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Benchmark Results
Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo) with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. For this baseline testing, the Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) so the PC idles appropriately.
Synthetic Benchmarks
Synthetics offer a valuable method for evaluating a board's performance, as identical settings are expected to yield similar results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are areas where motherboard manufacturers can still optimize for stability or performance, though, and these settings can impact specific testing scenarios.
Looking at our synthetic benchmarks, the high-end Glacial was average among its peers overall. In some tests, it was a little better than average; in others, just below. In general, that’s what we’ve seen from most boards—nothing to worry about so far.
Timed Applications
In the timed applications, we were again on par with the rest. LAME and Corona recorded the slower of the two times, while Handbrake was slightly faster than our average. All good here!
3D Games and 3DMark
Starting with the launch of Zen 5, we’ve updated our game tests. We’re keeping the F1 racing game but have upgraded to F1 24. We also dropped Far Cry 6 in favor of an even more popular game in Cyberpunk 2077. We run both games at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). Cyberpunk 2077 uses DLSS, while we left F1 24 to native resolution scaling.
The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system-bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error. We’ve also added a minimum FPS setting, which can affect your gameplay and immersion.
In our 3DMark and game tests, the Glacial was average overall. It didn’t do well in Steel Nomad, but was average in Speedway and the actual gaming tests, especially the minimum frame rate, where it was towards the top in F1 24 and Cyberpunk 2077.
Overclocking
Over the past few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking on both sides of the fence, while the out-of-the-box potential has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Today’s motherboards are more robust than ever, and they easily support power-hungry flagship-class processors; We know the hardware can handle them. There are multiple ways to extract even more performance from these processors: enabling a canned PBO setting, manually tweaking the PBO settings, or just going for an all-core overclock. Results will vary and depend on the cooling as well. In other words, your mileage may vary. Considering all the above, we will not be overclocking the CPU. However, we will try out our different memory kits to ensure they meet the specifications.
For memory testing, we start with our fastest non-clock driver kit: Klevv 32GB (2x16) DDR5-8000. Per usual on this platform, it booted to Windows but wouldn’t pass a stress test with our 9900X. The Team Group DDR5-7200 kit worked without issue. Those speeds are well past the ‘sweet spot’ for the AMD platform, and with today’s RAM prices, we doubt many people are looking at these higher speeds in the first place.
Dropping in the Ryzen 5 8600G APU, we were able to run our Klevv DDR5-8000 kit without issue. We’ll continue to see this theme moving forward as the IMC on the APUs is generally better than the desktop processors we usually test with. Again, AMD’s sweetspot is around 6000-6400 MT/s, and this board (really any board we’ve tested) can handle that, and then some.
Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures
We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, cache, and Memory enabled for power testing, using the processor's peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is obtained from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter, capturing the entire PC (excluding the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same. We've moved to using only the stock power use/VRM temperature charts, as this section aims to ensure the power delivery can handle flagship-class processors.
Stress testing the Glacial with our DDR5-6000 kit showed it to be the most power-hungry board we've tested so far. At idle, it sat around 101W and peaked at 272W. This averages out to 187W, the highest result we’ve recorded on the platform (but matching other flagship-class boards). You don’t buy expensive boards for the power efficiency.
VRM temperatures were fine, peaking at just under 49 degrees Celsius on our sensor and 52 degrees on Asus’ internal sensor. Between the incredibly robust power delivery and large heatsinks, you won’t have any trouble overclocking flagship-class processors, or the recently released Ryzen 7 9850X3D.
Bottom Line
The Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial is one of the most comprehensively featured motherboards for the platform. This premium $1,200 desktop-class motherboard is exceptionally well-equipped, boasting a total of seven M.2 slots, including the included DIMM.2 and Hyper M.2 AICs. Networking is blazing fast, featuring dual 10 GbE ports and Wi-Fi 7 (5.8 Gbps). Connectivity is further enhanced by numerous USB Type-C ports on the rear panel, including two USB4 (40 Gbps) ports. The only thing missing from this top-tier offering is the kitchen sink.
The Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial faces stiff competition in the high-end market. For instance, the MSI X870E Godlike X Edition ($1,299.99) matches the M.2 count (seven) but lacks the dual 10 GbE ports and the advanced LCD screen of the Glacial. In contrast, the Gigabyte X870E Aorus Extreme X3D AI TOP ($1,099.99) includes dual 10 GbE ports but offers fewer M.2 slots. ASRock's top-tier offerings, such as the X870E Taichi or Taichi OCF, do not compete in this premium $1,000+ price bracket.
The ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial, priced at $1,199.99, stands out as a premier flagship X870E motherboard. With its striking, icy-white design and 5-inch LCD, it offers a stunning aesthetic, particularly in a white PC build. For anyone seeking a top-tier motherboard packed with features for their AM5 processor, the Glacial is an exceptional choice that delivers everything expected of a flagship, and even made our best motherboards list.
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