Finished Looks

I want to give a special thanks to EVGA for providing an RTX 2080 FTW3 Ultra to replace my old GTX 980; it was a much-needed upgrade. In addition to the new hardware and the new bench, I have changed up the cooling, going with a larger loop. The Eisbaer performed well, but the ever-increasing heat density of mainstream CPUs was pushing it to the limit.


The black and dark gunmetal theme of the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO (WiFi) lends itself well to a refined overall aesthetic. The colors are neutral enough to match many different component combinations, and matched particularly well with the dark gray and silver of my EVGA RTX 2080 FTW3 Ultra and the black and white brushed finish on my Team Group T-Force Xtreem memory.


The ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO (WiFi) has a nice compliment of lighting to add an extra splash of color to the mix. There are two zones: one on the rear I/O cover and one under the chipset shroud. There are also two AURA RGB headers and one addressable RGB Gen 2 header for lighting expansion. Light diffusion and design are on par with the best boards I have tested, but brightness is lacking in comparison. If you are looking for a subtle look, this is a great option.

Test System