Looking at the Z270 line-up from ASUS quite a few things have change compared to the past. There is for example the new "Code" and there is even a model specifically targeting extreme overclockers which goes by the name "Apex". Today ASUS launches the ROG Maximus IX Extreme, which is their new high-end water cooled model.


Since there is already the ROG Maximus IX Apex that’s been specifically designed for extreme overclocking, the ROG Maximus IX Extreme comes now with a full cover waterblock from Bitspower. In other words this board is geared towards extreme watercooling setups.

The ROG Maximus IX Extreme is based on an E-ATX form factor PCB with four DDR4 DIMM slots. There are three full-sized and metal-strengthened PCIe slots, which have been wired using 16/8/4 lanes top to bottom. Between each PCIe slot there is one slot distance, which allows for running multi-GPU setups easily. There are eight SATA ports that have been angled by 90° and two M.2 slots. Both M.2 slots are hidden under the PCH cooling block or placed on the back of the motherboard. In general the layout is quite similar to the previous model, but what’s not there anymore is the U.2 connector.

Looking for additional features we find onboard buttons and a debug display, support for USB 3.1 and a good mix of connectors at the I/O panel. Since this model is specifically targeting watercooling enthusiasts, there is an armada of 3-pin and 4-pin PWM connectors. There are for example four 4-pin PWM headers in the top right corner, two 4-pin PWM ports in the middle part and six 4-pin PWM ports in the bottom area of the PCB. Furthermore there is also a white 3-pin port in the bottom left corner. Basically this motherboard allows you to power up to 12 fans or several water cooling pumps.

The most interesting part of this motherboard is the full cover block placed on top of the CPU socket, which comes from Bitspower. This monoblock design is not only very good looking it also features only one inlet and one outlet for coolant maintaining a clean loop. If you were to cool your setup with a separate block for the CPU and the VRM that would mean you’d have twice the number of connectors and more tubes resulting in a more crowded build. Like other ROG Maximus IX models, this board comes with the Supreme FX audio solution and ASUS Aura backlight.

The ROG Maximus IX Extreme is already listed on Geizhals for 570€ - which is really not a bargain, even if there is already a full-cover block on this board.





Source: ASUS