Asus Republic of Gamers has launched the all-new ROG Strix X399-E Gaming motherboard for AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPUs. It boasts of a comprehensive cooling solution and an enhanced RGB lighting system. It’s also way cheaper than the gaming hardware maker’s current flagship mobo.

The Threadripper’s horsepower is potent, so it’s only right to back it up with thermal solutions that keep heat in check. ROG’s new motherboard has an assortment of options for liquid and air cooling. There are dedicated headers for stand-alone pumps while liquid setups are made easy by all-in-one coolers. The connectors can be tweaked for fans, although there are already half a dozen additional fan headers on-board.

Thermal management is handled by the Fan Xpert software that adapts to a wide range of loads. For high temperature dissipation, the board pipes heat to a finned radiator and fan inconspicuously placed under the I/O shield. The fan likewise spins up only when needed for quiet performance and on-guard boost. The main M.2 slot is under the chipset heatsink and the secondary drives are mounted upright for better air cooling.

The 5-Way Optimisation software is made available to automatically find overclocking sweet spots and provide the best cooling settings that a particular setup needs. The auto-tuner is also customisable for hassle-free experimentation. The Strix X399-E Gaming takes up to three double-wide cards in SLI or CrossFireX. Primary graphics slots are protected by SafeSlot from damages that heavy GPU coolers can potentially cause.

Personalised RGB lighting is made possible by Aura. Developers can also incorporate their own programme to the mix via Aura SDK. The new Asus ROG gaming motherboard is likewise optimised for auditory immersion.

“To satisfy all your senses, the on-board audio is upgraded to the latest generation of SupremeFX,” according to the Taiwanese hardware giant. “This iteration has tweaks to improve recording quality, so your voice comes through loud and clear when broadcasting to an audience and discussing strategy with teammates. The newest version of our Sonic Studio software also makes it easier to direct audio streams to different devices; you can assign game audio to headphones, music to speakers, and video to an auxiliary display with just a few clicks.”

The Republic of Gamers has yet to reveal the Asus ROG Strix X399-E Gaming motherboard’s official pricing and release details. The company, however, assures that it’s “more affordable” than its flagship Zenith Extreme, which is currently available for US$550 in North America and AU$880 in Australia.

The Asus ROG Strix X399-E Gaming motherboard is part of a growing family of Aura Sync parts that use a single intuitive interface to synchronise colours and effects across an entire PC. Asus/Republic of Gamers

Asus ROG Strix X399-E Gaming motherboard complete specs

Chipset:

AMD X399

Memory:

AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors:

8 x DIMM, Max 128 GB, DDR4 3600 (O.C.) / 3466 (O.C.) / 3333 (O.C.) / 3200 (O.C.) / 3000 (O.C.) / 2800 (O.C.) / 2666 / 2400 / 2133 MHz ECC and non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory

Multi-GPU Support:

Supports Nvidia Quad-GPU SLI Technology

Supports Nvidia 3-Way SLI Technology

Supports Nvidia 2-Way SLI Technology

Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX Technology

Supports AMD 3-Way CrossFireX Technology

Supports AMD 2-Way CrossFireX Technology

Expansion Slots:

AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors:

4 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (single@x16, dual@x16/x16, triple@x16/x16/x8 mode)

AMD X399 chipset:

1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 (max at x4 mode)

1 x PCIe 2.0 x1

Storage:

AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors:

1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)

1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)

1 x U.2 port

AMD X399 chipset:

6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s),

Support Raid 0, 1, 10

LAN:

Intel I211-AT

ASUS Turbo LAN Utility

ASUS LAN Guard

Audio:

Realtek ALC S1220A 8-Channel High Definition Audio Codec featuring Crystal Sound 3:

Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs

Internal audio Amplifier to enhance the highest quality sound for headphone and speakers

Supports: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking

High quality 120 dB (Line-out at rear) and 113 dB SNR recording input (Line-in)

Audio Features:

DTS Connect

DTS Headphone:X

Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel

Audio Shielding: Ensures precision analogue/digital separation and greatly reduced multi-lateral interference

Dedicated audio PCB layers: Separate layers for left and right channels to guard the quality of the sensitive audio signals

Premium Japanese-made audio capacitors: Provide warm, natural and immersive sound with exceptional clarity and fidelity

Unique de-pop circuit: Reduces start-up popping noise to audio outputs

EMI protection cover to prevent electrical noise to affect the amplifier quality

Separate layer for left and right track, ensuring both sound deliver equal quality

USB Ports:

AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors:

8 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s) (8 at back panel, , Type-A)

AMD X399 chipset:

1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 port(s) (1 at mid-board)

AMD X399 chipset:

4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s) (4 at mid-board)

AMD X399 chipset:

4 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at mid-board)

ASMedia USB 3.1 Gen 2 controller:

2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 port(s) (Type-A + USB Type-CTM)

Special Features:

OC Design ASUS PRO Clock Technology:

Full BCLK range for extreme overclocking performance

ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5:

5-Way Optimization tuning key perfectly consolidates TPU, EPU, DIGI+ VRM, Fan Expert 4, and Turbo App

AURA:

Aura RGB Strip Headers

Aura Lighting Effects Synchronization with compatible ASUS ROG devices

ASUS Exclusive Features:

USB BIOS Flashback

AI Suite 3

Ai Charger

On-board Button: Power

ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface

Turbo LAN

Crystal Sound 3

PC Cleaner

ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution:

Stylish Design Heat-pipe solution

Stylish Fanless Design with M.2 Heat-sink solution

ASUS Fan Xpert 4

ASUS EZ DIY:

ASUS EZ Flash 3

ASUS USB BIOS Flashback

ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode

Multi-language BIOS

ASUS Q-Design:

ASUS Q-Shield

ASUS Q-Code

ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)

ASUS Q-Slot

ASUS Q-DIMM

ASUS Q-Connector

Gaming Aesthetics:

3D printing friendly

AURA-RGB Lighting

M.2 and U.2 On-board (The Latest Transfer Technology with up to 32Gb/s Data-transfer Speeds for M.2 and U.2)

Back I/O Ports:

1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)

2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (teal blue) Type-A + USB Type-CTM

8 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (blue)

1 x Optical S/PDIF out

5 x Audio jack(s)

1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s)

Internal I/O Ports:

1 x 3-pin Cover fan (COV_FAN) connector

1 x Q_Code

1 x U.2 port

2 x RGB Header(s)

2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s)

2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)

1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)

1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)

6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)

1 x M.2_FAN connector

1 x CPU Fan connector(s)

1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s)

3 x Chassis Fan connector(s)

1 x AIO_PUMP connector

1 x W_PUMP+ connector

1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)

1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)

1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)

1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)

1 x System panel(s)

1 x 5-pin EXT_FAN (Extension Fan) connector

1 x Thermal sensor connector(s)

1 x Power-on button(s)

1 x Clear CMOS button(s)

1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 front panel connector

Accessories:

User’s manual

ASUS Q-Shield

1 x Vertical M.2 bracket set

4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)

1 x M.2 Screw Package

1 x Supporting DVD

1 x SLI HB BRIDGE (2-WAY-M)

1 x Q-Connector

BIOS:

128 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 3.0, ACPI 6.1, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 3, CrashFree BIOS 3, F11 EZ Tuning Wizard, F6 Qfan Control, F3 My Favourites, Last Modified log, F12 Print Screen and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information

Manageability:

WfM 2.0, DMI 3.0, WOL by PME, PXE

Operating System:

Windows 10 64-bit

Form Factor:

Extended ATX Form Factor

12 inches x 10.6 inches (30.5 cm x 26.9 cm)

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