ASUS Republic of Gamers Launches Maximus IX Extreme

Featuring an integrated monoblock water-cooling solution, ROG teamed up with Bitspower for an all new ground-up design that has flow-rate, water-leak and temperature sensors all seamlessly integrated to keep wiring and tubing complexity to a minimum. 

When installed, the block cools the CPU, the main power delivery circuitry, and there’s an attachable heatsink for M.2 drives, completely negating the need for supplementary airflow to keep things cool.  The monoblock’s integrated lighting is also Aura controllable, along with the IO cover area, PCH logo, and a 5050 RGB header, which ensures an almost limitless number of customization options. 

The embedded flow meter sensor monitors the monoblock’s water-pump status in real time, while the temperature sensor monitors the temperature of both the water input and output ports. The leak detection sensor is capable of turning the system off in the event of a leak or spill. With dedicated sensors feeding information straight into ROG’s intuitive Fan Xpert 4 utility, it’s easy for users to configure the optimum RPM fan curve for each radiator or fan plus shutdown timing and alerts. 

Onboard fan connectors are also intelligently located for water-cooling radiators, with eight headers divided between the top and lower edges of the board. At the mid-board location, there are two fan headers, conveniently placed for chassis fans. Two additional headers are placed at the lower edge of the board for water pumps although they can also be configured to control fans. That brings the total number of fan headers to an unparalleled, twelve. There are also options to attach additional flow rate and temperature sensors for a secondary loop. Should that not be enough, you can also use the bundled ASUS Fan Extension card, which adds three more fan headers and a complimentary array of thermal probe connectors to the mix.

Comprehensive Options

Based on the latest Intel® Z270 chipset and ready for 7th Generation Intel Core™ processors, ROG’s latest gaming powerhouse also includes ASUS Aura Sync illumination, support for ultra-fast DDR4 4133MHz memory, and SupremeFX audio technology. Featuring the SupremeFX S1220 codec, an ESS® Sabre Hi-Fi ES9023P digital-to-analog (DAC) converter for superior front-panel output, and a Texas Instruments® RC 4580 op-amp for high gain with low distortion — it all adds up to audio that envelops the listener as never before. For easier identification in any lighting condition, Maximus IX Extreme even features color-coded and LED-illuminated 3.5mm audio connectors. 

Loaded with comprehensive safeguards, including pre-mounted I/O shield, strengthened SafeSlot PCI Express® slots, SafeDIMM memory slots and a copper-plated PCB edge, Maximus IX Extreme is built with long term reliability in mind and to perform in the most frenetic of gaming sessions. It’s also engineered with the latest and fastest connectivity, including dual M.2 PCIe® 3.0 x4 slots, a USB 3.1 front-panel connector, 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO, Intel Gigabit Ethernet and 40Gbps Thunderbolt™ 3 support.

The board is selling at 625 Euros / 599 USD.