Asus is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its ROG (Republic of Gamers) division by launching a new high-end motherboard rocking a retro aesthetic with copper-coloured accents. Naturally, this gaming board also checks all the boxes for a beefy, easy-to-build rig with the latest and fastest components.
The aptly-named ROG Crosshair 2006 is an AM5 motherboard built around AMD’s flagship X870E chipset. Its design is inspired by the original Crosshair motherboard from 2006, including copper-look fins and heatpipes, as well as blue slots – a look that went out of fashion some time ago, but I love seeing it make a comeback.
Aside from the cubic G logo, which is a nod to the old Crosshair design, the rest reminds me of my P5Q Deluxe, a beast of a board based around Intel’s LGA775 socket. Back then, CPU overclocking was mainly achieved through FSB frequency overclocking, unless you had the funds to buy a Core 2 Extreme, which had an unlocked multiplier. As a result, the P5Q Deluxe’s P45 was the go-to option for enthusiasts looking to extract the maximum performance out of their chips. Achieving a +30% frequency boost wasn’t that uncommon with this board.
While the ROG Crosshair 2006 is unlikely to offer this level of overclocking, seeing as modern CPUs’ boost clocks are already sky high out of the box, it won’t hold you back. With a massive 20+2+2 power stage design, a feature-complete X870E chipset, and support for up to DDR5-9600 memory, this board won’t be a limiting factor in your setup.
Asus has also sprinkled some of its latest innovations into the formula. These include DIMM Fit Pro, which provides extensive memory customisation, and NitroPath DRAM Technology, which improves signal integrity. There’s also AIO Q-Connector, which provides a cable-free link for Asus liquid coolers, as well as the usual slew of tool-free locks for SSDs, and an easy-release graphics card latch, to make installation a breeze.
Note, however, that unlike the original Crosshair, the new model uses aluminium for its cooling apparatus, coated to look like copper. Asus claims that this choice was made to reduce the board’s weight [insert sceptical dog meme]. Regardless, the coating looks convincing, plus the board’s components are high-end enough that they shouldn’t really need extra cooling. I also like how the backplate follows the theme, even though you won’t see it after installation.
In terms of expansion, the ROG Crosshair 2006 carries a pair of PCIe 5.0 x16 slots alongside five M.2 slots, two of which run at Gen 5 speed. The primary M.2 slot comes equipped with a dedicated cooler, topped by a 2in OLED screen. The latter can be used to display system statistics, such as CPU frequency, temperatures, and fan speeds, or simply a custom monochrome animation of your choosing.
For connections, you will find two USB 4 40Gb ports and nine USB 3.2 10Gb sockets, on top of the usual front panel ports, audio, and video outputs. Networking has seen a massive upgrade with this model as well, giving you both 10Gb and 5Gb LAN ports, plus Wi-Fi 7.
Asus has not yet communicated a price and release date for the ROG Crosshair 2006. Considering the shared similarities with the ROG Crosshair X870E Dark Hero, though, it’s likely to cost over £500.
