Gigabyte has officially launched its long-awaited XTREME Prestige Limited Edition lineup, featuring a visually stunning and overclocked RTX 4080 SUPER graphics card and a feature-packed Z790 motherboard. Both components boast a luxurious titanium and gold design, complete with unique engraved serial numbers, hinting at the limited production run – estimated between 300 and 500 units.

The centrepiece, the Aorus GeForce RTX 4080 Super Xtreme Ice 16G, boasts a factory overclock of 150 MHz and improved performance over the stock model. Gigabyte claims it delivers 885 AI TOPs compared to the stock card’s 836. Cooling this beast are three massive “bionic shark” fans and a large vapour chamber. For those seeking ultimate customization, the fans feature addressable RGB rings, and the card itself sports an LCD monitor displaying customizable GIFs.

The Z790 Aorus Xtreme X Ice motherboard complements the graphics card perfectly. It boasts a unique crystalized titanium finish, a golden CPU socket, and a removable M.2 heatsink. Feature-wise, it supports DDR5 memory with speeds exceeding XMP-8266 and offers AI-powered CPU overclocking, promising speeds exceeding 6.3 GHz on an i9-14900KS. An included external DAC further boosts audio quality.

While pricing remains a mystery (promised on the Gigabyte website but currently unavailable), expect a hefty price tag, likely exceeding $1,299 for the graphics card alone. Both products will be sold separately, but a future bundle with additional Xtreme Ice components is a possibility.

Gigabyte promises a luxurious “unboxing experience” for each component, complete with premium packaging, high-end tools, and even anti-static gloves. We’ll update this story with confirmed pricing when available.

ASUS today announced an all-new series of servers and server motherboards powered by the latest Intel Xeon E-2400 processors, offering superior performance with up to eight cores, and native support for PCI Express (PCIe 5.0) and DDR5 4400 MT/s memory speeds. These ASUS server products, featuring the updated BMC module within the ASPEED 2600 chipset, not only offer improved manageability and security but are also IPMI 2.0-compatible, enhancing their compatibility with a variety of remote management software. The latest 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors have also been unveiled.

The power of Intel Xeon E2400 processors
Intel Xeon E-2400-series processors are designed for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and cloud service providers, offering robust and secure solutions. These processors support up to eight cores and 16 threads, with a maximum frequency of 5.6 GHz and a 95 W TDP, ensuring rapid data processing and application responsiveness. They support up to 128 GB of DDR5 4400 MT/s memory and PCIe 5.0 interfaces, providing server-grade 24/7 reliability for business-critical services and customer data, and cost-effective performance for entry-level bare-metal cloud services.

ASUS RS300-E12-RS4 server
The ASUS RS300-E12-RS4 server is engineered to harness the power of eight-core Intel Xeon E-2400-series processors, with support for up to 95 W TDP. This powerful machine is designed with a focus on extensive storage options, featuring four hot-swap drives on the front panel and an additional M.2 slot. In terms of connectivity, it boasts a PCIe 5.0 slot along with a proprietary PCIe 4.0 slot, ensuring higher bandwidth. For power efficiency, it is equipped with redundant 450 W 80 PLUS Platinum power supplies. Network connectivity is robust with dual Intel I210-AT gigabit Ethernet ports supporting teaming. The server management is enhanced by ASUS ASMB11-iKVM out-of-band management with an ASPEED AST2600 controller.

ASUS RS300-E12-PS4 server
The ASUS RS300-E12-PS4 server shares many features with the RS300-E12-RS4 model, including the processor, storage capabilities, PCIe slots, Ethernet options, management controller and security features. However, it sets itself apart with a focus on simplified system maintenance, facilitated by a 350 W 80 PLUS^® Gold power supply. This model balances performance with energy efficiency, making it a suitable choice for businesses seeking a streamlined server solution.

ASUS P13R-M/10G-2T server motherboard
The ASUS P13R-M/10G-2T server motherboard enhances connectivity with dual-port Intel X710-AT2 gigabit Ethernet and includes an M.2 slot for improved OS boot speed. It maintains the core features of RS300-E12-series servers, including support for Intel Xeon E-2400-series processors, ample storage options and ASUS ASMB11-iKVM for efficient management.

ASUS P13R-M server motherboard
The ASUS P13R-M server motherboard mirrors the key specifications of RS300-E12-PS4, focusing on similar processor support, storage flexibility, and network capabilities. It distinguishes itself with a compact form factor and a 350 W 80 PLUS Gold power supply, making it an efficient choice for businesses needing a motherboard solution with parallel capabilities to the RS4 and PS4 servers.

