Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme and ROG Maximus Z690 Hero are two of the premium motherboards from the ROG Maximus lineup. Both of the motherboards feature Z690 chipset and LGA1700 socket for 12th Gen Intel desktop processors. There are a lot of similarities between these motherboards such as the support for DDR5 RAM, PCIe 5.0, Thunderbolt 4, etc. However, there are some key differences as well that might want you to go for one motherboard over the other. Check out the specifications comparison table below to quickly compare Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme vs Hero motherboard.
Price and Availability
If you’re fine with both motherboards, pricing and availability could be the deciding factor.
| Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme | Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Price & Availability | Check Current Price & Availability (Amazon) | Check Current Price & Availability (Amazon) |
Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme vs Hero Motherboard Specifications Comparison
| Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme | Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Socket | LGA1700 | LGA1700 |
| Chipset | Z690 | Z690 |
| Form factor | EATX | ATX |
| Power Architecture | 24+1 (105A) | 20+1 (90A) |
| DDR5 / DDR4 | DDR5 | DDR5 |
| Max RAM Capacity | 128GB (4 x DIMM) | 128GB (4 x DIMM) |
| Max RAM Speed | 6400+(OC) | 6400+(OC) |
| OptiMem | OptiMem III | N/A |
| Graphics output | HDMI 2.1/Thunderbolt 4 | HDMI 2.1/Thunderbolt 4 |
| Expansion Slots | 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16 or x8/x8) 1 x PCIe x1 | 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16 or x8/x8) 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (x4 or x4/x4 modes) |
| Thunderbolt 4 | 2x onboard | 2x onboard |
| M.2 Slots | 1 x 22110 (PCIe 5.0 x4) 1 x 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1 x 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA) 1 x DIMM.2_1 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1 x DIMM.2_2 (PCIe 4.0 x4) | 1 x 22110 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1 x 2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4) 1 x 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA) 1 x Hyper M.2_1 (PCIe 5.0 x4/PCIe 4.0 x4) 1 x Hyper M.2_2 (PCIe 4.0 x4) |
| SATA 6Gb/s | 6 | 6 |
| Connectivity | 2x USB 4 (Thunderbolt 4) 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (1x Rear, 1x via connector) 8x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (7x Type-A , 1x Type-C) 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (via header) 4x USB 2.0 (via header) | 2x USB 4 (Thunderbolt 4) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (via connector) 7x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (6x Type-A , 1x Type-C) 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (via header) 6x USB 2.0 (2x Rear, 4x via header) |
| Wireless | Intel® Wi-Fi 6E | Intel® Wi-Fi 6E |
| Ethernet | 1 x Marvell® 10Gb 1 x Intel® 2.5Gb | 1 x Intel® 2.5Gb |
| Audio Codec | Realtek ALC 4082 | Realtek ALC 4082 |
| Impedence sense | Yes | Yes |
| DAC/AMP | ESS® SABRE9018Q2C | ESS® SABRE9018Q2C |
| Audio Cover | Yes | Yes |
| LED audio jacks | Yes | N/A |
| Audio effects | Sonic Studio III + Sonic Studio Virtual Mixer + Sonic Suite Companion Sonic Radar III DTS® Sound Unbound ROG CLAVIS Type-C USB DAC bundled | Sonic Studio III + Sonic Studio Virtual Mixer + Sonic Suite Companion Sonic Radar III DTS® Sound Unbound |
| Onboard Fan headers | 8 ROG Fan Controller bundled | 8 |
| M.2 Backplate | 3 | 2 |
| Heatsinked M.2 | 5 (3x onboard, 2x DIMM.2) | 5 (3x onboard, 2x ROG Hyper M.2) |
| AI Overclocking | Yes | Yes |
| AI Cooling | Yes | Yes |
| AI Networking (GameFirst VI) | Yes | Yes |
| Two-Way AI Noise-Cancelation | Yes | Yes |
| M.2 Q-Latch | Yes | Yes |
| PCIe Slot Q-Release | Yes | Yes |
| PCIe 5.0 SafeSlot | Yes | Yes |
| SafeDIMM | Yes | Yes |
| Pre-mount I/O Shield | Yes | Yes |
| Aura Sync | Yes | Yes |
| RGB Header | 3x ARGB 1x RGB 6x ARGB ROG Fan Controller bundled | 3x ARGB 1x RGB |
| CPU Power Connector | 8-pin + 8-pin | 8-pin + 8-pin |
| SPI / TPM | N/A | 1x SPI-TPM header (14-1 pin) |
| Exclusive Features | AniMe Matrix LED, Inverted M.2 slots design, ROG True Voltician bundled | Polymo Lighting |
| Price & Availability | Check Current Price & Availability | Check Current Price & Availability |
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