ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha (TRX40) Motherboard Review

We will be outlining the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha motherboard’s performance with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X CPU, 32GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory, and an Aorus RTX 2080 Ti XTREME graphics card.

TRX40 Motherboard Test System:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X.
• Memory: 32GB (4x8GB) G.SKILL 3200MHz CL14 DDR4 @ 1.35V.
• Graphics Card: Gigabyte Aorus RTX 2080 Ti XTREME 11G (custom fan curve to eliminate thermal throttling).
• System Drive: WD Black SN750 500GB.
• Test SSD: Gigabyte Aorus PCIe Gen 4 2TB.
• Games SSD: Crucial MX300 750GB.
• CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Wraith Ripper (full speed fans to minimise thermal throttling).
• Power Supply: Seasonic Prime TX-1000 80Plus Titanium 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 1909 Update.

Drivers and UEFI:

• ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha BIOS 0807 [AGESA 1.0.0.3] (latest at the time of testing).

Comparison Motherboards:

• MSI TRX40 Creator (BIOS 1.32N1).

Tests:

• Cinebench R20 – All-core & single-core CPU benchmark (CPU), Stress test (Temperatures & Power Consumption)
• Blender 2.81a – All-core rendering of the BMW and Classroom benchmark (CPU), Stress test (Temperatures & Power Consumption)
• 7-Zip v19 – Built-in 7-Zip benchmark test (CPU & Memory)
• SiSoft Sandra – Memory bandwidth (Memory)
• AIDA64 – Memory bandwidth, memory latency (Memory)
• 3DMark TimeSpy – Time Spy (1440p) test (Gaming)
• The Division 2 – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Ultra quality preset, DX12 version (Gaming)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Highest quality preset, no AA, DX12 version (Gaming)
• CrystalDiskMark– Storage transfer rates (Motherboard)
• Rightmark Audio Analyzer – Record and playback test using a line-in to line-out loopback with a 3.5mm audio cable (Motherboard)
• HWiNFO – System sensor monitoring during stress test (Temperatures & Power Consumption)

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