Maximus X Z370 vs Maximus XI Z390

[Zammin]

Hi everyone,

Many of you may have seen the images of the ASUS Z390 Motherboard lineup on VideoCardz the other day. The Maximus XI series looks very similar to the Maximus X series underneath all the heat spreaders and stuff on top, most of the surface mounted components look to be in the same places, leading me to believe they are very similar to the current series except for one thing, there is a second CPU power connector (4-Pin) next to the usual 8-Pin. This appears to only be on the Maximus XI series as the Strix, TUF and Prime boards only have the usual 8-Pin connector.

I know that Z370 motherboards are able to support the Intel 9000 series CPUs as of the latest BIOS (1602 for Maximus X) but what I am unclear on is whether decent overclocks will still be achievable on the 9900k for those of us with the higher end Z370s. I spent a fair bit on my current Maximus X Code back in June this year and am hoping to keep it if I can. I have heard other people suggest that all the current Maximus X boards should be fine but now that I am seeing the additional CPU power connector it makes me wonder why it was added.

So to sum it up I am wanting to know if my Maximus X Code (and other Maximus X boards) will be suitable for regular (non-competitive) overclocking on the 9900k and 9700k. I'm not sure if anyone from ASUS is allowed to disclose this information to me but if you can, I would really appreciate it. I really like my Maximus X Code and as far as I'm aware it already has the additional features that Intel are including in their new chipset so if I can still get good results with it I would like to stick with it.

Thanks in advance, here is the link to the article from VideoCardz and some images of the boards, hopefully it's okay to share these:

https://videocardz.com/78256/asus-z390-rog-maximus-xi-strix-prime-and-tuf-motherboards-leaked

Maximus XI Code



Maximus XI Formula(?)



Maximus XI Hero

[kens30]

Just read some disappointing news for those waiting to upgrade to 9000 series cpu's.
Global Foundries and TSMC reported they cannot keep up with 14nm demand and are facing shortages as well.
As a result Intel coffelake cpu's prices are rising very high, this does not look good at all..

[Menthol]

Because Intel is having difficulties manufacturing enough chips they may be in short supply and cost more than they should, the new CPU's supposedly have hardware fix's for some of the security flaws, if you own an 8700K the only upgrade would be the 8 core 16 thread 9900K.
Only people under NDA's know the performance and what the Z390 boards bring to the table besides beefier power sections (VRM) but I assume there are other minor changes, refinements, improvements to other circuitry on the boards besides just being visually different

Hopefully we will know sometime next month, I want to get a Z390 board and 2 9900K's, one for my X Apex which I use as my daily rig

[Menthol]

We only have a few more weeks to speculate before official release and reviews are on the net. AMD must be ecstatic over Intel's shortage and 10nm issues, it couldn't have worked out better for them.

Still even if all the Z370 boards are capable of running the new 8 core chip the new boards always have refinements that are unseen that will make them a better choice than existing boards.
The shortages will make selling existing motherboards and CPU's easier to lesson the financial impact of upgrading to the new hardware.

[Zammin]

Menthol wrote:
We only have a few more weeks to speculate before official release and reviews are on the net. AMD must be ecstatic over Intel's shortage and 10nm issues, it couldn't have worked out better for them.

Still even if all the Z370 boards are capable of running the new 8 core chip the new boards always have refinements that are unseen that will make them a better choice than existing boards.
The shortages will make selling existing motherboards and CPU's easier to lesson the financial impact of upgrading to the new hardware.

I'm not too fussed on other refinements if my Maximus X Code can still overclock the 9900k to 5Ghz or so. Having just spent over $2400 AUD on a 2080Ti, an EK Vector GPU block and a Velocity CPU block, I'd rather not have to replace my expensive motherboard when the 9900k is rumored to cost $500USD or so lol. I can guarantee the price will be further inflated here in Australia like everything is.

To give you an example of what I mean, the RTX 2080 (non-Ti) on Nvidias website is $1200 AUD with free postage. However the AIB cards that are supposed to be the same price or less, range from a minimum of around $1450 AUD all the way up to $1700 AUD at Australian retailers. Even with the Founders Edition versions they are inflated, the 2080Ti is $1200 USD for America, which equates to $1661.60 AUD. But Nvidia are charging $1900 AUD and a minimum of $2050 for the AIB models from Australian retailers.

CPUs and motherboards are more expensive here as well, I bought my 8700k and my old Maximus X Hero from Newegg back before we had to pay GST on all overseas purchases and I saved hundreds of dollars compared to local pricing. I'm betting that the 9900k will cost at least $800 AUD by itself haha.

I wish our Government would do something about the obscene price inflation for products sold in Australia instead of penalizing us with additional tax when we buy from overseas. I mean if that many people are buying from overseas there has to be a good reason for it, no one would import stuff if it was the same cost or more than buying locally.

[Zammin]

Going back to the motherboards topic 😛 I'm really happy with the aesthetic of the current gen Maximus boards as well, I think I like it better than the new stuff. Of course that is all subject to personal opinion.

In any case I'm looking forward to seeing some testing in the coming weeks!