[section label=”Price/Where to buy”]
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Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx. US$499 – [easyazon_link identifier=”B016A44CU8″ locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]ASUS MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME[/easyazon_link]
PH – Approx. PHP30,290
[easyazon_infoblock align=”none” identifier=”B016A44CU8″ locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]
[/signoff] [section label=”Introduction”]We’ve taken a look at the other high-end boards from GIGABYTE and now we go back and take a look at ASUS flagship motherboard. Now in ASUS’ stack there seems to be a shared position for the high-end spot in the ROG family but its clear in terms of pricing which is the flagship and by price we mean $500 which the EXTREME line of ROG motherboards command. The Z170 generation of ROG products remain the same with the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME in our bench for review. This board carries over everything we’ve seen in the MAXIMUS VI EXTREME (ASUS skipped the EXTREME for the Z97 lineup) and that means we’re seeing the return of the OC Panel II overclocking tool. There’s plenty of new inclusions that we’ll cover in this review so read on to find out more about the flagship ROG motherboard.
[section label=”Features”]
Features
- LGA1151 socket for 6th-gen Intel® Core™ desktop processors.
- Dual DDR4 3866 (OC) support.
- Best gaming performance – Intuitive OC Panel II, 5-Way Optimization with Auto-Tuning, Pro Clock, second-generation T-Topology and Extreme Engine Digi+.
- Best gaming audio – Reinvented SupremeFX 2015 with intuitive Sonic Studio II.
- Best gaming networking – Best-in-class Intel® Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard and GameFirst technologies.
- Best gaming connectivity — Thunderbolt™ 3, 3×3 802.11ac Wi-Fi , NVMe U.2, M.2, SATA Express and USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C for extreme-speed transfers and total compatibility.
- Best gaming protection – Carefully-selected premium components for maximum durability.
- ROG gives you more – More gaming-focused 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.
[section label=”Z170 Chipset”]The Intel Z170 Chipset
Accompanying the Intel Skylake 6th-gen processors is the new 100-series chipset, codenamed Sunrise Point. As the primary consumer chipset for the 6th-generation Intel Core processors, the 100-series chipset is available in various chipset series from the mainstream H110, H170 and Z170 and the business-class B150, Q150 and Q170. Intel has decided to stagger the release of their Skylake processors which made the release of the other chipset only happen recently. While it’d take an entire post to describe the finer details on the difference of each chipset, to sum it up really quick the chipsets differ in features: with the Z170 offering the most in terms of expansion and support as well as PCI-e lanes with lower model chipsets reducing on what’s offering the business-class ones expanding to include Small Business Basics and Small Business Advantage.
For the most part of what we’re reviewing we’ll take a look at the Z170 chipset, the top-end chipset for desktop and offers the most features and support for multiplier overclocking.
One of the primary changes from Z97 to Z170 is support for a newsocket, the LGA 1151. LGA 1151 supports Intel Skylake CPUs and is not compatible with LGA 1150 processors and vice versa. Mounting holes for the 115x range have remained the same though so your old LGA 1156/1155/1150 will still be compatible with the new LGA 1151 motherboards.
Support for DDR4 memory is also one of the changes that comes with the new chipset. Connectivity between CPU and chipset also utilizes DMI 3.0 allowing a full 20 PCI-e 3.0 lanes which is up to the motherboard maker on how they utilize it.
[section label=”Closer Look”]Packaging – ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME
ASUS packages the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME in the signature ROG packaging: red and black theme in the packaging color with the model name printed in bold in the front. Some marketing icons in the lower side of the front flap. At the back we see some detailed feature specs.
The front flap opens of revealing a view of the motherboard and the OC Panel II along with some detail feature lists of the different offerings of the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME.
Inside the package we have a rich assortment of inclusions: the standard assortment of I/O shield, SLI and CrossFire bridges, SATA cables, documentation and installation discs are there and unique to the ASUS package are the WIFI/BT antenna, CPU installation tool, and the EZ plug. Going further are the exclusive MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME additions which consists of the OC Panel II, a fan hub and thermal probes. A sheet of ROG stickers as well as an embossed logo sticker is included.
Closer Look – ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME
The MAXIMUS VIII Extreme inherits many of the new design features that this generation of ROG motherboards as we’ve seen in our previous MAXIMUS VIII GENE review, the new ROG motherboards bid farewell to the predominantly black and red color scheme and usher in a new scheme. The heatsinks are tinted with a light purple hue. Also, the board is now mostly black with hints of red only present in edges and the SupremeFX shroud area. Speaking of shroud, ASUS has made most of their higher-end boards with a built in shroud making for a unique visual presentation on these boards. The same is true for the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME which features a shroud on its audio area connected to the I/O shroud. The shroud and heatsink feature very intricate panel lines for visual appeal and adds a unique detail on the board. Clean soldering on the back reminds us that ASUS uses more advanced soldering technology for their boards now. The heatsinks are secured by backplates for the PCH and VRM sinks.
