ASUS ROG Z390 Maximus XI Formula Review

Up Close

For years the ASUS ROG packaging has been predominantly red. With the last generation it moved to a red and black design, and now with the newest Z390 releases it is all black. This has, however, meant that the ROG logo has moved from a reflective colouring into an all-red one, which we think works very nicely.

If you’re a regular follower of ROG motherboards then the ASUS ROG Z390 Maximus XI Formula might look familiar, being very close to the Rampage VI in its design. The EK water block covering on the VRMs looks very nice, and the chrome accents are perfect for reflecting any RGB lighting you might have in your build. With the Z390 Strix going for an all-black look it’s nice to have options if you’d prefer something a bit flashier. Whilst you’re unlike to see the back of the Maximus XI often it’s nice to know that there is a big heat-spreader to help eliminate hot spots.

We will look at the key parts of the top end of the Maximus XI on the next page, but a quick glance shows the primary elements. You have an EK hybrid cover that allows you to use the board as a basis of a water-cooled setup without needing to purchase extra water blocks. There are 8+4 CPU power inputs enabling you to drive the CPU as hard as you desire. You can also see five fan/pump headers, three at the top right area and two at the bottom left. Placing them like this frees you up from the misery of routing your cables in a clean manner.

The lower half has the shiniest parts of the armour and a giant ROG logo that lights up. You can also see the two primary PCI Express 3.0 slots are reinforced with the steel armour that allows you to install even the heaviest graphics cards without issue, whilst the area below the second PCI Express slot contains the two M.2 sockets for all your blisteringly fast storage needs.