ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard review. ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA motherboard review

ASUS ROG motherboards have always been at the forefront of solutions for overclocking enthusiasts and computer games. But progress is inexorable and the current flagships are slowly relegated to the background, making room for new leaders. To keep its place at the top of the Olympus of the world of motherboards, ASUS is releasing a new contender for the title of the best overclocking solution -. Following the given logic, this product should not only be more perfect than its predecessor, but also outperform competing solutions from other manufacturers with its capabilities, as often happened with overclocking products of the ASUS ROG series. Will it happen this time? Let's try to find the answer to this question together.

Motherboard specifications ASUS boards Maximus VI Extreme:

Manufacturer
	Maximus VI Extreme
	Intel Z87 Express
Processor socket
Supported processors	Intel Core i7 / Core i5 / Core i3 / Pentium / Celeron with Haswell microarchitecture for Socket LGA1150
Used memory	3000* / 2933* / 2800* / 2666* / 2600* / 2500* / 2400* / 2200* / 2133* / 2000* / 1866* / 1800* / 1600 / 1333 XMP Support Non-ECC, Un-buffered (* - in overclocking mode)
Memory support	4 x 240-pin dual-channel architecture DIMM sockets up to 32 GB total memory
Expansion slots	5 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 (x16 or x8/x8, x8/x16/x8, x8/x16/x8/x8) 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x4 1 x mini-PCI Express 2.0 x1 (mPCIe Combo II adapter)
	NVIDIA 4-Way SLI
Disk subsystem	Intel Z87 Express: 6 x SATA 6Gb/s 1 x M.2 (NGFF) Socket 2 (SATA 6Gb/s protocol) Support for RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 ASMedia ASM1061 controller: 4 x SATA 6Gb/s
	Intel WGI217V Gigabit Network Controller
Wireless network interfaces	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi (2.4 / 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0
Sound subsystem	Realtek ALC1150 8-channel HD audio codec
	24-pin EATX 8-pin ATX12V 4-pin ATX12V 6 pin EZ_PLUG 4 pin EZ_PLUG
Cooling	Three heatsinks connected by a heat pipe chipset heatsink
Fan Connectors	2 x 4-pin for CPU 6 x 4-pin for case fans
External I/O ports	1 x PS/2 (keyboard/mouse) 1 x LAN (RJ45) port 1 x CMOS reset button 1 x ROG Connect button 1 x optical S/PDIF output 6 audio jacks for multi-channel audio connection
Internal I/O ports	1 x USB 3.0 (connects two additional USB 3.0 ports) 3 x USB 2.0 (connects six additional USB 2.0 ports) 1 x S/PDIF output 10 x SATA 6.0Gb/s 1 x mPCIe Combo II slot 3 x thermocouple connectors 10 x ProbeIt points 4 x PCI Express x16 slot switches 1 x LN2 Mode switch 1 x Slow Mode switch 1 x DRCT switch 1 x fastboot switch 1 x ROG extension switch 1 x BIOS chip switch button 1 x POST code indicator panel 1 x Direct Key 1 x MemOK button! 1 x START button 1 x RESET button Front panel audio connectors System panel connector
	64MB UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI2.0a Multi-Language BIOS
Exclusive Benefits	mPCIe Combo II (mPCIe/M.2 combo card) Extreme Engine Digi+ III ROG Extreme OC kit ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 4 with 4-Way Optimization USB BIOS Flashback
Equipment	user's manual interface panel cover 10 x SATA cables 1 x ASUS 2T2R dual band moving antenna 1 x 3-way SLI bridge 1 x 4-way SLI bridge 1 x SLI bridge 1 x CrossFire Bridge 1 x Q-connector set 1 x ROG cable 1 x set of marking straps 1 x mPCIe Combo II NGFF expansion card with dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v4.0/3.0+HS module 1 x ROG magnet External module OC Panel: 1 x OC Panel 5.25 inch metal case 1 x OC Panel connection cable
Form factor, dimensions, mm
Products webpage

All prices for Asus+MAXIMUS+VI +EXTREME

Packaging and equipment

The ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard comes in a large cardboard box with a handle for easy portability. The design of the packaging is designed in a strict style typical for the ROG-series. On the front side, only the name of the model is given, indicating that it was designed specifically for overclocking experiments, and the package includes an external OC Panel module.

More information is on the back of the package. In addition to the specifications and configuration of the interface panel, it shows two options for using the OC Panel module, notes the presence of a digital power regulator for the Extreme Engine Digi + III processor, and also claims support for NVIDIA 4-Way SLI and AMD CrossFireX technologies.

The design of the box allows you to look at the motherboard itself, as well as the OC Panel module, without removing them from the package. The back of the decorative cover contains additional information, including: detailed description OC Panel module, Extreme Engine Digi+ III system, and bundled mPCIe Combo II expansion card. At the bottom of the cover you can see the designation of some more important features system board:

• support program function RAMDisk, with which you can create a virtual disk with cache memory to speed up the system, using up to 80% of the installed RAM;
• the presence of high-quality components in the power system;
• the presence of the OC ZONE area for overclocking control;
• support for the USB BIOS FlashBack function, which will allow you to update the UEFI BIOS even without a CPU or DRAM installed by connecting a flash drive with BIOS firmware and pressing the corresponding button on the interface panel for 3 seconds. At the same time, the motherboard must

The delivery set of ASUS Maximus VI Extreme is very extensive. In addition to the user manual, DVD disc with drivers and utilities, an interface panel plug, ten SATA cables, four different-sized bridges for connecting AMD and NVIDIA video cards, a Q-connector set, cable ties, and a branded magnet, we found:

• mPCIe Combo II NGFF expansion card with WiFi and Bluetooth modules;

• mobile wifi antenna ASUS 2T2;

• external module OC Panel;
• 5.25-inch metal case for installing the OC Panel module in the system unit;
• cable for connecting OC Panel;
• ROG cable.

A large number of SATA cables and bridges for video cards testifies that this model is addressed not only to professional overclockers, but also to gamers with a high level of income, and it is not without reason that the entire series is called Republic of Gamers. Nevertheless, the most interesting element of the package, of course, is the OC Panel module, the possibilities of which we will consider a little later, and now all attention is on the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard itself.

Design and features of the board

Surprisingly, the flagship model for overclocking enthusiasts and "hardcore" gamers from ASUS is made within the standard ATX form factor, unlike the larger model of the previous generation, which is no small merit of the designers of this product. Probably, the reduction in size was achieved due to the appearance of the OC Panel module, to which a number of overclocking features were transferred.

As part of the new flagship, an element base is used, recruited from premium-class components - Japanese solid-state Black Metallic capacitors, exclusive BlackWing chokes and highly reliable NextFET transistors in the processor power system.

Enough attention was also paid to the layout of the elements on the motherboard: the RAM slots are equipped with fixed latches on one side, so that it is convenient to replace modules with the video card installed, and the SATA ports, of course, are placed parallel to the printed circuit board. In addition, the new product is distinguished by a fairly large assembly of heatsinks, which may somewhat limit the freedom in choosing a processor cooling system, but will have a positive effect on the stability of the system during serious overclocking.

At the bottom of the system board, in order from left to right, are the following connectors and elements:

• S / PDIF connector, under it - a block for connecting the audio connectors of the system panel;
• a FastBoot switch that speeds up system boot by eliminating some steps;
• the DirectKey button, which allows you to get into the UEFI BIOS shell when the system boots, bypassing the procedure of repeatedly pressing the Del key;
• 4-pin connector for connecting a case fan, there is another similar one closer to the edge of the board;
• a TB Header connector, which is required to connect an optional external Thunderbolt controller from ASUS;
• a pair of ROG extension connectors, with which an external OC Panel module is connected;

• two pads for connecting four USB 2.0 ports (two per connector);
• one of three thermocouple connectors, with which you can accurately control the temperature of motherboard components without using a separate thermometer (the second connector is located above the first PCI Express x16 slot, the third one is in the OC Zone);
• DRCT connector, which is designed to output the DirectKey button to the PC case, if the latter supports such an opportunity;
• system panel connector;
• BIOS Switch button to switch between the two BIOS chips located between the bottom PCI Express x16 slots.

To connect drives, 10 SATA 6 Gb / s ports with support for SATA RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 arrays are designed. The operation of such a number of these interfaces became possible thanks to a pair of ASMedia ASM1061 controllers, which added four SATA 6 Gb / s ports to six "chipset" ports. c. The sticker on the top says that when using the mPCIe Combo II slot, one of the SATA ports will be unavailable.

Nearby is a red-painted 19-pin connector for connecting two USB 3.0 ports, which can be routed to the front or back panel corps.

Before you is the so-called OC Zone, where tools for overclocking and monitoring are concentrated. Here are:

• START and RESET buttons;
• four PCIe x16 Lane Switches that allow you to manually activate or deactivate PCIExpress 3.0 x16 slots;
• the MemOK! button, which allows you to automatically select the necessary parameters for the operation of RAM for a successful system start;
• contact group ProbeIt, with which you can measure voltages on the main components of the system using a multimeter;
• a Slow Mode switch that lowers the processor frequency during sudden changes in system temperature, for example, during experiments with liquid nitrogen;
• jumper LN2 Mode, the closure of which reduces the temperatures of the so-called coldbug and coldboot, pushing the threshold of thermal protection to lower values ​​when using liquid nitrogen in the processor cooling;
• POST codes indicator panel;
• two additional case fans.

The ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard supports up to 32GB of DDR3 RAM using four 240-pin DIMM sockets with static locks on one side. According to the manufacturer, the wiring for DIMM connectors is made according to the so-called 2nd generation T-topology, which allows the modules to work at higher clock frequencies. According to the specifications, the solution officially supports a maximum frequency of 3000 MHz in overclocking mode. To activate the dual-channel mode, if only two memory modules are used, they must be installed in slots of the same color.

To stabilize the supply voltage on the processor and memory modules, there is a fully digital Extreme Engine Digi + III converter, made according to the 8 + 2 phase scheme. Exclusively high-reliability premium components are used: exclusive BlackWing chokes capable of operating currents up to 60 A and with gold plating, high-temperature resistant Japanese solid-state capacitors Black Metallic, as well as energy-efficient NextFET transistors. The regulator's digital architecture is designed to provide maximum stability and precise voltage control across components, which professional overclockers need.

In addition, to ensure greater stability in maximum power consumption modes, in addition to the 8-pin power connector, a 4-pin ATX12V connector is soldered nearby.

The digital controller Digi + ASP1251 is responsible for managing the power supply of the processor, the memory - Digi + ASP1103.

The back side of the motherboard is equipped with MOSFET heatsink plates for better heat dissipation, as well as a reinforcement plate that gives additional rigidity to the processor socket.

The heating elements of the processor power circuit and the PLX switch are cooled by a bundle of three radiators and a heat pipe. In all cases, thermal pads are used as heat conductors. We also note the solid screw fastening of the radiators to the printed circuit board.

A pasty thermal interface is applied to the heatsink of the system logic chip, which is also fixed with screws.

The highest temperature during testing of the motherboard was recorded on the chipset heatsink and was only 35.9°C, which positively characterizes the capabilities of the passive cooling system.

As a high-end solution of the Republic of Gamers series, the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard is equipped with five PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, among which one PCI Express 2.0 x4 is lost.

With the PLX PEX 8747 Switch Chip that adds 16 PCI-E lanes, supports x8/x8, x8/x16/x8, x8/x16/x8/x8 multi-GPU configurations with support for AMD CrossFireX or NVIDIA technologies SLI. Note that the black PCI Express x16 slot is used only when two video cards are installed, and when more video adapters are installed, it remains unused. When creating a multi-GPU configuration, a useful bonus is the presence in the delivery set of a set of multi-format bridges for combining video cards.

If you are using multiple graphics adapters, the manufacturer recommends connecting to the 6-pin auxiliary power connector located above the top PCI Express x16 slot. There is also a 4-pin EZ Plug nearby, which should be energized for a more stable power supply to the I / O ports on the interface panel.

In addition, expanding the functionality of the motherboard is possible due to the mPCIe Combo II slot. It is used under the complete discrete mPCIe Combo II NGFF module, with a pre-installed mPCIe expansion card containing Bluetooth 4.0 modules and Wi-Fi standards 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (supporting two frequency bands - 2.4 and 5 GHz) , as well as an M.2 Socket. The latter serves to connect small-sized solid-state drives of the new NGFF format, which promise to become widespread in the near future.

