Review of the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme: An excess of glory, luxury, and power Leave a comment
You want to match your 12900K CPU to a motherboard that matches its power.
On first glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Premium build quality
- Packed with features
- Intuitive BIOS and software
- CPU cooler compatible with LGA 1200/1701 sockets
Cons
- There are cheaper alternatives available with most of these functions.
- DDR5 only, with four sticks to base clock speed
- Some thick cooling plates may interfere with some heavy graphics cards.
Our Verdict
The ASUS ROG MAXIMUM Z690 EXTREME is truly a motherboard for PC enthusiasts who demand the best of the best.
Here are some important things to consider:
- E-ATX motherboards are wider than ATX motherboards.
- Intel 12th-generation Alder Lake CPUs support up to 24 power stages (LGA 1766), and they're now available for purchase.
- Only DDR5 RAM, 4 slots
- PCI Express 5.0
- Five M.2 SSDs
- Thunderbolt 4
- USB-C Gen 2
- Wi-Fi 6E
- 10 GB LAN (Marvel AQtion) and an Intel 2.4 GB LAN
- The ROG SupremeFX ALCS4082 has an ES9018QC 2
- A 2-inch OLED Live dash, and AniMe matrix display
- 3- and 4 pin RGB headers
- Reset CMOS and BIOS settings
- ROG Dimn 2 M.2 Adapter Card
- Multiple fan and water cooling headers
- HDMI port for integrated video card (when GPU not available).
- Six SATA 6GB per second (6Gbps
- M.2 latch and PCI-E button to release GPU
- CPU cooler backwards compatibility for LGA 1200 or 1700 CPUs
Design
Extreme. That word describes why so many would like this motherboard. If you're a minimalist, RGB-agnostic enthusiast, you don't need to worry about this motherboard packing any Times Square-level lighting. It has a 2-inch OLED screen and an animated matrix display, which means it can show almost anything from CPU stats to animation. When you're paying for extra features, including eye candy.
It’s also heavy. Really heavy, but in a positive way. It weighs over 6 pounds, so it's mighty to hold. The build quality is excellent, with an armored backplate and plenty of coverage for the front areas. The VRM heatsink covers are huge too, and they’ll give you plenty of M.2 cooler with them.
It has an attractive design overall, with good control over the RGB lighting through Asus Aura software, so you can customize it however you'd like.
One thing to keep in mind when using an M.2 SSD is that the top of the drive may remain slightly raised, so if your graphics card has a thick backplate, be mindful of clearance problems. Likewise, if you're using a GPU on the bottom PCIe slot, a thick GPU cooling solution can interfere with some of your cables, preventing a solid cable connection. (This has happened to me with an ASUS STRIX GPU cooler and the RGB port on the bottom of the motherboard.)
Unique features
At this level, the motherboard has a lot of unique features, but what really sets it apart from the rest is its sheer number and combination of these features. We’ll go through some of the most enticing ones:
- With 10GB, 2.4Gbps LAN, and Wi-fi 6E, you get strong networking options for maximum flexibility.
- With connectivity options continuing to impress, with Thunderbolt4 and many USB ports, plus 60W charging ability, Apple has really upped its game.
- Fantastic M.2 support, although keep inmind that only the top M. 2 is PCI-E Gen5, but that will comewith some limitations.
- DDR5 is here. However, keep in mind that it’s more costly than DDR4 for minimal gains in performance. There’s a big problem with running four RAM sticks at once—they won’'t do XMP profiles— so you may want to stick to two RAM sticks of higher capacities.
- M.2 latch release and PCI-E slot access—we hope to see these features on even more motherboards soon!
- Great VRM and GPU performance, but you can achieve similar or better results with some cheaper motherboards, including the Asus Z690 Apex.
- If you want to do two graphics cards, for either better spacing for improved thermals when doing content production, or even… gasp… the already defunct SLI/NV link, go ahead. You can do that with 4-slot NVLink support
- OLED displays are very cool (and PC enthusiasts will appreciate them!).
