ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Wifi review: High-end, but not for everyone
The ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Wifi is a high-end motherboard built for Ryzen 7000 processors. It is designed to handle chips like the Ryzen 9 7900X and the 7950X. With an eye-watering 18+2-phase VRM design, ample cooling, and support for the latest PCIe 5.0 graphics cards and SSDs, it looks like something out of the future.
In addition, the board follows the traditional ROG Strix sauce, which, in general consensus, is among the most prestigious gaming-focused brands. This high-end treatment will, however, cost a pretty penny with the motherboard in question costing about $500 when brand new.
ASUS was kind enough to send the ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming board over for testing some of the latest processors from AMD, namely the Ryzen 5 7600X and the Ryzen 9 7900X. We ran the board through its paces and have some thoughts to share.
Is the ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Wifi the ultimate deal for gamers?
Pre-delivery
The ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming motherboard is a high-end design, plush with all the technologies necessary to handle power-hungry and demanding processors. ASUS has taken every aspect of the board seriously. A detailed list of the advertised specifications is as follows:
18+2 power stages
- DDR5 support with maximum speeds of 6,400 MT/s
- 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots
- PCIe slot Q-release
- 4x M.2 slots with heatsinks
- PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD support
- M.2 Combo-sink
- M.2 backplate
- Massive M.2 heatsink
- USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
- Onboard WiFi 6E
- Dynamic OC switcher
- Core Flex
- AI Cooling II
- Aura Sync RGB lighting
The features list doesn't end here. The technologies listed above are the major differentiators between the ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming and offerings from ASUS and other vendors. The board is among the most promising offerings to opt for. It appears extremely appealing pre-delivery.
Unboxing experience
The ROG Strix Gaming lineup of motherboards is a high-end offering. Despite this, we don't get dual-layer packaging, which is a bit underwhelming.
However, the box is insanely well-designed. Inside it, the board is packed in an anti-static bag. In a different cardboard box, we get an extra M.2 heatsink. ASUS has separated the accessories section with another cardboard box layer. We get some stickers, WiFi antennae, stock-cooler retention brackets, and some mounting hardware for SSDs.
ASUS packs a ton of hardware alongside the motherboard. In addition, the all-paper packaging is truly commendable.
AM5 socket and the X670E-E chipset
The new Ryzen 7000 processors use a new socket: AM5. It is way different from 2017's AM4. The first difference, and probably the most noticeable, is its new LGA (Land Grid Array) socket. Until 2022, Team Red chips were based on the PGA (Pin Grid Array) socket, which puts the connectivity pins on the CPU instead of the motherboard. This complicates the installation process and increases the chance of pin bending.
In addition to this, the total power delivery has been bumped from 142W to 220W.
For its latest Ryzen 7000 processors, AMD has launched four motherboard chipsets. From the lowest end to the beefiest, they are the B650, the B650 Extreme, the X670, and the X670 Extreme. The latter of them, the X670 Extreme (or X670E, in short) powers the ASUS ROG Strix motherboard in question.
The high-end "Extreme" chipset is all about PCIe 5.0 connectivity and overclocking potential. However, since Gen 5 SSDs and GPUs are still not mainstream, this is a future-proofing measure.
Design
The ROG Strix brand is mainly gamer-focused. All of the products in this lineup are designed extremely well. The X670E Gaming motherboard is no exception to this formula. It is filled with heatsinks, which helps with the aesthetics as well.
The motherboard-maker hasn't overlooked the back of the product either. The board has a massive ROG Strix branding on the bottom-left corner and packs multiple other small design cues that make it aesthetically pleasing.
Overall, the ROG Strix X670E motherboard is insanely well-designed and ASUS deserves some brownie points for this.
Closer look
The motherboard has a plethora of features to go over. Let's look at them one by one.
PCIe slots
One of the most highlighted features of the ASUS ROG Strix X670E motherboard is its PCIe connectivity. The board packs three full-sized PCIe slots. However, only two of them are Gen 5 and steel-riveted.