As you can see, the design of the mPCIe Combo II NGFF module itself involves leading wires to the Wi-Fi antenna through special holes in the interface panel plug.

The operation of two additional USB 3.0 ports was made possible thanks to the ASMedia ASM 1074 chip.

A pair of ASMedia ASM 1061 chips provide support for four additional SATA 6Gb/s ports.

Since the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard uses a fairly large number of additional controllers, to increase the number of available PCI lanes Express Dial system logic, the manufacturer used the PLX PEX 8605 switch chip.

The external OC Panel module is controlled by the Republic of Games chip marked 035-A2 1228GA.

Multi I/O capabilities are provided by the NUVOTON NCT6791D chip, which controls the operation system fans, PS / 2 port, and also provides monitoring.

If you suddenly decide to use the capabilities of the graphics core integrated into the central processor, then you have two video outputs at your disposal: HDMI and DisplayPort, switching between which is carried out by the Parade PS8201A chip.

The Gigabit LAN controller Intel WGI217V is used to support network connections.

The audio subsystem is based on the Realtek ALC1150 8-channel HDA codec, which supports 2/4/5.1/7.1 audio formats. It is capable of reproducing audio with a signal-to-noise ratio of 112 dB and provides audio recording with a signal-to-noise ratio of 104 dB. The implemented audio subsystem also boasts the ability to play lossless audio with a sampling rate of 192 kHz and a resolution of 24-bit.

The ASUS Maximus VI Extreme interface panel has the following set of ports and connectors:

• 1 x PS/2 (keyboard/mouse);
• 6 x USB 3.0;
• 2 x USB 2.0;
• 1 x Display Port;
• 1 x HDMI;
• 1 x LAN (RJ45) port;
• 1 x CMOS reset button;
• 1 x ROG Connect button;
• 1 x optical S/PDIF output;
• 6 audio jacks for connecting multi-channel audio.

Everything you need to operate modern system is present. Despite the fact that this model is intended for overclockers and gamers, the developers placed two video outputs here to implement the capabilities of the graphics core built into the processor. Naturally, the plug of the interface panel is designed in such a way that it does not end with the ROG Connect and reset CMOS buttons, but continues to the upper border of the motherboard, where it has holes for wires to the Wi-Fi antenna, if an mPCIe Combo II card is installed NGFF.

There are two 4-pin connectors for connecting the processor cooling fans. And for the installation of system fans, six of the same configuration are available, which will not be superfluous for cooling a “top-end” system with several hot video adapters.

External module OC PANEL

The included OC Panel module is designed for more convenient access to optimization and monitoring settings, without the need to use the BIOS or special utilities.

Using OC PANEL provides two scenarios. The first is installation in the “Normal” mode, in which the control unit itself is inserted into the complete housing for installation in a 5.25” bay system block PC. In this version, OC PANEL acts as a monitoring system: it shows the speed of rotation of the processor fan blades, its temperature, multiplier and frequency system bus. The button on the right with the image of the fan allows you to switch the profiles of their operation (Silent, Standard and Turbo modes). The "OC" button switches overclocking profiles of the processor, and located above it on top - allows you to switch between the "Normal" and "Extreme" operating modes.

In "Extreme" mode, the OC Panel module is used as an external handheld console. It becomes possible to perform manual overclocking: changing VCCIN, Vcache, Vcore, Dram Voltage, system bus frequency, processor multiplier, etc.

The removable part of the OC Panel provides access to additional overclocking tools.

There are four connectors for connecting additional fans, Slow Mode and Pause switches, two VGA SMB connectors and a group of VGA Hot Wire connectors.

To connect the OC Panel, you must use the bundled cable and connect the SATA power cable.

UEFI BIOS

The ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard uses a very rich UEFI BIOS preloader, which is not surprising for a product of this level. Let's leave the pleasure of delving into all sorts of system settings, spaced across many tabs and screens, to the happy owners of the motherboard, but here we note the main thing.

On the main UEFI screen, you can see the BIOS version, the model and frequency of the processor, as well as the amount of installed RAM. In addition, on the right side of any of the BIOS screens, you can create a quick note about any actions and view a list of recent changes made.

All settings related to overclocking of the system are located in the "Extreme Tweaker" tab.

You can experiment with raising the system bus clock by choosing one of the profiles, or stop at one of the automatic overclocking options.

The memory frequency multiplier allows you to set the frequency from 800 to 3200 MHz.

Also, if necessary, you can access the memory delay adjustments.

To increase stability during overclocking, the DIGI + digital power system control settings can serve.

The main settings required to optimize the system are summarized in the table:

Parameter	Menu name	Range
System bus frequency
		100, 125, 166, 250
RAM frequency	memory frequency	3200, 2400, 2133, 1866, 1600, 1333, 1066, 800
RAM timings		CAS Latency, RAS to CAS, RAS PRE Time, RAS ACT Time, DRAM COMMAND Mode, RAS to RAS Delay, REF Cycle Time, Write Recovery Time, READ to PRE Time, FOUR ACT WIN Time, WRITE to READ Delay, Write Laency
	CPU Power Thermal Control
	Min. CPU Cache Ratio Limit
	Max CPU Cache Ratio Limit
Fixed CPU frequency	CPU Fixed Frequency(KHz)
	Long Duration Package Power Limit
	Package Power Time Window
	Short Duration Package Power Limit
	CPU Integrated VR Current Limit	0,125 - 1023,875
Fixed frequency RAM	DRAM Fixed Frequency (KHz)
	Power Current Slope	Auto, Level -4 - Level 4
	Power Current Offset	Auto, -100% - 100%
	Power Fast Ramp Response
	Power Saving Level 1 Threshold
	Power Saving Level 2 Threshold
	Power Saving Level 3 Threshold
The amount of memory allocated for the needs of the graphics core of the processor		Auto, 32, 64, 96, 128, 160, 192, 224, 256, 288, 320, 352, 384, 416, 448, 480, 512, 1024
CPU voltage	CPU Core Voltage	1,050000 - 2,200000
	CPU Cache Voltage	1,050000 - 2,200000
GPU voltage	CPU Graphics Voltage	0,800000 - 1,920000
System agent voltage	CPU System Agent Voltage	0,850000 - 2,200000
	CPU Analog I/O Voltage	1,000000 - 2,200000
	CPU Digital I/O Voltage	1,000000 - 2,200000
CPU input voltage	CPU Input Voltage
Voltage on RAM modules		1,20000 - 1,92000
Chipset voltage	PCH Core Voltage	0,70000 - 1,80000
		1,20000 - 2,00000
		0,60000 - 1,00000
	DRAM CTRL REF Voltage	0,39500 - 0,63000
	DRAM DATA REF Voltage on CHA	0.39500 - 0,63000
	DRAM DATA REF Voltage on CHB	0.39500 - 0,63000
	Clock Crossing VBoot	0,10000 - 1,90000
	Clock Crossing Reset Voltage	0,10000 - 1,90000
	Clock Crossing Voltage	0,10000 - 1,90000
	PLL Termination Voltage	1,00000 - 2,50000

The "Monitor" section provides access to monitoring the voltages on all system components, the temperature of the processor, chipset and PLX switch, as well as the speed of rotation of the processor and additional fans.

When you try to exit the BIOS with saving the settings, a window pops up showing the changes made, indicating the critical values.

Utilities

Together with motherboard proprietary utility supplied ASUS AI-Suite III.

The AI-Suite III interface includes five main sections: 4-Way Optimization, TPU, EPU, DIGI+ Power Control and Fan Xpert 2. In the first one, you get general information about the current state of the system, data on CPU overclocking, power saving, as well as a brief a summary of the operation of the installed fans.

The TPU section provides access to manual overclocking systems without having to go into the BIOS.

In the next paragraph, the EPU configures the parameters that are responsible for the power consumption of the system. Here you can change the time after which the computer will go to sleep, as well as select the mode of operation of the fans, the high speed of which may be unnecessary when the system is idle.

The DIGI+ Power Control section provides the ability to fine-tune the power management of the CPU and RAM, in which you can adjust the CPU Load-line Calibration, the frequencies of the converters for the processor and memory, as well as some other parameters.

In the last section, you will get ample opportunities for customizing the cooling system. So, the most interesting feature is automatic creation graph of changes in the speed of rotation of the fan blades depending on the temperature of certain components. If you do not want to set all the parameters manually, you have a choice of four ready-made schemes.

Utility Mem TweakIt will allow you to configure the RAM parameters in the most detailed way directly in the OS environment.

Testing

The following equipment was used to test the motherboard:

CPU	Intel Core i7-4770K (LGA1150, 3.5GHz, L3 8MB) Turbo Boost: enable
	Scythe Kama Angle Rev.B
RAM	4x 4GB DDR3-2400 TwinMOS TwiSTER 9DHCGN4B-HAWP
video card	AMD Radeon HD 6970 2 GB GDDR5
HDD	Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS, 500 GB, SATA-300, NCQ
optical drive	ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA
Power Supply	Seasonic X-560 Gold (SS-560KM Active PFC)
	CODEGEN M603 MidiTower (2x 120mm fans for intake / exhaust)

The ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard, operating in standard mode without overclocking components, demonstrates performance that is approximately equal to other high-level solutions based on this chipset. Consequently, the manufacturing quality of this model and the level of optimization of BIOS settings are very high, which is not surprising for the vast majority of modern motherboards.

Overclocking options

We started checking the overclocking capabilities of the novelty by testing various automatic overclocking technologies. In particular, selecting one of the Gamers Profiles in the BIOS of the motherboard only increases the processor frequency by simply increasing the multiplier.

We also tried to raise the system bus frequency using the profiles built into the BIOS (190, 195 MHz), which the motherboard obediently fulfilled.

The upper limit when overclocking the system bus, which we managed to achieve already in manual mode, was 197 MHz, which is an excellent result for Intel processors Haswell.

Manual overclocking to 4600 MHz by increasing the multiplier was successful. Note that the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard will be able to reveal its true capabilities with more advanced cooling systems and an in-depth study of overclocking settings.

Testing the audio path based on the Realtek ALC1150 codec

Overall Results (RightMark Audio Analyzer)

Operating mode 16-bit, 44.1 kHz

		Very well
Noise level, dB (A)		Very well
Dynamic range, dB (A)		Very well
Harmonic distortion, %		Very well
		Very well
Intermodulation at 10 kHz, %		Very well
Overall score		Very well

Operating mode 24-bit, 192 kHz

Frequency response unevenness (in the range of 40 Hz - 15 kHz), dB
Noise level, dB (A)
Dynamic range, dB (A)
Harmonic distortion, %		Very well
Harmonic distortion + noise, dB(A)
Intermodulation distortion + noise, %
Interpenetration of channels, dB
Intermodulation at 10 kHz, %
Overall score		Very well

The Realtek ALC1150 codec demonstrates very good sound quality, which will be more than enough in any of the options for operating this model.

conclusions

The motherboard reviewed today can rightfully be considered one of the most suitable products for extreme overclockers and "hardcore" gamers. For the first in its arsenal, a huge number of functions and technologies are in store, including the unique OC Panel external module, which makes the overclocking process more comfortable and allows you to achieve the highest results. The latter will appreciate the ability to form the most powerful video subsystem thanks to the PLX switch, which adds 16 PCI Express 3.0 lanes to get high performance from a tandem of four high-performance video adapters. It is also impossible not to mention the excellent functionality of the novelty, the main of which are: ten SATA 6 Gb / s ports, six USB 3.0 ports and, of course, the bundled mPCIe Combo II expansion card with Bluetooth modules, Wi-Fi and a connector for installing solid state drives. And thanks to the presence of a digital power regulator, the use of premium components and a well-thought-out cooling system, you can be sure of the high reliability of this solution. In a word, no matter how hard we tried, we could not find any weaknesses in the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard - maybe you can?

Advantages:

• Extreme Engine Digi+ III digital processor and memory power stabilizer;
• the use of exclusively high-quality premium components;
• a dedicated area with overclocking tools;
• technologies that make it easier to work with the system during overclocking;
• external module OC Panel;
• support for eight USB 3.0 ports and ten - SATA 6 Gb / s;
• five PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots;
• support for AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA 4-Way SLI technologies;
• using a PLX switch;
• mPCIe Combo II expansion card with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and SSD slot;
• high-quality cooling system;
• two BIOS chips;
• rich equipment;
• execution within the standard ATX form factor;
• quality workmanship and thoughtful ergonomics.

