Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx.: $321.99 – ASUS MAXIMUS VII FORMULA on Amazon
PH – Approx.: Php17,500
This is the last board we’ll be using to test motherboards with Haswell and we’re moving forward with our Devil’s Canyon processor from hereon forward so its kind of parting moment for us. We’ve had a lot of motherboards come through our labs and its funny because all these years we’ve not had the pleasure of reviewing any ROG Formula branded motherboard from ASUS. I kid you not, since the P67 era we have not reviewed a single ASUS MAXIMUS Formula motherboard yet we have seen every Extreme, Gene and Impact in the series. I find it only right to finally move on to our new format by closing the old one with this review starring the ASUS MAXIMUS VII Formula motherboard under the Republic of Gamers sub-brand from ASUS. The Formula series has evolved from being the mainstream offering in the ROG series to being the most balanced, high-performing platform offering from ASUS ROG. Today we’ll be taking a look at the latest refinement in the series and see what it offers. Read on.
Features
- LGA 1150 socket for the 4th-, new 4th- and 5th-generation Intel® Core™ i3, i5, i7, Pentium®, and Celeron® processors
- Intel® Z97 Express chipset with M.2 (SATA/PCIe x2) support
- CrossChill Copper – Air or liquid – it’s cooler with copper
- Intel Ethernet + LANGuard + GameFirst III – Game networking taken to the next level.
- SupremeFX Formula 2014 + Sonic Radar II – New and improved audio that’s beyond compare
- Best gaming power – Rock-steady power, inside and out
- Best gaming interface – Grab a free keyboard upgrade and mPCIe Combo III compact card
- Best gaming protection – Luxuriate in the smart design, premium components, durable materials and tough double-sided armor
- USB UEFI BIOS and Secure Erase – Award-winning simplicity and factory-fresh conditioning for superb performance
- ROG gives you more – A ready-made gamer’s toolkit.
Closer Look
ASUS first included shrouds on its board with the TUF Sabertooth series motherboards. This eventually found its way to the ROG line with the Maximus VI Formula. Now we’re taking a look at the latest rendition following the edgy design of the Maximus VII series with sharp angles highlighting much of the board’s physical design. ASUS has continually refined the hybrid cooling block that rests on its VRM, now including support for G1/4″ thread fittings so you can use your own fittings and make a more stylish loop of your own choosing. Other than physical appearance, the load of board features here is the pinnacle of ROG gaming support only rivaled by the Extreme series’ intentionally ridiculous array of features meant for high-end overclocking.
Performance Testing (CPU)
Test Setup
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K
Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VII FORMULA
Memory: Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2400 16GB
Storage: Kingston HyperX FURY 240GB SSD
PSU: Corsair Professional AX860i
Cooling:Â Custom loop (Raystorm block, BlackIce StealthGT 360, EK DCP4.0, Corsair SP120)
Case: Dimastech EasyXL
Monitor: BENQ XL2410T
VGA: Palit Jetstream GTX 780Ti
Results are provided for your own conclusions.
A bit of foreword: the H81MHV3 does not support overclocking of unlocked processors except the Pentium G3258 using an older BIOS. XMP support is limited to DDR3-1600 only. That said, our system will be running using our 4770K on stock settings along with the memory running also at JEDEC DDR3-1333 timings. This results in a far lower performance rate than the other on the chart so we reiterate that these charts are for relative comparison only.
Cinebench R15, Cinebench R11.5
wPrime, SuperPI 32M
3DMark 06, 3DMark Vantage
WORKLOAD TESTS
Video Conversion, Audio Encoding
Compression, Image Resizing
3D & Gaming Tests
3DMark 11, 3DMark Fire Strike
OVERCLOCKING
Maximum CPU Clock
Maximum Base Clock
Maximum Memory Clock
OC’ing at a glance: There’s really nothing more we can say in terms of OC prowess here given that the ROG line of ASUS boards are specialized in overclocking with granular control in the BIOS and a lot of other features to compensate for a higher, stable overclock. Going over in detail from our experience, the MAXIMUS VII Formula offers just as much range as its other ASUS Z97 board brothers but its cooling option is what would really make a difference here with the fully integrated waterblock cooling the VRM, its possible to chill the components for more stable figures. Based on numbers though, it may look low but this is on our template setup and the MAXIMUS VII FORMULA has better options to tweak your system further.
