ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Motherboard Review With AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX

It was the beginning of 2017, Intel thought the year would go really smoothly for them in regards to their mainstream and high-end desktop launches. Intel launched their 7th generation core family, offering consumers the same architecture, slightly enhanced process and slightly higher CPU clock speeds, calling it a day. What they didn’t know was that their rival, AMD, was going to make an epic return just a few months after and when they did, Intel’s worst fears had come to life.

While Ryzen was anticipated to arrive on the mainstream consumer platform, offering IPC on par with Intel’s latest generation processors, it was Threadripper that no one, even the press had not expected. A full-fledged lineup of high-end desktop processors designed to tackle Intel’s Core X line up. AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper and the accompanying X399 platform is designed for enthusiasts, it offered features that are not available otherwise at an incredible value while the new Zen cores delivered CPU performance on par with Intel’s modern core architectures.

A year later, AMD launched its 2nd Gen Ryzen Threadripper processors. In a similar fashion, the 2nd Gen Ryzen Threadripper processors disrupt the market once again with a beastly performance at an unprecedented value which has yet to be seen.

Featuring the highest core count we have ever witnessed on a consumer platform. In a way, AMD’s HEDT is now a more grand scheme of things and a platform which is the pinnacle of enthusiast and workstation grade performance. Some features of the new platform are listed below:

12 nm LP process technology
– 1st generation Ryzen and 1st generation Threadripper were manufactured using 14L LPP (Low Power Plus) process technology of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, whereas 2nd generation Ryzen Threadripper based on Zen + microarchitecture was manufactured by GLOBALFOUNDRIES 12 nm LP (Leading Performance) process technology adopted. If the same power consumption is higher than the first generation Threadripper, AMD is appealing that it can realize lower power consumption than the first generation Threadripper for the same clock.
Precision Boost 2
– The automatic clock-up technology “Precision Boost” adopted by the 1st generation Ryzen and the 1st generation Threadripper had the operation clock determined by the number of loaded cores, but this time the CPU voltage, current, core It has been redesigned to detect the temperature and select an appropriate operation clock. As a result, regardless of the number of cores under load, clock up according to the situation.
XFR 2 (Extended Frequency Range 2)
~ “If the CPU temperature condition permits,” XFR “to operate with a higher clock beyond the maximum clock of Precision Boost becomes the 2nd generation, and as with Precision Boost 2, the number of cores is restricted lost. Depending on the performance of the CPU cooling system, the performance will improve up to 7%
Reduction of access delay of cache and the main memory – Access delay to cache and main memory is smaller for first-generation Threadripper. Up to 13% improvement in L1, up to 34% in L2, up to 16% in L3, up to 11% in main memory, resulting in a 3% increase in instruction execution count (IPC, Instruction per Clock) per clock It is said that

While you’d expect to see a new generation of motherboards and chipsets to support the newly launched Threadripper processors, AMD and their partners are offering refreshed designs which feature the same socket and chipset. This means two things, first, all previous motherboards that are based on the X399 chipset can support the 2nd Generation Threadripper processors. Second, the new motherboards would allow for a vastly better experience in terms of clocks & overclocking capabilities.

ASUS never actually introduced a new HEDT motherboard in the ROG lineup since their original X399 and X299 ROG offerings but earlier this year, they simultaneously launched boards for both Intel and AMD HEDT platforms. ASUS also revealed that they are trying to retain feature set parity across both boards which is something interesting to see since both boards are geared towards completely different platforms.

So for this review, I will be testing one of the two new HEDT motherboards that they introduced, meet the Alpha Predator, the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha!

AMD X399 HEDT Chipset – Continuing Support To 2nd Generation Ryzen Threadripper CPUs

X399 is the next generation and the first AMD high-end desktop platform designed for enthusiasts and power craving users. It is an entirely fresh platform which brings with itself a load of new tech and features that I haven’t seen on high-end platforms for a while now. To start off with details, the X399 platform is very similar to AMD’s server end EPYC platform.

It features support for AMD Ryzen Threadripper chips in which AMD is using the top 5% dies for HEDT consumers, the same monolithic SP3 socket, known as the TR4 and the many PCIe lanes that we should expect on server level platforms.

The platform is made in a way that it can cater not only to HEDT consumers but also to the workstation community. In terms of features, the X399 socket now supports up to 32 cores and 64 threads and there’s no doubt that we will get more cores and threads on the same socket and platform in the future with future iterations of the Zen core.

It can support chips with up to 250W TDP and can deliver full 64 PCIe lanes to users. This means for the first time, we have a platform that can drive four graphics cards with full native x16 link speeds.

This marks a major revolution and a win-win for AMD. In addition to that, we get 8 PCH PCIe lanes, support for NVMe and NVMe RAID, quad channel memory, up to 12 SATA 3 ports and 14 USB interfaces. The only rival on the market for X399 is X299 and honestly speaking, the X399 takes the lead in terms of raw specifications and features.

A year later, we are looking at a slew of new refreshed designs, specifically built for the 2nd generation HEDT processors. For existing motherboards, partners have released new BIOS firmware that enables support on them (read more here).