We express our gratitude to the Ukrainian representative office of the company ASUS for the motherboard provided for testing.

We are grateful to companies AMD, Intel , SeaSonic and TwinMOS Technologies perequipment provided for the test bench.

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As the ancients said, everything is known by comparison. In the context of restrictions on the range of ads placed on AVITO, VERNON and colleagues, in order to emphasize the importance of the main line, also offer these boards.
Indeed, having considered their differences from the main VI EXTREME model, it is not difficult to appreciate the degree of losses from such conformism.
So, the main thing that does not allow us to consider the supposedly pre-top FORMULA, which did not even come close to the extreme flagship, is the lack of a second PCI EXPRESS slot of full x16 width as a class ..
Once again, we will not be too lazy to explain why we pay so much attention to this main element of the Architecture.
The very process of the Pci EXPRESS bus with graphics is reminiscent of long-haul transportation.
If you have an old KAMAZ (type 2600), then it does not need a second passing lane (that is, a full-line x16 second PCI EXPRESS slot).
On such a truck, it makes no sense to drive along a toll highway with two lanes in each direction, as is done on MAXIMUS VI EXTREME. You can't beat anyone anyway. So it will puff on the climbs in third gear.
It will be about the same with MAXIMUS VI GENE. The only difference is that this will mean the possibility of transporting the same cargo on this IVECO DAILY - which is just half the size in size, which means it is more maneuverable and faster, which is valuable in the city.
And now - the main thing. From the point of view of the allegory we have proposed in this sense, MAXIMUS VI EXTREME acts as a magnificent MERCEDES 1840, which, with the same 20 tons of cargo, will be able to go along the highway at a speed of more than 90 km / h.
Such a gain in cargo turnover definitely makes the toll route profitable. And due to the better quality of its coverage and the absence of delays when overtaking, you can take additional cargo.
At the same time, the second PCI EXPRESS x16 slot acts, roughly speaking, as another trailer with cargo for another KAMAZ but transported in one trip, which is always noted when using two or more video cards.
Here's what the Sixth EXTREME is and what it means in the global motherboard rankings.
Let's not miss the opportunity to point out the serious success of the manufacturers of such monsters as 1080 TI, so kindly and generously already paid in three ways by fools and idle miners.
But even for these idiotic purposes, the EXTREME board remains the fastest top solutions, because further, except for two or three clone models from this architecture, such motherboards for processors 6 and 7 of the SKYLAKE and KABILAKE series are practically absent.
This means that such a board with two 1070s will be faster than a 1080 ti. It is obvious.
Another question is that there are still few games with such a need ...
But an avalanche-like flow of secondary offers of the most powerful cards from nVIDIA and AMD “drained” by unfortunate miners who have sagged on the fall of the exchange rate, which is growing day by day, will spur game developers to new works of unprecedented quality and impressions.
And only the proposed MAXIMUS VI EXTREME can be regarded as a budget, but equivalent alternative....

Company products ASUS, falling into the line Republic Of Gamers, by definition, have some unique properties that allow you to quickly identify and distinguish these devices from a number of competing solutions. Let's see what is remarkable about the motherboard ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA, which is clearly not by chance in the cohort of models for the most demanding users.

Design and layout

The board's belonging to the ROG series devices is not at all difficult to determine by the characteristic color scheme.

Black printed circuit board, cooling system elements and connectors are adjacent to red slots for memory modules and interface connectors. The customary non-trivial configuration of the cooling system in the case of MAXIMUS VI FORMULA is supplemented by another element typical of The Ultimate Force line of devices.

We are talking about the plastic casing ROG Armor, covering most of the area printed circuit board. In this case, on the one hand, it performs a decorative function, giving the device some general integrity, on the other hand, it protects the board elements from possible mechanical damage during assembly and work with the system on an open stand.

The plastic shield actually leaves access only to functional elements and connectors. In such a situation, it is easier for the user to navigate, all controls are in sight, everything is at hand - it is difficult to “get lost” even for those who do not have much experience with such hardware.

The motherboard is based on the Intel Z87 chipset and is made in the classic ATX form factor (305×244 mm).

The processor voltage regulator system is made according to an 8-phase scheme. The power module complies with the Extreme Engine Digi+ III concept. The circuit uses NexFET power switches with increased operating efficiency, 60A BlackWing Choke chokes with increased operating current, as well as Japanese 10K Black Metallic capacitors. The VRM block in this case is actually identical to the one used for boards MAXIMUS VI Extreme.

To remove heat from the VRM elements, a CrossChill hybrid cooling system is used. In normal mode, this is an air passive CO with an increased heat dissipation area. If necessary, the radiator can be included in the general circuit of the liquid cooling system. According to the manufacturer, this solution allows to reduce the heating of power elements by 23 degrees.

ASUS has been offering the ability to use CBO for cooling power elements for quite a long time, having accumulated some experience in this direction.

Obviously, listening to the wishes of the real owners of such systems, for the new FORMULA, the manufacturer left free a G1/4” seat with a threaded connection for adapter fittings.

The decision is quite logical, taking into account the fact that hoses for stationary CBOs can have different diameters, so ASUS suggests choosing the necessary adapters yourself. On the other hand, the fittings themselves are not included, so they will have to be purchased separately.

Another interesting option of the board, which cannot be ignored, is a large metal plate fixed on the reverse side of the printed circuit board. It is an integral part of the ROG Armor protective system.

We also saw a similar plate earlier, during. This element, no doubt, increases the rigidity of the structure, eliminating the bending of the board even with not very accurate installation of video cards or the use of massive processor coolers that require considerable effort when attaching the CO.

In addition, the plate is also used to cool the driver chips (IR3535) that are placed on the back of the PCB.

To connect additional power, two ATX12V connectors are provided - 8- and 4-pin. Although the manufacturer suggests using the Maximus VI Extreme model for extreme overclocking, the "formula" in question also has a good power potential for boosting processors.

At first glance, it seems that there is not enough space in the area of ​​the processor socket. This is due to the heaps of overall radiator structures, coupled with a protective casing. However, the Thermalright Archon Rev.A fixing plate occupied its seat without any problems, which means that this very large cooler can still be mounted on the processor. Moreover, after installing and fixing the fan, it turned out that the clamping brackets, which often prevent installing memory modules in the last slot, are not a hindrance in this case.

Of the external decorative features, we note the logo of the Republic Of Gamers series of devices illuminated in the central part of the board.

Among the available expansion slots, we note three full-format PCI Express x16 and the same number of PCI-Express x1. The manufacturer did not huddle another compact slot next to the first PCI-E x16. After installing a video card with a dual-slot cooling system, it would be blocked, and the likelihood that the system will be used with integrated graphics is very small. As for the possibility of creating multi-adapter configurations, the board supports SLI mode, allowing you to combine a pair of video cards with NVIDIA chips. At the same time, up to three graphics adapters can be installed on AMD GPUs (3-Way CrossFireX). When using two video cards, PCI-E x16 slots operate in x8 + x8 mode, three - x8 + x4 + x4.

In order to avoid voltage drops on PCI bus Express when connecting and overclocking several video cards, an additional four-pin EZ_PLUG connector is provided on the bottom edge of the board, which is made in the Molex form factor.

All the key equipment that attracts demanding enthusiasts is fully present here. In the upper right corner there is a Q-Code segment indicator that displays the progress of the download and reports an error code in case of any problems during system startup. As expected, there is also a large illuminated power button and a less flashy, but sometimes much-needed button for cold rebooting the system. Nearby is a line of ProbeIT contacts. This group allows you to get the exact values ​​​​of the supply voltages on some of the most critical sections of the motherboard, which in this case can be measured with a multimeter.

A faithful companion of many ASUS functional boards is the MemOK! key, which allows you to cope with the problems of the first launch. After pressing it, the timings installed modules memories are reset to known working values. Subsequently, they can be changed at your discretion, but in order to get this opportunity, you still need to start the system for the first time.

The Q-LED indicators, located right next to the main power connector, are illuminated during the diagnosis of the main components of the system.

The FastBoost technology activation toggle switch allows you to somewhat speed up the system boot, excluding additional diagnostics of some subsystems.

In the lower right corner of the printed circuit board there is a DirectKey button, pressing which guarantees that the UEFI shell will automatically start upon reboot. The PCB also has a contact group that allows you to bring a similar key to an additional case button, if such is provided for by the case design.

On the bottom edge of the board there is a ROG_EXT connector for connecting a specialized OC Panel control panel. This accessory is included in the standard delivery set of the MAXIMUS VI Extreme board, and in the case of FORMULA it will have to be purchased separately, and, alas, it is not even offered as an option in Ukraine. Next door, in the connector row, there is also a TB_HEADER connector, which is necessary for connecting an external Thunderbolt high-speed bus controller.

ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA has serious possibilities for organizing a cooling system. The board offers 8 (eight!) channels for connecting fans with four-pin connectors. Two for the CPU cooler, three for case coolers. Three more connectors (OPT_FAN1,2,3) allow you to adjust the rotation speed of connected fans depending on the readings of three external thermocouples (not supplied).

The disk subsystem of the board can include up to 10 drives. The corresponding number of SATA ports is located in the traditional place for these connectors - at the edge of the board behind the expansion slots and the chipset. Recall that the Intel Z87 chipset can be controlled with six drives connected via SATA 6 Gb / s. Another pair of additional ASMedia ASM1061 controllers provides support for four SATA channels.

All SATA ports are lined up in the same line and have identical red connectors. A discreet designation of the ports served by the chipset and external controllers is on the bevel of the plastic casing.

To work on an open stand, the indicator of activity of connected drives will be useful. The glow of the yellow LED, partially covered with a plastic casing, is clearly visible when the system accesses the HDD/SSD.

The board's audio subsystem, called SupremeFX FORMULA, is based on the most progressive eight-channel codec from Realtek - ALC1150. To protect against electro-magnetic interference, the microcircuit is hidden behind a metal casing. Like some top ASUS solutions, the board's audio path is placed on a separate module, practically isolated from the main PCB. There is no illuminated walkway here, since the default protective panel would hide all the interior decoration. However, in terms of technical equipment, there is complete order here.

The circuit uses specialized Japanese capacitors ELNA and film capacitors from the German manufacturer WIMA. A Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC is also used, and a Texas Instruments TPA6120A2 op-amp is provided to drive headphones with high input impedance.

Without instrumental measurements, subjectively, the sound quality is at a very good level. The measures taken provide good power for the SteelSeries Siberia v2 passive test headset. The volume reserve is more than enough, at the maximum level there was a desire to make it quieter. The sound solution is very decent, while there is no feeling that all the work of the developers went to the delight of the marketing department, who will have something to cling to during the announcement of the device.

The Ethernet connection uses a gigabit network controller from Intel. The Intel I217-V chip can already be considered a proven and trouble-free solution with good software support.

The functionality of the board is further expanded by the mPCIe Combo II module, which is installed in a special slot next to the main elements of the interface panel. This unit contains a Wi-Fi controller of 802.11/b/g/n/ac standards, as well as Bluetooth 4.0. On the other side, there is a Socket 2 (M.2) connector that allows you to connect solid state drive NGFF form factor (in this case, one of the ten SATA channels will be allocated).

ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA allows you to connect up to 8 devices using the USB 3.0 bus. The Intel Z87 chipset has an integrated controller for 6 devices, therefore, to increase the possible number of connected drives or other equipment, in this case, the ASMedia ASM1074 chip is used, which acts as a hub-splitter, which splits two USB 3.0 interface lines coming from the chipset into 4 channels. As a result, it has 4 full-speed ports and the same number of connectors that will equally share the bandwidth of two USB 3.0 channels. In general, imagine a situation in which eight devices will be connected to the PC at the same time, simultaneously requiring full USB speed 3.0 is quite difficult, because it is unlikely that the user of the board will encounter restrictions in practice.

The MAXIMUS VI FORMULA interface panel is impressively equipped. Four USB 2.0 ports, six USB 3.0 connectors, Ethernet socket. To connect display devices, there are two video outputs - HDMI and DisplayPort.

A set of acoustics can be connected using six mini-jacks or a digital optical output. The panel also has two buttons. One is used to reset the CMOS memory settings, the second is used to activate ROG Connect technology, which allows you to control system settings from another PC connected to the slave via USB. After installing the mPCIe Combo II module at the level of interface connectors, connectors are attached to the plug for connecting an external antenna to amplify wireless network signals.

