Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx. US$399.99 – [easyazon_link identifier=”B019U0VWKW” locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]ASUS MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA[/easyazon_link]
PH – Php21500
[easyazon_infoblock align=”none” identifier=”B019U0VWKW” locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]
The ASUS ROG motherboard series is ASUS’ flagship lineup for their products and in this stack, recent history has normally pointed towards the ROG Formula branding as the most packed model in terms of features. In a different approach, ASUS decided to launch the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA a bit late in the Z170 life cycle but all that is with reason as the new ASUS ROG Z170 motherboard features full body ROG armor found in the TUF series of motherboard as well as fully customizable LED lighting. Another signature feature is the waterchannel heatblock for the VRM co-developed with EKWB. If there’s really anything we can say about the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA from the box shots alone, its looking to be the best motherboard for the Z170 platform right now. Read on as we take a closer look at the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA motherboard.
Features
- LGA1151 socket for 6th-gen Intel® Core™ desktop processors.
- Dual DDR4 3733 (OC) support
- Best gaming cooling – CrossChill EK for both air and liquid cooling
- Best gaming lighting – Three-way RGB illumination, Aura 4-pin RGB-strip header & lighting control
- Best gaming audio – Reinvented SupremeFX 2015 with intuitive Sonic Studio II
- Best gaming performance – 5-Way Optimization with Auto-Tuning, second-gen T-Topology, and OC-friendly design
- Best gaming networking – Best-in-class Intel® Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard and GameFirst technologies
- Best gaming protection – ROG Amor plus carefully-selected premium components for maximum durability
- Best gaming connectivity – 2×2 802.11ac MU-MIMO Wi-Fi, U.2 and M.2, plus Intel-powered USB 3.1 Type A+C
- ROG gives you more – More gaming-oriented utilities, all free!
Intel Skylake CPU
Intel has opted to stagger the launch of the Skylake CPUs with the flagship Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K unlocked processors debuting at launch together with the Z170 chipset. Further SKUs were released after launch for the lower end of the product stack.
Intel Skylake CPUs presents a new microarchitecture using the 14nm process seen in Broadwell processors. Intel Skylake CPUs will feature improved efficiency numbers and IPC performance together with a new IGP. As with all launch CPUs, these top-end unlocked processors are aimed at enthusiasts and support multiplier overclocking.
Also in the platform is support for DDR4. The new processors fully supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with the new DDR4 modules supporting higher default memory of 2133MHz at only 1.2v. Some motherboard makers may also opt to use DDR3 still as the processor still retain support for that.
Closer Look – ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA
As mentioned, the most stand-out new feature of the MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA is the full body shroud that covers the entire motherboard. To support this, a large backplate is also installed with intricate detailing so you get great looks and stability with this motherboard. The primary color theme is dark grey which goes against the other color themes of the Z170 ROG boards but ultimately looks better overall.
A 10-phase power design supplies the processor with stable power. The game of who has the larger VRM ended a few years back and 10-phase is definitely plenty enough for the new 14nm processors. The MOSFETs are cooled with the waterchannel block heatsink.
The MAXIMUS VIII Formula features support for up to 3 graphics card with the board favoring dual-card setup thanks to its wide spacing between the two x16 slots.
At the bottom edge we can see the traditional headers but one of which that stands out is the RGB header which can be used to connected LED strips and are also controllled by the AURA software.
ASUS implements their latest audio solution on the M8F dubbed SupremeFX which drops the previous numbering sequence. This newer implementation has more powerful components providing cleaner audio backed by a great software config panel.
A nice touch from ASUS, putting the front panel USB3.0 header on a forward-facing angle.
This board features support for up to 8 SATAIII devices, with 2 SATA Express arrays and a single U.2 port for high-speed NVMe storage.
Performance Testing
Test Setup
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700K
Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA
Memory: Kingston HyperX SAVAGE DDR4-3000
Storage: Kingston HyperX FURY 240GB
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower 1000w
Cooling: Thermaltake Water 3.0 360 Riings
Monitor: ASUS PG27AQ
VGA: NVIDIA GTX 1080 Founders Edition
For a full-hardware workout, visit http://www.futuremark.com for our benchmarks of choice.
Performance Testing – Synthetic
wpDataChart with provided ID not found! wpDataChart with provided ID not found! wpDataChart with provided ID not found! wpDataChart with provided ID not found!Power & Temperatures
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 stress test is running. Power readings are taken for the entire system from the socket. Power draw for the entire system is captured for this test via an outlet wattmeter and temperatures are recorded via Intel Extreme Tuning app.
wpDataChart with provided ID not found! wpDataChart with provided ID not found!The ASUS MAXIMUS VIII Formula has a great BIOS option and manages to hold a decent CPU voltage to keep its temperates down. This results in decent temps and power draw which are very good for a board of this level.
Conclusion
Let’s break it down for the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA:
Performance. Put it simply, the MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA rivals the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME in sheer performance and there is really not a lot that both motherboards hold on top of each other besides their more specialized feature sets.
Build Quality. The ASUS MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA now holds the distinction of being ASUS’ highest end motherboard for the Z170 generation having the most features compared to its EXTREME counterpart. That said, the shroud, the details and the overall build quality just scream high-end for this board and ASUS didn’t stop at nothing to make sure it shows that in both build and feel.
Functionality. There is a lot of feature going on in this motherboard with every facet of the enthusiast gaming ecosystem pretty much covered.
Bundle. A great software and accessory bundle accompanies this motherboard.
Value. At $399, this is the most expensive mainstream motherboard available right now and for many good reasons that we’ll just end with those in the next paragraph.
The ASUS MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA is the best Z170 motherboard around right now. Looks alone puts it in high-contention against many other great motherboards but ultimately that’s a subjective matter but focusing more on what counts: we have great features and great build quality for a robust gaming platform.
If you want the best Z170 motherboard that money can buy right now for your gaming PC, this is the go-to board right now. With announcements that the 100-series chips will also be able to support the next-gen processors, it extends the service life of this board so users who may be feeling a bit conscious can be assured there’s plenty to squeeze out of the Maximus VIII Formula even with its late arrival to the game.
Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx. US$399.99 – [easyazon_link identifier=”B019U0VWKW” locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]ASUS MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA[/easyazon_link]
PH – Php21500
[easyazon_infoblock align=”none” identifier=”B019U0VWKW” locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]