AMD X399 PCH Features

WCCFTECH	Whitehaven (Ryzen Threadripper)	Intel Core X (Skylake-X)	Pinnacle Ridge (Ryzen)	Summit Ridge (Ryzen)
Target Platform	HEDT	HEDT	Mainstream	Mainstream
Socket	TR4	LGA 2066	AM4 (PGA)	AM4 (PGA)
Socket Pins	4094 Pins (LGA)	2066 Pins (LGA)	1331 Pins (PGA)	1331 Pins (PGA)
Max Cores	Up to 32	Up to 18	Up to 8	Up to 8
Max Threads	Up to 64	Up to 36	Up to 16	Up to 16
Max L3 Cache	64 MB	24.75 MB	16 MB	16 MB
TDP	Up To 250W	Up To 165W	Up To 105W	Up To 95W
CPU PCI-E Lanes	64	44	24	24
PCH PCI-E Lanes	8	24	8	8
PCI-E NVME Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
NVME RAID Support	Yes (Firmware Update from AMD webpage)	Yes (Locked, Key Required)	No	No
DDR4 Channels	4 Channel	4 Channel	2 Channel	2 Channel
SATA 6 Gbps	8+4	8	6+2	6+2
USB 3.1 Ports	2	2	2	2
USB 3.0 Ports	6	10	6	6
USB 2.0 Ports	6	14	6	6
Launch	Q3 2017	Q2 2017	Q1 2018	Q1 2017

The HEDT TR4 (LGA 4094) Socket – Supports All Ryzen Threadripper Processors

The AMD TR4 socket is the same as their server end SP3 socket which has been repurposed for the HEDT market. It is a monolithic design that features 4094 pins in the LGA (Land Grid Array) design and looks absolutely beast.

Cooler Compatibility With The TR4 Socket

Since the socket hasn’t changed, all coolers that were previously compatible with Threadripper CPU would run fine with the 2nd Generation Threadripper chips. Despite that, new coolers are going to be available by various manufacturers since the WX series have TDPs of up to 250W. Those require better heat transfer and cooling solutions and I will be testing my sample chip with a range of air and water cooling solutions.

Initially, there were only 9 manufacturers who were offering support for TR4 socket with their coolers but now, the list has expanded and you can find many TR4 socket coolers with ease. Following is a list of cooler manufacturers who are offering TR4 socketed products:

(More details on the cooling solutions here):

Noctua
Enermax
Swiftech
BYSKI
Raijintek
BeQuiet!
Liqtech
DeepCool
Arctic
Cooler Master
Corsair
Cryorig
EVGA
Fractal Design
NZXT
Thermaltake

It took AMD several years to perfect their core design to rival Intel. The resultant Zen core delivered exceptionally great performance when it finally launched after five long years of development. The Ryzen mainstream processors were widely acclaimed and featured some of the most impressive performance, efficiency and pricing figures we have seen to date. But AMD didn’t stop there, they went one step ahead and pitted their Zen core in a field where Intel had been dominant for years.

While Zen was a powerful and efficient new core from AMD, the optimized 12nm based Zen+ cores would further strengthen AMD processors a year later. Till now, AMD only had Zen+ cores inside of their Ryzen 2nd Generation processors but now, they are bringing those cores in Threadripper CPU lineup too. Today, AMD finally launches their 2nd Generation Ryzen Threadripper processors with advanced Zen+ cores.

With Zen+, AMD manages to bring their IPC on par with Intel’s modern cores and use that CPU efficiency advantage to deliver a processor with multiple cores. 32 in fact on the flagship CPU and that’s just the start of things we expect to see from AMD. Following is the entire CPU family under the 2nd Generation Ryzen Threadripper brand.

AMD 2nd Generation Ryzen Threadripper Processors

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2000 series processor lineup would feature a total of four new HEDT processors. These will include the flagship Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX, 2970WX, 2950X and 2920X. The ‘WX’ models are aimed at content creators and developers while the ‘X’ series processors are aimed at gamers and enthusiasts.

While AMD’s ‘X’ series Threadripper chips are said to be aimed at enthusiast and high-end gaming systems, they are still very capable of workstation and developer-grade content creation system environments. All 16, 24, 32 core models are designed for complex workflows which include a range of different tasks such as Media Editing, Visual Effects, Modeling, Rigging, Animation, Data Science, Code Compiling and Machine Learning/Rendering.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX 32 Core $1799 US Processor – The Undisputed and The Unmatched Flagship of the 2nd Gen AMD HEDT Family

The Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX will rock 32 cores and 64 threads that eclipse Intel’s halo Core-X product which will sport 28 cores and 56 threads. The chip is expected to feature a base frequency of 3.0 GHz (3.4 GHz all core precision boost) and a maximum boost frequency of 4.0 GHz while the precision boost overdrive frequency is rated at +200 MHz so expect up to 4.20 GHz in single core optimized workloads.

This shows that Zen+ cores can still achieve very high clock speeds even when they jumped to twice as many as their previous flagship, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X.

Other details include 16 MB of L2 and 64 MB of L3 cache which rounds up to a total of 80 MB of available cache on a single chip. The TDP of the chip as stated before will be kept at 250W and all current generation TR4 socketed boards will be fully compatible with the 2nd generation Ryzen Threadripper processors.

When compared to the Core i9-7980XE, the Ryzen Threadripper 2990X at $1799 US offers a better architecture based on a 12nm process, 14 more cores, 28 more threads and for $200 less since the i9 costs a grand $2000 US. Comparing it to the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X, we get 16 more cores, 32 more threads, and faster clocks at $800 US more.

Even compared to the new Ryzen Threadripper 2950X, the 2990WX delivers up to 64% better performance in creation tasks which is absolutely killer performance. Given these prices, it will be another great product for the high-end market and put Intel’s HEDT in a lot of trouble which can cost in excess of $2000 US considering their new platform and Xeon Platinum prices.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX 24 Core $1299 US Processor – Insane Multi-Thread Performance at an Extreme Value

The second chip in the lineup is the Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX which features 24 cores and 48 threads for a price of just $1299 US. Intel’s 12 core chip in comparison costs $1200 US so we are looking at twice the number of cores at $100 US premium. The chip features clock speeds of 3.0 GHz base and 4.0 GHz boost (4.2 GHz XFR).

