Type-A and C, M.2, and RAMCache acceleration

Fremont, California (December 4th, 2015) — ASUS today announced availability of the B150 Pro Gaming/Aura, a new ATX motherboard based on the latest Intel® B150 Express chipset and ready for the newest 6th-generation Intel processors. The B150 Pro gaming/Aura provides the latest high-speed connectivity options, together with gaming features that set a new standard for affordable motherboards.

Gaming aesthetics Modern gamers are all about style and personality — so the B150 Pro Gaming/Aura let’s them illuminate their builds. Aura is an all-new LED-illumination technology from ASUS, capable of millions of colors and a selection of functional and fun effects. Aura includes simple software controls for customizing the onboard LED lighting. The intuitive interface lets gamers cast a stunning multi-color glow across their B150 Pro Gaming/Aura builds, including breathing, strobing and cycling effects. The lighting can also change based on the CPU temperature or pulsate in time to the beat of your favorite music. Gaming-grade audio and networking The B150 Pro Gaming/Aura is engineered with ASUS SupremeFX audio technology. SupremeFX is a combination of PCB trace and component layout tweaks, EMI shielding, and stiff voltage regulation to achieve a 115dB SNR, delivering in-game sound that’s alive with realism. The red-line shielding used to isolate the audio circuitry is also illuminated with customizable LED lighting, allowing users to create eye-catching effects. Hardware is just part of the story – gamers want a competitive edge, so we’ve bundled a comprehensive software suite that includes gamer features such as Sonic Radar II. This customizable overlay shows both the direction and origin of key in-game sounds, enabling ASUS gamers to pinpoint enemies. The software suite also contains Audio Enhancement technology to clarify every audible detail, so you don’t miss vital events. On the networking front, the B150 Pro Gaming/Aura’s Ethernet connection offers high bandwidth with minimal lag. Intel controllers reduce CPU overhead, freeing up resources to execute crucial tasks without hindrance. The Ethernet port itself has also been tweaked with advanced filtering and surge-resistant components to ensure stability and reliability. For gamers who run multiple network-hungry applications, GameFirst software prioritizes packets and allocates more bandwidth where it’s needed — users need only choose the Optimization, Game, Media Streaming, or File Sharing preset to ensure optimal performance. GameFirst also includes Multi-Gate Teaming to combine the bandwidth of multiple networks for maximum speed. Enthusiast-grade cooling Quiet and effective cooling is an important facet of any gaming system. A standout feature of the B150 Pro Gaming/Aura is its advanced fan and water-pump controls. Each onboard fan header can be set to DC or PWM mode, and linked to the optimal thermal sensor for efficient cooling. The fan controls are also intuitive, featuring automatic calibration and a host of tweakable options via Fan Xpert 3 software and UEFI. USB 3.1, M.2, and RAMCache The B150 Pro Gaming/Aura has the latest connectivity built in, with both USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A and reversible Type-C ports for data-transfer speeds of up to 10Gbit/s — or double the speed of USB 3.0. A built-in M.2 socket provides access to high-speed solid-state drives (SSDs). On top of that, RAMCache software lets you allocate a portion of system memory as an ultra-high-speed cache that can improve the performance of any drive. Easy DIY Easy-DIY features include single sided Q-Slot and Q-DIMM retention clips that simplify installing and removing graphics cards and memory modules. The cushioned Q-Shield prevents nicks and cuts while building a PC, while four Q-LED lamps highlight problems with the CPU, memory, graphics card, or boot device for quick diagnosis.

AVAILABILITY AND PRICING The ASUS B150 Pro Gaming/Aura is priced at $129 and is available from ASUS authorized retailers and distributors now.

SPECIFICATIONS1

ASUS B150 Pro Gaming/Aura Processor/CPU socket LGA1151 socket for 6th-generation Intel® Core™ i7 / i5 / i3 / Pentium® / Celeron® processors Chipset Intel B150 Express LED illumination ASUS Aura, with the following modes: Static; Breathing; Strobing; Color Cycle; Music Effect; CPU Temperature Memory 4 x DIMMs, up to a maximum of 64GB DDR4 2133MHz Expansion slots 1 x PCI Express® 3.0 x16 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 (maximum at x4 mode) 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x1 2 x PCI Graphics (VGA) Integrated Intel HD Graphics processor HDMI with maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 at 24Hz D-sub with max. resolution of 1920 x 1200 at 60Hz Intel InTru™ 3D / Quick Sync Video / Clear Video HD Technology / Insider™ Multi-GPU support Two-way/quad-GPU AMD® CrossFireX™ Audio SupremeFX eight-channel high-definition audio codec Storage 6 x SATA 6.0Gbit/s 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices supports (both SATA and PCIe 3.0 x2 modes) Networking/LAN Intel Gigabit Ethernet, anti-surge LANGuard, GameFirst technology USB 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port 6 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports Dimensions / form factor ATX 12-inch x 9.6-inch (30.5cm x 24.4cm)

1Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. Full specifications are available at http://www.asus.com

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