Asus ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming
The ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming is an ATX motherboard built on Intel’s Z390 chipset, targeting 8th and 9th generation Intel Core processors on the LGA 1151 socket. It sits in the upper-mid tier of Asus’s ROG lineup — below the Maximus series but above the standard Strix boards — and includes the full suite of ROG software, dual M.2 with heatsinks, onboard Wi-Fi, and comprehensive RGB control.
Specs
| Form Factor | ATX |
| CPU Socket | LGA 1151 |
| Chipset | Intel Z390 |
| CPU Support | 8th and 9th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron |
| Memory Slots | 4 x DDR4 DIMM |
| Max Memory | 64 GB |
| Memory Speed | 2133 / 2400 / 2666 / 2800 / 3000 / 3200 / 3600 / 4266 (OC) MHz |
| PCIe x16 Slots | 3 (x16 / x0 / x4 or x8 / x8 / x4) |
| PCIe x1 Slots | 2 |
| M.2 Slots | 2 x M.2 (type 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110, PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA) |
| SATA Ports | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s |
| USB (rear) | 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A (10Gbps), 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C (10Gbps), 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A (5Gbps), 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x PS/2 |
| LAN | Intel I219V Gigabit Ethernet |
| Wi-Fi | Intel Wireless-AC 9560 802.11ac 2x2 (up to 1.73 Gbps) |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 |
| Audio | Realtek S1220A 7.1 surround, optical S/PDIF out |
| Display Output | HDMI 1.4b, DisplayPort 1.2 (integrated graphics only) |
| RGB Headers | 2 x Addressable Gen 2, 2 x Aura RGB |
| Fan / Pump Headers | 1 x CPU Fan, 1 x CPU OPT, 3 x Chassis Fan, 1 x AIO Pump, 1 x W_Pump+, 1 x Fan Extension header |
What it’s good for
This board is a solid choice for an Intel 9th gen build — particularly the i7-9700K or i9-9900K — where you want onboard Wi-Fi, dual M.2 slots with heatsinks, and room to overclock without spending Maximus money. The dual M.2 heatsinks are a practical inclusion that the lower Strix boards skip. The fan extension header and water pump header make it usable in more complex cooling setups.
The integrated Intel Wi-Fi (CNVi, not a separate card) keeps the cost down compared to boards that add a dedicated wireless chip. Real-world throughput on the 802.11ac 2x2 setup is around 900–1100 Mbps on a capable router.
What to know before buying
This board uses the LGA 1151 socket, which is end-of-life. No future Intel CPUs will support it. If you’re building new in 2024, this is not the right platform — look at Z790 or B760 boards instead. Where this board still makes sense is as an upgrade path within an existing 8th or 9th gen system, or as a used purchase for a budget high-core-count build around a used i9-9900K.
BIOS is straightforward for an Asus board — the EFI interface gives you full access to CPU, memory, and voltage controls. AI Overclocking gives a reasonable one-click OC result if you don’t want to tune manually.
Official page
Full specifications and downloads are on the Asus ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming product page.