Introduction

Over the past two years the line between HEDT and mainstream consumer platforms has grown smaller and smaller. This change is in large part due to the enormous success of AMD's Ryzen family of processors. As consumer CPU core counts go up, the market for HEDT shrinks. In light of this changing market, Intel has opted to offer their refreshed Core-X series processors with a huge price cut over the previous generation. This is a huge win for the community, putting the Intel Extreme processors back in reach of many consumers who couldn't justify the nearly US$2,000 price tag top offerings previously commanded.

Of course, that isn't what you're here to see. Today, we will be turning back to AMD, who have set about redefining what High End means in the HEDT market. It seems inevitable—since the Red brand has been pushing the core count envelope in their desktop CPU line, their HEDT and server families need to go further to maintain good product segmentation. The 24-core 3960X I am testing with today is impressive already and doesn't even have half the cores of the upcoming flagship 3990X, which leaves me with an important question to answer: What kind of boards could handle a 64-core monster, let alone overclock one?

The ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme is targeted at the top tier of TRX40 boards. Featuring no less than twenty 70 A power stages, active VRM cooling, a virtual cornucopia of extreme overclocking features, premium accessories, and even an OLED display, the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme has all the bells and whistles. Of course, with a US$850 price tag it has a lot to live up to.

Can it live up to the hype? There is only one way to find out.

Specifications

Packaging and Contents

The front of the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme box features a black background with subtle, printed patterns. In the top-right corner is a brushed metal background, while the rest of the box has a line pattern. "ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Gaming Motherboard" is in the center left, with the Republic of Gamers logo in the top right. "ASUS" is in the bottom left, and the brand badging is in the bottom right.

The back of the box at least has variations of what I look for: a shot of the board that includes a good view of the rear I/O, a list of standout features, and the specifications list. Overall, the box design follows the premium minimalist approach, which works very well. The front of the box opens up to show a window with the board visible beneath and some of the stand-out features on the flap.


Opening the box, it sits in a cardboard tray. The inside of the lid features the ROG logo and "Welcome to the Republic" in metallic red lettering. The accessories are stored below the tray in a well-organized network of compartments.


A lot of small design elements of the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme packaging make it look and feel like a part of the product rather than a delivery method. The way the front of the box pivots open to allow you to slide the motherboard tray out instead of trying to lift it straight up and the different compartments to organize the plethora of accessories are easy to miss in a review, but make an impression when experienced in person. The ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme is an expensive board, and ASUS has put a lot of thought into making it feel worth the cost.


As I alluded above, the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme comes with quite an array of accessories. All the expected bits are there: a manual, a Wi-Fi antenna, SATA cables, and an assortment of ROG swag. There are also plenty of extras: more SATA cables (some braided), thermistors, RGB extensions, and even a USB drive instead of a driver disk. The real stars of the show are the ROG DIMM.2, Fan Extension Card II, and screwdriver. That last one may seem like a joke; other boards have occasionally included a driver, but not like this.


The driver included with the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme has a milled aluminium handle pressed onto a steel shaft with a bearing in the top for easy one-handed use. It comes with three attachments: a Phillips #1, a Phillips #2, and a magnet on an extension. I used the included driver for the entire board teardown, and I have no complaints (for reference, I usually use an iFixit driver).

The full list of accessories includes:

• Manual
• CableMod coupon
• USB drive with drivers and utilities
• 6x SATA 6 Gb/s cables
• 2x weave SATA 6 Gb/s cables
• 3x thermistor cables
• RGB strip extension cable
• Addressable RGB strip extension cable
• ROG DIMM.2
• 5x M.2 mounting hardware
• Q-Connector
• ROG coaster
• ROG logo plate sticker
• ROG Big sticker
• Dual-function screwdriver
• ROG thank you card
• Fan Extension Card II
• Fan Extension Card II power cable
• Fan Extension Card II NODE connector cable
• 4x Fan Extension Card II mounting screws
• WiFi antenna

Board Layout

ASUS has been a trendsetter in board design for many years now, and the Extreme edition motherboards are often at the forefront of ASUS innovation efforts. I feel safe saying the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme is absolutely not an exception. The ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme is one of my all time favorite motherboard designs; featuring a black PCB and black and mirror silver heatsinks. The large backplate adds rigidity and inspires confidence when the board is handled, despite the massive heatsinks.


The chrome over the chipset and the top of the I/O cover is a proper mirror finish, with "Republic of Gamers" printed over the chipset and "Zenith II" over the rear I/O.


The CPU socket is quite crowded, as I suspect most TRX40 boards will be. Between the massive CPU socket, eight DIMM slots, and the absolutely huge VRM heatsink, there really isn't much board vendors can do to create more open space. The rear I/O cover is part of the VRM heatsink, and there are two small fans over the Vcore section.


ASUS has relocated the CPU EPS power input to the right side of the board, next to the 24 pin. There are two 8-pin ports encased in metal, as well as an extra 6 pin, just in case.


There are just two M.2 slots on the front of the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme; one below the first PCIe x16 slot and another between the third and fourth PCIe x16 slots. Both are covered by a single heatsink held in place by four captive (thank you, ASUS) screws.


There is a third slot on the back of the board, near the bottom-right corner. The backplate does not need to be removed to access the slot.


There is also the ROG DIMM.2, an expansion card that utilizes a proprietary slot much like a stick of RAM. On the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme, the DIMM.2 slot is located next to the right bank of RAM slots.


The DIMM.2 card that comes with the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme doesn't have the extra fan headers or the RGB the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Impact DIMM.2 had, as it opts for a simpler approach with an M.2 slot on each side, and a robust heatsink over each. The benefit to a simpler card is a much shorter profile, barely higher than my Trident Z Neo memory. Given the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme has an entire separate accessory for fan headers and some killer RGB already, the smaller, simplified DIMM.2 is a great choice in my opinion.


The ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme offers four PCI Express 4.0 x16 slots, all encased in steel armor. The board has a total of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, all angled 90 degrees from the board.


The rear I/O on the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme is really quite excellent. With no less than six USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port, a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port, and four USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme feels like a board made for work. Not to mention the 10G LAN, LED illuminated audio jacks, Clear CMOS button, and BIOS Flashback button. This is what TRX40 I/O should look like.

The full list includes:

• 2x Antenna ports
• BIOS Flashback button
• Clear CMOS button
• 4x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports
• 6x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports
• USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port
• USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port
• 2x RJ-45 LAN port
• Optical SPDIF out port
• 5x 3.5 mm LED illuminated audio jacks

Networking on the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme is handled by an Intel I211AT and an Aquantia AQC-107 for 10 Gb/s LAN. WiFi 6 is provided by an Intel 802.11ax module.