ASUS RoG Maximus XI Formula Z390 Motherboard Review

Peter Donnell / 6 years ago

Final Thoughts

How Much Does it Cost?

There’s no point in beating around the bush here, the ASUS RoG Maximus XI Formula is near as makes no difference £400. That’s a real kick in the… wallet. It’s on Amazon right now at £398.73. Of course, this is an enthusiast motherboard, and you can get very similar performance for half that price, even from ASUS themselves. However, if you want all the bells and whistles, you don’t get them for free.

Overview

This is easily one of the best motherboards on the market today, and it’s priced to reflect that. The laws of diminishing returns apply heavily here though. You can get similar performance for less, but as you want to push it that bit further, the price goes up exponentially. So what are you paying that extra money for exactly? Let’s discuss.

Build Quality

The Formula is top of its game here, with some of the best build quality and design of any motherboard I’ve ever seen. That’s a big claim, but one I stand by. It’s drop dead gorgeous for one, but yet everything on it has a practical and performance improving quality about it. The huge shrouds act as heat sinks, ensuring everything stays cool. Furthermore, they protect sensitive components, such as your M.2 drives too. There’s armour on the PCIe slots, the DIMM slots, and anything else they can have it too; it’s rock solid and should last a lifetime. T

Overclocking

From OptiMem technology to the 12K Black Caps, all the best hardware and best-known construction methods are here. The end result is less cross-talk and noise on the motherboard components, cleaner power delivery, more stable voltages. Furthermore, that water block heatsink works great passively. However, add it to your custom loop, and you’ll have no issues pushing something like the i9-9900K past 5 GHz with voltages in the region of 1.4V for some really extreme performance.

Gaming

Not only was it one of the fastest gaming motherboards we’ve ever tested, but it also managed to score a few highest scores for us. It smashed our overclocked 3DMark record, and it makes light work of Deus Ex too. If I was building an i9-9900K gaming PC and overclocking the bejeebus out of it, water cooling it, and wanting the best frame rates at the end of it, the Formula has to be the way to go.

Should I Buy One?

There are an extremely large number of features on this motherboard, too many to list here. However, with fantastic onboard audio, impressive connectivity, insane networking capabilities, high-end overclocking features, stunning RGB lighting and chrome finish, and more, there are not many motherboards out there that can win in a fight against the Formula. There’s only one model higher from ASUS, the Ultimate, but the Formula can’t be far behind it in any regard. Expensive? Yes? But you certainly get a lot for your money!