Contents of delivery

The set of the board is quite consistent with the level of the device. The delivery includes a user manual, a CD with drivers and software, a blank for the back of the case, 8 SATA interface cables, an mPCIe Combo II module, an external antenna, Q-Connector adapters, an SLI bridge, stickers for drive interface cables. Well, and, an obligatory element of iconic devices for gaming platforms is a sign on the doorknob with a request not to disturb the champions.

The device is offered in a fairly large two-section box, while opening the side door you can immediately see the appearance of the board and get acquainted with a set of key technologies.

UEFI and software

After starting the BIOS, we are greeted by the already familiar graphic UEFI with a color characteristic of the shells of the ROG series boards. There are no special innovations that we have not seen before, and this in this case can be considered as praise.

Fans of customizing the system will have something to do here. In this case, one of the sections, called Tweakers Paradise by the manufacturer, does not require a "sarcasm" sign. Everything is just like that. The number of options and parameters that can be adjusted is simply prohibitive - a real paradise for enthusiasts. In such a case, three dozen timings and the ability to select a memory mode from DDR3-800 to DDR3-3200 are taken for granted. The limit values ​​of the processor supply voltage of 2.2 V and the memory of 2.4 V indicate that the board is ready for experiments at any level of enthusiasm.

UEFI from ASUS is generally well structured, but the ability to create a partition with its own list of the most frequently used parameters, which appeared with the release of boards based on Intel 8 series chipsets, makes the shell interface even more friendly to the owner.

The AI ​​Suite III proprietary software package with a whole range of options for adjusting and controlling the board allows you to configure many system parameters.

ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA supports a host of technologies found in the latest generation of ROG motherboards. This is Sonic Radar, which allows you to navigate in games by sound, from which side a virtual opponent is approaching you. Forewarned means armed and dangerous.

GameFirst II allows you to optimize network traffic by setting the highest priority for game traffic.

The manufacturer also offers more efficient use of excess RAM, if there is one with a margin. With the help of a proprietary application, the “extra” RAM can be used to create a RAM disk, disposing of the ultra-high-speed drive at your own discretion.

Assessing the possibilities for overclocking the system, we managed to increase the clock frequency test copy of the Core i7-4770K processor to 4600 MHz, after increasing the supply voltage to 1.25 V.

The system started without any problems when the reference frequency multiplier (CPU Strap) was changed to 1.25 and 1.67, so for those who like fine-tuning, the board provides fertile ground.

The radiators of the cooling system of the power block elements under the load of the overclocked processor warmed up to only 68 C. However, in this situation, the cooler fins caught air flows from a large fan installed on the processor cooler, so such results can rather be considered a special case. The temperature of the chipset cooler on the open test stand rose to only 41 C.

ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA video review

Results

ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA in many respects it is not inferior to the current flagship of the manufacturer's motherboard line - MAXIMUS VI Extreme. If the latter is more focused on enthusiasts, then FORMULA will be closer to gamers who, at the same time, are not averse to experimenting with their system. In addition, the reviewed model successfully combines elements of top overclocker motherboards with solutions typical of The Ultimate Force series devices, known for their increased reliability. Probably, this is how the developer sees the formula for success in the market. Only you can confirm or deny this. If you are looking for a functional motherboard and are planning to firmly establish yourself on the LGA1150 platform, ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA deserves special attention, even despite the considerable cost.

Liked

Wide functionality

Availability of mPCIe Combo II module (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/Socket 2)

High-quality audio subsystem

8 channels for fan control

Possibilities for fine-tuning the system

Support for SLI/CrossFireX configurations

The presence of a protective structure ROG Armor

Did not like

Testing device provided by ASUS, www.asus.ua

	ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA Notify when available
CPU socket	socket 1150
north bridge	—
south bridge	Intel Z87
Northbridge cooling	—
Southbridge cooling	Radiator
VRM Cooling	Radiator
Embedded video	Intel HD Graphics (integrated into processor)
PCI	—
PCI Express x4	—
PCI Express x1	3
Graphic interface	3xPCI-E x16 3.0 (x16, x8+x8, x8+x4+x4)
DIMM	4xDDR3 (3100MHz up to 32GB)
IDE (Parallel ATA) (chipset/additional controller)	—
Serial ATA (chipset/additional controller)	—
SATA Revision 3.0 (chipset/additional controller)	6/4
Main power connectors	24+8+4
Extra food	—
FAN	8
S/PDIF	+ (output)
Audio codec	Realtek ALC1150 (7.1)
ethernet	Intel I217V (GBE)
SATA	—
SATA Revision 3.0	ASMedia ASM1061
PATA	—
IEEE 1394 (FireWire)	—
USB 3.0	ASMedia
LAN	1
eSATA Rev. 2.0	—
eSATA Rev. 3.0	—
Audio	6
S/PDIF Out (Coaxial/Optical)	-/+
Thunderbolt	—
Monitor outputs	1xHDMI, 1xDisplayPort
USB 1.1/2.0	4/2(4 ports)/-
USB 3.0	6/1(2 ports)/-
IEEE 1394 (FireWire)	—
COM	—
Game/MIDI	—
LPT	—
IDE	—
SATA interface/power, devices	6/-
Form factor	ATX, 305x244 mm
Support for two or more video cards	AMD 3-Way CrossFireX and NVIDIA Quad-GPU SLI
RAID Support	0/1/5/10
WiFi adapter	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz)
UEFI support	+
Miscellaneous	Supports 4th generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3/Xeon/Pentium/Celeron; M.2 connector (for SSD drives); mini-PCIe slot (for wireless wifi adapter 2.4/5GHz); high-quality element base from Japanese components; CrossChill hybrid power circuit cooling system; Bluetooth V4.0 support; TPM module connector; SLI bridge included; no PS/2 ports

All "Maximus" of the sixth generation are equipped with a BIOS with similar functionality. As always, the UEFI graphical shell has its own unique ROG skin. When we try to enter the menu, we immediately get to the Extreme Tweaker tab. Here are all the necessary options for overclocking the processor, motherboard and RAM. However, we will talk about this in more detail.

Note that any firmware function can be duplicated in the My Favorites tab. This is convenient for those cases when, for example, during a bench session, you have to change the same settings over and over again.

The Main tab shows the user basic information about the CPU, memory, and a specific date and time. By the way, they can be changed here. Like the interface language.

In the Advanced menu, you can set the settings for the processor, chipset and controllers integrated into it.

The Monitor tab is useful for those who like to monitor the state of the system. Here you can also set the rotational speed for both CPU and case fans. Note that the ASUS portfolio has a set of various useful utilities, including diagnostics of system components.

The boot order is configured in the Boot menu operating system from one storage device or another. Also in this tab you can speed up the process BIOS boot and Windows. Here you can also disable the Fast boot and DirectKey functions.

Finally in the Tool menu the user can update/restore BIOS firmware, save/load the profile of overclocking settings, and configure the OC Panel, which we talked about a little higher.

Foreword

Sometimes buyers purchase computers considering the only characteristic - the price. The principle “the cheaper the better” sometimes works successfully, but still most often they try to choose not the cheapest, but the most balanced configuration. Optimal Computer for one category of users it can be extremely unsuccessful for another, it all depends on its purpose and the range of tasks to be solved. Everyone knows that even in the case when a high-performance system is being assembled, it is not rational to buy the oldest components. It makes no sense to choose a flagship processor if it is only five percent faster than the previous one, but it is twice as expensive. There is no need to take a top-end video card when the model is a step lower only slightly different in frequency, but very noticeably in price. The difference in speed will not be noticeable at all, but for complacency it is easy to eliminate it by overclocking. As for motherboards, the role of this once-important component has been steadily declining and has been reduced to a minimum today. You just need to decide on the form factor, estimate the required set of interfaces, and even younger models will be able to provide it with a margin, not differing from the older models either in supported memory sizes or in overclocking capabilities, you can take any.

However, situations are different, sometimes the most expensive computer will be optimal, only because it provides the maximum of opportunities, and its high price is not critical. For example, imagine an adult, he earns quite enough to provide for himself and his family. In his free time, which he does not have much, he wants to relax and unwind, play quietly. And there is not the slightest desire to meticulously study comparative characteristics various models components, look through the offers of companies to find cheaper ones, and then engage in a painstaking search for a balance between speed and quality. An extra hundred or two spent on a computer won't make you save half a year on breakfast, or give up on a summer vacation or any other big purchases you've planned. But a computer with the maximum configuration to date will provide all the necessary interfaces, allow you to install without hesitation best quality display in any game and at the same time provide the highest speed. It is for such consumers that flagship components are produced - these people have worked hard enough in their time to now quickly and without hassle get the maximum possible.

It is no coincidence that ASUSTeK motherboards of the "Republic of Gamers" series are called "Maximus", and the top, the oldest, most important LGA1150-board is the Asus Maximus VI Extreme model. The high price of this model scares off, but attracts a huge range of possibilities. Let's get to know them better. Who knows, maybe after studying the board we will come to the conclusion that for such a rich set of abilities, the price is not so high. Or, on the contrary, will we understand that the possibilities are exaggerated, the functions will not be in demand, and the price is prohibitive? Let's get started.

Packaging and equipment

ASUSTeK's "Republic of Gamers" series motherboard boxes are usually oriented vertically and have a distinctive, easily recognizable design. The front cover fastens on flypapers and leans back. On the spread, you can get acquainted with some features of the model and see the board itself through a large transparent window. On the back of the box, there are a few additional photos, an image of the back panel of the board, and a detailed list of technical specifications.

The considerable size of the box with the Asus Maximus VI Extreme board is explained not only by the careful packaging, but also by the large number of components. Inside, the board is in a large box with a transparent plastic cover, and the accessories included in the kit are in a separate multi-section box. The list of components is very large and looks like this:

ten SATA cables with metal latches on the connectors, half of them are straight, the other one of them is L-shaped, all are specially designed for connecting SATA 6 Gb / s devices;
"mPCIe Combo II" (mPCIe/M.2) expansion card with dual-band Wi-Fi module 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v4.0/3.0+HS (AzureWave AW-CE123H);
dual-band Wi-Fi antenna "ASUS 2T2R";
OC Panel Kit including command center"OC Panel", connecting cable and dock for mounting the panel in the five-inch bay of the system unit;
flexible bridge for connecting two video cards in SLI mode;
flexible bridge for connecting two video cards in CrossFire mode;
hard bridge for connecting three video cards in 3-Way SLI mode;
hard bridge for connecting four video cards in 4-Way SLI mode;
rear panel cover (I/O Shield);
connection cable "ROG Connect" to control and manage the system from another computer;
a set of adapters "Asus Q-Connector", which includes modules to simplify the connection of buttons and indicators on the front panel of the system unit, as well as USB connector 2.0;
user's manual;
a booklet with brief assembly instructions;
decorative emblem "ROG Magnet";
stickers on SATA cables “12 in 1 ROG Cable Label”;
DVD with software and drivers.

The bulk of the accessories are well known to us and do not raise questions, we just need to highlight a few points in more detail. For example, now instead of the usual sticker on the system unit, the kit includes a magnetic ROG Magnet emblem. Undoubtedly, the "mPCIe Combo II" expansion card with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module is of interest, we will tell you more about it in the next chapter of the review, which considers the capabilities of the board. Now let's pay attention to a unique accessory - the command center "OC Panel" for overclocking and monitoring.

The panel is equipped with a rotary display with four buttons, below there is a block of eight control buttons. The panel is connected to the motherboard special cable, and energy is supplied through the second cable, as for powering SATA devices. You can remove the cover at the bottom to gain access to additional connectors and switches. The result is a convenient control center for monitoring the state of the system and changing various parameters of its operation - frequencies, multiplication factors and voltages. Similar capabilities are provided by ROG Connect technology when using a second computer or mobile device with Android or iOS, but "OC Panel" is smaller than a laptop and more convenient than a smartphone.

The command center is especially useful for experiments when using the board as an open test bench. However, it will not turn into an unnecessary and useless accessory, even after you “play enough” and determine the operating and overclocking modes suitable for your system. Using the included docking station, the panel can be mounted in a free five-inch bay of the system unit. In this form, its capabilities will be limited, but it will still allow you to control various options system operation: temperature, base frequency, processor multiplier, fan speed.