Keeping things in line and if the chip comes with the same die configuration as the 1950X, we will be looking at 64 MB of L3 cache and 12 MB of L2 cache which totals 76 MB total cache size. The chip will feature the same amount of PCIe lanes as the 2990WX and will have a TDP of 250W and would be supported by existing and upcoming X399 motherboards.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 16 Core For $899 US – 16 Zen+ Cores With Faster Clocks

The Ryzen Threadripper 2950X will feature the same core config as its predecessor, the 1950X. We are looking at the same 16 cores and 32 threads. At the same time, the chip will be enhanced by the new Zen+ cores and provide higher clock speeds of 3.5 GHz base and 4.4 GHz boost with a 180W TDP. The chip will also come at a $100 US lesser price tag than its predecessor, at just $899 USD.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X 12 Core For $649 US – 12 Zen+ Cores at $100 US Less Than Its Predecessor

The Ryzen Threadripper 2920X will feature the same core config as its predecessor, the 1920X. We are looking at the same 12 cores and 24 threads. At the same time, the chip will be enhanced by the new Zen+ cores and provide higher clock speeds of 3.5 GHz base and 4.3 GHz boost with a 180W TDP. The chip will also come at a $100 US lesser price tag than its predecessor, at just $699 USD.

On the X399 front, we will be looking at a slew of new refreshed designs, specifically built for the 2nd generation HEDT processors. We have already seen the MSI MEG X399 Creation and AORUS X399 Extreme designs so we can also expect other products from the remaining manufacturers. For existing motherboards, partners have released new BIOS firmware that enables support on them (read more here). Expect to see full performance reviews in a few days of the flagship CPU, the Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2000 Series CPU Specifications:

CPU Name	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X
CPU Family	AMD 2nd Gen Threadripper (COFLAX)	AMD 2nd Gen Threadripper (COFLAX)	AMD 2nd Gen Threadripper (COFLAX)	AMD 2nd Gen Threadripper (COFLAX)
CPU Architecture	12nm Zen+	12nm Zen+	12nm Zen+	12nm Zen+
Cores/Threads	32/64	24/48	16/32	12/24
Base Clock	3.0 GHz	3.0 GHz	3.5 GHz	3.5 GHz
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz	4.2 GHz	4.4 GHz	4.3 GHz
Cache (L3)	64 MB	64 MB	64 MB	64 MB
Cache (L2)	16 MB	12 MB	8 MB	6 MB
TDP	250W	250W	180W	180W
Platform	TR4 X399	TR4 X399	TR4 X399	TR4 X399
Price	$1799 US	$1299 US	$899 US	$649 US

AMD 1st/2nd Generation Ryzen Threadripper Official Gaming Performance – Game Mode and Creator Mode Explained

AMD has also released the official gaming performance data of their Ryzen Threadripper CPUs against Intel’s Core X parts and their own HEDT chips. The data shows that the Intel Core i9-7900X still goes ahead of the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X 16 core and Ryzen Threadripper 1920X 12 core while featuring ten cores. AMD Threadripper trails the Intel Core X CPU but on the other hand, we are still looking towards decent performance figures in gaming at 1080p and the gap is lower when gaming on higher resolutions.

Once again, like 1st Gen Ryzen Threadripper CPUs, the 2nd Gen series will feature support in Ryzen Master, allowing users to switch between Game Mode or Creator Mode. There will also be options to switch between legacy mode which will disable the extra threads on the processors to avoid incompatibility in legacy or older applications.

Both can be set through the Ryzen Master configuration utility which has now been updated to support 2nd Generation Ryzen Threadripper processors. The utility also provides other nifty features and configuration tool which can be used by overclockers to fine tune their chips.

Another thing worth noting is that in game mode, Ryzen Threadripper processors will optimize to run with 8 cores, 16 threads. That means only 2 CCX or 1 die would be enabled, reducing latency. This will allow the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X to operate at speeds of 4.4 GHz with Precision Boost 2.0, achieving the maximum 8 core default frequency on any Ryzen processor released to date.

With memory access modes, users can select between UMA (maximum memory bandwidth) and NUMA (lowest latency) modes. While on the topic of Ryzen Master, it should be pointed out that a new updated version will be released on launch day, 13th August, offering more fine tuning and control over the HEDT processors.

So what the Threadripper profiles do is that they optimize the chip for the specified workloads. For instance, the gaming mode will enable Local memory access mode and turn the compatibility mode to legacy. This will help reduce memory and core-to-core latency and overcome the thread count limitation in some of the legacy games which can endure bugs and issues with modern multi-core CPUs.

The creator mode, on the other hand, turns the memory access to the distributed mode and disables the legacy mode. This maximizes threads and total memory bandwidth for an unrestrained amount of CPU performance and will be the default profile for Threadripper processors.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2000 Series Packaging:

When AMD released their first generation Ryzen Threadripper processors, we got to see two new things. First was obviously the processor itself which was a disruptive product for the market, the second thing was the gorgeous packaging that the chip was shipped inside. It was a good relief from the box styled packages that CPUs had previously shipped in, but it looks like AMD is going all out with their 2nd generation Ryzen Threadripper processors.

Just like the 32 core behemoth which the new Threadripper flagship is going to be, the packaging of the processor is also going to be a grand scheme of things. It’s bigger, it looks epic and like the last package, it comes with a transparent window which reveals the CPU on the front. It seems to be made of strong alloy material and has either a plastic or glass cover on the front which is engraved with the Ryzen Threadripper label and logo.

The chip can be seen through the mirror and just like the mainstream processors, each Ryzen TR CPU will have the naming printed in clear black on the IHS which looks amazing. This time, AMD has gone with a more polygonal look, which looks impressive.

