01 MAR

Overclocking made easy with ASUS ROG Maximus XI Extreme

There was so much buzz about the Z390 during the launch of the 8th generation of Intel processors. So much so that ROG enthusiasts waited out till ASUS released the Maximus XI Extreme with the 9th generation processors. The one we have currently is the ASUS ROG Maximus XI Extreme.

Generally, end-users always look to the flagship models from any type of product when manufacturers launch new chipsets in the market.

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI EXTREME SPECS

CPU
Intel® Socket 1151 9th / 8th Gen Intel® Core™, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® Processors
Supports Intel® 14 nm CPU
Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
* The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
Chipset
Intel® Z390
Memory
4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, Up to DDR4 4400(O.C)MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel Memory Architecture
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.
Multi-GPU Support
Supports NVIDIA® 2-Way SLI™ Technology
Supports AMD 3-Way CrossFireX™ Technology
Expansion Slots
Socket 1151 for 9th / 8th Gen Intel® Core™, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® processors
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
Intel® Z390 Chipset
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (max at x4 mode) *1
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1
Storage
Socket 1151 for 9th / 8th Gen Intel® Core™, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® processors : 
1 x ROG DIMM.2 Module support(CPU_DIMM.2), with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)*2
Intel® Z390 Chipset : 
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)*3
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)
6 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s)
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready
LAN
Aquantia AQC111C 5G LAN
Intel® I219V, Dual interconnect between the Integrated Media Access Controller (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY)
Anti-surge LANGuard
ROG GameFirst Technology
Wireless Data Network
Intel® Wireless-AC 9560
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Supports dual band frequency 2.4/5 GHz
Supports MU-MIMO
Supports channel bandwidth: HT20/HT40/HT80/HT160
Bluetooth
Bluetooth® 5.0
Audio
ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC S1220
– Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs
– Supports: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
– High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input
– SupremeFX Shielding Technology
– ESS® ES9023P
– Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback *4
Audio Feature :
– Gold-plated jacks
– Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
– Sonic Radar III
– Sonic Studio III + Sonic Studio Link
USB Ports
Intel® Z390 Chipset :
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 front panel connector port(s)
Intel® Z390 Chipset :
4 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 port(s) (4 at back panel, )
Intel® Z390 Chipset :
8 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s) (4 at back panel, , 4 at mid-board)
Intel® Z390 Chipset :
4 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at mid-board)
ASMedia® USB 3.1 Gen 1 controller :
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s) (2 at back panel, )
ROG Exclusive Features
ReTry Button
Start Button
Reset Button
Extreme Engine Digi+ :
– MicroFine Alloy Chokes
– 10K Black Metallic Capacitors
– OptiMOS™ MOSFET
Mem TweakIt
Extreme Tweaker
ROG Exclusive Software
– Mem Tweakit
– RAMCache III
– RAMDisk
– CPU-Z
– GameFirst V
– Sonic Studio III + Sonic Studio Link
– Sonic Radar III
Special Features
ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5 :
– 5-Way Optimization tuning key perfectly consolidates TPU Insight, EPU Guidance, DIGI+ VRM, Fan Expert 4, and Turbo App
AURA :
– Aura Lighting Control
– Aura RGB Strip Headers
– Aura Lighting Effects Synchronization with compatible ASUS ROG devices
– Aura Addressable Strip Header(s)
ASUS Exclusive Features :
– USB BIOS Flashback
– MemOK! II
– AI Suite 3
– Ai Charger
– Pre-mounted I/O Shield
– ASUS NODE: a hardware control interface
ASUS EZ DIY :
– ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
– ASUS EZ Flash 3
ASUS Q-Design :
– ASUS Q-Code
– ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
– ASUS Q-Slot
– ASUS Q-DIMM
– ASUS Q-Connector
Overclocking Protection :
 ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
MemOK! II
OptiMem II
Back I/O Ports
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
4 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (red)1 x Type-C+3 x Type-A
6 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ,
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s)
1 x ASUS Wi-Fi Module
5 x LED-illuminated audio jacks
1 x AQC-111C 5G LAN port
Internal I/O Ports
1 x W_PUMP+ 1
1 x W_PUMP+ 2
1 x WB_SENSOR
2 x Aura Addressable Strip Header(s)
2 x Aura RGB Strip Headers
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1(up to 5Gbps) connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s)
2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
2 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (2 x 4 -pin)
1 x Thunderbolt header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
2 x 8-pin EATX 12V Power connectors
1 x 4-pin EZ_PLUG Power connector(s)
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x 5-pin EXT_FAN(Extension Fan) connector
1 x MemOK!
1 x Slow Mode switch(es)
9 x ProbeIt Measurement Points
1 x Reset button(s)
1 x BIOS Switch button(s)
1 x Node Connector(s)
1 x LN2 Mode jumper(s)
1 x Safe Boot button
1 x ReTry button
1 x System panel connector
1 x W_IN header
1 x W_OUT header
1 x W_FLOW header
1 x Thermal sensor connector
1 x Start button
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 front panel connector
1 x DIMM.2 Slot supports 2 M.2 drives (2242-22110)
1 x RSVD Switch
8 x Radiator Fan Headers
Accessories
User’s manual
1 x ROG logo plate sticker
4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
3 x M.2 Screw Package
1 x ASUS 2T2R dual-band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
1 x Fan Extension Card (3 x 4-pin fan out)
1 x Fan Extension card screw pack
1 x Fan Extension card cable
1 x SLI HB BRIDGE(2-WAY-M)
1 x ROG big sticker
1 x Q-Connector
1 x Extension Cable for RGB strips (80 cm)
1 x Extension cable for Addressable LED
1 x USB drive with utilities and drivers
1 x ROG coaster(s)
2 x ROG weave SATA 6G cable
BIOS
2 x 128 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI3.0, SM BIOS 3.1, ACPI 6.1
Note
*1 When SATA56 is enabled, PCIe x 16_3 will run at x2 mode.
*2 The DIMM.2 Slots (M.2_1/2) are disabled by default. Please adjust BIOS settings to enable DIMM.2 Slots.
*3 When M.2_1 socket 3 is operating in SATA mode, SATA port 2 will be disabled.
*4 Due to limitations in HDA bandwidth, 32-Bit/192kHz is not supported for 8-Channel audio.

