ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME – Unboxing
For an elusive release, the Maximus Extreme-class motherboard stood for the best of the best in terms of performance for the ASUS ROG family of motherboard and has held a distinct position a maximum performance motherboard that comprises only the best of what ASUS has to offer. When ASUS doesn’t feel like it though, sometimes, we don’t get an EXTREME-class motherboard. So despite the fact that we’re into the 12th iteration of the Maximus line, we’ve only had numerous appearances from an EXTREME board and with overclocking not as big of a deal as it used to b for the mainstream market, ASUS has transitioned the EXTREME into a watercooling board, continuing its overclocking legacy but shaving some technical prowess off for some maximum cooling options.
Today, Intel lifts the veil on their LGA 1200 motherboards and we’re now allowed to share with you what we’re working with as we head to a CPU release from Intel in an attempt to thwart off AMD. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME (M12E) and check what’s inside the box as well as what’s on the board.
Let’s get started!
ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME – PACKAGING AND CONTENT
ASUS packs the ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME in its standard ROG box. Its actually the same box we’ve seen for around 2 years now and nothing much has changed. Over at the back we have details about the board which we’ll talk about in this article.
This box has a lot of compartment so we’ll just walk through the inclusion. First-up: the Bluetooth and WIFI antenna. Together with that we have a 3omm miniature fan along with a mounting arm. This is similar to the cooling solution used on the first Zenith motherboard ASUS has released from time to time for boards that may need supplementary cooling on their VRMs which seems to be the case with the Maximus XII Extreme.
You get a bunch of M.2 screws to hold your device to the slots as well as pad stickers for support. You also get a Q-connector which allows easy placement of front panel headers to the board. You get some extra screws which I believe are for the Fan Extension Card II and you get a logo badge and USB installation flash drive.
ASUS has included a Thunderbolt III expansion card with the Maximus XII Extreme: the ThunderboltEXT3-TR. This card required 6-pin PCIe power as well connection to a Thunderbolt header on the motherboard as well as USB. The card support two (2) mini-DisplayPort input and two (2) Thunderbolt3 Type-C output.
ASUS has also included a Fan Extension Card II daughtercard with the M12E which allows expanding the already rich array of fan headers with 6 more plus a pair of RGB headers. The extension card can be connected via ASUS Node cable for further control and monitoring.
Most high-end Extreme boards from ASUS support the ROG DIMM_2 module which is a special M.2 host card for the Extreme boards. Underneath the heatsink, you can mount two M.2 devices.
Cables included with the ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME are 3 pairs of sleeved SATA cables, two DisplayPort to mini-DisplayPort, RGB headers, thermal probes, a node cable, a USB internal header and a Thunderbolt internal header.
In terms of extras, ASUS has included a screwdriver with a replacement head as well as a nice little tag.
Rounding up the package are the manuals, a sticker sheet and the power cable for the fan hub.
ROG Maximus XII Extreme – Closer Look
The ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME is an EATX motherboard that means you’ll have to make sure your case can fit a wee bit longer board. The board has a backplate and has a large cutout at the bottom and behind the socket area.
ASUS continues the legacy of using their teamed power delivery design on the M12E. This board has a 16-phase VRM for the task ahead of delivering stable power to the 10-cores it has to house come launch. The VRM is cooled by a large and dense heatsink which are interconnected via heatpipe.
This board has a large space just beside the DIMM slots. The DIMM slots themselves are rated to support up to DDR4-4800 (OC) and can support new double-density sticks at 32GB or more with ASUS touting that they can support fully populated slots with double-density sticks up to DDR4-3600. We also get the DIMM_2 slot in this area as well a large array of fan headers.
ASUS points out that their ATX+12v and EPS12V sockets use solid pins which we have no idea what it adds aside from the obvious rigidity of the ports. The connectors themselves are reinforced to give a more premium feel.
The bottom half of the board is most concealed by the shroud on the Maximus XII Extreme. If you haven’t noticed, this board only has a single x4 PCIe slot and two x16 slots. The bottom of the board is lined with fan headers and other connectors.
Removing the bottom shroud, we get access to two more M.2 slots on this board.
Moving back to the front we have 8x SATA ports and a pair of USB3.1 front panel headers and a pair of USB3.0 front panel connectors.
At the back we have a rich assortment of connectivity with USB2, USB3.1 and USB3.2 with a paid of USB3.2 Type-C and a 10G LAN and a 2.5G LAN. Last up we have the WIFI antenna connector and the audio ports.
RGB is a bit bare on this board and surprisngly not as gaudy as previous boards. The lightbars are well-placed on the IO shroud and PCH heatsink and the back with LiveDash OLED being the most visible light on this board.
ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME – First Impressions
The ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME, much like any EXTREME motherboard, will command a price. It’s pedigree though, is ultimately, a premium one and something mostly reserved for those that can avail the ROG tax that this board entails and with a relatively board-centric feature set, it’s going to have to rely on its charms to make it on the market.
As mentioned though, it’s a premium board and one that predominantly chooses its owner, not the other way around. Still, it’s a very capable motherboard from what the specs sheet say but barring performance potential, the Thunderbolt card and rich watercooling options make it both a content creator’s friend as well as a watercooler’s playground. For a price.
I’m not particularly charmed by the looks and there’s not really any certain features that stand out for me. Still, it’s a mature motherboard and ASUS’ choice to cutback on the RGB as well as any other gimmick is welcome but the board is, by itself, without tricks that make it standout. Let’s see if my opinion change once reviews come out so stay tuned for our full review. Follow us on social media, @back2gaming, to stay updated.