The back of the box has the same layout with the orange tint showing where the processor is placed. Given the room inside the box, we can tell that aside from the processor, it will ship with manuals and tools that are necessary for installing the Ryzen Threadripper processor on TR4 motherboards.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper looks really amazing when looking from the eye of an enthusiast. It’s the most powerful platform for HEDT users that we have seen to date and a worthy competitor to Intel’s HEDT Core-X lineup.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper Series CPU Presentation:

As a refresh to their HEDT product lineup, the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha became ASUS’s flagship X399 series motherboard. The motherboard has a lot in common with ASUS’s ROG Zenith Extreme, the most high-end X399 motherboard for the Ryzen Threadripper lineup at the time of launch but the Alpha takes the design methodology of the original a notch ahead. Following is what ASUS has to say about the Alpha:

Built to take command , ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha releases the full might of the 32-core AMD Threadripper processor, while keeping thermals under control with intelligent cooling and an SOC heatsink designed especially for the CPU’s monstrous power. For high-end gamers and overclockers who equip themselves with ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha , there will be no doubts about who is leader of the pack.

The ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha is a premium product featuring a price of $699.99 US. It is one of the few X399 refresh series motherboards that consumers can buy for their new Ryzen Threadripper (2nd Gen / 1st Gen) processors but I would consider the higher end ‘WX’ series to be an ideal companion of this motherboard.

The ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha is very similar in design to the original Zenith Extreme but is still an updated version in a lot of ways. The TR4 socket is still in the middle, supporting all AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors. There are eight DIMM slots surrounding it that can support up to 128 GB of memory with speeds of up to 3600 MHz+.

The motherboard is powered by dual 8 pin connectors and a single 24 pin ATX connector. ASUS has deployed an 8 Phase VRM with 16 power stages. The components include premium chokes, Capps, MOSFETs, and the IR3555 PowIRStage ICs delivering the best stability and overclocking potential for this tier of a motherboard.

The cooling design gets an upgrade through the use of a much larger VRM heatsink with an extended coverage area and a direct touch heat pipe that delivers increased heat dissipation. The board makes use of active fan cooling with two of them hidden behind a heatsink shroud over the VRMs. The rest of the motherboard is similar to the previous Zenith Extreme featuring four PCI-e 3.0 x16 (x16/x8/x16/x8), a single PCI-e 3.0 x4, and dual M.2 slots. All M.2 slots are shrouded by the metal heatsink while a DIMM.2 slot offers even more expandability options.

The PCH heatsink shroud has RGB LEDs and made from anodized aluminum which looks amazing. The I/O cover has the ROG Live Dash screen which displays different readings from the CPU such as clock speed, temps and the current voltage.

Buy ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Here!

ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Motherboard Features:

AMD TR4 socket: Ready for 1st and 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor series to maximize connectivity and speed with up to three M.2 drives and USB 3.1 Gen 2.
Comprehensive thermal design: Active heatsink with integrated VRM fan, PCIe-zone M.2 aluminum heatsink, and dual backplates.
High-performance networking: Onboard Aquantia 10Gbps LAN, 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO support, and Intel Gigabit LAN with ASUS LANGuard and GameFirst V technologies.
5-Way Optimization: Automated system-wide tuning, providing overclocking and cooling profiles that are tailor-made for your rig.
SafeSlot technology: Firmly-anchored PCIe slots fortified with metal to support heavyweight graphics cards.
Unmatched personalization: LiveDash OLED and ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including two RGB headers and addressable headers.
Industry-leading ROG audio: SupremeFX S1220 and ESS SABRE9018Q2C for enthusiast-grade audio performance driven by Japanese capacitors.

ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Motherboard Product Gallery:

The ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha comes inside a standard carboard package and weights a lot. The front of the box features the “ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha” naming scheme along with the ROG logo in the top right corner. In addition to that, the motherboard also has some marketing labels that include AMD Socket TR4, X399, Ryzen Threadripper, NVIDIA SLI, AMD Crossfire and ASUS Aura Sync.

The back of the package lists down several major features of the motherboard along with a few special features that include AL Cover heatsink, Aquantia 10G LAN, a Robust Power Solution, and ROG DIMM.2 Heatsink. These along with the entire specifications of the board are listed on the back for easier viewing by the user. There’s a lot to go through which I will detail in the closer look section.

The package is accessed easily by pulling up the top which reveals the motherboard itself, nicely seated beneath a plastic case. The Republic of Gamers branding can be seen as you’re greeted by the message saying “Welcome To The Republic”.

Upon removing the plastic cover you get a proper look at the motherboard, and its a beast. Just like the first Zenith Extreme, the Zenith Extreme Alpha is a huge motherboard with lots going on. ASUS has designed it for the top tier enthusiasts and you can tell that just by looking at it.

Out of the box, the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha is a massive motherboard featuring the E-ATX form factor. The refreshed design for the new X399 motherboards by ASUS is really well done and I can tell just by looking at it that it will deliver some outstanding performance on the Threadripper flagship, the 2990WX.

There are two containers in the package, the top one which houses the motherboard and one at the bottom which houses the accessories. There are four compartments in the lower container, each of which is jam-packed with a range of accessories. I will mention the full list of accessories below but there are some that are worth looking at.

First is the ROG DIMM.2 which goes inside one of the DIMM.2 slots next to the main system DIMM slots. The ROG DIMM.2 comes with two M.2 ports, each of which is PCIe x4 compliant and can use full-length M.2 SSD drives. In addition to that, the ROG DIMM.2 also comes with an aluminum-based heatsink which provides full coverage for the M.2 drives and even houses proper thermal contact pads for heat dissipation. The design itself of the ROG DIMM.2 is very premium with a brushed metallic finish and the ROG eye logo on one side of the heatsink.

In the same compartment, you could also find a small USB drive with a red colored LED and the ROG eye logo. This USB drive stores utilities and drivers and even though they can be quite outdated, the USB can allow you to download and store updated drivers and utilities for future use and is a lot more convenient than the standard disk drives bundled with motherboards.