Here’s another angle on the intricately-cut heatsinks of the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME. Nothing really special about it from a performance perspective but it does show how much ASUS pours into their boards.
On the upper-right area of the board are the OC controls. This has mostly been the area where ASUS places their OC controls for out-case benchmarking but the fan-header location on the upper rightmost corner do feel awkward if you like the most optimal placement for cases which really don’t offer rear tray routing.
The PCH heatsink is relatively smaller these days as most of its function have been merged on the same die as the CPU. Still, it does get a bit of dressing up from most brands and in this case, as we’ll see later, ASUS introduces one of the first iteration of its onboard RGB LED functions.
The rear I/O presents a large assortments of USB ports including USB3.1 Type-C. A legacy PS/2 port is also present as well as screw-type mounts for the WIFI/BT antenna.
Two SATA Express connector are present and a total of eight(8) SATA III ports. The ASUS MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME features onboard NVMe U.2 connector for use with ultra-fast storage from Intel.
Surprisingly, ASUS goes conservative on the number power phases on this board for the CPU with only 13 power phases present. While we don’t really correlate actual OC performance with the size of the VRM, its just surprising that this board doesn’t come packing 20 or so power phases as is the trend for overclocking boards.
The MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME sports an all PCI-e slot loadout with 4 x16 slots and 2 x1 slots. The board is still limited to running a maximum of 3 cards with an x8/x4/x4 configuration so that gives us only tri-SLI or tri-CrossFire on the MAXIMUS VIII Extreme.
OC Panel II
The OC Panel II is a separate device for ASUS ROG Extreme-class motherboards which made its debut a few generations black. This device has now received an updated version with more tools to fiddle but pretty much retains the same look and function as the original OC Panel: it can dock in a 5.25″ drive bay for every day use as a real-time display of system info and for benchmarking applications and overclocking, it can stand alone and serve as a fanhub and extra control for the motherboard allowing real-time fine-tuning of clock speeds and voltages on the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME. The OC Panel II introduces new options for this generation of boards and a few design revisions for a better look.
ROG Logo RGB LED
ASUS enables a bit of customization on the look of the board by way of the ROG logo on the PCH heatsink. The MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME’s RGB logo lighting option can be customized to any single color and display it in various effects like Color Cycle, sound reactive or even thermal representation of the board’s current temp.
[section label=”Performance Testing”]Performance Testing
Test Setup
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700K
Motherboard: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3000
Storage: Kingston HyperX FURY 240GB
PSU: Corsair AX860i
Cooling: Custom loop (XSPC Raystorm block, EK DCP 4.0, BlackIce Stealth GT 360 rad)
Monitor: LG 42UB820T UltraHD TV
VGA: GIGABYTE GTX 980 Ti GAMING G1
Performance Testing – Synthetic
Cinebench R15, Cinebench R11.5
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wPrime, SuperPI 32M
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3DMark 06, 3DMark Vantage
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Performance Testing – Real World
Video Conversion, Audio Encoding
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Compression, Image Resizing
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Performance Testing – 3D Benchmarks
3DMark 11, 3DMark Fire Strike
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Overclocking
Overclocking at a glance: This is ASUS’s flagship overclocking board and as such we’re treating a bit differently when it comes to OC. While we’re normally locking down our tests to our OC wall of 4.6Ghz @1.35v, we did try to push it further by dumping in 1.44v to get to 4.8Ghz but our i7-6700K just ain’t budging. We plan to push memory a bit but we’ll save that for another time, we did get some good memory OC by way of BCLK bump as you’ll see here…
The BCLK overclocking on this motherboard is incredible though. With Intel officially enabling BCLK OC once again on Skylake platforms, we’ve pushed some boards further and the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME certainly pushes it all the way. Watercooled, we managed to bump the BCLK of this board to 380Mhz. You can view the validation here.
[section label=”Power & Temperatures”]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.
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At a glance: With the relatively smaller amount of power phases, this motherboard doesn’t really suck up a lot of power. That said, its one of the cooler and more efficient boards in our chart due compared to prior EXTREME boards and OC boards. While the BIOS does tend to increase voltage by a bit versus what you input, it doesn’t really add a ton. A few milivolts for cushion easily keeps the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME in lofty temps is within really good ranges.