Design and features

The Asus Maximus VI Extreme motherboard is the flagship model and the number of its various features and features is so great that the eyes run wide. You feel like a puppet on strings, which these various abilities are constantly pulling, first in one direction, then in the other. One function must be told about and another must be mentioned, but here is the third one, which is also very important... As a result, you get lost and don't even know where to start... Let's start with the basic features, with the powerful digital power supply system "Extreme Engine Digi + III" . It provides support for LGA1150 processors, works according to the 8 + 2 formula and is based on quality components: NexFET Power Block MOSFETs, 60A BlackWing Chokes and 10K Black Metallic Capacitors solid capacitors. The heating elements of the power converter are covered with a pair of radiators, with the help of a heat pipe they are combined into a complex with a third radiator in the center of the board. Unlike some other models, the central radiator is not only a decorative element and a symbol of the board's high status. It is designed to cool the PLX PEX 8747 hub, which adds additional PCI Express 3.0 lanes that are used when multiple PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots work together.

The LGA1150 processors provide 16 PCI Express 3.0 lanes that the chipsets can use to connect external graphics cards, and the Intel Z87 chipset is able to share these lanes across multiple slots. You can allocate all 16 for the operation of a single discrete video card, you can divide them in half between two, and for three the formula will look like x8 / x4 / x4. The inclusion of a PLX PEX 8747 hub in the scheme allows you to expand the possibilities for combining video cards to those that the LGA2011 platform has. Usually four connectors are used, while not only one, but also two video cards can operate at full PCI Express 3.0 x16 speed. When adding a third and fourth card, the speed of the connectors will continue to divide, as a result, the formula for the operation of three cards will change to x16/x8/x8, and when four are installed, all connectors will work at x8 speed. The benefits of including additional PCI Express lines in the scheme are obvious, but there are also disadvantages. The PLX PEX 8747 hub introduces additional latency, which can even slightly reduce performance when using a single video card, the advantage can only be obtained when installing multiple cards. Some motherboard manufacturers have even begun to add a special connector to which the PCI Express processor lines are sent directly, bypassing the hub. This avoids a drop in speed when using a single video card, but the second disadvantage remains - increased power consumption. Even if we use one video card, even if it is installed in a special slot and does not use the PLX PEX 8747 hub, it still works, consumes power and generates heat.

This is how the situation with combining video cards on other motherboards looks like, now let's see what scheme is implemented on the Asus Maximus VI Extreme board, which has five video card slots. Both on the site and on the box with the board, we are given the following formulas for the operation of the connectors: 1x16, 2x8, x8/x16/x8 and x8/x16/x8/x8. There is a note that when one or two cards are installed, the “native”, in other words, “native” mode is used, that is, the PCI Express processor lines bypass the PLX PEX 8747 hub. For one card, this is good, but bad for two, because additional PCI Express lines are not used, the speed is the same as on boards without a hub, only power consumption is higher due to its presence. When using three cards, the x8/x16/x8 formula is no different from other cards with a hub, and only in the four-card formula do we see a difference compared to similar models. Instead of everyone running at x8 speed, one connector allows 16 lanes. It turns out that only when installing four video cards we get an advantage, in all other cases the board will work the same or even worse than similar models with a hub. And who needs such a fee? The few who are determined to use at least three, but four is best. In fact, everything is not quite so, the description of the possibilities is inaccurate and incomplete. It is misleading and hides the real features of the board. We are absolutely sure that because of this, ASUSTeK lost a lot of potential buyers of this model, and because of the high price of the board, there are not so many of them even without these errors.

Let's see what opportunities for the joint work of video cards the board actually provides. Nowhere does it say that when using the "native" mode, when the PLX PEX 8747 hub is not in use, it is turned off. This has never happened before, on any other board! Not to mention such dignity is a colossal mistake. The hub always worked, heated up and wasted energy, even when the PCI Express processor lanes were routed directly to a special connector. In addition, there were boards with one such connector, but there was not one that would allow two video cards to be combined in this way. At the same time, no one limits you, depending on the slots in which the cards are installed, you are free to choose their operation mode - either 2x8 with the hub turned off, or 2x16 when using its additional lines. The Asus Maximus VI Extreme board is by no means a wretched model on which you need to install at least three, but four video cards are best at once, as it might seem from the official specifications. In fact, this is a unique board with wide and very flexible capabilities for combining video cards, we have not seen an analogue in any other model. The correct formulas for connectors look like this: 1x16 or 2x8 in "native" mode with a disabled hub and 2x16, x8/x16/x8 or x8/x16/x8/x8 when using it. It remains to add that in addition to these five connectors, the board has one more PCI Express 2.0 x4 connector. To ensure its performance, despite the presence of a large number of additional controllers, which are yet to be discussed, a PLX PEX 8605 hub is installed on the board, adding four PCI Express 2.0 lanes.

The Intel Z87 chipset provides the board with six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. One of these ports will become unavailable when the drive is installed in an mPCIe Combo II expansion card, but in addition, the board has two integrated ASMedia ASM1061 controllers that add four more SATA 6 Gb / s ports. We have already seen the double-sided mPCIe Combo II expansion card in the ROG series of boards. On one side is an M.2 connector, previously known as NGFF (Next Generation Form Factor). It is designed to replace the mSATA connector, the new SSDs are smaller in width, thinner and the limit on the maximum speed of 6 Gb / s is removed. As for the length, it is supposed to use several options, and in this case, compact drives with a size of 22x42 mm are supported. On the other side of the card, there is a mini PCIe slot and the AzureWave AW-CE123H module is already installed in it, which is based on Broadcom circuitry and provides support for Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wireless technologies in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, and also Bluetooth V4.0 or Bluetooth V3.0+HS.

There are two holes in the rear panel connector cover for connecting and outputting the Wi-Fi antenna to the outside, so first we will see them, and then the following set of elements:

"Clear CMOS" and "ROG Connect" buttons;
two USB 2.0 ports, and six more can be connected to three internal connectors on the board;
six USB 3.0 ports (blue connectors) appeared thanks to the capabilities of the Intel Z87 logic set and an additional ASMedia ASM1074 controller, and two additional USB 3.0 ports can be output using a single internal connector;
LAN socket ( network adapter built on the gigabit controller Intel WGI217V);
HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs;
universal PS / 2 connector for connecting a keyboard or mouse;
optical S / PDIF, as well as six analog audio connectors, which are provided by the eight-channel Realtek ALC1150 codec.

A significant advantage of the board is the support for USB BIOS Flashback update technology. This is a unique ability of ASUSTeK motherboards, motherboards from other manufacturers have no analogue of it. There is no need to completely assemble the computer, as on most other models, or even to install the operating system, as with some boards that do not have an update utility built into the BIOS. No need to install a processor, RAM modules or connect a monitor. All that is needed is to bring power to the board, following the instructions to connect to a specific USB port drive with firmware, press the button, in this case it is the “ROG Connect” button, and then wait for the update process to complete. The past problems, when the board turned out to be incompatible with a new type of processor, could not start due to some features of the memory modules, or for other reasons that required only a firmware update, are gone at once. In such situations, owners of Asus motherboards with USB BIOS Flashback technology will save a lot of time and nerves.

The description of the Asus Maximus VI Extreme motherboard is already nearing completion, meanwhile we have managed to outline only its main features, a huge number of features are still waiting for coverage. For example, you need to pay attention to the upper right corner of the board, where there are a large number of additional elements: POST code indicator, ProbeIt voltage control points, power and reset buttons, and the MemOK! button, which allows the board to start successfully even if there are problems With RAM. The "LN2 Mode" jumper and the "Slow Mode" switch are useful when using liquid nitrogen for cooling, and using the "PCIe x16 Lane" switch group, you can selectively disable installed video cards, without engaging in a long disassembly and their physical removal. On the board, you can count eight four-pin connectors for connecting fans. Of these, two processor, three system and three more additional, to adjust their rotation speed, you can use additional temperature sensors, the connectors for which are located next to these connectors.

In addition to the main eight-pin ATX12V connector, power can be supplied to the processor using an additional four-pin connector, which will be useful for extreme overclocking. Two "EZ Plug" connectors are used for additional power when installing multiple video cards. One of them is six-pin, as on the video cards themselves, and the second is four-pin, as for powering disk drives, at least one of them must be available and free. The board is equipped with two independent BIOS chips, which is a rare feature of ASUSTeK motherboards. The "BIOS Switch" button will allow you to select the active microcircuit, and the LED next to it will light up for orientation. The DirectKey button on the board or a similar button connected to the DRCT Connector will allow you to enter the BIOS without additional steps. Finally, the "Fast Boot" switch has appeared, which allows you to immediately disable the technology of accelerated passage of the starting stage of the boot. The technology is useful in everyday work, but only gets in the way during the setup process.
It is worth noting the Q-Design technology complex, which simplifies the assembly and operation of systems built on the basis of ASUSTeK motherboards. The Asus Maximus VI Extreme board is equipped with all the features included in this complex. "Q-Code" is an indicator of POST codes that allows you to pinpoint the source of startup problems. The Q-LEDs (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED) serve a similar purpose, they make diagnostics less accurate, but much easier and faster. "Q-Slot" are convenient wide latches on the slots for video cards, and "Q-DIMM" are single-sided latches on the slots for memory modules. “Q-Shield” is a stub for the rear panel (I / O Shield), but instead of squeezed-out tabs that strive to get inside the connectors during installation, there is a soft electrically conductive gasket on its reverse side. "Q-Connector" is a set of adapters that includes modules to simplify the connection of buttons and indicators on the front panel of the system unit and one internal USB 2.0 connector.

We have compiled all the main technical characteristics of the Asus Maximus VI Extreme motherboard into a single table, and by clicking on it, you can open a summary comparison table with the specifications of all previously tested LGA1150 motherboard models:

ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Professional;
ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ;
ASRock Z87 Extreme6/ac ;
Asus Gryphon Z87
Asus Maximus VI Gene ;
Asus Maximus VI Hero ;
Asus Sabertooth Z87
Asus Z87-A;
Asus Z87-Deluxe;
Asus Z87-K
Asus Z87M Plus ;
Asus Z87 Pro ;
Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 ;
Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3;
Gigabyte GA-Z87M-HD3;
Gigabyte GA-Z87MX-D3H;
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H;
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-OC;
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H;
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD5H;
Intel DZ87KLT-75K;
MSI Z87 MPOWER ;
MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ;
MSI Z87-G43 ;
MSI Z87-G45 GAMING ;
MSI Z87-GD65 GAMING ;
MSI Z87M-G43.

BIOS Features

The BIOS of all modern motherboards is based on the AMI code, so in general their capabilities are very similar, sometimes even the names of the parameters are the same. We have repeatedly studied the BIOS capabilities of ASUSTeK's LGA1150 boards; in general, they are very close, but differ in particular. Unfortunately, all boards of the ROG series have almost the same BIOS. Although there are some additional features compared to conventional boards, it is inferior to them in terms of ease of use. Already on the first screen it becomes clear that it has the same not very successful structure. Unlike ordinary boards, for models of the ROG series, the start page when entering the BIOS does not serve as the limited EZ Mode. We immediately find ourselves in the “Extreme Tweaker” section, and the new “My Favorites” section was left aside, the “Main” section was inappropriately wedged in front of the “Advanced” section, and there was no place for the “Tools” section in the list at all.

Since, in general, we already know the BIOS capabilities of ASUSTeK's LGA1150 boards, let's recall them by skimming through the main sections, but without going too deep into already familiar details. Let's start, of course, with the starting section "Extreme Tweaker", which contains the bulk of the options for tuning and overclocking. In its upper part there are information parameters that report the current characteristics of the mode used. This is followed by a group of options that allow you to change frequencies and multipliers, there are a number of parameters that are useful for overclocking and for enabling power-saving operation.