The other interesting accessory to look at is the Fan Extension II card which gives you six additional 4-pin fan ports, three thermal sensors, and three +12V RGB headers. The hub uses a 6-pin connector to power up and has node-in and node-out ports for full compatibility with node compatible accessories. There’s also a dual-function screwdriver and an SLI HB Bridge which should come in handy with a board of this tier.

Accessories for the motherboard include the following:

User’s manual
6 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
1 x ASUS 2T2R dual-band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
1 x Fan Extension Card II (6 x 4-pin Chassis Fan connectors, 3 x RGB headers, 3 x 2-pin
Thermal sensor header)
1 x Fan Extension Card II power cable
1 x Fan Extension Card II NODE connector cable
1 x Fan Extension Card II screw package
1 x SLI HB BRIDGE(2-WAY-M)
1 x ROG big sticker
1 x Q-Connector
1 x M.2 screw kit (long screw and mount)
2 x M.2 screw kit (short screw and mount)
1 x DIMM.2 extension card with 2 x M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices
support (SATA & PCIe 3.0 x 4 mode)
1 x ROG Logo Sticker(s)
1 x Extension Cable for RGB strips (80 cm)
1 x Extension cable for Addressable LED
3 x Thermistor cable(s)
1 x USB drive with utilities and drivers
1 x ROG coaster(s)
1 x ROG weave SATA 6G cable
1 x ROG Thank you card

With a lot to detail, let’s head over to the next section and find out what the motherboard itself has to offer.

The ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha is one aggressive looking motherboard which has enthusiast written all over it. Rocking a seriously impressive design, the motherboard follows the E-ATX form factor and the black theme across the motherboard looks very neat.

A lot has changed over the first ROG Zenith Extreme. The most obvious changes are the cooling design, the VRM upgrades and the flashy cover that goes across the PCH and the PCI-e slots. The motherboard also makes use of two aluminum heatsink covers on the back along with flashy LEDs on the bottom for a nice aesthetic look.

The large TR4 socket can be seen at the top of the motherboard. The ROG Zenith Extreme rocks the Foxconn SAM SP3 design which looks similar to the EPYC SP4 socket but re-engineered for the HEDT masses. The socket has a plastic cover that slides in and out with ease. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors also slide in the socket with ease after removal of the protective cover.

All X399 motherboards are shipped with this cover since we are talking about 4094 pins and one damaged pin can cause permanent damage to the board. The ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha has a very catchy sticker over the plastic cover with “Join The Republic” label. ASUS is very serious about their ROG design on this motherboard since it’s one of their flagship designs.

Talking about the socket, it is also the largest ever designed for a consumer grade motherboard and the number of pins inside the socket is mind-blowing. You can fit in almost four consumer Intel CPUs in the socket (although they won’t work).

Around the socket are two DDR4 DIMM slots which can support quad channel memory with clock speeds up to 3600 MHz (OC+). The system is designed to operate both non-ECC and ECC (UDIMM) memory and up to 128 GB in capacity. The motherboard supports XMP memory modules like the ones I tested the board with.

Right next to the DDR4 DIMM slots on the right side of the socket, you can see a single DIMM.2 slot which is conveniently labeled so users don’t install a DDR4 stick inside it, causing damage to their hardware. The DIMM.2 slot can house the bundled ROG DIMM.2 stick which allows for two extra M.2 drives.

Scattered around the CPU socket is 16 power stages that are spread over eight phases. The power delivery system is a combination of high-quality components that includes premium chokes, high-end capacitors, and IR3555 PowIRstage components rated at 60A for higher power delivery to offer stability and better-overclocking potential on Ryzen Threadripper series processors. The board is using the IR 35201 voltage controller and in addition the 16 CPU phases, there are four phases for the SOC (X399) and four (two each) for the memory.

The motherboard is supplied power through dual 8 pin connectors that are located just right over the 24-pin ATX power connector. This is due to the large heatsink that covers the entire top portion of the motherboard. The board has enough juice to feed the high-end 32 core Ryzen Threadripper CPUs such as the 2990WX. The Start and Reset switches are also located between these connectors and can easily be accessed.

The biggest upgrade aside from the VRMs is made on the cooling system. ASUS is using their most impressive cooling design to date on the ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha which makes use of two fully aluminum-based heatsinks with one featuring fin design and covering the entire top section of the VRMs. There’s an extended heat pipe that runs through the top heatsink to the one which features the I/O cover for even higher cooling potential.

The I/O cover is made out of aluminum and connectors to the primary heatsink through the heat pipe, offering higher mass and surface area for the VRMs to dissipate heat to. In addition to all of that, the top heatsink also comes with active cooling in the form, of two fans that feature idle fan functionality and only kick in when the temperatures on the VRMs cross 60C. The Extreme Alpha is said to handle a sustained VRM load of 500 Watts which is quite impressive. The fans are already connected to the motherboard through a 4-pin cable so you don’t have to worry about them at all.

The I/O cover has a large Zenith logo and comes with its own set of LEDs that are synced with ASUS AURA Sync technology. The I/O cover even comes with a small OLED display which shows some info such as CPU clock, CPU temperature, fan speed, etc. This feature was brought over from the original Zenith Extreme.

Coming to the bottom side, we see the PCH heatsink which also uses aluminum and features the ROG eye logo that illuminates through LED when in sync with ASUS’s AURA Sync technology. The motherboard also has a SOC heatsink in addition to the PCH heatsink which is located right below and offers more cooling to the power delivery system on the lower section of the motherboard. It also packs an aluminum heatsink cover for the M.2 drive (1 in the case of the Alpha).

