Final Thoughts
When ASUS first launched their Z87 lineup the Maximus VI Formula was missing. ASUS took their time with their board to give gamers and enthusiasts alike the best combination of features in a motherboard and I really think that they have. This board completes the Republic of Gamers Z87 lineup that now has five motherboards instead of the normal 3. You have the Maximus VI Extreme, Maximus VI Formula, Maximus VI Hero, Maximus VI Gene and Maximus VI Impact. So ASUS has you covered no matter the size of the build you are looking at.
One thing that is always apparent with ASUS motherboards is that ASUS uses quality components. Just to list a few here on the Maximus VI Formula you have NexFET MOSFETs that have 90% greater efficiency under normal operation, 60A BlackWing chokes that are an ROG exclusive and as the same suggests support up to 60A, have 3-5C lower temperatures and have a gold-treated coating for minimal-loss power delivery and 10K black metallic capacitors that offer a 20% greater low temperature endurance and 5X longer lifetime usage. These components not only ensure that this motherboard is going to last a long time, but on top of that enable stable overclocking.
This of course a Republic of Gamers motherboard so it is made for gamers so what specific gaming features does this board have? First off you have the SupremeFX audio technology that features the TPA6120A2 Hi-Fi headphone amp, Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC and top quality WIMA film capacitors. This will give you much better sound than your typical on-board audio solution. That teamed with the Sonic Radar software that will actually show you where the sound are coming from in game! You also get ASUS’s ROG GameFirst II software that delivers smart cFosSpeed network traffic shaping technology that cuts your pings and latency with background data packet inspection. Of course like any gaming motherboard you also have room for up to three graphics cards!
Many gamers are also enthusiasts and they may want to overclock and tweak this board. ASUS gives you a ton of features to make that possible. You have an extra 4pin CPU power connection along with an extra power connection for your PCI-Express slots. The new CrossChill hybrid thermal design allows you to easily water-cool the power delivery components of this board. There are voltage check-points as well as three temperature probe headers so you can monitor everything. The BIOS has all of the options you would ever want to really tweak this system.
Add on top of this the 10 SATA 6GB/s ports, all of the USB ports, 802.11ac WiFi, mPCIe combo card, Ai Suite III software and ROG armor and you really have all of the features you could ever want in a motherboard. Without a doubt this is one of the best motherboards we have reviewed in a while.
So how much will this motherboard set you back? Right now it is selling for $299.99 at my favorite online retailer. I still this board is a steal at that price! Overall ThinkComputers gives the ASUS Maximus VI Formula Motherboard a 10 out of 10 score and our Editor’s Choice Award!
Pros:
– Made with quality components
– ROG Armor
– mPCIe combo card
– Great included software
– SupremeFX audio
– 10 SATA 6GB/s ports
– Great for gaming and overclocking
Cons:
– None that I found
