Among these motherboards that make it possible to break records, both on the side of processors and on the side of RAM. A map with masochistic tendencies that will appreciate that you torture it. You can raise the temperature, if not freeze it from cold. And precisely, supporting nitrogen is his specialty. Today we introduce you to the new snow queen: the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 APEX.
Read more @ CowcotLand (French)
The release of the Alder-Lake CPUs was only 6 months ago and ASUS already released the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 APEX, a high-end mainboard of the ROG series that was already the most well-known overclocking mainboard on the market at the time of the Z590. We are of course all the more pleased that we can test this high-end mainboard. With its 24+2 phase VRMs with 105 A power levels, it makes the heart of enthusiasts beat faster and is equipped with five M.2 slots, which will please memory fetishists. The list of equipment and features of the APEX is cubits long. In the following we don’t want to withhold the numerous features, the temperatures and the overclocking potential from you, you can read everything else in the following test. ASUS provided us with the test sample for our test.
Read more @ HardwareInside (German)
The cheapest ASUS board that passed us was the B660-Creator D4 with a price tag of 235 euros. ASUS is known to be a bit more expensive, and we can understand that in part as their bios and software experience is generally just a bit better than the rest. But B660 boards in this segment struggle with mid-range Z690 boards that often go a bit further with features.
Read more @ Tech Testers (Dutch)
Asus Apex motherboards have always been designed specifically for overclocking. The Z690 version is no different and with only 2 DIMM slots, the focus is on maximum RAM performance, both for daily gaming operations and for record hunting with alternative cooling methods. Only here, according to various user reports and also in our tests, there are big differences from board to board, keyword Silicon Lottery.
Read more @ Igor’s Lab (German)
Connectivity is stacked for an OC-focused platform, PS2 for keyboard mouse, four Gen1 and four Gen2 give plenty of USB 3.2, and an additional USB-C is added on for Gen2x2 connectivity. We have the typical Intel network suite with 2.5Gbe LAN and AX211 for WiFi6e. Audio comes from the ALC4080 from Realtek with a Savitech amplifier.
Read more @ TweakTown
Today we will review the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Apex to once again make sure that this is the case. Traditionally, there are only two memory slots, but for overclockers, tests and overclocking are more important than practicality. Therefore, many are ready to make this sacrifice, and the standard volume of DDR5 strips is now 16 GB and this is enough for most modern users.
Read more @ Overclockers Russia (Russian)
Now we come to the board itself. At first glance we’re not sure about the look Asus has chosen, particularly the large dotted ROG logo atop the I/O section. But it’s hardly a deal breaker. There are two RGB sections, one inside the main VRM heatsink, plus another ROG logo incorporated into the chipset heatsink. It comes packed with OC switches and buttons including various LN2 modes, slow mode, BIOS switch, and voltage read points. There are even moisture detectors that will let you know if your CPU or DRAM area is getting a little soggy.
Read more @ PC Gamer
One of the key features of ASUS motherboards (any series based on the Intel Z690 chipset) is the presence of holes for mounting cooling systems that are compatible not only with LGA1700, but also with LGA1200 / 115x. But you need to be careful – the height of the new processor is different from the previous one, so not all cooling systems can be installed with the proper pressure level.
Read more @ GreenTech_Reviews (Russian)
The only downside concerns the price of this APEX version, which is currently around 750 euros while the Z590 version was available at 550 euros at launch. Now this rise in motherboards seems to affect almost all brands. Let’s hope that these prices decrease in the coming weeks in order to be modeled on those of the previous generation. Remember that you will also need to invest in DDR5.
Read more @ Overclocking (French)