ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha (TRX40) Motherboard Review

Rating: 9.0.

The rewards for offering a high-performance flagship motherboard on the TRX40 platform are clear. Vendors are all competing at price points well above £600 which culminates in motherboard options filled to the brim with the features that almost anybody could wish for. ASUS' ROG Zenith II Extreme was no exception to that point. However, ASUS has taken the fight up a notch by releasing an updated ‘Alpha' model which is buffed-up with a set of sixteen 90 Amp power stages.

Could this be the ultimate TRX40 motherboard?

A sixteen-stage power delivery solution driven by 90 Amp power stages, five M.2 connections, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, and an onboard OLED display, the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha offers an envious array of features. Targeting hardcore enthusiasts, those who need workstation-type performance, and overclockers who want to push boundaries, ASUS' flagship TRX40 motherboard is designed to appeal to a cross-market audience.

The wants of overclockers are different to the wants of workstation prosumers. It will be interesting to see how ASUS strikes the balance between the target audiences for its Zenith II Extreme Alpha. We can only assume that the total market for a motherboard that is currently priced close to £900 is relatively small. And with tough competition from Gigabyte and MSI, how will ASUS' crown jewel perform? Let's find out.

Features (information taken from the ASUS webpage):

• Ready for AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen™ Threadripper™ Processors: Maximize connectivity and speed with up to five M.2 drives, USB3.2 Gen2x2 and AMD StoreMI
• Robust power delivery: Optimized power solution with 16 Infineon TDA21490 power stages, ProCool II power connectors, microfine alloy chokes and 10K capacitors
• Comprehensive thermal design: Active-cooling VRM heatsink, PCIe-zone M.2 aluminum heatsink, backplate, Fan Extension Card II and water-cooling zone
• High-performance networking: Onboard Aquantia® 10 Gbps Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MU-MIMO support, and GameFirst V technology
• Unmatched personalization: Color OLED display and ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including two additional RGB headers and two addressable headers
• Industry-leading ROG audio: SupremeFX S1220 and ESS® SABRE9018Q2C for enthusiast-grade audio performance, featuring Japanese capacitors
• DIY-friendly design: Pre-mounted I/O shield, ASUS SafeSlot, BIOS FlashBack™ and FlexKey

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