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- Date:
- Wednesday, September 17, 2014
- Author:
- Daniel Dobrowolski
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
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ASUS Maximus VII Formula LGA 1150 Motherboard Review
The ASUS Maximus VII Formula is the follow up to the highly successful Maximus VI Formula which was one of the best Z87 chipset motherboards that we have ever reviewed. The seventh generation Maximus has big shoes to fill. Read on to find out if this feature-rich motherboard is up to the challenge.
Introduction
ASUS is one of the most recognized of all motherboard manufacturers in the world. ASUS was founded in 1989 by four former members of Acer Corps engineers. Very quickly, ASUS firmly established itself as leader an innovator and staple of the computing industry. Eventually ASUS grew into the fifth largest PC vendor as of 2013 with a brand value of 1.3 billion dollars and over 20,000 employees worldwide. In addition to motherboards ASUS’ product portfolio include laptops, tablets, desktop computers, mobile phones, servers, monitors, graphics cards, sound cards, optical drives, computer networking hardware, and computer cases.
The ASUS Maximus VII Formula is a Republic of Gamers branded motherboard (ROG for short) which is based on the Intel Z97 Express chipset. In past generations there has been a Formula and an Extreme variant of the motherboard within the same chipset generation. I spoke with ASUS about the lack of an Extreme version in the current product catalog and was told that the Formula would be the highest end offering featuring a Z97 Express chipset. Usually the difference between these two versions had to do with LN2 optimization and I/O connectivity. The Extreme versions always had more SATA ports, often featured eSATA ports that the Formula version didn’t and in most cases the Extreme offered more PCI-Express lanes and a different PCI-Express slot layout. Typically you’d have better cooling hardware on the Formula and sometimes better audio hardware than the extreme variants would have.
Because there is no Extreme variant in the Maximus VII lineup ASUS did things a little different. I’ve told ASUS on more than one occasion that choosing the Formula or Extreme was a difficult decision because each motherboard often had design choices or features you wanted that the other motherboard lacked. For example you might want the LN2 features on the Formula, or the Formula’s cooling hardware and audio implementation on the Extreme motherboard so you could have the water block with the nicer audio hardware plus the extra connectivity options. I always felt that when choosing between the two options you had to make sacrifices that one wouldn’t need to make if ASUS designed one motherboard with both feature sets streamlined together.
In a way ASUS almost did just that. The Maximus VII Formula lacks the PLX chipset the Extreme motherboards usually have so the slot configuration is all Formula. However surprisingly you get two SATA Express ports and 10x SATA ports on the Formula which is something you’d normally expect on an Extreme motherboard. LN2 optimizations and the sub-zero sense feature have been dropped. So in the end this "Formula" isn’t quite the amalgamation of Extreme and Formula I’d hoped it would be and definitely leans toward the Formula format than it does the Extreme. I suspect this is because X99 is somewhat more appealing than X79 was as an alternative to the more mainstream counterparts. If you are concerned about I/O and connectivity options the Core i7 5820 and an X99 Deluxe or Rampage V Extreme are potentially a lot more appealing than a Maximus VII Formula and Core i7-4790K would be.
The Maximus VII Formula uses an 8+2 phase digital power design using NexFET power block MOSFETS with 60 amp blackwing chokes and 10k rated all black metallic electrolytic capacitors. ROG specific features such as MemOK for increasing memory compatibility and the EZ XMP switch for enabling XMP profiles without entering the UEFI make a return on the Maximus VII Formula. Other features like the ROG SSD secure erase utility, GPU.DIMM POST utility, BIOS direct key and stainless steel I/O ports have also been integrated into the Maximus VII Formula. Naturally this just scratches the surface of what this motherboard has to offer and we’ll cover these other features in more detail throughout the article.