- Asus' Armoury Crate allows fans to be controlled, Ai overclocked, and RGB customized.
- LGA 1700 will need a new motherboard bracket for most coolers. However, Asus motherboards are compatible out of the box with LGA 1200.
- You'll get some cool stuff in the box, like a RGB controller that can be used in modern builds.
Performance and BIOS
With a powerful processor such as the Intel Core i9-1290K, you’d want to make sure you're maximizing its potential with a motherboard like this.
With its Asus BIOS, you’ll spend a lot of time tweaking settings and adjusting things. You can tweak many system settings, and your memory has huge potential too.
Let’s focus on DDR5 for now. You’ll want to use two memory modules if you want to take advantage of the XMP profile and achieve the maximum rated speed. If you plan to use DDR5 memory, it might be a good idea to go for a higher capacity. Going to 4 RAM sticks will limit your maximum speed to 4800 Mhz. It’s not extreme, but it‘s how it is now. Memory is always a dual channel.
Asus
VRM temperatures with power stage components are more than adequate for even a powerful 12900K.
Overclocking is usually more CPU limited than power supply limited. So, even if you improve the CPU by a small amount, you won't see much improvement.
Asus has an excellent set of AI overclocking and optimization tools. You can find these in the BIOS as well as the ArmourY Crate software.
Resetting CMOS and BIOS flashback is also available, making overclock attempts easier to recover from if they fail. You’ll also get a Liquid Nitrogen mode switch for users who want to push it even further with liquid nitrogen; and a retry button, temperature headers, etc. (You won't be left out; we're not doing any liquid- nitrogen cooling either!).
Bottom line
There are cheaper alternatives on the market, such as Asus' ROG Strix or Gigabyte's Aorus Master. Yes, and they even include many of the same features found on the ROG Maximus X Hero. The magic is in making sure you get the right details. Here, you'll get everything you need—including a truly impressive and premium look. You may also want to check out the Asus ROG Apex motherboards, which have most if not all of the features, but at a lower price point.
It’s definitely not the most expensive option on our list. If you want a liquid-cooled solution, you can find a liquid-cooled version of this motherboard for much more, and MSI’s luxurious GodLike recently made an appearance for Z490 as well.
This motherboard is for people who want an extremely high-end PC and to tick all of their performance and aesthetic options. As prices for computer components continue to skyrocket, motherboard manufacturers have been forced to follow suit.
It will suit both consumers, with its massive connectivity and performance capabilities, as well as enthusiasts who want to build their own PCs and gaming rigs.
It has some minor quirks but the high price tag keeps it from being a 5-star product and highly recommended motherboard. Especially when compared to other motherboards with similar features which cost hundreds of dollars less. If you love the look and feel of the design but want all of its many features too, it’s a great product for the discerning, high-end enthusiast who isn’t afraid to spend the money.
Intel has finally returned to the competitive landscape with its new Z690 platform, matching the performance of high-end CPUs with the ferocious Core i9-1290K CPU. With great power comes great responsibility. The Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z690 Extreme's $1,099 price tag eclipses the $649 price tag of past juggernauts like the X299 Asus ROG Rampage VI Extreme, recasting what a high-end board should cost.
We’ll go over the specs, features, performance, and value you should expect from a high-end motherboard, and whether it delivers everything you need to justify its price.
The specs
The Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME is packed with various features, including DDR5 memory support and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. Remember that it’s a longer version, or E-AT X, meaning it’ll be larger than a typical AT X motherboard and may not fit into all cases. You'll get an integrated I/0 shield, too—no need to worry about forgetting this step of building your project.
You’ll see Wi-Fi 6E (6th generation) and 10GB ethernet Thunderbolt 4 comes with many USB Gen 2 ports. You’ll be able to use up to five M.2 SSDs, and two of them will be on the included ROGDimn2 card that attaches to the motherboard.