![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Sunday , March 07, 2010
- Author:
- Morry Teitelman
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
ASUS Maximus III Extreme Motherboard Review
The Maximus III Extreme is the newest member of ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) product line, with the board squarely aimed at the high end enthusiast market. With the stiff competition in the Intel arena currently, this board definitely has its work cut out for it. We take a good look at what the MIIIE can do for the air and water cooling overclockers.
ASUS Utilities
AiSuite
ASUS chose to include their AiSuite Windows based monitoring utility in with the board drivers. The version of AiSuite shown is 1.05.44. The AiSuite utility supports a variety of monitoring and configuration settings including real time display of system voltages, fan speeds, temperatures, CPU FSB and speed, as well as multiple supported overclocking methods.
The TurboV EVO button spawns the TurboV EVO overclocking applet, with version 1.01.21 included with the board. From the main screen, you have the ability to manually control board voltage settings and the speed setting of the BCLK bus. Clicking on the More Setting button allows for configuration of additional CPU, chipset, and DRAM related voltages.
The CPU Level Up button gives access to the CPU Level Up interface, allowing for BIOS controlled overclocking through the use of pre-defined settings.
The Fan Xpert button within the main AiSuite window allows for operational configuration of all fan headers through a combination of preset options and direct operational threshold manipulation via a representational interface.
RC TweakIt
Using the included ROG connect cable to connect the board to a remote system, you can control and configure board settings using the included RC TweakIt utility from the remote system. ASUS included version 1.03.03 of this utility on the driver disc. The main page of the application allows for frequency and voltage manipulation. Real-time statistics on monitored device settings are shown in the tabs, labeled for the settings they contain: Voltage, Temperature, Fan Speed, and Frequency.
The RC Poster button spawns the RC Poster applet, which shows real time boot related status information. You have the option of seeing either string output or code output for the board POST procedure. This applet is very similar in nature to the onboard diagnostic displays included on many motherboards, and can be readily used to troubleshoot a board with startup issues.
The RC Remote button runs the RC Remote applet, allowing you to control the operating state of the remote system. You can start the remote system if powered down or power down the remote system if currently running using the Start button, reset the remote system using the Reset button, immediate power down the remote system using the Power button, and reset the BIOS settings using the CMOS reset button.
The RC Diagram button runs the RC Diagram applet, which allows for real-time trend monitoring of up to three selected items. The settings window, accessed by hitting the Settings button from the main screen, allows you to pick from a variety of source items to monitor.
The RC BIOS Flashback button runs the RC BIOS Flashback applet, allowing you update the BIOS on either board BIOS chip, or change the current BIOS chip used for system configuration.
Bluetooth
ASUS includes drivers and several utilities for use with the included RC Bluetooth card. When the Bluetooth card is active, you have the ability to connect to Bluetooth enabled devices. The devices connected to the system show in the Bluetooth Settings window. The Bluetooth software included also allows you to transfer files to or from a connected device, as well as share pictures on a Bluetooth enabled camera device. Also included is a smart phone applet allowing for real-time board configuration using a connected Smartphone. The overclocking application is limited to what phones can be used though, as it would not work on my personal phone.