Despite the huge length of the “Extreme Tweaker” section, initially you see a far from complete list of parameters, since they are all set automatically by the board, but as soon as you proceed to manual configuration, a lot of previously hidden options immediately appear. Some of the parameters are traditionally placed in separate subsections so as not to clutter up the main one too much. In particular, immediately after the informational parameters, you can see a new subsection "Overclocking Presets", with which you can overclock the system in accordance with the profiles specified by the manufacturer, increasing the base frequency and the memory frequency. We have seen the DRAM Timing Control subsection more than once, which allows you to conveniently adjust memory delays. The "GPU.DIMM Post" subsection only performs information functions, it shows which slots are occupied by memory modules and video cards, as well as their mode of operation. It is impossible to ignore the large number of options that have appeared thanks to the DIGI + digital power system. Directly in the BIOS, you can control proprietary energy-saving technologies that allow you to change the number of active phases of the processor's power supply depending on the level of its load. The “CPU Load-Line Calibration” technology for counteracting the voltage drop on the processor under load can not only be turned on or off, but also the degree of counteraction can be dosed. The "Tweakers' Paradise" subsection is exclusive to the "ROG" series boards and is not found on regular models. The options included in it make it easier to conquer high values ​​\u200b\u200bin overclocking. ASUSTeK boards have the advantage of numerous options in the "CPU Power Management" subsection. In addition to the usual parameters available on motherboards from other manufacturers that allow you to increase the permissible limits of processor consumption, a number of additional options will make it possible to speed up the reaction time and reduce power consumption at rest.

We have no comments on the final parameters of the "Extreme Tweaker" section, which allow you to control voltages. Voltages can be set both above and below the nominal, and to change the voltage on the processor, you can now choose between three different options. It can be firmly attached to certain value, you can only add or remove the required value in the "Offset" mode, or you can use the adaptive (interpolation) option. We already talked about the differences between the three ways to change the voltage on the processor in the review of the Asus Z87-K board. However, the Asus Maximus VI Extreme and Asus Maximus VI Gene models initially had the “Fully Manual Mode” option enabled, which the Asus Maximus VI Hero, the simplest board in the ROG series, did not have. In this case, it becomes possible remote control using ROG Connect technology or the OC Panel command center, but the voltage on the processor can only be fixed, and when this option is disabled, you can choose between all three options. It is very convenient that the current values ​​of many voltages are indicated next to the parameters that change them.

However, this is where the capabilities of the "Extreme Tweaker" section end, meanwhile, we have not yet found a whole group of very important options that control processor power-saving technologies. This is a characteristic shortcoming not only of ASUSTeK boards, but also of most boards from other manufacturers. The root of the problem lies in the AMI BIOS, which is the basis of the UEFI BIOS of modern boards and in its irrational basic layout. Motherboard manufacturers can change the BIOS structure, but later we will see that the models of the ROG series have a very unfortunate rework option, which is inferior in convenience even to ordinary Asus motherboards, the BIOS layout of which is also far from ideal.

To begin with, a common shortcoming of any ASUSTeK boards - the new "My Favorites" section turned out to be hardly noticeable and seemed to be on the sidelines. It is designed to collect in one place all the parameters you use most often. Initially, the section is empty and contains only reference information on how to add or remove options using the mouse or keyboard. It must be said that there are a number of prohibitions for selecting parameters, and they apply not only to entire sections or subsections, but even to individual parameters that contain submenus. The list of options displayed by pressing the F3 key has been removed from annoying restrictions, which can now also be edited, deleting unnecessary items and adding necessary items. So maximum flexibility can only be obtained from sharing section "My Favorites" and a menu with the most common links, which is not at all as convenient as it could be in the absence of restrictions.

In addition, if we are already spending time on organizing the “My Favorites” section in the most convenient way and collecting all the parameters we need, then it would be logical to set it as the starting one so that it is shown when entering the BIOS. Unfortunately, this is still not possible, ASUSTeK boards do not have a choice start page. At the same time, there is an opportunity to select the starting mode - ordinary boards are loaded in "EZ Mode", and boards of the "ROG" series in the "Advanced Mode". Moreover, usually when switching to advanced mode, we find ourselves in the “Main” section, and in this case, the “Extreme Tweaker” section is the starting one. That is, even ASUSTeK boards have the ability to select the start page, but for some reason it is still not available to users.

We move on, but between the sections "Extreme Tweaker" and "Advanced" the section "Main" is not very well wedged. It provides basic information about the system, allows you to set the current date and time, it is possible to change the BIOS interface language, including Russian. In the "Security" subsection, you can set user and administrator access passwords.

The capabilities of the subsections of the next section "Advanced" allow you to configure the operation of a set of logic and additional controllers, various interfaces, enable specific technologies, such as " Intel Rapid Start" and "Intel Smart Connect". There are no differences from ordinary boards, except that the “ROG Effects” subsection has been added, where you can turn off the backlight of the board and the pulsation of the ROG series logo in the upper left corner of the BIOS. In the "CPU Configuration" subsection, we learn basic information about the processor and manage some processor technologies. We still don't see any options related to processor power savings. Intel technologies, since they are placed on a separate page "CPU Power Management Configuration". These options have a very significant impact on system power consumption at rest, so it's best to set them manually rather than leave them up to the board.

We pass to the next section "Monitor", which allows you to control the values ​​​​of temperatures, voltages and fan speeds, all of them are separated into separate subsections. The "Voltage Monitor" page shows the current values ​​​​of numerous voltages, on the "Temperature Monitor" page, which is half empty for other models, we are told the temperature of the processor, PLX hub, system and temperature from three additional sensors, if they are connected. The fan speed is displayed on the "Fan Speed ​​Monitor" page, and their rotation speed is configured on a separate "Fan Speed ​​Control" page. For all fans, you can select preset modes for adjusting the number of revolutions from the standard set: "Standard", "Silent" or "Turbo", leave the full speed of rotation, or select the appropriate parameters in manual mode. A characteristic shortcoming of most modern motherboards was the lost ability to regulate the rotational speed of three-pin CPU fans. Only the second processor fans on motherboards from ASRock and Gigabyte had such a useful feature, but now this feature has finally appeared on ASUSTeK motherboards.

Next comes the "Boot" section, where we select the parameters that will be applied when the system starts. During the setup, you can disable the "Fast Boot" option so as not to encounter problems when entering the BIOS due to the fact that the board starts up very quickly and you simply do not have time to press the key in time.

That's all. There are no more sections, only the “Exit” button and a couple of dots are visible. In fact, the “Tools” section is hidden behind the second dot, only for some reason its name did not fit in the menu. It is not difficult to click on the section name with the mouse, and you don’t always get to the tiny dot the first time. Very uncomfortable! Meanwhile, this section contains extremely important and regularly used subsections - "Asus EZ Flash 2 Utility" and "Asus Overclocking Profile". The built-in utility for updating firmware "Asus EZ Flash 2" is one of the most convenient and functional programs of its kind. One of the advantages is support for reading from partitions formatted in the NTFS system. So far, only boards from ASUSTeK and Intel have such a feature. Unfortunately, the ability to save the current firmware version before updating was completely eliminated. The Asus Overclocking Profile subsection allows you to save and quickly load eight complete BIOS settings profiles. Each profile can be given a short name to remind you of its content. Profiles can be exchanged by storing them on external media. The downside is that the error has not yet been fixed, according to which the disabling of the output of the start image is not remembered in the profiles.

In addition, in the "Tools" section there is a subsection "Asus SPD Information", in which you can get acquainted with the information wired into the SPD of memory modules, including XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) profiles. The place for this subsection was chosen very poorly, because the memory delays change in a completely different subsection, it is very far from here and it is inconvenient to use the information provided. There is also a subsection "ROG OC Panel H-Key Configure", it stores the initial values ​​​​of frequencies, multipliers and voltages, which can be controlled using the "OC Panel" command center. The "BIOS Flashback" subsection appeared to serve two BIOS chips on the board. With it, you can boot from another chip and copy the contents of one chip to another. One of the very interesting innovations was the appearance in the “Tools” section of the “ROG Secure Erase” subsection. As you know, the performance of SSD drives degrades over time, and using the "Secure Erase" function, it is sometimes possible to return the speed to its original values, although all data will be permanently deleted. While the list of compatible includes only a limited number of SSD models, but over time, hopefully, the number of supported drives will be expanded.

The last window to appear is the Exit window, where you can apply your changes, load default values, or enter the simplified EZ Mode. In the center of the right side of the screen, above the constantly reminded list of "hot keys", two buttons are visible - "Quick Note" and "Last Modified". The first allows you to write down and leave yourself some important reminder, and the second displays a list of the latest changes made, it is saved even when you reboot or turn off the system. You can always look at and remember what changes were made to the BIOS settings last time, and now you don’t even have to enter the BIOS for this, since the “Save to USB” button in the “Last Modified” window allows you to save the list of changes to external media.

Extremely handy is the "Last Modified" BIOS Setting Change popup, which automatically shows you a list of changes each time you save your settings. Looking at the list, you can easily check the correctness of the set values ​​before applying the changes, make sure that there are no erroneous or forgotten options. In addition, with the help of this window it is easy to find out the differences between the current settings and the values ​​recorded in the BIOS profiles. Having loaded the profile, you will instantly see its differences from the previously set parameters in the “BIOS Setting Change” window that appears.

Unfortunately, compared to the BIOS of ordinary motherboards from ASUSTeK, the BIOS of ROG series motherboards pleases us with only a couple of points. First, there is no need to waste time and switch from the useless "EZ Mode" to "Advanced Mode", since we immediately find ourselves in the "Extreme Tweaker" section that we need to configure. In addition, it may be useful new feature ROG Secure Erase. In other respects, the BIOS has remained the same as in regular motherboards from ASUSTeK, retaining its advantages and disadvantages. In profiles, disabling the display of the start image is not remembered, the widespread use of the “My Favorites” section is hindered by serious restrictions on adding parameters and the impossibility of choosing it as the start one, as well as any other section. The "EPU Power Saving Mode" parameter, which includes proprietary energy-saving technologies, has lost its customization flexibility. Previously, you could choose the most appropriate level of savings yourself, but now you can only turn it on or off. In addition, the truncated and inconvenient menu upsets, which further lengthened the path to energy-saving parameters and hid very important and necessary subsections of the “Tools” section.

Test system configuration

All experiments were carried out on a test system including the following set of components:

Motherboard - Asus Maximus VI Extreme rev. 1.02 (LGA1150, Intel Z87, BIOS version 1402);
Processor - Intel Core i5-4670K (3.6-3.8 GHz, 4 cores, Haswell, 22 nm, 84 W, LGA1150);
Memory — 4 x 8GB DDR3 SDRAM G.SKILL TridentX F3-2133C9Q-32GTX, (2133MHz, 9-11-11-31-2N, 1.6V supply voltage);
Video card - Gigabyte GV-R797OC-3GD (AMD Radeon HD 7970, Tahiti, 28 nm, 1000/5500 MHz, 384-bit GDDR5 3072 MB);
Disk subsystem - Crucial m4 SSD (CT256M4SSD2, 256 GB, SATA 6 Gb/s);
Cooling system - Scythe Mugen 3 Revision B (SCMG-3100);
Thermal Grease - ARCTIC MX-2 ;
Power supply - Enhance EPS-1280GA, 800 W;
The hull is an open test bed based on the Antec Skeleton hull.

Used as operating system Microsoft Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64 bit (Microsoft Windows, Version 6.3, Build 9600), Intel Chipset Device Software 9.4.0.1027 driver set, video card driver - AMD Catalyst 13.9.

The nuances of work and overclocking

The assembly of the test system based on the Asus Maximus VI Extreme motherboard did not usually cause any difficulties, and in this case it is this routine that is surprising. Despite the advanced features, a lot of additional controllers, connectors, ports, control elements and LEDs, the developers managed to fit everything into the standard ATX form factor dimensions of 305 x 244 mm. Gigabyte boards of the same class - the G1.Sniper 5 and GA-Z87X-UD7 TH models - are wider and belong to the E-ATX format, while the MSI Z87 XPOWER board is also longer, which classifies it as a form factor XL-ATX and further limits the possibility of use. One can only admire the talent of ASUSTeK engineers who have successfully overcome many problems and solved a whole range of very difficult tasks. However, in the little things they sometimes make flaws and even mistakes. It is not clear why on regular models and boards of the TUF series, additional SATA connectors are conveniently distinguished by color, while on ROG boards they are the same red? You can look at the manual before assembling, you can look for small signatures on the textolite of the board, but the difference in color makes connecting drives much more convenient and faster.

The Asus Maximus VI Extreme is equipped with two BIOS chips, which is a good thing in many ways. First of all, it is useful from the point of view of reliability, because if one microcircuit fails, it is always possible to use another one. In addition, it is convenient at the stage of system setup or overclocking, when you can quickly switch between different versions BIOS. Even after all the tests and settings are completed, two chips will come in handy for easy switching between different operating modes. If you are going to have fun in a resource-intensive game, you can turn on the BIOS with maximum overclocking, but if you just need to check your mail and read the news, then switch to a chip with economical settings. The profile system performs the same functions, but you need to enter the BIOS, search for the desired profile, press a lot of keys, and when using two BIOS chips, just press the button once. This is the error - for some reason, a button is used to select the active microcircuit on the board, and not a switch.

