ASUS ROG Maximus XI APEX, Intel Z390 Motherboard - Socket 1151 [90MB0XV0-M0EAY0]

In addition, Z390 motherboards support the ninth-generation Intel Core processors (Coffee Lake-S Refresh). Also on the start are the chip-side Wi-Fi support - but still a WiFi module must be present - and native USB 3.1 support, so they no longer need to be provided with additional chips.

The features of the ASUS ROG Maximus XI APEX motherboard at a glance:
- 3x PCIe (3.0) x16 (x16 / x8 / x4) & 1x PCIe x1
- I / O aperture with 6x USB 3.0 & 4x USB 3.1 (3x Type-A & 1x Type-C)
- Total 13x USB 3.0 / 3.1 and 4x USB 2.0 (internal & external)
- 2x M.2 (of which 2x PCIe 3.0 x4) / 6x SATA 6G
- Supports max. 64 GB of DDR4 RAM up to 4,700 MHz
- Integrated LED lighting including RGB LED header
- With integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module & 5 GBit-LAN

The ASUS ROG Maximus XI APEX in detail
The ASUS ROG Maximus XI APEX motherboard (ATX) provides a total of three PCIe x16 slots, one connected to a full 16 lanes while the others are connected to four or eight data lines. For additional plug-in and expansion cards, the motherboard offers a PCIe x1 slot. In addition, multiple graphics cards can be used simultaneously on the motherboard and it supports 3-Way AMD CrossFireX and 2-Way NVIDIA SLI.
The two DIMM slots support up to 64GB of DDR4 memory in dual-channel mode. Native support of the Z390 chipset clock rates up to 2,666 MHz, OC allows the ASUS ROG Maximus XI APEX but also the operation of RAM kits up to 4,700 MHz. There are six SATA 6G ports and two M.2 slots for hard drives and SSDs. Both M.2 slots are connected to the chipset with four PCIe lanes and support the NVMe protocol, which enables data transfer rates of almost 4 GB / s. This makes M.2 PCIe SSDs up to eight times faster than SATA 6G SSDs!

At the I / O panel, the ASUS ROG Maximus XI APEX has a USB 3.1 connector with Type-C female connector. This new USB type C port is very thin and can be plugged in on both sides. USB 3.1 or USB 3.1 Gen 2 achieves maximum speeds of 10 Gbps per port, and USB ports with this standard typically support the fast-charging feature of smartphones and tablets. At the I / O panel, in addition to three other USB 3.1 ports with Type A socket, there are six USB 3.0 ports to be found. Internally, the motherboard provides a large selection of connectors and headers.

Special features of the ASUS ROG Maximus XI APEX include the eye-catching radiator design and integrated digital RGB LED lighting. Unlike most Z390 motherboards, the Maximus Apex XI provides a passive cooler for the two M.2 slots, all of which are connected via PCIE 3.0 x4. With this even the hottest M.2 SSDs keep a cool head. In addition, the mainboard has a WLAN module with the standard 802.11ac including Bluetooth 5.0. Antennas for WLAN and a SLI bridge are included with the motherboard.

Technical details:
- format
- ATX
- chipset
- Intel Z390
- Base:
- 1151 (v2) (for Intel 8th and 9th generation CPUs)
- R.A.M:
- 2x DDR4 (2,666 MHz, up to 4,700 MHz using OC)
- Dual-Channel
- Max. 64 GB
- Slots (physical):
- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electric x16)
- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electric x8)
- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electric x4)
- Compatible multi-VGA configurations: AMD 3-Way CrossFireX, 2-Way NVIDIA SLI
- 1x PCIe 3.0x1

Internal connections:
- 6 × SATA 6G
- 2x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4; 2242/2260/2280/22110)
- 2x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4, SATA; 2242/2260/2280/22110)
- 4x USB 3.0 (two headers)
- 4x USB 2.0 (two headers)
- 1x CPU fan header (4-pin)
- 1x CPU OPT fan header (4-pin)
- 3x EXT_FAN headers (5-pin)
- 1x W_PUMP + Connector (4-pin)
- 1x AIO_Pump Connector (4-pin)
- 1x W_IN header
- 1x W_OUT header
- 1x W_FLOW header
- 1x start button
- 1x reset button
- 1x MemOK! button
- 1x front panel audio C
- 1x AURA RGB header (4-pin)
- 1x Addressable RGB Header (3-Pin)
- 1x USB 3.1 Type-C front panel connector

External connections:
- 4 × USB 3.1 (3 × type A and 1x type C)
- 6x USB 3.0
- 5x audio 3.5 mm jack
- 1x S / PDIF
- 2x PS / 2 sockets
- 1x antenna
- 1x Ethernet LAN (RJ45)
- 1x Clear CMOS Button
- 1x BIOS flashback button

Power supply:
- 1x 24 pin ATX 12V
- 2x 8-pin ATX 12V