discussion ASUS Z97 Maximus VII Formula Motherboard Review

[AkG]

Not that long ago ASUS released their first opening salvo of Z97 motherboards and the lineup has been expanding ever since. For the most part the latest motherboards have become just as wildly popular as their Z87 predecessors but everyone was waiting to see how ASUS would address the enthusiast niche. That response wasn’t all that long in coming; the Maximus VII Formula was introduced and it packs a heavy punch.

While it may be part of the vaunted Republic of Gamers series, the latest Maximus is packed full of value and keeps with the market’s new realities. Most PC gamers and enthusiasts just can’t afford ultra high end offerings. For many such buyers, the idea of purchasing a Gigabyte Gaming G1 Black Edition, or an Asus Z97 Deluxe NFC/WLC may indeed be very enticing, but their asking prices quickly put the kibosh to those dreams. By the same token, the idea of dropping all the way down to Asus Z97-A, Gigabyte UD3, or even an ASRock Extreme 6 is equally unappealing. Those much more reasonably priced models simply lack the features these highly demanding, but somewhat budget constrained, consumers require.

ASUS' Republic of Gamers Maximus Formula series quickly fills this niche and has become a perennial favorite. This model has always resided in between the full-fledged Maximus Extreme and the budget orientated but still fully capable Maximus Hero series. It has also typically been released only after both ends of the RoG spectrum have been fulfilled. This middle of the road design philosophy is also reflected in the high, but not too exorbitant asking price of $320.

In the case of the all new Maximus VII Formula, ASUS have decided to mix things up like never before. Unlike its predecessors, this seventh generation product blurs the lines between what distinguishes the high-end RoG motherboard from the more mainstream RoG products. For the time being this new model is so well endowed with features that ASUS is content to let it reside at the very top of the RoG Z97 lineup.

To allow this motherboard to stand at the very front of the Republic of Gamers lineup ASUS has rewritten the formula for this series - so to speak. Instead of simply enhancing the previous models’ features, they have created a board which shares just as much in common with the Z87 Maximus VI Extreme as it does the previous Maximus VI Formula. Concisely put, the Formula VI's RoG Shield may be making a reappearance, but the components these dust shields 'protect' are drastically improved. The software that’s been included has seen a large number of advancements as well.

What this all leads to is a motherboard that is supposed to battle some of the competition’s best offerings while retailing for substantially less than feature-heavy models like the Deluxe NFC / WiFi edition. It can achieve the lower price by laser targeting its feature set to overclockers and gamers rather than buyers who need absolutely everything. But in such a competitive segment, does this version of the Maximus Formula still hold top spot?

<div align="center">
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Motherboard/Maximus_VII_Formula/mfg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div>

 

[AkG]

Specifications

Specifications

​

 

[AkG]

Packaging and Accessories

Packaging and Accessories

​

Much like the recently reviewed ASUS Maximus Gene VII, the Maximus VII Formula's shipping container is classic Republic of Gamers. That is to say its aggressive red and black packaging is eye catching and does stand out from most other motherboards. Also like most previous RoG boards the top of the box is in fact a flap that allows you to see some of the motherboard through the large plastic film window. Our sample was the Watch_Dogs special edition which includes a game copy and unique packaging.

​

The list of accessories which comes with the Maximus VII Formula is impressive in both its scope and depth. As expected there are the usual standard items like a user manual (missing from our sample), installation guide, driver and software DVD, Republics of Gamers sticker, black nickel plated rear I/O shield, 2-way SLI bridge connector, eight SATA 6Gb/s cables, and Q-Connector front-panel connectors. Beyond these normal inclusions are also an ASUS Combo III M.2 adapter with Bluetooth and Wifi functionality and a Bluetooth 4 and 802.11AC break-out box for the M.2 adapter.

​

ASUS has also included their Hyper M.2 PCIe x4 adapter card which allows you to use an M.2 card in any of the Formula VII's x8 or x16 PCIe slots. This allows for an M.2 solid state drive that is longer than 60mm. Considering most M.2 solid state drives meant for the desktop are 80mm in length this means you will actually be able to use a high performance M.2 2280 or even 22110 SSD with the Maximus VII Formula.

