Weird ASUS motherboard with SODIMM slots showcased

Why does this abomination exist? ASUS ROG motherboard with SODIMM memory revealed

Thanks to @wxnod on Twitter/X, we have gotten a look at a strange new ASUS ROG motherboard that’s unlike anything that we have ever seen from the company. This motherboard appears to be an ROG maximus XIII Hero motherboard with an ASUS TUF CPU socket cover and SODIMM memory slots.

Based on the image below, this ASUS motherboard appears to be a custom design for Kingston. After all, the motherboard has a “Kingston Fury” splash screen. Our guess is that this strange motherboard was made for SODIMM memory testing and validation in Kingston’s labs. After all, why would you want to connect SODIMM memory to a high-end ASUS ROG motherboard?

SODIMM based memory is typically used by laptops and smaller desktop PCs. By small, we mean systems like Intel’s NUC series, not Mini ITX desktop PCs. That said, ASROCK did make a Mini-ITX motherboard with 6-channel SODIMM memory support back in 2019. Even so, SODIMM memory is typically slower than full-sized DRAM modules. This makes larger memory modules preferable for full-sized desktop PCs.

Since this motherboard is likely for SODIMM module testing, we are unlikely to ever see this strange motherboard come to market. This is especially true knowing that this motherboard is based on Intel’s old Z590 CPU platform. Remember, Intel are likely to launch new Z890 motherboards later this year.

You can join the discussion on ASUS’ strange SODIMM-based motherboard on the OC3D Forums.