Published: November 23, 2017 | Source: ASUS | Author: Tom Logan

ASUS Z370 Maximus X Apex Review

Conclusion

It’s pretty easy to sum up the ASUS Maximus X Apex.

Whenever a new ROG product arrives we always have raised expectations and, given the excellence of the Z370 chipset in all our reviews with all brands so far, we certainly had high hopes. We knew from our time with the Maximus X Hero that this latest iteration of the Maximus motherboard’s is a very capable performer and the Apex is that, but more so.

Our range of tests usually lead to the discovery of a hole in the performance of a motherboard somewhere. It might just be the way that particular benchmark is coded, or it might be the length of time it runs, but usually we have such a wide range of tests covering everything from simple AIDA64 memory bandwidth tests all the way through to stressing everything for a long time in the half-hour long 4K Blender test that a motherboard can easily be ‘found out’. The ASUS Z370 Maximus X Apex has no holes in its armoury. No gaps in performance. No areas of weakness. It overclocks easily and willingly, and that overclock gives results which replicate the kind of scores we’d expect from such speeds based on our years of experience. Throw what you like at it and it will just chew it up and spit it back out at you without breaking a sweat.

That is already enough to place the Apex high on anyone’s shortlist who is looking to invest in a Z370 system, but as always with a Republic of Gamers product there are some extra sizzle with the steak which should really entice those on the fence. It might seem trite to say that the Apex has everything but the kitchen sink, but it’s true. Lots of storage options available from the basic SATA through to ASUS’ own DIMM.2 slot. Plenty of USB 3.1 sockets – in both types – alongside lots of LAN bandwidth only add to the masses of throughput you can expect to achieve. If that wasn’t enough ASUS have fitted the Apex with loads of fan headers and dedicated pump headers – including flow monitoring points – to ensure that your system is working at peak efficiency at all times. After all what would be the point of giving a beefy overclock and then limiting your ability to keep your system cool? It doesn’t just look cool either as the X-shaped PCB works in conjunction with the ASUS AURA Sync RGB LED strip headers to ensure your system looks as good just sitting there as it can be under heavy loading.

As always with a ROG product the only negative really is the same as applies everywhere in life, namely that to obtain a premium quality product you have to pay a premium price, but such is the well-rounded nature of the Apex and the completeness of its toolset that we think it is more than worth the investment. Plus, of course, as we saw through our testing it rewards you in spades and thus wins our OC3D Enthusiast Award.

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