The third slot is PCIe Gen 4, which is plenty for all modern GPUs. All three of them pack full x16 connectivity. Thus, graphics cards can be plugged into any of them.
SATA ports
ASUS has cut down on the SATA connectivity options of the motherboard. It packs only four 6 Gbps ports, all of which have been rotated by 90° for better cable management options.
Four slots may be enough for the average user. However, if you plan to install a bunch of hard drives or SATA SSDs for storing multiple big files, this can become a massive problem.
NVMe slots
The ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming board comes with four NVMe ports. Three of these are PCIe 5.0, which is massive. Since most Gen 5-compliant boards pack only one slot with 128 GB/s transfer speeds, this is a step up.
The fourth slot on the board is PCIe Gen 4. It is capable of some blazing-fast speeds and comes with a peak transfer speed of 64 GB/s. Overall, the board is a great option for NVMe-storage lovers and the triple Gen 5 slot is a great nice-to-have offering.
Internal connectivity headers
The ASUS ROG Strix X670E board doesn’t leave any stone unturned and packs a total of six internal connectivity headers. They are as follows:
3x USB 2.0 headers (supports up to 6 connections)
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header (supports up to two connections)
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connector (supports USB Type-C)
- 1x Thunderbolt header
The internal connections are enough for some of the most high-end cases on the market. We don’t believe users will face any problems connecting peripherals to their PCs.
Rear I/O
Nothing about this motherboard is underwhelming. The rear I/O speaks loads of what one can expect from the ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming. It is almost filled out with ports and connectors. The full detailed list of them is as follows:
1x HDMI port
- 1x Display Port
- 10x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports
- 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port
- 1x Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet port
- Clear CMOS button
- BIOS FlashBack button
- Wi-Fi 6E connectors
- 1x Optical S/PDIF out port
- 5x goldplated audio jacks
The motherboard packs some of the highest rear I/O USB connector counts I have ever seen. Coupled with clear CMOS and BIOS FlashBack buttons, it is an overclocker’s paradise.
Onboard LEDs and RGB support
The ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming board isn’t filled with RGB. The rear I/O cover of the motherboard lights up and that’s it. This is a bit underwhelming, especially because it is built for gamers.
However, this can be overlooked since the motherboard packs four RGB headers, three of which are addressable. Thus, users can connect as many RGB accessories as they want.
In addition to the RGB features, the board also comes with EZ debug LEDs that can help users identify issues without much trial and error. This feature is very overclocker-friendly. The board also comes with a dedicated “Start” button that helps turn the system on without shorting the front-panel connectors. This, again, is very overclocker-friendly.
Heatsinks
The ASUS ROG Strix X670E motherboard is filled with heatsinks to keep the PCIe Gen 5 SSDS and high-end VRMs cool. The Taiwanese hardware manufacturer has nearly filled up the entire available space with heatsink mass, which helps with the looks and cooling.
The rear I/O cover packs two sections — one RGB panel and another heatsink. A single big heatsink is used for the VRMs on both sides of the CPU. It is based on a dual-layer design and packs a copper heat pipe for better heat dissipation.
The motherboard also packs a dual-layer heatsink for the primary Gen 5 SSD slot. The heatsink is massive and should be enough for keeping any storage drive under optimal temperatures.
The board also features a massive heatsink for cooling the two PROM21 chiplets cool. But it does heat up significantly during usage.
The massive M.2 heatsink bundled with the board is intended for users who want to install two PCIe 5.0 SSDs in the bottom slots. The standard heatsink is quite frail, and might not be enough for keeping multiple Gen 5 drives cool.
ASUS has meticulously thought about every aspect of the board, and the overall features are very cool.
VRMs
The ASUS ROG Strix X670E motherboard comes with a massive 18+2-phase VRM setup. The first 18 of these phases are for the CPU and the remaining two are for the SoC. All of these VRMs are bundled with alloy chokes and high-end capacitors.