Just right below the PCH heatsink, I can spot the dual BIOS chips which are a key feature of the motherboard. For those whose motherboard may go haywire after a certain change in settings within the BIOS, you can easily switch to the reserved BIOS and revert the settings for easy configuration and tweaking.

There are several switches and jumpers to select between the BIOS and the different modes (Slow Mode, LN2 mode) along with a retry button and a safe boot button.

In terms of storage, we are looking at 8 SATA 3 6Gbps ports which support RAID (0,1,10) and has been free by AMD for a while now. There are also two USB 3.0 front panel headers, one of which comes in right-angled design right next to the SATA ports. The board has a node connector for the fan extension II hub and a USB 3.1 Gen 2 front panel header too.

The motherboard has a 4-pin ATX connector located at the bottom left side which offers additional power to the expansion slot which is the next thing I am going to be looking at on this board.

The motherboard has four PCIe 3.0 x16 slots which operate in x16, x16/x16, x16/x8/x16, x16/x8/x16/x8 configuration. In two way configuration, both cards would operate in x16 modes while in four-way configuration, two will operate in x16 and the rest of the two will operate in x8 mode. Having 60 PCIe lanes with Ryzen Threadripper processors makes for some very interesting upgrade options since users can combine a mix of high-end graphics cards and some really fast SSD drives. There’s also a single PCIe 3.0 x4 slot.

ASUS is using their Q-slot design on the PCI-express slots which adds more strength to the slots when using heavy graphics cards. The feature not only adds a stainless shielded cover to the PCIe slot but also provides more anchor points for extra strength against higher retention force.

The motherboard can house 3-way SLI and Crossfire GPUs. Whether if those are practical or not is up for debate but considering the use case of this motherboard, we can see some workstation heavy enthusiasts going for quad way NVIDIA Quadro or AMD WX series graphics cards in a system designed with such a high-end CPU and motherboard.

A triple PCIe Gen 3 x4 M.2 slot configuration is featured on the motherboard. There’s one slot on the motherboard itself underneath the aluminum heatsink cover while rest of the two M.2 ports are featured on the ROG DIMM.2 stick.

2 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key design, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (Supports both SATA & PCIe SSD)
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (PCI-E 3.0 x 4 mode)

Within the motherboard, there are a large variety of connectors which include the following:

1 x WB_SENSOR
2 x Aura Addressable Strip Header(s)
2 x Aura RGB Strip Headers
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1(up to 5Gbps) connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s)
2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (PCI-E 3.0 x 4 mode)
8 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
1 x CPU Fan connector(s)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s)
2 x Chassis Fan connector(s)
1 x H_AMP fan connector
1 x W_PUMP+ connector
2 x 8-pin EATX 8 V Power connector
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x Slow Mode switch(es)
7 x ProbeIt Measurement Points
2 x Thermal sensor connector(s)
1 x EZ Plug connector(s) (4-pin Molex power connector)
1 x Reset button(s)
1 x BIOS Switch button(s)
1 x Node Connector(s)
1 x LN2 Mode jumper(s)
1 x Safe Boot button
1 x ReTry button
1 x 14-1 pin TPM connector
1 x Slow Mode jumper(s)
1 x System panel connector
1 x W_IN header
1 x W_OUT header
1 x W_FLOW header
1 x Start button
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 front panel connector
1 x DIMM.2 Slot supports 2 M.2 drives (2242-22110)
1 x RSVD Switch
1 x 4-Pin HS fan connector

ASUS is running the SupremeFX 8-channel audio that uses the S1220 Codec. There are a lot of audio features on the motherboard which include:

ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC S1220
– Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs
– Supports: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
– High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output 113 dB SNR recording input
– ESS SABRE9018Q2C DAC/AMP
– Supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback
Audio Feature :
– Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at the back panel
– LED-illuminated design – Brighten up your build with the gorgeous illuminated audio trace path.
– Sonic Radar III
– Sonic Studio III + Sonic Studio Link

The ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha also rocks the Aquantia 10Gb LAN chip. The specific SKU of the chip is the NBase-T AQC107 which offers 10 Gigabit speeds. In addition to that, there’s also an Intel i211AT Gigabit LAN port and Intel Wireless A9260 for wireless connectivity and Bluetooth 5.0 functionality.

The I/O cover looks great with embedded RGB and hiding the active fan cooling underneath it. The ROG logo and the fine lines look nicely designed. What’s more interesting is the pre-mounted I/O shield which saves a lot of hassle when building PCs. It has been my point since last year that this should be a standard on all motherboards or at least the higher end ones.

I/O on the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha includes:

1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (black)TypeC
3 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (red)Type-A
8 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (blue)
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s)
1 x ASUS Wi-Fi GO! module (Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v5.0
5 x LED-illuminated audio jacks
1 x Aquantia AQC-107 10G LAN port

Also, the back side of the motherboard houses an array of RGB LEDs on their own RGB board which is easily accessible by removing a few screws.

For this review, I had access to the Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX flagship processor. AMD did not provide us with any equipment or processors for this review. The motherboard was sent to us by ASUS and we will be using it with our Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX sample.

The full test setup configuration can be seen in the provided list below:

Gigabyte X399 AORUS Xtreme Test Bench:

Processors	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1900X
Motherboards	ASRock X399 Professional Gaming ASRock X399M Taichi ASRock X399 Taichi
Memory	Teamgroup Xcalibur RGB Series 32 GB (4 x 8GB) CL16 3200 MHz
Video Cards	ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Ti STRIX OC
Power Supply	Corsair AX1200i PSU
Cooling Solutions	Corsair H115i Pro AIO Liquid
Solid State Drive	Samsung SSD 960 EVO M.2 (512 GB)
BIOS Used	Gigabyte X399 AORUS Xtreme F4C ASRock X399 Professional Gaming v3.20 ASRock X399 Taichi v3.20
OS	Windows 10 64-bit

For overclocking, the maximum clock speeds I was able to achieve on the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha was 4.2 GHz across all cores with a voltage supply of 1.40V.

