In addition to what was the most expensive Intel Z170 Express chipset motherboard, the Maximus VIII Extreme, ASUS has launched yet another version of that same motherboard which will feature a different color scheme as well as comes bundled with front panel audio DAC and 10G Ethernet card, the Maximus VIII Extreme/Assembly.

Although the main specifications are pretty much the same, the new Maximus VIII Extreme/Assembly comes bundled with a front panel audio DAC, which connects to a USB header and a 10G Ethernet card. It also features the new Plasma Copper color scheme which should go well with ASUS' latest Matrix GTX 980 Ti graphics card.

Unlike the color scheme, the more interesting is the 10G Ethernet card, or 10GBase-T, a standard did not really catch up and usually requires a lot more cash to set up, since switches can go as high as US $750. The 10G Ethernet card in the bundle is based on Aquantia and Tehuti Networks chip and uses PCIe 2.0 x4 interface.

As noted, the rest of the specifications are pretty much the same so you get three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (working at x16, x8/x8 or x8/x4/x4 mode), single PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot (at x4) and two PCI-Express 3.0 x1 slots, eight SATA 6Gbps ports, four shared with two SATA Express ports, one M.2 port and one U.2 port, four USB 3.1 ports, including one Type-A and one Type-C port, Intel I219-V Gigabit Ethernet, ROG Supreme FX 2015 7.1-channel audio with dedicated headphone amp as well as plenty of ASUS exclusive features like Pro Clock, 2nd-gen T-Topology, Extreme Engine DIGI+, Subzero Sense, VGA Hotwire, Slow Mode and Pause switch and more.

Unfortunately, ASUS did not unveil any details regarding the price of the new Maximus VIII Extreme/Assembly motherboard but considering that the original one was priced at US $500 and this one includes about US $500 of bundle, it will probably be reserved only for a handful of enthusiasts and those that need a 10G Ethernet card.









Source: ROG.ASUS.com.