TEMPERATURE & POWER CONSUMPTION
We check to see how motherboard makers tune their default BIOS settings and see how it impacts temperatures and power consumption. The system is left to idle for 30 minutes before readings are taken and load data is taken 30 minutes while AIDA64 system stability is running. Power readings are taken for the entire system from the socket.
At a glance: Average numbers here but the Max 7 Formula does border on the higher edge of the chart due to its higher core voltage when loaded. Nothing really concerning and everything looks fine here.
CONCLUSION
It’s easy to shrug off the Maximus VII Formula as just another overstuffed board from ASUS given its performance levels but we’ve reached that point that many motherboards within a certain spectrum can now easily max out its’ generation’s processors making it a battle of features. And this is what the Maximus VII Formula fits in nicely. Let’s break it down more:
Performance. As we stated, at this range, motherboards will easily pump out everything out of a processor and the complementing hardware and the Maximus VII Formula doesn’t really hold you back with plenty of support for expansions. Overclocking the board gives it an edge but as we’ll talk about in quality its about maintaining that edge that really makes this board shine.
Build Quality. Its easy to see the ROG armor as just another gimmick on this board but its cosmetic appeal does have its applications especially the motherboard brace at the back that makes the board really sturdy. Aside from that, one can’t really deny the appeal it gives especially if you’re into these kinds of design. Overall though its the implementation of features and design that make the Maximus VII Formula pop and ASUS’ attention to details is still very obvious in this motherboard. The VRM hybrid block really sets it off for me making watercooling this board a real delight for loop designer who want to go crazy with the looks.
Functionality. This is as good as it gets for the ROG line in terms of mainstream appeal for gamers and you got a lot going on already here with support for multiple graphics cards, a souped-up audio and LAN and a fat array of software to really make your gaming experience more in line with ASUS’ idea of gaming.
Bundle. Our sample is the Watch_Dogs edition which bundle a copy of the game with it. Inside the package you also get some of the typical ROG goodies like a door hanger and cable tags.
Value. Its almost always synonymous with the ROG line that products that fall under it are ridiculously overpriced. On launch, it kinda holds true but prices do level out after a few months. Still, the ASUS Maximus VII Formula does fall into that category where its SRP of Php19,080 for the Watch_Dogs bundle is quite steep. The non-game bundle should be priced lower and you can actually browse around some online retailers to see the prices go down up to around $321 for the ASUS Maximus VII Formula. If you can get it at that price, its worth every penny but if you’re a bit strapped for cash we suggest the ASUS Maximus VI Hero as a start or its Maximus VII counterpart.
The ASUS Maximus VII Formula isn’t cheap but all that looks and premium features will cost and this isn’t even unique to ASUS. It just depends on how much you value each of those features to say if its worth it or not. In our case, it could be cheaper but market regions vary in prices with the US having the lowest we’ve seen. Overall though, the ASUS MAXIMUS VII Formula brings to the table a lot of unique features like its ROG Armor, the back brace, the CrossChill VRM cooler, just those amongst the physical feature set with plenty of other hardware features to mention. Its a top quality board like this that can easily command a launch price tag like it does and many people along would clamor for its visual appeal. If you don’t fall under that umbrella or you’re considering this board don’t enough, at this point in time we suggest to just hold out.
The ASUS MAXIMUS VII FORMULA is one of the most well-built boards we’ve seen and its easily a good choice for high-end system builders with its impressive looks and tried-and-tested quality.
Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx.: $321.99 – ASUS MAXIMUS VII FORMULA on Amazon
PH – Approx.: Php18,500
ASUS backs the MAXIMUS VII FORMULA with a 3-year warranty. We give it our B2G Silver Award.