A Maximus Extreme with integrated EKWB monoblock

If you want a serious motherboard for Intel’s next build, the ASUS ROG Z690 Maximus Extreme Glacial is the pinnacle of Z690 boards right now. The 24+1 phase power supply design on a 12-layer PCB will ensure that you can overclock enough to really take advantage of the extra cooling from the EKWB water block on the chipset.

Connectivity is very impressive with at least five NVMe slots when using the DIMM.2, two PCIe x16 Gen5 slots that can both be used, albeit at 8x, as well as a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports and seven USB3.2 Gen1 a of which is Type-C. Networking features 10 Gbe via a Marvell AQC113 controller, and Intel provides an additional 2.5 Gbe and WiFi 6. As for onboard audio, Realtek’s AC1220 is paired with the ESS Saber9218 ​​codec.

Tweaktown’s testing showed it to be among the best Z690 boards on the market right now, but at this price it’s hard to justify unless you have a very specific need. Still, it’s an impressive board to check out whether you’d consider buying it or not.