Theoretically, everything is thought out - the "BIOS Switch" button allows you to select the active microcircuit, immediately after the power is connected, the LED next to it will light up for orientation. However, the microcircuits are located close to each other, the LEDs are spaced apart, but still at first glance it is not immediately possible to determine which of the microcircuits is active. In addition, with the default settings, the board has a rather high power consumption in the off state. Usually boards consume about 2W, sometimes a little more, sometimes less, but the Asus Maximus VI Extreme model consumes as much as 5W. It is not difficult to fix this, it is enough to enable the “ErP Ready” parameter in the “APM” subsection of the “Advanced” section, while the consumption will decrease and remain at the level of less than one watt. But in this case, after connecting to the power board, all the LEDs light up and immediately go out. And how then to find out which BIOS chip is used? The two-position switch, which, in the presence of a pair of BIOS chips, is used by all other motherboard manufacturers, leaves no doubt and unambiguously determines the active chip. I would like to hope that in the future, on ASUSTeK motherboards, the BIOS Switch button will be replaced with a switch.

At startup, ASUSTeK boards show a boot picture, which suggests that you can enter the BIOS by pressing the "Del" or "F2" keys. However, these are standard features that do not require reminders, and the rest of the keys, individual for different manufacturers are traditionally forgotten. For example, Asus boards use the "F8" key to display a menu that allows you to select a startup device for out-of-order boot. There is information about this in the manual, but a hint would be most appropriate and would be very useful at the start of the board, but for some reason it is still not there.

On the other hand, motherboard models from ASUSTeK, which belong to the ROG series, unlike motherboards from the TUF series and from ordinary Asus motherboards, can correctly determine not only the nominal, but also the real frequency of the processor. Is it really so difficult for development teams in the same company to agree? Why is it impossible to ensure the normal functionality of the start information for any models, for all series of motherboards?

Modern motherboards start very quickly, but this advantage of ASUSTeK motherboards has turned into another disadvantage. Only at the first start, such a start speed is used that the user still has the opportunity to enter the BIOS, but all subsequent reboots occur so quickly that it is already very difficult to do this and it will not work out on the first try. You can use the "DirectKey" button, but it is not very convenient, because instead of rebooting followed by an immediate entry into the BIOS, it first turns off the system, after which it must be turned on again and only then will you "automatically" find yourself in the BIOS. Instead of a button, you can use the Asus Boot Setting utility, there are no such comments on its functionality, but the program must first be installed, in addition, it is only suitable for users of Microsoft Windows operating systems. We usually recommend that you disable the Fast Boot option in the Boot section during the setup phase, which works by default, in order to save yourself from unnecessary difficulties with entering the BIOS. In addition to the above, the Asus Maximus VI Extreme board has a “Fast Boot” switch, which allows you to disable accelerated boot before entering the BIOS.

Previously, ASUSTeK boards even came with a separate manual on the features of the Fast Boot technology. Then, on some models, the DirectKey buttons appeared to be able to enter the BIOS, then they were supplemented with the DRCT Connector contacts so that a button of a similar purpose could be displayed on the front panel of the system unit. Now here is the "Fast Boot" switch added. So much effort to save users from unnecessary problems, so much expense ... Persistence is not always a virtue. It would be possible to simply turn off the boot acceleration technology so that the user can turn it on himself only when necessary. This is done by all other motherboard manufacturers, but ASUSTeK continues to struggle unsuccessfully with self-created difficulties.

Immediately after loading the operating system, it turned out that the nominal mode of the processor was not observed. At any load level, its multiplier increased to the maximum possible value, originally provided by Intel Turbo Boost technology only for single-threaded loads, and disabling the Asus MultiCore Enhancement function did not help. Previously, we lost a lot of time dealing with the same disadvantage of the Asus Maximus VI Hero board, so this time we dealt with it quickly. Initially, the BIOS setting for "CPU Core Ratio" is set to "Sync All Cores". It is necessary to change it to "Auto" and only then the behavior of the processor will return to normal.

But only in this case, the disadvantage inherent in ordinary motherboards from ASUSTeK and models of the TUF series will begin to appear - the operation of the Intel Turbo Boost technology will be disrupted. At high loads, the processor multiplier will stop increasing and will be reset to the nominal. To fix this error, increase the allowed limits for processor consumption in the "CPU Power Management" subsection.

In addition to the "Asus MultiCore Enhancement" function, the Asus Maximus VI Extreme board allows you to use overclocking profiles in the "Overclocking Presets" subsection or the "CPU Level Up" parameter to increase performance. However, any automatic overclocking technology is imperfect. When selecting the optimal values ​​of the parameters manually, you can always achieve a better or more economical result.

The most rational way is to overclock the processor without increasing the voltage on it, but on the Asus board you cannot simply increase the processor multiplier and do nothing else. In this case, the voltage on the processor cores will be automatically increased by the board, and the voltage converter integrated into the processor will immediately detect an increase and independently begin to raise the voltage even more under load. All this, most likely, will lead to overheating and certainly to a useless waste of energy, and we will not succeed in any energy-efficient overclocking. To avoid automatic increase in voltage by the board when overclocking the processor, it is necessary to set the "CPU Core Voltage" parameter to manual mode but don't touch anything else. In this case, the voltage is not increased by the board, and therefore is not overestimated by the converter integrated into Haswell processors. Just in case, you can also disable the CPU Load-Line Calibration technology and the Internal PLL Overvoltage parameter to counteract the voltage drop on the processor under load. They may be needed only with very high overclocking, and with normal overclocking they are not needed.

Only overclocking without increasing the voltage can be energy efficient. It will noticeably increase performance, speed up calculations, and at the same time, the total energy costs, despite the increase in energy consumption per unit of time, will even be reduced, since due to the acceleration of calculations, the amount of electrical energy required to carry out the same amount of calculations will decrease. Only such overclocking will have a minimal impact on environmental pollution, will not have a negative impact on the environment, which was convincingly proven a long time ago in the article “ Power consumption of overclocked processors". However, during the tests of motherboards, we face a different task. It is necessary to ensure the maximum possible and the most diverse load, check the boards when working in the most different modes, which is why we do not use the optimal overclocking method, but the one that allows you to achieve the highest results. For motherboard tests, the higher the frequency and voltage, the better, because the more load for a fee. Only when working in extreme, close to limiting conditions, it is easier and faster to identify problems, detect errors and shortcomings.

Previously, we always increased the voltage in the “Offset” mode, plus an adaptive or interpolation mode similar in principle of operation became available for LGA1150 processors, but both options turned out to be unacceptable for Haswell processors. As you already know, when adding any, even the smallest value, to the standard voltage, the stabilizer integrated into these processors immediately notices changes and, when a load appears, the voltage begins to increase even more. All this naturally leads to an increase in heat dissipation, temperature, and as a result, this method of overclocking is inapplicable due to overheating. To avoid this negative effect, Haswell processors have to be overclocked at constant, constant and fixed voltage.

Having habitually set the overclocking parameters tested already on several dozen motherboards, we successfully booted Windows, but were extremely surprised by the very high power consumption of the system at rest - 66 watts. We said earlier that the Asus Maximus VI Extreme is unique in its ability to turn off the PLX PEX 8747 hub when not in use. As with all other LGA1150 boards, with the default settings, the power-saving technologies are not fully functional, but if they are manually enabled, which we always do, then the system consumption at no load will be only 46 watts. When overclocked, we expected to see the same figure, we would not be surprised at the value of 47 watts, only one watt more, but about 70 is too much. Back in the BIOS, we easily found an explanation for the excessive power consumption of the system, since the most economical, deepest power-saving modes were not just disabled, but generally unavailable.

It's very strange, because we previously manually enabled all these parameters in order to achieve minimal power consumption at rest, but the board turned them off on its own and made them inaccessible. An extremely unpleasant symptom, previously only Micro-Star boards caused strong irritation with their arbitrariness - when changing some BIOS settings quite different spontaneously changed. To date, MSI boards have managed to get rid of this drawback, it was quite rare in models from other manufacturers, and it's a pity that we had to find it in ASUSTeK boards.

Experiments have shown that power saving is disabled even when we do not overclock the processor, but just turn on the “X.M.P.” profile. for memory modules. But this is a consequence, and the initially enabled “Fully Manual Mode” parameter turned out to be the cause. Recall that when it is enabled, it becomes possible to remotely control the system using the ROG Connect technology or the OC Panel command center, but the voltage on the processor can only be fixed, and when this option is disabled, you can choose between different options for changing the voltage. I must say that we have already seen the "Fully Manual Mode" parameter in the BIOS of the Asus Maximus VI Gene board. We tried overclocking the CPU while this feature was running and after it was disabled, but didn't notice any difference. However, it is easy to assume that we only checked the very possibility and stability of overclocking, but did not pay attention to the increased power consumption, and the final check was carried out with the “Fully Manual Mode” parameter turned off, when the consumption is within normal limits.

Thanks to two BIOS chips on the Asus Maximus VI Extreme board, we were able to make sure that the spontaneous disabling of power-saving modes is not an unnoticed bug in the latest firmware. This is not normal, but this behavior of the board is apparently considered acceptable, it was repeated when using a much older BIOS versions. It's a pity, because it turns out that the usefulness of the command center "OC Panel" is much lower than expected. It is useful only for short-term experiments to set overclocking records, but it will be harmful in everyday work, significantly increasing the power consumption of the system.

Enabling or disabling the "Fully Manual Mode" parameter does not affect the overclocking results in any way, its functionality only allows the possibility of remote control of the system using the "ROG Connect" technology or the "OC Panel" command center, but at the same time it increases power consumption excessively. Therefore, we disabled this option, after which we successfully overclocked the processor to 4.5 GHz while fixing the voltage on the cores at 1.150 V while using the parameters for the memory modules recorded in the X.M.P. profile.

Of course, when overclocking with voltage fixing on processor cores, energy-saving technologies partially stop working, the processor multiplier drops at rest, but the voltage no longer decreases and remains excessively high. We have to reassure ourselves that this is not for long, only when necessary and only for the duration of the tests, and, moreover, it has almost no effect on the power consumption of the system at rest.

By the way, we previously published an article " Haswell LGA1150 processors - correct stock operation and overclocking methods". This material is intended to explain to new users of the LGA1150 platform the basic principles for selecting the optimal parameters for operating in the nominal mode and for overclocking Haswell processors on motherboards from various manufacturers. There you will find illustrated recommendations on enabling Intel's energy-saving technologies and increasing the acceptable consumption limits of processors, how to overclock them with an increase in core voltage and without it.

Performance Comparison

We traditionally compare motherboards in terms of speed in two modes: when the system is operating under nominal conditions, as well as when overclocking the processor and memory. The first option is interesting from the point of view that it allows you to find out how well motherboards work with default parameters. It is known that a significant part of users do not fine-tune the system, they only set the BIOS to standard parameter values ​​that are not optimal, but do not change anything else. So we carried out the test, usually almost without interfering with the default settings set by the boards. Unfortunately, for most LGA1150 boards, this testing option turned out to be unbearable, since for many models one or another correction of values ​​was required. As a result, we were forced to publish a long list of changes we made to the settings of certain models, and the very meaning of testing in this mode was lost. Instead of seeing what performance the boards would provide with the default settings, we showed almost the same results with our correction.

In a new series of reviews of LGA1150 boards, we decided to return the information content to tests with default settings. We do not change anything else and do not correct anything. What parameter values ​​the board sets with the default settings, it is tested with those, even if they differ significantly from the nominal ones. An exception was made only for Gigabyte models GA-Z87-HD3, which in addition to standard mode was additionally tested with the integrated graphics turned off, and the results obtained are indicated in the diagrams "GFX off". At the same time, you need to understand that it is very bad when some model is slower than all the others, but it is also no good if the board is faster than all rivals. In this case, this does not mean that it is better than others, but only that the board does not comply with the normal operating mode. Only average results close to the majority are acceptable and desirable, since it is well known that related models, when operating under equal conditions, show almost the same level of speed. In this regard, we even thought about abandoning the designation of the best results on the charts, but then we left the traditional sorting in descending order of performance, and the indicators of the Asus Maximus VI Extreme model are highlighted in color for clarity.