Main Specifications Overview:
Detailed Specifications Overview:
Packaging
The packaging is what we’ve come to expect from ROG offerings. Effectively it’s elaborate, high quality and very pleasing to the eye. It’s made out of an almost vinyl-like material adding to the feel of quality. A flap opens up to show off the motherboard in a clear window and additional information about the product can be found on the inside of the flap telling you more about the motherboard’s features. The bundle is rich with included features. A door knob hanger, user guide, SATA cable labels, driver disc, Watchdog Game code, 8x SATA cables, 2-Way SLI bridge, I/O shield, Q-Connectors, WiFi antenna and mPCIe card with WiFi adapter can all be found in the box.
Board Layout
Among the more interesting features is the ROG armor which first appeared on earlier Sabertooth series motherboards a couple of years ago. The idea is that the armor acts as duct-work which channels air over motherboard components. Though this version of the thermal armor lacks provisions for fan hardware to mount to it and no fan is included as a result. So it is potentially less effective than the versions used on Sabertooth series motherboards. In previous testing we’ve done as far back as the Z77 motherboard the armor didn’t impact temperatures negatively and acts as a dust filter and makes the motherboard physically more robust and resistant to damage from a dreaded screwdriver slip every PC builder has had at one point or another.
As we’ve seen on some previous "Formula" motherboards the MOSFET cooling hardware is actually a copper based water block. For this version ASUS is claiming up to a 23c temperature reduction compared to heat pipe or passive heat sink designs. I have provided images of both the top of the motherboard and the back of it so you can see the thermal armor in all its splendor. Nine screws on the back hold the thermal armor in place as the armor system sandwiches the motherboard. PCB flex is virtually impossible with the armor and thick PCB.
Naturally, the thermal armor system provides a clean look for the motherboard and creates a natural dust barrier which many may find appealing. I certainly do. I find the dark matte gray coloring also switches up the red and black theme a little for me or at least adds to it in a subtle way.
Despite the extreme size of the thermal armor system’s plastic cladding the CPU socket area remains relatively clean. That is you should have very few problems with larger aftermarket cooling solutions attached to the CPU socket. RAM clearance may be an issue with some coolers but this is unavoidable. Though low profile memory modules aren’t as uncommon as those once were so careful component selection still leaves you with plenty of options.
There are four 240-pin DDR3 DIMM slots which are color coded to denote proper dual channel memory mode operation. Single sided locking tabs allow for plenty of clearance when dealing with larger graphics cards so that memory can be added or removed easily after the system has been assembled. A total of 32GB of RAM is supported using four 8GB modules. Memory speeds of up to 3300MHz are supported through overclocking. ASUS’ T-Topology design is used here meaning that the trace paths to the CPU and therefore memory controller are equidistant. ASUS uses two power phases for the memory subsystem in order to reduce the potential for using four modules to hinder your memory clock speeds when overclocking.
The chipset is cooled using a passive heat sink which offers enough clearance for any expansion cards to be used without worry. There are 8x SATA 6Gb/s ports and 2x SATA Express ports. These are "fed" by the Intel Z97 Express chipset, an ASMedia ASM1061 controller and an ASMedia 106SE controller for SATA Express support which alternatively provides two additional SATA 6Gb/s ports if SATA Express isn’t being used.
The expansion slot area is well designed for two card multi-GPU configurations with plenty of room for airflow between the primary and secondary graphics cards. The lack of a PLX chip does limit your slot configuration options , but the Maximus VII Formula still offers support for 16x0, 8x8 or 8x8x4 PCI-Express lane configurations. The Maximus VII Formula supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology and AMD 3-Way CrossFire™ Technology
The rear I/O panel is jam packed with ports. You have a PS/2 mouse and keyboard port, ROG connect button, BIOS Flashback button, mPCIe combo slot, 2x USB 2.0 ports, 6x USB 3.0 ports, 1x HDMI out, 1x DisplayPort out, optical output, RJ-45 network port and six mini-stereo jacks for audio output. Plastic cladding allows for color coding of the audio jacks while still allowing for these connectors to be gold plated. The ASUS LANGuard feature provides ESD and power surge protection for the network port. The Truevolt USB design delivers 5v power to all USB ports front or back and the isolated linear power supply minimizes power fluctuations. Finally, the I/O panel is stainless steel to aid in corrosion resistance in humid environments.