ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming WiFi Review

Up Close – Contents and Overview

If you were with us for the Maximus Formula preview then the ASUS ROG Hyper M.2 card will be very familiar as it’s identical in the Strix box as it was in that one. If you weren’t then this is a way to expand the number of M.2 slots you can utilise for high-speed data transfer fun and games without using the DIMM.2 slot idea.

We still don’t know if we love the idea of diagonal slots or if we find them transgressive. They’re certainly unique, and if you dislike them strongly they are also covered up by the shroud, so it’s all good.

Within the Strix packaging we find all the usual ROG accessories from their moveable wireless antenna to stickers, keyrings and SATA cables. It does feel from the stickers that ASUS are moving away from the full colour spectrum with the Strix. Only time will tell if this is temporary or a view of the future.

As always we’ll spend the next couple of pages looking in more detail at the PCB, but it’s nice to get a good lay of the land before we dive in to the nitty gritty. Think of this like looking at a satellite view of your town before you zoom in to see how old the street view image is, given that next door sold that Ford Focus a few years ago.