ASUS Introduces New ROG and Prime X399 Motherboards

Based on AMD’s X399 platform, the ROG
Zenith Extreme, ROG Strix X399-E Gaming and ASUS Prime X399-A series are
designed for gaming enthusiasts and prosumers

Singapore, July 31, 2017 — The latest
generation of high-end desktops debuts today with AMD’s new X399 platform and
accompanying Ryzen™ Threadripper™ processors featuring up
to 16 cores, 32 threads of desktop pounding performance. These SocketTR4
processors require new motherboards, and ASUS is ready with a trio of
innovative products. Built for power users, gaming enthusiasts and prosumers,
the new lineup of Republic of Gamers (ROG) and ASUS X399 motherboards represent
the culmination of decades of experience refining all aspects of motherboard
technology.

All our X399 boards
share core DNA that includes one-touch intelligent overclocking, refined cooling
control, advanced connectivity and improved RGB lighting. Yet they each have
their own distinct flavor as well. The ROG Zenith Extreme brings Threadripper
into the world of premium dream PCs with provisions for custom liquid cooling
and 10Gbps networking. With the ROG Strix X399-E Gaming, hardcore gamers can
build stylish rigs with power to spare for high-quality streaming. And then
there’s the Prime X399-A and its well-rounded foundation channeling the
professional side of the platform’s prodigious power.

Which X399 motherboard
should you buy for your build? We answer that question and more in our X399
buyer’s guide at EdgeUp ASUS.

There are two kinds of
desktop CPU platform. The mainstream tier runs from two cores up to eight, and
it’s great for gaming and general use. Its high-end sibling takes everything up
a level with more cores, more memory channels, and more bandwidth for graphics
and storage. A considerable upgrade in every regard, this high-end desktop
platform appeals to power users, content creators, gaming enthusiasts and
prosumers who want to blur the line between desktop and workstation. AMD’s
Threadripper CPU is the latest addition to the desktop’s heavyweight division,
and for good reason.

With up to 16 CPU cores
and 32 threads, Threadripper doubles the computing resources of AMD’s most
powerful desktop chips. It’s a musclebound monster hungry for complex video
editing, 3D rendering, gaming and heavy multitasking that lets you run a
staggering 128GB of DDR4 memory on a single board.

Bandwidth ripples
across every inch of the processor. The PCI Express® 3.0 controller
boasts 64 individual lanes, 60 of which are available for graphics cards, NVMe®
SSDs, and other peripherals. Most high-end desktop chips stop there, but not
Threadripper. It incorporates even more I/O with eight USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports that
don’t have to share interconnect bandwidth with the X399 chipset. Additional
USB ports are available in its chipset sidekick, which also serves up six SATA
ports and PCIe® 2.0 lanes for onboard peripherals like networking.

Each of our X399
motherboards is tailored slightly differently, and it shows in the specs.
Here’s a quick rundown of how our Threadripper motherboards stack up.

All-new for this
generation, the Zenith Extreme is the flagship of the ROG AMD motherboard
lineup. It comes with all our latest features, including innovations available
only on a select group of top-of-the-line models.

For liquid cooling, the
standard assortment of pump and flow headers is augmented by a consolidated
connector for monoblocks. With compatible blocks, you can monitor coolant
temperatures, flow, and even the presence of leaks over a single cable. That
leaves the individual flow, temperature, and pump headers available for a
dedicated graphics loop. The accompanying array of onboard fan headers includes
one high-amperage option for finger shredders. Plug in the included Fan
Extension Card, and you’ve got enough headers to power up to nine fans using
the same onboard intelligence.

Although all our X399
motherboards have four PCIe x16 slots hooked up to the CPU, only the Zenith
Extreme is designed for that many graphics cards. Its slots are spaced for
double-wide coolers if you want to horde GPU power to leave your mark on
benchmark leaderboards. On a more practical note, adding a fourth card can
further accelerate compute-heavy workloads like 3D rendering and deep learning.
To combat GPU sag, we include our ROG VGA Holder, which is strong enough to
keep even the heaviest graphics cards horizontal.

Room for up to four
NVMe SSDs means you can hit breakneck speeds on all of your drives, from boot
disks to scratch space to game libraries. One M.2 slots sits under the chipset
heatsink for improved cooling, while the other two ride a DIMM.2 module that
plugs in next to the memory slots. After introducing DIMM.2 with the Maximus IX
Apex, our engineers developed a second generation with better airflow for the
drives, headers for two temperature sensors, and a mount for up to two 50mm
fans.

Our Extreme
motherboards are defined by their pursuit of new technology in every area. This
is evident in the networking, which includes a 10Gbps (10G) add-in card that
increases wired bandwidth by an order of magnitude over Gigabit Ethernet. You
don’t have to jump to top speed right away, either. The card supports
intermediate 2.5Gbps (2.5G) and 5Gbps (5G) tiers that work with more
conventional cabling. The onboard wireless is a triple-barreled shotgun, with a
1×1 antenna for wicked-fast 802.11ad links, plus a 2×2 setup for dual-band
802.11ac Wi-Fi.

