Squeaking in at just under £500, on test we have one of ASUS’ three TRX40 motherboards – the ROG STRIX TRX40-E Gaming. Featuring the ROG STRIX branding, ASUS is clearly gearing this board towards consumer enthusiasts who have a need for the Threadripper platform.
Despite the ‘Gaming’ in the name, this is not a board for gamers – it’s for enthusiasts who do more power-hungry tasks with their system. You get triple PCIe Gen 4 x4 M.2 connectors, a Realtek 2.5Gb NIC, and a sixteen-stage VRM solution with 960A of total capacity.
There’s hot competition in the sub-£500 TRX40 motherboard segment, so can ASUS’ ROG STRIX TRX40-E Gaming prove itself as a solid option? Let’s find out.
Features (information taken from the ASUS webpage):
- Ready for the latest 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ series processors to maximise connectivity and speed with up to three M.2 drives, USB 3.2 Gen 2.
- Unmatched personalisation: OLED and Aura Sync RGB lighting, including RGB headers and addressable Gen 2 RGB headers
- Optimal Power Solution: 16 power stages with ProCool II power connector, high-quality chokes and durable capacitors to support multi-core processors
- Comprehensive cooling: Active cooling VRM and Chipset heatsink, stacked-fin heatsink, with on-board dual M.2 heatsinks and a water pump+ header
- Gaming connectivity: Three M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port and Type-C front panel connector
- Gaming networking: 2.5Gbps LAN and Intel® Gigabit Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MU-MIMO, and gateway teaming via GameFirst V
- Gaming audio: High fidelity audio with SupremeFX S1220, DTS® Sound Unbound and Sonic Studio III to draw you deeper into the action
- Easy DIY: ROG-patented pre-mounted I/O shield, Flexkey, ASUS SafeSlot, ASUS Node connector and BIOS FlashBack™ for a friendlier building experience