In the Cinebench 15 photorealistic 3D rendering speed test, we run CPU tests five times and average the results.

The Fritz Chess Benchmark utility has been used in tests for a very long time and has proven itself well. It produces highly repeatable results, performance scales well depending on the number of threads used.

The x264 FHD Benchmark v1.0.1 (64bit) test allows you to evaluate the performance of the system in terms of video encoding speed compared to the results available in the database. The original version of the program with the r2106 encoder allows you to use AVX processor instructions for encoding, but we replaced the executable libraries with the r2334 version in order to be able to use the new AVX2 instructions that appeared in Haswell processors. The average results of five passes are shown in the diagram.

We measure performance in Adobe Photoshop CC using our own test, which is a creatively redesigned Retouch Artists Photoshop Speed ​​Test that includes typical processing of four 24-megapixel digital camera images.

The performance of processors under cryptographic load is measured by the built-in test of the popular TrueCrypt utility, which uses AES-Twofish-Serpent "triple" encryption with a buffer size of 500 MB. It should be noted that this program is not only capable of efficiently loading any number of cores, but also supports a specialized AES instruction set.

The PC game Metro: Last Light is very beautiful, but it depends heavily on the performance of the video card. We had to use the Medium Quality setting to keep it playable at 1920x1080 screen resolution. The diagram shows the results of passing the built-in test five times.

Racing F1 2013 is much less demanding on the graphics subsystem of the computer. At a resolution of 1920x1080, we set all settings to the maximum, choosing the "Ultra High Quality" mode, and additionally turned on all the available image enhancement features. The test built into the game is carried out five times, and the results are averaged.

In most tests, all boards of the ROG series from ASUSTeK, including, of course, Asus Maximus VI Extreme, are noticeably ahead of their rivals - this clearly indicates that they do not comply with the nominal operating mode of the system, these boards arbitrarily overestimate the processor frequency at 200 MHz for multi-threaded loads. It is extremely important to note that when you enable the parameters that change the regular rules of the "Intel Turbo Boost" technology in the BIOS of most other models, you can get exactly the same results, and the capabilities of the "K OC" option on Gigabyte boards allow you to achieve even higher performance in certain tests. It is very easy to start the same mode of operation on other boards if necessary, but turning it off on ROG series models can cause serious difficulties, and therefore this behavior of the boards has to be considered as a particularly unpleasant drawback.

Now let's see what results the systems will demonstrate with an increase in the frequencies of the processor and memory. The same performance was achieved on all the boards - the processor was overclocked to 4.5 GHz while fixing the voltage on the cores at 1.150 V, and the memory frequency was raised to 2133 MHz at 9-11-11-31-2N timings according to the X.M.P. ". It is only necessary to clarify that the Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 board did not work stably enough in these conditions, and the Gigabyte GA-Z87M-HD3 model turned out to be actually inoperable with such settings.

When overclocking the processor and increasing the frequency of the memory, the performance of the motherboards turned out to be almost the same, which was to be expected. It's a pity that we didn't see a similar situation when comparing boards with standard settings. Depending on the test application, the boards are periodically swapped, but the difference in speed is small, only the Gigabyte GA-Z87MX-D3H, probably due to a firmware bug, failed in both gaming tests. It may seem that the results of the Asus Maximus VI Extreme board do not look very good when overclocked, because the results are mostly average, and in a couple of tests the board is even at the bottom of the charts. The impression is deceptive, most often the difference compared to other models is small, so the board's performance level during overclocking is normal and does not raise any complaints.

Energy consumption measurements

Measurement of system power consumption during nominal operation and during overclocking is carried out using the Extech Power Analyzer 380803. The device turns on before the computer's power supply, that is, it measures the consumption of the entire system "from the outlet", with the exception of the monitor, but including losses in the power supply itself. When measuring consumption at rest, the system is idle, we wait for the complete cessation of post-launch activity and the absence of calls to the drive. As in performance tests, a special additional test mode Gigabyte boards GA-Z87-HD3 with integrated graphics disabled is still labeled "GFX off". The results in the charts are sorted as consumption increases, the indicators of the Asus Maximus VI Extreme model are highlighted in color for clarity.

With the unique ability to turn off the PLX PEX 8747 hub when not in use, the Asus Maximus VI Extreme board would look better than other similar models. But the board is complex, the number of additional controllers is quite large, more than any other of the compared boards, and therefore its power consumption at rest with default settings is maximum.

I must say that for all their shortcomings, Haswell processors have an undeniable advantage in the form of lower power consumption at rest compared to LGA1155 processors. Unfortunately, boards running at nominal settings do not give us the opportunity to see this, and therefore we added another additional diagram with a mode that we called "Eco". This is the same regular mode of operation that the motherboards provide with default settings, we only manually changed the values ​​​​of all parameters related to Intel processor energy-saving technologies in the BIOS from "Auto" to "Enabled".

The difference turned out to be significant, the results improved, system consumption dropped noticeably, and the Asus Maximus VI Extreme board, although it consumes energy above average, turned out to be even more economical than most Gigabyte boards. This is partly an achievement of ASUSTeK, but to a large extent this is a failure of Gigabyte, whose LGA1150 boards, due to a long-standing and uncorrected firmware bug, look frankly uncompetitive compared to models from other manufacturers.

Just in case, we recall that in test systems we install a discrete AMD Radeon HD 7970 video card, but if we refuse it and switch to using a graphics core integrated into processors, then the total consumption of ordinary systems can even fall below 30 watts. The economy of Haswell processors at rest is very impressive and looks tempting, but it is a pity that with default settings motherboards do not allow us to enjoy this advantage, manual correction of BIOS parameters is necessary.

To create a load on the Haswell processor, we returned to the LinX utility, which is a graphical shell for the Intel Linpack test, and the modification of the program version 0.6.4 we use uses AVX instructions for calculations. This program provides a much higher load than typical, but when using it, we do not additionally heat the processor with a stream of hot air or an open flame. If one program can load more work and warm up the processor than usual, then it is quite possible that another can. That is why we check the stability of the overclocked system, and also create a load on the processor during power consumption measurements using the LinX utility.

The diagram clearly shows that none of ASUSTeK's LGA1150 motherboards can provide a normal system operation with default settings. Regular models and boards of the TUF series reset the processor frequency at high load, which consumes less, but also works slower, and the boards of the ROG series overestimate it, so they turn out to be the most wasteful. Just a shame and disgrace for such a well-known company.

The figures turned out to be rather big, but they are still close to the maximum achievable indicators, the result of the work of a special program. To evaluate a more typical level of power consumption, we took measurements during system performance tests using the Fritz program. It must be said that it almost does not matter which utility to use as a load. Almost any conventional program that can fully load all four processor cores will show very close or even exactly the same results. So don't be afraid high levels power consumption obtained using the LinX utility using AVX instructions. In fact, the typical power consumption of ordinary systems with a full load of processor cores will be in the region of 100 W, and for some especially economical models it will even be noticeably lower. However, the above does not apply to ASUSTeK's ROG boards, all of them, including the Asus Maximus VI Extreme model, continue to pay with increased consumption for choosing a non-standard operating mode.

Let's remember that ROG series motherboards not only consume more than others due to the overclocking of the processor, they also noticeably outperform all other models in most performance tests. It can be assumed that the increase in consumption is offset by increased speed, but our measurements show that this is not the case. Depending on the nature of the load, the numbers will change, but on average, an increase in the processor frequency by 200 MHz gives a five percent increase in speed. Somewhere the superiority will be a little more, somewhere noticeably less, but for computational tasks it is about 5%. At the same time, energy consumption increases immediately by 13-14% - two to three times more. The boards boost the frequency on their own, but we know that any automatic overclocking is inefficient. To ensure stability in non-standard modes, manufacturers play it safe by raising the frequency lower than possible, and the voltage higher than necessary in many cases. If you want productive overclocking, choose the parameters that are optimal for your system, and the use of non-standard modes by ROG series boards is not a virtue or even a feature, but a disadvantage, a waste of energy.

It must be added again that for a total assessment of the level of energy consumed by the system, it is necessary to load the video card with work, and the final result will depend on its power. In power consumption tests, we use only the processor load, but if we measure the power consumption during the operation of a discrete AMD video cards Radeon HD 7970 in games, then the total power consumption of a typical system will significantly exceed 200 watts, approaching 250 watts at nominal operation and exceeding this value when overclocked.

Now let's evaluate the power consumption when overclocking systems and no load.

Even during overclocking, we always make the most of all processor energy-saving technologies, and therefore the arrangement remains approximately the same as it was with the Eco settings when operating in the nominal mode. There are seven economical models, four show average power consumption, and they include the Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 board with integrated graphics disabled. Due to its complexity, the Asus Maximus VI Extreme board draws above average, but with normal settings, any Gigabyte board consumes much more electricity. The Gigabyte GA-Z87X-OC model became the first LGA1150 board whose power consumption during overclocking turned out to be higher than it was in the nominal mode. Later, a small Gigabyte GA-Z87M-HD3 board joined her sad company, and in terms of inefficiency, it was even ahead of a full-size specialized model for overclocking. Now we have a new waste anti-hero - the Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 board.

During overclocking and when the load appears, the power consumption of any overclocked systems, not only Gigabyte, is already incomparably higher than in the nominal mode. It affects both the increase in frequency and the increase in voltage. At high loads, the power consumption of motherboards from ASUSTeK and Micro-Star approaches, but all Gigabyte models are noticeably more wasteful than the rest.

From the Gigabyte GA-Z87MX-D3H board review We know that a bug has crept into the BIOS of Gigabyte motherboards related to the operation of energy-saving technologies. Because of this, the boards look much worse than they deserve, and against their background, the Asus Maximus VI Extreme model looks great.

Afterword

Based on the results of reviews of motherboards, we rate them on a five-point scale. They do not appear explicitly in the articles, but serve for the convenience of presenting the results in search engines. Who is four, who is three, who is two points, and the maximum score is four and a half, only because there are no ideal five-point boards. The Asus Maximus VI Extreme motherboard gets its 4.5 points with a margin, I would very much like to put more, but some shortcomings do not allow. First of all, this is a standard set of minor disadvantages typical of ASUSTeK boards: boot acceleration technology that works by default, the lack of prompts on the start screen, its disabling that is not remembered in profiles, and the inconvenient BIOS structure. Also, I didn't like the use of a button to select the active BIOS chip instead of a switch. However, these and other minor shortcomings are not too serious, but the spontaneous shutdown of energy-saving technologies by the board was extremely upsetting. The arbitrariness of motherboards in itself is very unpleasant, but, fortunately, it is becoming less common, and we did not expect such a dirty trick from the motherboard from ASUSTeK. In addition, because of this, one of the board's unique features - the "OC Panel" command center - turned out to be even less useful than expected.

At the same time, it is impossible not to note the many advantages of the board, and one of the most pleasant and definitely the most unexpected is the ability to turn off the PLX PEX 8747 hub if it is not in use. We have not seen anything like this in any other board, as well as such a variety of modes to choose when video cards work together. Unfortunately, these advantages are not covered in any way by the manufacturer and are not advertised, on the contrary, in technical specifications not all acceptable modes are indicated, which is why the number of buyers of this model is clearly less than it could be. Of course, this model is not for everyone, it implies the user's desire to experiment, it will reveal its capabilities more fully when using several video cards and many drives, among which there may be an SSD in the new M.2 (NGFF) format. There are quite a few laptops that use such drives, but there are only a few compatible desktop models. The board is equipped with almost all modern interfaces, including initially equipped with a Wi-Fi / Bluetooth card that provides high-speed wireless connection. There is no support for Thunderbolt technology, but if you wish, you can purchase an Asus ThunderboltEX II expansion card that will add it. Among other things, you need to remember that the board requires sufficient financial security from its buyer.

The Asus Maximus VI Extreme is a typical model of the Republic of Gamers series, it has a lot of redundant features for most features, various features that are rarely or even never needed. With all this, the board does not cause irritation, on the contrary, it is very interesting to deal with its abilities and features. It is very good that the potential of ASUSTeK allows it to develop and produce such exclusive models. It is clear in advance that they will not be in high demand, but how much pleasure will be given to those few who really need this board or those who simply want to purchase it and have such an opportunity. Is it possible to measure positive emotions? They are priceless.