Posted on Thursday, July 20 2017 @ 13:56 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
ASUS provided details about its new high-end Crosshair VI Extreme motherboard for the AMD Ryzen processor series. This model will launch early August for $349.
ROG motherboards can trace their lineage back over a decade to the original Crosshair for Athlon™ 64 processors, so it’s only fitting that the ROG Crosshair VI Extreme brings Ryzen up to speed with our latest innovations. The latest Crosshair is tailored for the high-end machines PC enthusiasts dream of building and overclockers need to unleash Ryzen’s raw potential. The result is an X370 motherboard that gives Ryzen the high-end foundation it deserves.
Overclocking for Everyone Meets Cooling for Everything
ROG engineers devote a lot of time to figuring out how to get the most out of each platform. You don’t need experience with extreme cooling to push the limits of your hardware, though. The Crosshair VI Extreme’s intelligent auto-tuner lets beginners overclock with a single click. This highly configurable tool accounts for the unique characteristics of each system’s hardware and cooling, making it valuable for even seasoned veterans who do most of their tweaking by hand.
Performance and overclocking are inextricably tied to cooling, so we’re constantly looking for ways to improve thermal management. For a high-end board like the Extreme, that means supplying everything needed for sophisticated liquid loops, starting with a special header for monitoring monoblock temperatures, flow rates, and leak detection circuits. We’ve already partnered with the experts at Bitspower to produce a monoblock made specifically for the Extreme that will be sold separately from the motherboard.
All of the cooling is managed by our widely vaunted UEFI and FanXpert 4 software, a continuously evolving suite that provides comprehensive control through intuitive interfaces. Add extensive fine tuning options and sensor grouping, and you’ve got everything required to build a rig that’s whisper quiet at idle and only as loud as required by the situation.
A Refined Foundation for Coloring Your World
High-end builds won’t get a second glance if they don’t look the part. The aesthetics have to be just right, and your lighting better be on point. Our designers used a monochromatic palette that won’t conflict with other components or your choice of accent lighting. RGB lighting is expected at this point, but the Extreme doesn’t just add some bling and call it a day. It’s one of the first motherboards with a header for addressable light strips and that offer control of each individual LED.
Thanks to Aura Sync, you can match colors and effects across a complete family of compatible components that covers every aspect of your rig, both inside and out. And with our new Aura SDK, developers can integrate the lighting with games and other software, opening up exciting possibilities for cosmetic and functional flourishes.
Order One With Everything
The Crosshair VI Extreme has all the attributes of a premium motherboard. The dual PCIe x16 slots feature ASUS SafeSlot that reinforces the slot with metal bracing and additional solder to prevent damage from rough handling. They’re spaced to give 2.5-slot graphics cards like the class leading ROG STRIX GeForce®GTX 1080 TI ample breathing room, and a third x16 slot is available for three-way CrossFireX with dual-slot cards.
A full slate of USB connectors stands ready for an army of devices. You can hit speeds up to 10Gbps with USB 3.1 Gen 2, which is available through an internal header for cases and via both Type-C and Type-A ports at the rear. The integrated networking gives you an ultra-reliable Intel controller for wired Gigabit Ethernet, and an 802.11ac module with an upgraded 2x2 antenna for Wi-Fi. Wireless connectivity also extends to peripherals with Bluetooth 4.1, so all your bases are covered.
Our latest SupremeFX S1220 codec powers the onboard audio alongside a premium ESS Sabre DAC and the usual assortment of engineering tweaks to improve the output and recording quality. You don’t need a separate sound card to produce pristine audio for gaming and streaming. You will, however, need a virtual reality headset to take advantage our new HRTF-powered audio effects for VR.
