ASUS ROG X370 Crosshair VI Extreme Review
Introduction
The ASUS Crosshair has been a mainstay of the AMD Motherboards since the original model was launched on the AM2 socket. If you ever wonder how far technology and motherboard aesthetics have come in the intervening years then you need to go back and look at the Crosshair 1 with its white and blue plastics backed up by the shiniest copper this side of a new penny.
We recently looked at the Crosshair VI Hero, a motherboard based around the X370 chipset that is the backbone of the AMD Zen architecture, and we found it to be an outstanding performer, regularly topping our benchmark graphs. If some is good and more is better then the Crosshair VI Extreme, equipped with pretty much everything, should be heading to the top of many peoples wishlists. Of course we need to test it first to find out if it redefines what the Ryzen CPUs are capable of, but first let’s discover what treats are in store should you purchase the Extreme.
Technical Specifications
Since the Maximus ASUS IO sections have been blended exceptionally well into the PCB and the Crosshair VI Extreme takes this to new heights, with the IO section forming part of the heatsink. This also has the benefit of having the shield pre-mounted so you’re not stuck pressing sharp aluminium into the back of your case and bleeding profusely over the insides. The X370 chipset is equipped with masses of features by default and has really brought AMD bang up to date. Even so ASUS have managed to decorate the Crosshair VI Extreme with enough extra features to make it worthy of the name. We have the SafeSlot armour on the PCI Express 3.0 slots, ASUS SupremeFX S1220 audio which comes with LED audio jacks for ease of plugging into without needing a torch. Additionally the ‘always popular with reviewers’ onboard power and reset buttons as well as a clear CMOS button and the invaluable BIOS Flashback.Â
People who enjoy connectivity are well catered for too. The rear of the Crosshair VI Extreme has loads of USB ports and if they aren’t enough to sate your peripheral needs then there are front panel options everywhere, including the latest USB 3.1 Gen2. Add to this a horizontal ATX 24pin connector and ASUS AURA RGB lighting and there are a lot of boxes ticked.
