Asus has decided to unveil a glimpse of the system boards they will present at CES 2026, and there’s certainly much to see as Asus is preparing something new. This will all relate to AMD AM5 boards within the new Neo line. The first feature is expected to be a vapor chamber in the packaged heatsink for SSDs. Considering the heat generation of modern models with PCIe 5.0, this will definitely be beneficial.
Secondly, one of the boards showcases an unusual contact pad near the processor socket. This is presumably a solution for powering or managing a liquid cooling system. The new products will also feature NitroPath slots for RAM. This is still a rare solution on Asus boards, which enhances memory performance by reworking the traditional DRAM slot.
According to Asus, the design improves signal quality, increasing DRAM overclocking performance by up to 400 MT/s depending on factors such as memory speed, module, and system configuration. Concurrently, the retention force of the slot increases by 57%, making these new slots more resistant to wear during RAM installation than traditional slot designs.
And the latest feature is the rumored discontinuation of Asus’s PCIe Q-Release Slim, which allows video cards to be extracted from the slot without any levers or buttons.
These innovations align with the broader trend in motherboard technology emphasizing improved thermal solutions and enhanced overclocking capabilities, aiming to meet the increasing performance demands of gamers and professionals. As rivals keenly watch these developments, it will be interesting to observe how Asus’s competitors respond in the swiftly evolving market landscape.