3DMark Time Spy CPU Performance

3DMark Firestrike is the widely popular video card benchmark test for Windows that is designed to measure your PC’s gaming performance. While the overall benchmark is great, the utility also provides a good indication of the CPU performance.

3DMark Firestrike CPU Performance

Blender

Blender is the free and open source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, even video editing and game creation.

Cinebench R20

Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.

Cinebench R15

CINEBENCH R15 is based on MAXON’s award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Iron Man 3, Oblivion, Life of Pi or Prometheus and many more.

HandBrake

HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.

PCMark 10

PCMark 10 is a complete PC benchmarking solution for Windows 10. It includes several tests that combine individual workloads covering storage, computation, image and video manipulation, web browsing and gaming. Specifically designed for the full range of PC hardware from netbooks and tablets to notebooks and desktops, PCMark 10 offers complete Windows PC performance testing for home and business use.

POV-Ray

The POV-Ray package includes detailed instructions on using the ray-tracer and creating scenes. Many stunning scenes are included with POV-Ray so you can start creating images immediately when you get the package.

SuperPI

Super PI is used by many overclockers to test the performance and stability of their computers. In the overclocking community, the standard program provides a benchmark for enthusiasts to compare “world record” pi calculation times and demonstrate their overclocking abilities. The program can also be used to test the stability of a certain overclock speed.

WinRar

WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can backup your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompresses RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from the Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.

X264 HD Encode Benchmark

This benchmark measures the encoding performance of the processor. It offers a standardized benchmark for the clip as well as the encoder used is uniform.

Ashes of The Singularity

Stardock’s Ashes of the Singularity RTS title is a new take on the historical genre. The game incorporates several things that many pc gamers have been curious about and anxious to try for themselves such as Explicit Multi-Adapter Support and full Asynchronous Compute under DirectX 12 API. We tested the game at 1440P with 4x MSAA on Crazy Settings under DirectX 12.

Battlefield 1

Battlefield 1 is the kind of game that doesn’t need any real introduction. The latest installment of the Battlefield series is as beautiful as anyone would expect and comes right out of the gate with full DX11 and DX12. EA and DICE did a fantastic job with their AAA WW1 shooter this time by implementing some key gaming technologies. We tested the game at 1440P using Ultra settings and DirectX 11 API.

DOOM

In 2016, Id finally released Doom. My testing wouldn’t be complete without including this title. It’s a hell fest featuring fast-paced FPS action and tons of demons to kill. The latest title is based on both Vulkan and OpenGL APIs that take advantage of the latest multi-core and multi-GPU upgrades.

GTA V

GTA V is one handsomely optimized title for the PC audience. It’s scalable across various PC configurations and delivers an impressive frame rate. Rockstar did an amazing job with the PC build of GTA V and it comes with a large array of settings that can be configured by PC gamers. We tested the title at 1440P with everything set to Ultra and 4x MSAA.

Mass Effect Andromeda

Being a huge fan of the Mass Effect series, I was highly anticipating the arrival of Andromeda to store shelves. Now that it’s here, I put the fastest gaming card to the test. Using Frostbite, the latest Mass Effect title looks incredibly gorgeous and the open world settings on the different planets immerses you a lot.

The Rise of the Tomb Raider

The latest Rise of the Tomb Raider title gets lots of graphical enhancements added by Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes, including hardware tessellation, increased anisotropic filtering, additional dynamic foliage, increased LOD, additional PureHair strands, sun soft shadows, and improved bokeh DOF. We tested the game at 1440P under DirectX 12 API.

Sid Meir’s Civilization VI

Civilization VI is the pinnacle of the series. It’s featured huge, sweeping changes, and nothing was left out. Everything has found a purpose, they all work together in tandem but also have a reason to stand alone. It uses a more fleshed out engine that now supports DirectX 12 capabilities. We tested the game with every setting maxed out (4x MSAA, 4096×4096 shadow textures) at 1440P in DirectX 12.

Watch Dogs 2

Watch Dogs 2 once again takes us on a hacking tour, but this time in the city of San Francisco. Using a very evolved version of the OPUS engine the developers should have a better grasp on things this go around than they did with Watch Dogs. The new engine incorporates several NVIDIA Gameworks technologies and is seen as one of the most graphics intensive titles to launch this year. We tested the game on a mix of Ultra and high settings at 1440P (Temporal Filtering Disabled).

When it comes to power consumption, there are a few things we should take note of. First of all, Intel has focused on efficiency for several years but as we have seen, they are starting to loose rapidly at this front. The Intel Core-X processors are based on the new 14nm processors and we know this that Intel generally has a better fabrication process compared to their rivals. AMD, on the other hand, is using a refined 12nm process from Global Foundries on their Zen+ based Ryzen, and Ryzen Threadripper chips.

The Ryzen Threadripper chips are based on four dies rather than a single monolithic die. We have seen how that affects the temperatures but it is also crucial to see how power management is now handled on four separate dies. All four dies are connected through the infinity fabric interconnect and hence, it is used to thermally manage the load on different dies.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper WX processors feature a reference TDP of 250W and I pushed the voltage higher than stock when running the chips in overclock mode. The resultant power numbers at both stock and overclocked frequencies can be seen below:

For cooling, I used the Corsair H115i Pro AIO liquid cooler which is fully compatible with the Ryzen Threadripper processors and TR4 socket. These coolers come with a larger surface area that makes full contact with the huge IHS on the Threadripper chips. This huge contact allows for better heat transfer to help cool the processor effectively.

