ASUS silently updated its socket sTRX4 motherboard lineup with the ROG Strix TRX40-XE Gaming. Whispers of this board along with a "Prime TRX40 PRO-S" model date back to February, when a Hardware Info report described them as near-identical successors of the ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming and Prime TRX40-PRO, with upgraded CPU VRM setups, as ASUS probably felt the two needed an improved VRM to cope with the rigors of a 64-core/128-thread Ryzen Threadripper 3990X processor, particularly overclocking it.

The company had already upgraded its flagship ROG Zenith II Extreme to the beefed-up Zenith II Extreme Alpha. The ROG Strix TRX40-XE Gaming is identical to the original ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming, right until you pop open its VRM heatsink. ASUS is using beefier 70 A phases with the XE, carried over from the original ROG Zenith II Extreme. The Extreme Alpha which now tops the lineup, uses even stronger 90 A power stages. The original ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming still very much does support the Threadripper 3990X, including overclocking it, though not as well as the ROG Strix TRX40-XE Gaming. The Prime TRX40 PRO-S remains elusive. ASUS is pricing the ROG Strix TRX40-XE Gaming at USD $549.

ASUS today announced its all-new series of TRX40 motherboards, ROG Zenith II Extreme, ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming and Prime TRX40-Pro, that come loaded with improvements and new features to help professionals, enthusiasts and gamers alike unleash the full potential of 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors. Teamed up with the TRX40 chipset, 3rd Gen Threadripper CPUs bring PCI Express 4.0 to the high-end desktop for the first time, doubling bandwidth across a total of 64 PCIe 4.0 lanes to allow for even faster SSDs, graphics cards and AV gear. Every PCIe slot and M.2 slot in the ASUS TRX40 lineup is wired with PCIe 4.0 connectivity for maximum bandwidth, meaning any expansion cards slotted into an ASUS TRX40 board will run as fast as they possibly can.