ASUS ROG Maximus XI HERO (Wi-Fi) and ROG STRIX Z390-E Gaming Motherboard Review

ASUS ROG STRIX Z390-E Gaming Motherboard - Unboxing

The ROG STRIX Z390-E Gaming comes in the standard cardboard package. The front is themed in black and red, a color scheme which has been part of ROG products for a while now. You can also note ASUS ROG logo on the front which looks great and is the first indication that this is the gaming slash enthusiast aimed product.

The front side also lists down support for Intel's 8th generation Core processors, Optane Memory, NVIDIA SLI, AMD Crossfire, 3D Printing Friendly Design, and ASUS AURA Sync technologies.

The back side of the package lists down the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the Optimized Cooling Solution, AURA Sync, Dual M.2 Heatsinks and Addressable headers.

Inside the package is another box which contains the accessories at the bottom and motherboard at the top. It is very easy to access although the accessories are a bit scattered and things could get messy sorting out the various additions.

There are several accessories included in the package. Following is the full list of accessories in the package.

• User's manual
• 4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
• 1 x M.2 Screw Package
• 1 x Supporting DVD
• 1 x ASUS 2T2R dual-band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
• 1 x CABLE TIE BLACK
• 1 x SLI HB BRIDGE(2-WAY-M)
• 1 x ROG Strix stickers
• 1 x Assistant Fans(40mm)
• 1 x screws for Assistant Fan(s)
• 1 x ROG Door Hanger(s)
• 1 x Extension Cable for RGB strips (80 cm)
• 1 x Extension cable for Addressable LED
• 1 x Thermistor cable(s)

The motherboard is housed on the top section, over the accessories and has the anti-static wrapping to protect it from any built up electrical resistance that can affect the board.

The ASUS ROG STRIX Z390-E Gaming motherboard retains the more modern design scheme that we saw on the last generation Z370 motherboards. Looks are one thing but I am very curious to find out how this performs against the other Z390 boards we have tested in the past few weeks.

You can find additional information about our hardware review process and ethics policy here.

9.8

WCCFTECH RATING

Under the $300 US bracket, the ROG Maximus XI Hero (Wi-Fi) is one of the best board options for both 8th and 9th Gen processors, offering the perfect blend of high-performance OC and strong expandability options.

Pros

• Support for Intel 8th and 9th Generation Coffee Lake CPUs
• Up To 8 Core Processor Support
• ASUS's Best in Class BIOS (UEFI) Support on Z390 Series
• Excellent Overclocking Support on Unlocked Intel CPUs
• Excellent Design Scheme With Solid Heatsink Solution
• Excellent Build Quality With High-Quality VRM and PCB
• 8+2+2 Phase Extreme Engine DiGi+ VRM
• Heatpipe Implementation on the VRM Heatsinks is a plus
• Tons of Connectivity Options
• Tons of USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Gen 1 Ports
• Intel Wireless-AC 9560 With 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi
• Up To 4400 MHz (OC+) DDR4 Memory Support
• SupremeFX offers great onboard Audio
• Dual M.2 Slots With full coverage heatsinks
• Pre-Mounted I/O Shield
• Full ASUS AURA Sync RGB Support (Multiple Addressable RGB Headers)
• Lots of Software Support

Cons

• Price is slightly higher ($289.99 US)
• Only Two M.2 slots
• Only 1Gbps Ethernet LAN

Buy for $339.99 US from Amazon The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com may earn from qualifying purchases.

Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.