ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Apex Debuts With Possibly Revised Q-Release Slim Design
The recent release of AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D has been a notable addition to the CPU stable for buyers, one that excels at practically everything (gaming, content creation, and so forth). While it looks great in its box, you'll need a capable motherboard to take full advantage of the CPU. ASUS has a few iconic offerings in store, with the popular Apex series making a return. The ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Apex for AM5 CPUs is one of them and it's now up for pre-order at Newegg, albeit with an MSRP of $749. It also may sport an updated Q-Release Slim mechanism for the GPU, to optimize its use after some users had issues.
The Apex line has long been a favorite of overclockers, since it is built for that specific purpose. It also is commonly paired with custom-water cooled rigs due to its performance and aesthetics. This iteration features an 18+2+2 power stage design, along with premium SMD capacitors. Of course, CPUs such as the Ryzen 9 9850X3D will be supported, along with the rest of the AM5 lineup.
Interestingly enough, @Unikoshardware on X points out that the metal bar appears to be gone from the new design, helping to reduce problems. Or at least that's the case in the renders on the Newegg listing. The product page on ASUS's website still shows the metal bars, so it's not entirely clear if it's revised or not. This could be explained as just different points in its revisions, if rumors of ASUS quietly updating it are true.
With GPUs being considerably heavier and larger than many previous generations, it is no surprise some issues may arise with mechanisms around the point of contact. The PCIe slot is notoriously difficult to access depending on how tight your PC build may be, as the large GPU coolers often block a more convenient access. While solutions such as the ASUS Q-Release Slim are meant to make it easier to perform these actions, other problems have occurred. Hopefully these new revisions address most of the issues, as the idea behind the mechanism is certainly appreciated.
The ASUS ROG Crosshair X870e Apex is available for pre-order on Newegg, with a release date of April 4th, 2025.
The Apex line has long been a favorite of overclockers, since it is built for that specific purpose. It also is commonly paired with custom-water cooled rigs due to its performance and aesthetics. This iteration features an 18+2+2 power stage design, along with premium SMD capacitors. Of course, CPUs such as the Ryzen 9 9850X3D will be supported, along with the rest of the AM5 lineup.
The Q-Release Slim mechanism, meant to secure the GPU to the motherboard, has been in the news lately. Some users had GPU damage and blamed the Q-release, which ASUS has said was likely user error. ASUS has stated that too many insertions and removals of GPUs may cause scratches or minor wear on the contact points (but won't affect functionlity). With GPU prices being higher on average this generation, it is certainly the last component that you'd want to get damaged. It also present rival Gigabyte an opportunity to troll its competitor.
Interestingly enough, @Unikoshardware on X points out that the metal bar appears to be gone from the new design, helping to reduce problems. Or at least that's the case in the renders on the Newegg listing. The product page on ASUS's website still shows the metal bars, so it's not entirely clear if it's revised or not. This could be explained as just different points in its revisions, if rumors of ASUS quietly updating it are true.
With GPUs being considerably heavier and larger than many previous generations, it is no surprise some issues may arise with mechanisms around the point of contact. The PCIe slot is notoriously difficult to access depending on how tight your PC build may be, as the large GPU coolers often block a more convenient access. While solutions such as the ASUS Q-Release Slim are meant to make it easier to perform these actions, other problems have occurred. Hopefully these new revisions address most of the issues, as the idea behind the mechanism is certainly appreciated.
The ASUS ROG Crosshair X870e Apex is available for pre-order on Newegg, with a release date of April 4th, 2025.
