It can be a challenge to wrap up a long review into a neat few paragraphs when so much has been covered in detail. This isn't a run-of-the-mill product either. Rather, it is the ASUS flagship motherboard and represents the entire Z690 Maximus product line which deserves a proper send off.

We will start with things that ASUS could have improved upon. But first, let's take care of the unavoidable conversation about the price. This is an expensive product and it is simply not marketed towards every type of consumer. This flagship is designed, marketed and purchased by those who desire the absolute best and a premium experience currently available without compromise. I've said this before in the Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Xtreme WaterForce review; If you think it costs too much, you are not the targeted consumer.

With that said, just because it costs a lot does not mean it should be blindly accepted as a premium product. Luckily for ASUS in this case, the company didn't cut corners or assumed those who are willing to pay a premium will not care about what they are buying.

Being that it is not cheap, there's some minor improvements that could bring up the value even further. First is the 2" OLED LiveDash. While it was a great addition to the ASUS X570 Extreme and Z690 Formula, it looks out of place on the Extreme Glacial because it does not blend into the monoblock. It is clearly just an OLED screen haphazardously placed because someone at HQ decided: because it is a flagship motherboard it needs absolutely everything. Now doubt the OLED is nice and would be missed if not included, but the placement is leftover from using the top M.2 heatsink on the other models where that was the only place to put it. ASUS had an entire motherboard to play with this time, but decided to not risk a change from the standardized format.

After reviewing the Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Xtreme WaterForce, you sometimes don't realize how much wire management can visually change a product from something average-looking, to a very expensive boutique computer, until you compare the two side by side. Gigabyte Z690 Xtreme hands down has the best wire management, when it comes to cable routing and connecting the monoblock. Having wires poking up all around when the goal of a boutique computer build is to keep it as clean as possible can be a challenge to deal with. That being said, all these complaints are minor and generally not worth mentioning if this wasn't ASUS flagship motherboard. It's strictly nitpicking, but none the less, these are things to consider as aesthetics are equally important to overall functionality for this class-tier.

Speaking of functionality, ASUS's engineering team went through the checklist of what is currently available and made sure to include it here. The actual limitations of what is possible is based around the total amount of of PCIe lanes the CPU can provide, which is divided up between the PCIe slots and PCH (Z690 Chipset). Most remember Intel and AMD's HEDT platforms for the increased core count. Even though the PCIe lane count was increased which allowed prosumers to connect extra graphic scards and PCIE Add-on cards, it wasn't considered that impornant at the time. This is partially why the HEDT platform existed in the first place and allowed enterprise level of connectivity that was once unattainable on a consumer platform previously.

Unfortunately the ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme Glacial is limited by the LGA 1700 socket in respects to PCIe lanes, ASUS still managed to fit in a M.2 Gen5 socket, four additional M.2 Gen4 sockets along with six 6 Gb/s SATA ports. This gives users a large amount of internal storage options. The only upset here is unavoidable and that is that the Gen 5 M.2 shares bandwidth and competes with both x16 PCIe slots. When this upper M.2 socket is populated, the top 16x PCIe slot drops to 8x PCIe Gen5 and the second one is disabled altogether. There is no work around for any motherboard vendor if a M.2 Gen5 socket is used on the Intel Z690 platform.

When it comes to external connections, once again ASUS has included enough USB ports to accommodate the vast majority of users. A total of eight USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) ports can be used from the Rear IO panel for lower bandwidth devices. Two additional ports, one being USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) and the second being Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps) is present as well. Additional ports can be used through other on-board headers, making this a motherboard with a lot of options for connecting devices. ASUS of course continues its due diligence with 10 Gb LAN and WiFi-6E that is expected in this price tier.

Moving on into more technical stuff, the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme Glacial not only has the largest VRM setup for any Intel Z690 based motherboard with a 24+1+2 design, but a fully "unlocked" BIOS to complement it fully. There is a common misconception that more phases allows for a better overclock. In reality that only helps to a certain point, the rest comes down to how the VRM is designed and its ability to tweak settings in the BIOS. By ASUS including "extra" Vcore phases, it allows the cycle duty to be split among many, thus on a basic operational level, each MOSFET operates at a lower temperature, extending each component's lifespan. When it comes to the BIOS, being "unlocked" is a nicer way of saying, things that are often missing from other vendors is present and accounted for. However unlikely these additional functions and voltages will be seen or adjusted, it is all here at your disposal. You are buying a premium product that is in many ways is expected to always include everything the current Intel platform has to offer.

ASUS understands what is required for a flagship product with the ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme Glacial. It can fill multiple roles for different type of consumers. The obvious big selling point is the unique monoblock designed specifically for this motherboard. This lends itself to being a showpiece in the gaming room and certainly can be a form of displaying wealth as well. Given the price point, this motherboard is certainly not for everyone, but those who have the funds will not be disappointed by the long list of features. ASUS cares about the customer, down the box and it clearly shows. This is why the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme Glacial has received a Editors Choice.