Following are the results of various Ryzen Threadripper CPUs in thermal benchmarking along with the VRM temps on each respective motherboard. Note that I set the active cooling option enabled through the BIOS so that it remained operational even when the temperatures were under 60C. It made for some slightly higher noise output but the VRM temps themselves were lower than all of the X399 boards I had tested so far.

In general, the Ryzen Threadripper processors are based on the 12nm process from Glofo which offers slightly better temperatures and power efficiency numbers compared to Intel’s 14nm based offerings. While Intel went with a solderless design, the Ryzen Threadripper chips come with liquid metal thermal paste on each of the four dies that are featured on the chip interposer.

This refined thermal interface offers much better heat transfer than Intel’s TIM and the Indium based solder design means that all air gaps are removed and the chip itself is tightly packaged so that the IHS can fully unload the heat from the dies and pass it straight to the cooler itself.

Furthermore, the dies feature gold plating on the back to ensure proper thermal cycling which adds to the thermal qualities of this impressive chip. You can check out the full delidding of Ryzen Threadripper processors by renowned overclocker Der8auer over here.

The ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha is the flagship X399 motherboard that ASUS has to offer and it has a lot to offer. It’s time to dissect our findings on each aspect of the motherboard.

ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Design

When you take this motherboard out of the massive box, you would be warmly welcomed by a fresh take on next-generation high-end desktop motherboard designs. AMD X399 motherboards have made AIBs rethink their design methodologies for high-end motherboards and the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha is a monster in all departments.

First of all, the entire matte black finish on the motherboard looks neatly done and even with the heatsinks, the motherboard is a sight to look at. The original ROG Zenith Extreme launched back in 2017 and it was one of the top X399 motherboards and the first X399 chipset-based product to be unveiled by AMD themselves. The ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha learns from the first iteration of the Zenith series and takes it one notch ahead with a better cooling design and an enhanced set of IO.

ASUS has done a lot of work in the cooling department. There are a total of 8 heatsinks on the ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha. There’s also a full coverage heat pipe for the VRMs and if that is not enough, there are also two fans on the topmost heatsink that provide active cooling the VRMs. During tests, I saw a huge decrease in VRM temperatures with the active cooling enabled which shows that they are designed to do their job quite well.

The other feature is the whole build quality of the motherboard. It feels very premium & the ROG designed that is splattered all over the board is very professional. There’s not an overdose of RGB but that PCH and I/O cover heatsinks do include those and provide for a nice aesthetic. The LEDs on the side of the motherboard also provide a nice touch when the board is operational and those with test benches would find it eye-catching.

ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Features

There are a ton of features jam-packed in this motherboard. And by so many features, I mean that they are so many to mention that most users will hardly use most of them. I like the wireless WIFI and Bluetooth capabilities on these motherboards and a nice audio driver is a must and the Supreme FX 8 with ALC1220 CODEC system does a good job in delivering great audio playback.

Then there’s 10 GbE LAN from Aquantia which is a must for workstation and server heavy setups. The use case of such applications on this motherboard is a lot as the WX series processors are definitely aimed at those workloads. There is also an additional Intel GbE LAN port which is a must for networking heavy users. There are lots of connectivity and PCIe storage options on the board but I’d love to have seen more SATA ports.

I think that the biggest standout features of the Zenith Extreme Alpha come in the form of the ROG DIMM.2 and the Fan Extension II hub. The ROG DIMM.2 provides two additional M.2 ports with the ROG heatsink solution that should give you high-end SSD performance without the need to worry about thermal performance. The Fan Extension II hub is also a great addition for users who want to add more fans while keeping cable management neat and tidy in their systems. The board also has an ample amount of USB 3.1 Gen 2 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports which should keep your latest IO devices hooked up perfectly.

ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Performance

Talking about performance which is a key aspect that the X399 refresh motherboards are focused towards, the first thing that comes to mind is the power delivery system. The board rocks a 16 CPU VRM, 4 Phase memory VRM and 4 Phase SOC VRM. I can go on and tell you the names of all the high-end components that it rocks but that won’t matter to you since you want numbers since there’s no use of high-end designs if you can’t get more performance out of it over previous generation parts.

With the new PWM system, I managed a overclock of 4.2 GHz on my Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX processor, with a voltage of 1.40V. The Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX is definitely a power hog but the Zenith Extreme Alpha with its high-end VRM design and more importantly, the added VRM cooling did a good job in keeping the chip stable. Cooling for the CPU was another thing as the AIO cooler was just on the edge of being pushed to the limits and the power numbers went off the chart with this overclock but it was stable which is a good thing.

The overall performance went up in various benchmarks which include productivity and rendering with the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha and its impressive overclocking capabilities. Plus in general, I saw applications become a little snappier since the processor was able to utilize faster DIMMs and also ran at slightly better clocks, even at stock configuration due to Precision Boost Overdrive in effect which wasn’t the case on older X399 motherboards.

ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Pricing

The ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha packs a lot of punch but it also comes in at an extremely high price. The $699.99 US figure puts it in the premium category which is way higher than the $599.99 US X399 refresh options, the MSI MEG Creation and the AORUS Xtreme. However, the ASUS Zenith Extreme Alpha has a lot to offer and if you’re paying for a processor that costs around $2000 US, a $699 US motherboard would be the least of your concerns but if you want a better deal, cheaper options exist but you obviously lose a few features here and there.

ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha Overall Conclusion

The latest Zenith Extreme is here and ASUS has done a fine job in offering all of their expertise in motherboard development in a single product. The ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha is a mighty board for a mighty processor lineup, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper. The WX series, in particular, will be a great companion with a board of this tier and with all the features that the Zenith Extreme Alpha rocks, you wouldn’t have to worry for an upgrade for many years. At $699 US, the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme Alpha is the ultimate X399 motherboard that you can buy for AMD’s disruptive Ryzen Threadripper processors.