The Motherboard

At an initial glance, any one would think that this is just a normal motherboard, so let’s go ahead to the juicy bits.

ROG DIMM.2

The Maximus XI Extreme supports some low latency M.2 as it is equipped with the ROG DIMM.2 technology. As we all know, the best way to attain top performance on your M.2 is to have it cooled, ASUS has supplied us with the DIMM.2 heatsink helping spread the temperatures generated.

Power Input

There just isn’t enough power sometimes for overclockers. Luckily, ASUS has been kind enough to give us those benefits on the Maximus XI Extreme with the 8+8 pin CPU 12V power inputs.

ASUS MEM OK II

An already existing technology in ASUS motherboards has been upgraded to the ASUS Mem OK II helping ensure positive overclock settings or mismatched rams would still be able to boot to BIOS.

AUDIO

The onboard audio is satisfactory as it runs it’s dedicated sound card. The ASUS ROG Maximus XI Extreme is equipped with the SupremeFX S1220 8 Channel sound and ESS ES9023P DAC.

AI Suite OverClocking

The main use of the ASUS AI Suite is to stress the CPU then work out the best settings for overclocking then apply it. This is a useful tool for those who do not have much experience with overclocking and are still quite afraid to toast your CPUs.

There two methods of using the software. One being the predictive method which remembers the heat of the processor under certain loads, and the other is the usual ASUS 5 way optimization technology.

Testing

We used the same board during our tests with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920x. All systems have been overclocked here. There is no better way to show the power of an overclocked motherboard than its rendering prowess.

Conclusion

There is a reason why ASUS has dominated the motherboard category for over a decade and it shows with the number of features and capabilities their motherboards can give for a reasonable price.

If we talk about the performance of the Maximus XI Extreme, we can assure you that it won’t back down even to an overpowered chip like the Core i9-9900k.

With the ASUS AI Suite, it ensures safe and proper overclocking even for newbies. Of course, those who dare, are able to overpower their CPUs to a 5.1 or 5.2 GHz easily.

All things considered, the ASUS Maximus XI Extreme is an option for high-end workstations or gaming rigs giving you nothing but the best features for convenience and power.  At the price of ₱ 31,310, ASUS ensures its legacy is furthered with a massive feature set and great tools to maximize performance.

TipsGeeks Worth Buying Award

 

Post Author: Christian

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