Under continued load for long durations, the VRMs do heat up significantly. We logged a maximum temperature of 74°C when stressed with the Ryzen 9 7900X CPU. The detailed temperature characteristic is as follows:
The high-end VRMs also require a ton of power to deliver peak performance. We logged a total Vcore current of over 126A when stressed with the AIDA 64 system stability test. The current draw characteristic is as follows:
Audio
ASUS hasn’t taken the audio features of the motherboard lightly either. It is paired with a SupremeFX-branded Realtek ALC4080 audio codec. This chip is bundled with a metal cover that shields against electromagnetic interference and provides a clean output. The motherboard also packs the usual audio-line shielding for further resistance against electromagnetic inference.
The chip also packs a Savitech SV3H712 amplifier, which boosts audio output levels from 72 dB to 83 dB. This clears up any remaining distortion and helps in a cleaner output.
The ROG Strix X670E’s onboard audio setup is so high-end that the average user won’t even need a dedicated DAC. However, it doesn’t end here.
ASUS has bundled the motherboard with its Sonic Studio III software, which is a neat utility for adding a custom EQ and customizing the audio features.
The software also comes with a dedicated volume mixer, which will help users customize their ultimate audio experience.
BIOS
The ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming board uses a custom AMI-based BIOS. ASUS has added an EZ mode, which gives a brief overview of all the settings, and an Advanced mode, which is a comprehensive list of all the features one can tweak.
ASUS has been fine-tuning its BIOS experience for decades and, thus, it is very mature. Navigating through the hundreds of settings was easy enough. However, the usability factor can use some more work, especially after looking at what competitors like MSI have come up with.
Bundled software
All ASUS motherboards come bundled with the Armory Crate software. It packs a ton of utilities and is a versatile hub for controlling every feature of the system, like CPU frequencies, fan speeds, RGB, and more.
The UI can, however, be a bit too much for first-time users. It’s rather overloaded with some gamer-like looks, which has its charm, but isn’t quite how I like software interfaces to be.
Aura Sync is quite developed in terms of stock motherboard RGB control software. It packs a bunch of presets and comes with support for detailed customization. While ASUS’s RGB control system isn’t as impressive as Razer Synapse or Corsair iCUE, it is enough for basic RGB control.
Armory Crate also doubles up as a system update hub. Users can download and install all drivers for their system from within the app.
Overall, ASUS’ bundled software is pretty impressive. It packs all the necessary features for controlling and customizing a system. This is way better than what ASRock boards come with and is quite similar to the MSI Center software.
Overclocking potential
The ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming is built for overclocking. With debug LEDs, an onboard start, and a Clear CMOS button, it is an overclocker’s paradise. The board is paired with some high-end VRMs as well, which come in handy while overclocking some high-end processors like the Ryzen 9 7900X and the 7950X.
In our testing, the motherboard didn’t disappoint us. We were able to push all the 12 cores of the 7900X up to 5,550 MHz, which is almost 500 MHz more than what the chip was hitting out of the box.
Value
The ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi cots around $499, which makes it some of the costliest options in the market. However, for the features it packs, the motherboard is a bang for the buck.
It isn’t built for the average gamer. The ROG Strix X670E packs multiple features that make Unlessor enthusiasts and overclockers. In fact, unless you aren’t running some of the highest-end Ryzen 7000 chips or want to overclock your processors to the absolute maximum, we won’t recommend this board.
It is great technology, undoubtedly. But it isn’t for everyone.
Conclusion
Product name: ASUS ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Wifi (sample provided by ASUS)
Socket: AM5
Maximum RAM support: up to 128 GB DDR5-6400
VRM setup: 18+2-phase VRM with alloy chokes and high-end capacitors
Audio: SupremeFX-tuned Realtek ALC4080+Savitech SV3H712 amp
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Abu Amjad Khan