ASUS X399 ROG Zenith Extreme Threadripper Preview

Accessories and First Look

In keeping with your expectations for a ROG motherboard, and particularly an Extreme model, the amount of accessories almost beggars belief. There is so much here we could probably do a twelve page review just on the doodads included. Simply for time reasons, and because we’re bound to cover them all in our full review, we’ll focus on a couple of them in our preview today. Firstly the 10G Network adaptor card that we first saw included with the Maximus VIII Assembly, and has been refined since then into an addon that looks like it would have cost you £100 a couple of years ago. Good stuff.

  
  
  

Such is the size of the TR4 socket you need a non-standard adaptor to attach your AIO. Obviously this is neither included with the X399 Zenith Extreme, nor part of the things we’ve been sent by AMD, but as the sheer size of the TR4 socket is something to take your breath away we thought we’d ease you in gently.

  

If you’re looking at the official name for this chipset, the AMD X399, and finding your brain confusing it with the Intel X299, the looks of the motherboard don’t help in mentally separating them. With 8 DIMM slots, 4 PCI Express slots, a uniform IO shield that is connected to the MOSFETs via a heatpipe and ASUS’ AudioBoost sound it takes something special to remind you this is the latest flagship AMD motherboard and not a Rampage Extreme or similar. Kudos to ASUS for unifying their brand aesthetics.