The latest Intel Rocket Lake motherboard leaks show Asus has hit peak ROG

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With a host of silly names to boot.

Asus ROG ROG STRIX Z490-E GAMING
(Image credit: Asus)

It's that time again. Whenever CES rolls around manufacturers to throw out masses of new motherboard designs to keep up with the newest CPUs, and digital CES 2021 is no different. The latest dump of motherboards feature Intel Z590 chipsets, so they'll be able to handle upcoming 11th Generation Intel Rocket Lake CPUs. And boy, are they looking fancy.

After the Gigabyte Z590 AORUS Xtreme snuck out of hiding the other day, we've been expecting some extra special additions to the motherboard landscape. The latest one that's got us excited is the Asus ROG Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial. Maybe we just have a soft spot for the Cyberpunk 2077 look, but isn't it just magnificent?

Cooled by a striking EK water block, this flagship 500-series motherboard will come with PCIe Gen4 support for Rocket lake and probably a host of other fancy features hidden under those intricate greebles. There's honestly not a lot of info regarding the specs list at this point, but we can still revel in the glorious Gundam looking designs and ridiculous names.

Here are some of the expectedly over-the-top names for designs that have surfaced recently (via benchlife, videocardz, KOMACHI_ENSAKA):

Screen queens

(Image credit: Future)

Best gaming monitor: pixel-perfect panels for your PC
Best 4K monitor for gaming: when only high-res will do
Best 4K TV for gaming: big-screen 4K PC gaming

ASUS line-up
ROG Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial
ROG Maximus XIII Hero
ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming
TUF Z590-Plus WIFI
Prime Z590-A
Prime Z590-P
Prime Z590M-Plus

MSI line-up
MEG Z590 GODLIKE
MPG Z590 Gaming Carbon WiFi
MAG Z590 Tomahawk WiFi 

Gigabyte Aorus line-up
Aorus Z590 Xtreme
Aorus Z590 Master
Aorus Z590 Pro AX
Aorus Z590I Ultra

Gigabyte Vision line-up
Z590 Vision D
Z590 Vision G
Z590I Vision D

Biostar Valkyrie line-up
Biostar Z590 Valkyrie
Biostar Z590I Valkyrie

It's expected that the MSI MEG Z590 GODLIKE will extend to 20 (18+1+1) VRM power phases, that's two up from the Z490's 18. Other than that, and the AORUS Xtreme's 21+1 phase digital VRM, there's not much we can tell you. 

Keep an eye out for more rolling out over the course of CES this week, ahead of Intel Rocket Lake CPU availability, which is currently expected in March.

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Katie Wickens
Katie Wickens
Hardware Writer

Having been obsessed with game mechanics, computers and graphics for three decades, Katie took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni and has been writing about digital games, tabletop games and gaming technology for over five years since. She can be found facilitating board game design workshops and optimising everything in her path.