[UPDATE: ASUS has released anofficial statementabout the typo and details of a replacement program.]
Hardware manufacturerASUShas continued to sell its $700 line ofNeon Genesis Evangelion-themed PC motherboards, despite one glaring issue users have been reporting for over a month now regarding the EVA-02 edition. Although the issue has no impact on performance, users who’ve bought the motherboard are understandably upset at the lapse in quality control atASUSfor one of its top-end products.
Based on the existing ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero motherboard, the EVA-02 edition retails for anywhere between $100 to $150 extra for itsEvangelionbranding, featuringEVA-02 operator Asuka Langleyfront and center. Aside from this, ASUS also sells a complete set of EVA-02 PC components, including a case, power supply, and NVIDIA RTX 4090—all emblazoned in Asuka’s signature red, orange, and black color scheme.
Despite the premium price tag, the EVA-02 edition of the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero motherboard has shipped with an unfortunate error: a typo on the board’s included I/O plate misspellingEvangelionas “Evangenlion.” As shared by Twitter user Hal Rafael, the typo has been widely documented across multiple YouTube channels featuring the $700 motherboard in a review or build. Given the warm reception of ASUS' initial line ofNeon Genesis Evangelion-themed PC hardware last year that featuredShinji Ikari and the EVA-01, users are understandably disappointed with this year’s release.
As of writing, ASUS has yet to acknowledge the error, with the typo visible on the EVA-02 edition board’s official product page on ASUS' website, as well as promotional materials featuring the new product line. Given the product’s status as a highly niche item targeting the relatively small enthusiast market, as well as how the manufacturing error has no impact on performance whatsoever, it is unlikely that ASUS will launch a mid-generation revision of the product.
Given the product’s premium price tag, it’s a bit difficult to recommend when the whole point of it is its aesthetics. For anyone drawn to EVA-themed products for their visual qualities, it might be wiser (and a lot more practical) to plan out a more generalcyberpunk-themed PC setupinstead.
Thankfully, for users who are unwilling to compromise on injecting theircustom Intel PC buildswith a hint ofEvangelion-themed flair, none of ASUS' otherEvangelion-themed products - based on EVA-02 or otherwise -seem to have any issues such as this. Given the price premium on this limited line, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect more consistency in their quality.
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero is one of the best motherboards money can buy for Intel 12th and 13th generation CPUs. It supports extremely fast memory overclocking, looks and feels both premium and well-built, and offers dual Thunderbolt 4 ports that make it one of the few USB4 motherboards on the market.
