ASUS Z87 Maximus VI Formula (LGA 1150) Motherboard Review

Ryan Martin / 11 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The ASUS Maximus VI Formula costs $299.99 in the USA while in the UK it retails for £232.64 and £259.99 from two of our preferred retailers. In Europe we are seeing a price of €269.90.

Overview

The ASUS Maximus VI Formula is a very expensive motherboard though at a price of £240/$300 it is much cheaper than the £310/$380 that the Maximus VI Extreme costs or even the £340/$400 that the Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 costs. In the context of the competition it is expensive, but there are at least 10 z87 motherboards that are more expensive than it so it isn’t a mind-blowing price. Of course the real question is do you really get £240/$300 worth of motherboard? From my perspective the answer here isn’t a clear cut yes or no, but it is definitely more of a yes than a no.

Firstly the performance is exceptional. While motherboards will only tend to vary by small amounts in terms of performance they do still make a difference. From our testing we can see this is a top motherboard and performs right on the money for a motherboard of its market segmentation. Overclocking is another big aspect of performance and our testing showed that the Maximus VI Formula was a very capable overclocker, something that is enhanced by the excellent UEFI BIOS that ASUS deploy with this motherboard. Moving on to connectivity and this motherboard is a really bonanza with more USB, SATA and wireless connectivity than most users could ever possibly need. They’ve also given you an extremely generous selection of fan connectivity, audio connectivity, the ability to connect a TPM module and a Thunderbolt module. If you want a lot of connectivity then this motherboard has it. Quite possibly the only thing I could mark it down for is not having dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, as for a motherboard of this calibre some users like this feature. For those questioning the omission of the legacy PCI I think ASUS has done the right thing here. Most people spending this much on a motherboard will not want to use old PCI expansion cards and even if they did the chances are the integrated Ethernet and audio on this motherboard is better than a lot of legacy PCI expansion cards. Other things I really liked about the Maximus VI Formula includes its stunning aesthetics and impressive structural rigidity. Given how large some tower heatsinks and graphics cards can get you can be safe in the knowledge that the Maximus VI Formula will not be damaged by the weight. Finally, despite our earlier blunder with incorrect audio results, the audio on the Maximus VI Formula actually turns out to be the best on any motherboard I’ve tested so far. The efforts ASUS have gone to with tuning the ALC 1150 codec and adding in loads of extras like third party amplifiers and higher quality audio components has paid off with the vast majority of audio variables being better than the results produced by other ALC 1150 boards that have “less fancy” audio implementations. The audio solution ASUS provides clearly rivals entry level to mid-range sound cards and as a result certainly adds a tonne of value to the motherboard.

However, as I’ve already implied there were a few minor things that weren’t to my liking with Maximus VI Formula. All these extras on the motherboard push its power consumption up quite high relative to competing solutions, but as any enthusiast knows extra features means more power consumption. Anyone who is conscious of their power consumption might be better placed choosing a board with less features and extras, especially if you have no intention of using them all.My other quibble comes with the price and the nature of the “extras”. I have said this about other motherboards in the past so it is not a specific criticism of ASUS directly, and readers are totally entitled to disagree, but I think with a motherboard like this how many users actually want those extras (the ROG Armor, CrossChill Hybrid heatsink design and mPCIe Bluetooth and WiFi module) is questionable. All these extra components clearly push the cost up by quite a bit and make this a perhaps unnecessarily expensive motherboard. However, in this case I have to simultaneously dish out criticism to ASUS and then withdraw it straight away. The reason being is that if you want an ASUS Maximus VI Formula without the ROG Armor, the CrossChill Hybrid heatsink and wireless combo card then you can get that – it is called the ASUS Maximus VI HERO. While it isn’t strictly the same motherboard per sé it is a very similar motherboard in terms of its layout, connectivity and overall design. So if you’re reading this review thinking, “this is a great motherboard but it is too rich for my blood and has too many extras I do not need”, then you may want to consider the Maximus VI HERO instead.

Pros

Class leading performance
Excellent UEFI BIOS
Generous accessory package
Huge amount of connectivity
Structural sturdy design
One of the best looking Z87 motherboards on the market
Water cooling ready
Excellent audio quality

Cons

Expensive
Has a lot of “extra stuff” that most users may not ever use or need

“If you’re looking for a high performance Z87 motherboard that offers more than just performance then the Maximus VI Formula is a standout offering. The ASUS Maximus VI Formula offers one of the most extensive selections of internal and external connectivity we’ve ever seen on a motherboard. The ability of this motherboard to carefully balance the extensive connectivity demands of an ever-connected consumer with the tweaking and performance demands of the enthusiast is exceptional. To top it all off ASUS have created one of the best, if not the best, looking Z87 motherboards on the market right now. Any demanding system builder would be delighted to be able to put this motherboard into their system. It is going to cost a pretty penny but if you can make use of all that it offers it certainly will not disappoint.”