Premium boards need to
look the part, so the Zenith Extreme has enough lighting capacity to turn
heads. Its onboard highlights and glowing edge lay the foundation, leaving
standard and addressable RGB headers to paint the rest of your system. In a
subtler twist, we’ve added a LiveDash OLED to the I/O shroud that can show custom
logos, small animated GIFs, and system vitals like temperatures, voltages, and
frequencies. There’s even a music mode that tracks the audio output.

Another marriage of
flash and function is found at the rear, where I/O ports pierce an integrated
shield that simplifies installation. The audio jacks are LED-backlit for better
visibility behind your battlestation or at dimly lit LAN parties. Along with
the usual assortment of SupremeFX onboard sound enhancements, you get
HRTF-powered surround effects compatible with VR headsets like the HTC Vive™
or Oculus Rift™ VR.

An oasis in a market
flooded with gaming everything, the Prime X399-A dresses Threadripper in more
professional attire while maintaining a stylish edge. It’s the most logical
choice for a do-everything workhorse that plays to Threadripper’s strengths
without spending too much of the budget on extras.

Three SafeSlots offer
plenty of capacity for multiple graphics cards, and you still get a fourth slot
linked to the CPU. Each of those has a dedicated connection, with no sharing
between them, and the same is true for the PCIe pathways for storage. The
primary M.2 slot shares a heatsink with the chipset to lower drive temperatures
under load, and the secondary slot protrudes outward near the DIMM slots, where
drives can be cooled by airflow from adjacent system and radiator fans. Factor
in the U.2 port, and you’ve got a solid recipe for future SSD expansion or
loading up from the start.

Although not equipped
for elaborate liquid loops, the Prime X399-A still comes with two headers that
simplify connecting pumps and all-in-one coolers. Along with those, its eight
fan headers deliver enough smart cooling management for an entire build. The Prime
is no stranger to overclocking, either. It has the same 5-Way Optimization
auto-tuner as the ROG boards, as well as all the manual tweaking options that
the vast majority of overclockers will ever need.

The processor’s full
USB bounty is delivered through a multitude of ports in the rear cluster, and
additional ports are accessible through onboard headers. There’s enough for a
stack of devices, from peripherals to VR trackers, with room to add more down
the road.

Two RGB headers prime
the X399-A to illuminate up to four meters of lighting at optimal brightness.
The lighting on the board itself is discreet, with a gentle glow emanating from
below the chipset heatsink. Even with the lights turned off, the interplay of
angular lines and bare metal makes the Prime stand out.

Gaming is more than
just playing. There’s a whole world of streaming and broadcasting that has
turned it into a form of entertainment watched by millions. A product of this
new regime, the Strix X399-E Gaming brings Threadripper’s horsepower to bear on
high-quality streaming and complex post-production while keeping one foot
firmly planted in hardcore gameplay.

While it doesn’t go to
the same lengths as the Zenith, the Strix follows a similar theme. Waiting for
its reveal shortly, the Strix X399-E Gaming is designed to be shown, with
multiple onboard lighting zones backed by headers for both standard and
addressable RGB hardware. PCs that were once tucked out of sight are now
displayed with pride behind tempered glass panels; the Strix lets your build
speak with more range than most.

Extra peripherals add
to the versatility. A multitude of onboard ports and connectors is bolstered by
wireless split between 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® 4.2. In
addition to jacking into high-speed wired networks and devices, you can enjoy
the convenience of cable-free connectivity.

With support for three
double-wide graphics cards and three NVMe SSDs, the Strix X399-E Gaming can
easily scale up or down to meet your needs. There’s enough breathing room to
run dual 2.5-slot cards like our Strix GTX 1080 TI–and at a full 16 PCIe lanes
per card. Primary M.2 drives get cooling from the chipset heatsink, while
secondary SSDs poke out of a vertical slot with that can benefit from chassis
airflow.

ROG’s latest generation
of SupremeFX audio has been tweaked specifically to improve recording quality.
Your voice will come through loud and clear whether you’re broadcasting to an
audience or discussing strategy with teammates. The latest version of our Sonic
Studio software also makes it easier to direct audio streams to different
devices, so you can assign game audio to headphones, music to speakers, and
video to an auxiliary display with just a few clicks.

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For additional
information, product images and specifics on the X399 lineup, please check out
our buyers guide at EdgeUp ASUS.  To see more of what ASUS has to offer for
X399, check out our product pages at ASUS.

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ASUS is one
of Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies, and is dedicated to
creating products for today and tomorrow’s smart life. Our comprehensive
portfolio includes Zenbo, ZenFone, ZenBook and a range of IT devices and
components, along with AR, VR and IoT. ASUS employs more than 17,000 people
worldwide and over 5,500 world-class R&D talents. Driven by innovation and
committed to quality, the company won 4,385 awards and earned approximately
US$13.3 billion of revenue in 2016.

Republic of
Gamers (ROG) is an ASUS sub-brand dedicated to creating the world’s best gaming
hardware and software. Formed in 2006, ROG offers a complete line of innovative
products known for performance and quality, including motherboards, graphics
cards, laptops, desktops, monitors, audio equipment, routers and peripherals.
ROG participates in and sponsors major international gaming events.
ROG gear has been used to set hundreds of overclocking records and it continues
to be the preferred choice of gamers and enthusiasts around the world.
Learn more about the choice of champions at rog.asus.com.