ASUS Z87 Maximus VI Formula (LGA 1150) Motherboard Review

Introduction

ASUS released a very extensive range of Z87 motherboards for Intel’s new Haswell platform. To date we’ve already reviewed their Z87 Sabertooth and Z87-C motherboards and today we’ve got something new from their Republic of Gamers series. The ASUS Maximus Formula VI takes a very different stance to the Z87 Sabertooth, with the primary focus being on offering gamers a stylish yet high performance solution. The Maximus VI Formula is as much about the core ASUS principles of reliability, solid overclocking and added functionality as it is about Gamer aesthetics and features. ASUS have put a lot of effort into the “thermal armour-style” shroud which mainly serves aesthetic purposes and they’ve also gone to town on the main heatsink design with a similarly rugged looking aesthetic that combines the worlds of water and air cooling. Other stand out points from a design aspect include the new Supreme FX audio implementation which ASUS claims offers superior audio for gamers, and the extensive connectivity which means virtually every uncovered space on the motherboard is occupied by something important that Gamers can put to good use. For a more in depth overview of all that connectivity you can check the full specifications below:

Some of the stand-out features of the Maximus 6 Formula that readers may be interested in include the new “CrossChill” hybrid thermal design for the VRM heatsink around the CPU. This allows you to water cool your CPU VRM to lower temperatures, by as much as 23 degrees ASUS claim, or of course (as most users will do) you can just leave it as it is and it will run just fine with air cooling.

ASUS are also singing the praises of their audio implementation claiming that the following combination of audio components make it an audio solution ideal for gamers:

• Premium ELNA audio capacitors
• SupremeFX shielding and an EMI cover
• A differential circuit design with operational amplifiers
• WIMA film capacitors
• 120dB Digital to Analogue converter (Cirrus Logic CS4398)
• Hi-Fi level 600 ohm headphone amplifier (TPA6120A2)

The final main point I want to cover in a bit more detail is the rather striking thermal armour. The ROG armour, ASUS claim, is designed to serve three main purposes. Firstly, it blocks the heat from graphics cards reaching the motherboard by effectively shielding it. Secondly, it adds a unique aesthetic with ASUS says DIYers can customise (presumably by painting). Thirdly, it provides structural rigidity (read: prevents PCB bending) and cooling (via thermal pads) to the rear of the motherboard.

There are a few more “features” that I will briefly list, but I won’t go on to explain them all at the risk of losing your attention. Let’s face it most motherboard vendors know how to make literally everything into a unique feature and ASUS are certainly no exception.

• ASUS CrossChill Hybrid Thermal Design
• SupremeFX Formula Audio
• Perfect Voice
• Sonic Radar
• ROG Armor
• Extreme Engine Digi+ III
• mPCIe Combo II (802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 card)
• Dual Intelligent Processors 4 (TPU/EPU/Digi+/Fan Xpert 2)
• Upgraded ROG UEFI BIOS
• SSD Secure Erase
• ROG RAM Disk
• Intel I217 Gigabit LAN with GameFirst II
• Extra Software (Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Daemon Tools Pro Standard, ROG CPU-Z, Mem TweakIt

As always if you’re interested in seeing more details on all the features of the Maximus VI Formula motherboard then check out the official ASUS product page right here.