[section label=”Conclusion”]Conclusion
Let’s break it down for the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME:
Performance. This board is all about performance and as we can see from the OC results this board can take a capable processor in more ways than just multiplier OC. On stock performance alone, its on par with the other high-end boards but its really in overclocking that this board shines and its features is best described in the next segment.
Build Quality. This board was made to endure the stress of sub-zero cooling and overclocking and ASUS has taken steps to make sure it survives a run with LN2 with the components made of higher quality parts as we normally see on these high-end ROG boards. Overall, this board is rock-solid and the smaller VRM does little to take away its capacity to bring clocks higher and actually improves its appeal by being a more efficient motherboard. As an everyday motherboard, the design is extremely intricate and is visually stunning.
Functionality. With a heavy loadout of OC features, this board actually appears to be more geared for daily use as shown with its shroud and large heatsink. While advance overclockers may opt to remove it for extreme benchmarking, ASUS probably thought that unnecessary and went with a shroud going for a more visually appealing modern design. Going over the features, the board does receive some more daily connectivity like the WIFI/BT and USB3.1 Type C. Going further is the U.2 connector and M.2 slot dedicated for faster storage.
Bundle. ASUS includes the OC Panel II, a fan hub, a door hanger, a WIFI/BT antenna onboard and a premium subscription to World of Warships with this motherboard. In addition to those, ASUS has also included a rich assortment of software including their own in-house applications for gaming, the Overwolf dock, a subscription to Kaspersky and a pro copy of DaemonTools, onboard Keybot II for extra key functions and RAMdisk for using your RAM as a fast storage location. That’s a heck of a lot of inclusions without mentioning the already onboard features.
Value. The EXTREME class of motherboards in the ROG family normally reserve the $500 price tag and it is the same for the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME. As we’ve highlighted this motherboard features a lot of onboard capabilities and extras out of the box. Add to that the OC Panel II and that’s a really rich bundle. But as a motherboard, the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME contends against its own kind with the recent announcement of the ROG MAXIMUS VIII FORMULA, that for less than $100, you get a full shroud and RGB lighting across the board as well as integrated waterblocks on the VRM heatsink. That said, it’s a tough call to measure the value of this board’s ability to overclock as a bonus.
Picking up from that last sentence, overclocking has lost its appeal over the years and this isn’t the fault of the motherboard makers nor Intel’s. Its just simply how things are progressing and the Maximus VIII EXTREME is a clear sign of changing times as this motherboard obviously is transitioning to a more consumer-product rather than a niche tool. Its visual presentation, feature set and accessories all point that there’s really nothing that even ASUS could squeeze out of Skylake overclocking to sell this motherboard. Yes, it can overclock. Yes, its robust. But at the end of the day, every motherboard can do that now. Ultimately we’ll all have to ask ourselves, is overclocking still needed? That’s another article altogether.
Overall, the most appeal this board has is its rich feature set. While the Formula iteration may present a more visually appealing product, the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME is the more raw of the two in terms of visual appeal and its healthy array of features help bolster its position as a more scalable option versus its lesser ROG counterparts. We do feel ASUS could’ve opted for an external chip to enable quad-GPU support via 4 cards not 2x dual GPU cards. Another addition would’ve been another M.2 slot or an included M.2 to U.2 converter to fully maximize the storage possibility of this motherboard.
As we’ve noted in our GB Z170X SOC FORCE review, that board serves better as a workstation motherboard and the same can be said about the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME, it only lacks the same amount of GPU support and M.2 support that its primary competitor boasts.
Still, this is fattest bundle we’ve ever seen on a motherboard to date but by no means does that add up to justify the price tag of this motherboard. ASUS did went out of its way to make sure it gives everything it can to satisfy potential users no matter their inclination is and for that this board is a really powerful all-rounder. The ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME motherboard still proves its the King of the Republic of Gaming and there is simply denying that fact.
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Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx. US$499 – [easyazon_link identifier=”B016A44CU8″ locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]ASUS MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME[/easyazon_link]
PH – Approx. PHP30,290
[easyazon_infoblock align=”none” identifier=”B016A44CU8″ locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]
[/signoff]ASUS backs the MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME with a solid 3-year warranty. We give it our B2G Performance Award!
[section label=”Awards”]
4 Comments
sexy beast
High overclock, low voltage. Now that is performance.
Hit like if you think this thing should be up for giveaway after they review it.
You need to tag ASUS for that.