Leaked Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme images suggest an imminent launch

An Asus ROG Crosshair Extreme X870E motherboard is in the works, according to leaked photos shared by renowned leaker momomo_us. Though detailed specifications remain in the dark, we can spot several technical and cosmetic changes over the previous X670E class model. As a descendant of Asus' premier ROG Extreme family, you can expect a hefty price tag in the ballpark of $1,000 or higher.

Asus' overclocking-tailored X870E Apex motherboards, promising a minimum overclocking window of 8,200 MT/s memory speeds for Ryzen 9000 CPUs, are expected to hit shelves next month, on April 4. For a quick recap, Asus' ROG motherboards sub-brand is further segmented into the Crosshair and Maximus families. Under these two camps, we find even more designations like Extreme, Apex, Hero, Formula, and Gene. Across all chipsets, Asus reserves the Extreme designation for its highest-end and most premium offerings.

The X870E ROG Crosshair Extreme we're looking at today carries the E-ATX form-factor, covered in black and silver accents. There's a visible departure from the colorful anime-themed design of the previous model, though the premium finish more than deems the motherboard Extreme-worthy. Atop the I/O shroud sits what we believe is a customizable LCD, and the motherboard appears to use dual 8-pin EPS power connectors. Featuring four DIMM slots, the motherboard also includes a DIMM.2 slot for an M.2 expansion card.

Ensuring optimal cooling, the first M.2 slot beneath the CPU socket is covered by a heatsink that includes a heat pipe for heat dissipation. In terms of expansion, we can spot two PCIe x16 slots, likely to support Asus' updated Q-Release Slim GPU removal mechanism. Additional M.2 slots and the two Promontory 21 chipsets are housed within a large heatsink, adorned with Asus' ROG design.

On the right, you can find Asus' Q-Code LED for POST diagnostics alongside a "START" button and a "FLEXKEY" button. The FlexKey button is used as a system reset button by default, but its functionality can be customized for other use cases. There are also several right-angled ports to the right, including one for the large 24-pin ATX connector.

The back of the motherboard is covered in a protective and stylish backplate. Rear I/O options aren't as visible as we would've wanted, though we can certainly make out a handful of USB ports, a BIOS flashback port, an HDMI port, a 5GbE, a 10GbE, and Wi-Fi 7 antenna connections, among several others. Pricing and availability are unknown at the time of writing, but Asus might announce details shortly.