Comprehensive IT-infrastructure management
RS300-E12 servers and P13R-M server motherboards feature ASUS ASMB11-iKVM, an embedded iKVM module, and are optionally equipped with ASUS Control Center (ACC) — offering comprehensive out-of-band and in-band management features tailored for small and mid-size businesses. ASMB11-iKVM supports remote BIOS updates, fan control, standalone KVMs, video recording and BSOD capture, providing around-the-clock remote monitoring and diagnostics. This functionality remains accessible even if the operating system is down or offline, through a user-friendly web-based graphical interface compatible with all major browsers.

ACC further enhances IT infrastructure management, centralizing and integrating monitoring and control for ASUS commercial products, including servers, workstations and digital signage. ACC enables remote BIOS updates, mobile device system monitoring and simplified server management through one-click software updates and dispatching.

5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processor
The latest 5th Gen Intel Xeon processor range unleashes up to 21% average general-purpose performance gain and up to 36% average performance per watt gain across workloads compared to the previous generation, delivers up to 29% higher training and up to 42% higher inference performance.^, With an LGA-4677 socket, the new CPU series seamlessly continues the legacy of its predecessor, with simple drop-in compatibility. Boasting eight DDR5-5600 memory channels supporting up to 2 TB capacity, 80 PCI Express 5.0 lanes with CXL 1.1support, and a 350 W TDP for 1P and 2P configurations, the all-new Xeon Scalable is an innovation powerhouse. Upgrade with ASUS today to elevate operational efficiency, and data security and reduce costs — ready for the future of computing.

ASUS servers and server motherboards that support the 5th Gen Intel Xeon processor series are as follows:

ASUS released a lineup of new and refreshed ROG Z790 motherboards to coincide with the launch of Intel 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh desktop CPUs. We reviewed the ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Pro WiFi Motherboard a week ago, and today, we are taking a look at the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula.

The ROG Maximus Z790 Formula is the ultimate motherboard, boasting a stunning Moonlight White design. Beyond its eye-catching appearance, it offers a boatload of features such as the exclusive HybridChill VRM cooling system for 14th-gen Intel processors, and advanced DDR5 settings. You also get multiple PCIe 5.0 slots for graphics cards and storage, rapid Intel Wi-Fi 7 networking, and extensive customisable ARGB lighting, ensuring whatever you build with this thing, is premium.

In terms of specifications, the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula maintains its ATX form factor and incorporates a dual 8-pin CPU power connector setup. The VRM Configuration is 20+1+2(Core+GT+VCCIN) and backed up by a 10-phase supply count with 105A and 70A power stages.

The motherboard provides four DDR5 DIMM slots capable of supporting speeds exceeding 8000 MT/s and capacities of up to 192GB. The motherboard features a white shield covering its entire front, which also houses the M.2 heatsinks beneath it. Memory compatibility is a breeze with the Z790 Formula.

All XMP-certified kits can effortlessly reach their advertised speeds, as rigorous internal tests have verified these assertions. ASUS has also introduced a novel feature called DIMM Flex. DIMM Flex utilises an onboard thermal sensor located at the rear of the motherboard, beneath the memory slots, along with a microcontroller to continuously monitor temperature and dynamically optimise the memory refresh rate, providing an on-the-fly performance boost.

Regarding expansion options, the board includes two PCIe x16 slots and a diverse range of I/O ports, such as support for WIFI 7. You also get two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps Type-C port, 5 GbE LAN, numerous USB 3.2 ports, and BIOS Flashback/Clear CMOS switches.

Other features of the motherboard include AI Overclocking, 2-inch Livedash OLED, AI Cooling II, and other bells and whistles. There are dual procool II power connectors, 20+1+2 power stages, and the motherboard comes with the Intel LGA 1700 socket that takes in 14th and 13th Gen Intel Core Processors, 12th Gen Intel Core processors, and Pentium Gold and Celeron processors.

In terms of I/O connectivity, you again get a boatload. The motherboard comes with one HDMI port, four USB 5Gbps Type-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports, a Realtek 5Gb Ethernet port, six USB 10Gbps ports (five Type-A and one USB Type-C), Intel Wi-Fi 7, Optical S/PDIF Out, five gold-plated audio jacks, one USB 20Gbps USB Type-C front panel connector, and four SATA 6GB/S connectors.

Inside the package, in addition to the motherboard, cables, and other accessories, you’ll find an ASUS WiFi Q-Antenna. This antenna is equipped with dual transceivers, which provide support for the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands, enhancing throughput speed. It also offers directional sensitivity to boost signal quality and expand coverage over longer distances.

Undoubtedly, the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula is an exceptional and distinct motherboard. With its remarkable features and capabilities, I believe it will become a top choice for both enthusiasts and gamers in their feature builds. The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Formula is currently available at a price of AED 3070.

Price: AED 3070