Board Software

ASUS has "optional" software, with Armoury Crate as the central application for many casual users. In it, you can set fan profiles, RGB lighting, and download the newest drivers. Recent discussion on the TPU forums has asked reviewers to cover the software in more detail and look for any potential issues. So here goes; what has been uncovered here is the software is optional if you do not want to have control over the 2" OLED LiveDash and/or AniMe Matrix display. The software is not required for these to function and they will operate using pre-defined settings unless changed.

Livedash OLED & AniMe Matrix display

The ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme Glacial has a 2" OLED LiveDash screen and AniMe Matrix display built into the monoblock. The AniMe Matrix can be programmed with different animation and text while the LiveDash can be programmed to give different readouts or a custom animations from a GIF. Unfortunately, any saved changes will only be reapplied after a system shutdown when the software is re-opened or started with the windows startup.

Ai Suite 3

ASUS Ai Suite has gone through a few iterations over the years, but it still functions as overclocking-based software. Unfortunately uninstalling this software can be problematic and ASUS even has a special program to assist in cleanup when uninstalling does not work. ASUS needs to retire Ai Suite and release a bug-free version under a new name instead of fixing. This is because the name will still be in the minds of users who had previous problems knowing that Ai Suite can be problematic.

Reviewer Commentary: Speaking from experience, Windows 11 had to be re-installed after this review. It simply would not uninstall fully even after trying the special ASUS cleaning program as a last resort.

GameFirst

GameFirst is ASUS's networking tool. It allows for incoming and outgoing packet optimization. It may come in handy when streaming to Twitch or YouTube while gaming and using Discord simultaneously. A ROG-based router may be configured from within this software. I tested it out with the ASUS ZenWiFi ET8 (AXE6600) that was provided. While it isn't ROG-branded, it did show up.