With the ever-closer release of Intel's Kaby Lake family of CPUs, details and leaks are becoming more and more difficult to stem. As such, the ASUS ROG Maximus IX Formula, ASUS's high-end offering for the Z270 chipset and LGA 1151 socket, has been detailed.

The board features the ATX form factor, with the solid red and black colors that are ROG's identity, with red LEDs spread throughout the board - part of the new Aura RGB lightning which offers 3+2 independent on-board LED areas that can be customized by users. The board comes with a 8+2+2 Phase Digital power design that features 10K black metallic capacitors, MicroFine Alloy Chokes, NexFET PW (Power) block MOSFET and DIGI+ Power Control Utility for real-time adjustments. All of these components are part of the new ASUS Extreme Engine Digi+ technology that improves CPU stability and overclocking, with power being fed through a single 8-Pin connector.The motherboard features four DDR4 DIMM slots that can support up to 64 GB of memory with speeds of up to 4133 MHZ (O.C+). Expansion slots on the motherboard include three PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16/x8/x4 electrical), three PCIe 3.0 x1 and dual M.2 Socket 3 Type M (PCIe 3.0 x4 + SATA). The board comes with armored expansion slots which means that they are shielded by a metallic cover that fortifies the slot with extra strength and durability.

Storage options include six SATA III 6 GB/s ports. There's also a USB 3.1 front header along with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 (2+4) front panel connectors. For audio, the motherboard comes with the latest SupremeFX S1220 CODEC that comes with a new ALC S1220 CODEC, De-pop MOSFET, ESS Hi-Fi Sabre DAC, Premium Nichicon capacitors, all topped with SupremeFX shielding. As to I/O options, which are really pretty expansive, the Maximus IX Formula features 2 USB 3.1 (Type-A, Type-C) ports, 4 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0, Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN, HDMI 1.4, DP 1.2, 2×2 MU-MIMO 802.11 AC WI-FI, Clr CMOS / BIOS Flashback buttons and a 7.1 Channel Audio Jack.ASUS also implemented their latest CrossChill EK II water cooling system inside the Maximus IX Formula. Developed in collaboration with EK Waterblocks, the new system utilizes a brand new thin fin design to increase water flow rate and offer increased contact surface area for up to 4C (degrees) improvement over the previous design. There are also dedicated headers for water cooling setups that can provide water flow sensor and temp sensor.For all of that, you can expect one of ASUS' top-of-the-line motherboards, with an expected equally top-of-the-line price-tag.