Asus ROG Rampage VI Apex, Extreme Motherboards

Asus released more details about two of the high-end X299 motherboards, the ROG Rampage VI Apex and Extreme.

The boards share a few common features outside of the X299 chipset. Asus said in a press release that both are designed for overclocking, feature the RGB LED support that seems all but mandatory these days, and come equipped with reinforced "SafeSlots" meant to support "heavy GPU coolers and rough handling." You'll also find built-in support for Intel's gigabit Ethernet and Optane storage technologies.

The Rampage VI Apex made headlines earlier this year when it reached a record 7.56GHz on all four cores and eight threads with Intel's Core i7 7740K. (Others vied for the overclocking crown, too, with Gigabyte's X299-SOC Champion reaching a flat 7.5GHz with the same CPU.) Asus said in May that the board is "purpose-built for setting records at sub-zero temperatures not just with LN2, but also with more exotic liquid helium."

The Rampage VI Extreme, as you might expect from the name, kicks things up a notch. The motherboard features 10Gb LAN support, 802.11ad Wi-Fi, and support for up to 128GB of memory, versus the Apex's gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac wireless, and support for up to 64GB of memory. (We do feel compelled to note that the Apex should be the high-end model in the series, given that its name means "the highest or culminating point," but hey.)

Besides the expanded specs, the Rampage VI Extreme boasts a reinforced backplate with a separate GPU holder and a LiveDash OLED screen that can be used to monitor fan speeds, system temperatures, and frequencies as well as custom messages and graphics. Dual flow headers allow coolant data monitoring, and a special connector "lets water blocks designed for the Extreme provide flow, temperature, and leakage data."