 

[AkG]

Closer look at the ASUS Maximus VII Formula

Closer look at the ASUS Maximus VII Formula

ASUS has distilled motherboard component placement down to a fine science and there isn’t a better example of this than the Maximus VII. Each of the three primary x16 PCI-E slots is spaced apart with a x1 slot which leads to more than enough space for double slot graphics cards, though installing one in the lower slot will obscure quite a few connectors. It is also good to see adequate space allotted for the two top PCI-E x1 slots which remain free even with higher GPUs installed.

One thing to remember is the bottom slot x16 slot on this board only provide an x4 electrical interface so triple card support isn't possible. ASUS didn't include a PCI-E lane multiplier in order to cut down on costs but that was to be expected given the Maximus' target market.

​

Consumers who owned previous Maximus boards will see a lot of familiar elements on the new Maximus VII Formula. As with its predecessor the overall aesthetics are largely defined by the RoG Armor which covers the majority of both the front and the back of the board.

The primary goal of ASUS’ RoG Armor is to protect components from dust. It may be slightly different than the TUF armor, but you can clearly see the roots of the TUF series here. On the TUF series it made sense as those motherboards are meant to meet 'military' specifications and satisfy 'military' scenarios. In other words minimizing the amount of static discharge-creating dust makes a lot of sense for a TUF board.

The Republic of Gamers series on the other hand is not milspec rated and as such the amount of dust and dirt the typical PC gaming enthusiast is going to encounter in their environment is going to be limited to how long the interval is between cleanings their gaming environment. What this RoG Armor is good for is turning an errant screwdriver disaster into nothing more than a gouge in the plastic top plate or metal bottom plate. It also looks pretty darn good.

​

The RoG Armor also adds a substantial amount of structural reinforcement to the board. Unlike its dust protection duties, having a more rigid motherboard is indeed a highly laudable goal. When you consider that most PC gaming enthusiasts will probably be using two or more heavy video cards as well as a large CPU cooling solution, motherboard flex is indeed a serious issue. In this regard we still prefer the old school method of simply using more PCB layers to create the motherboard, but there is no denying the RoG Armor does make for a very robust feeling motherboard with almost no flex.

On the positive side the metal backplate armor makes for a very good secondary heatsink as well and that is exactly what ASUS has done. They have turned it into a large heatsink for the various VRM components that needed to be located on the back of the board.

​

Even with the RoG Armor in place the overall layout of the Maximus VII Formula is nicely done with most of the buttons, connectors, and ports easily accessible and free from possible obstruction. The only exception is the M.2 slot. Since this motherboard uses ASUS' mPCIE Combo III card, it is limited to M.2 solid state drives which are only 60mm (or less) in length.

​

This is not a limitation of the Combo III card itself but rather it is a direct result of placing it at the upper extreme of the back I/O port. In this location only M.2 2240 (40mm) and M.2 2260 (60mm) M.2 cards will fit inside the Combo III card and allow you to install the Combo III module. This is unfortunate as the industry has settled around the longer 80mm as the de-facto standard for desktop systems and as such most mainstream M.2 cards will simply not fit inside the Maximus VII Formula.

Thankfully ASUS is aware of this issue and our sample came with the Hyper M.2 PCIe x4 adapter card. This card can easily accommodate any length M.2 SSD, including extra-long 110mm drives. In testing it proved to be every bit as effective a solution as what Plextor ships with the M6e M.2 / PCIe model.

​

Removing the RoG Armor and actually taking a closer look at this ATX form-factor motherboard we can see that the covering hides some extremely advanced components, many of which have been updated from the previous generation.

The main PWM heatsink is an impressive affair. ASUS listened to the criticism leveled against the Maximus VI Formula's hybrid heatsink and have taken steps to fix it. While this heatsink may still be a hybrid air/water based design this is about all it shares with its predecessor. Instead of an all-aluminum design, this new CrossChill hybrid is uses a large copper core with an aluminum exterior. This provides it with the best of both worlds. For consumers not interested in water, the large exterior has numerous cooling fins so that passive air movement is all that is needed to keep temperatures in check.

​

For anyone interested in water cooling the CrossChill not only uses standard G1/4 threads so that you can choose what barbs to use, but the aluminum portion has been anodized to resist galvanic corrosion. As an added bonus, when in air mode the copper core will act like a heatpipe and allow for even temperature distribution along the entire length of the heatsink. This well thought out and well executed new design should satisfy everyone’s needs quite nicely.

​

Hidden underneath this new CrossChill heatsink is a high-performance all-digital power subsystem. In fact it is a nice upgrade over the previous Z87 Formula model and instead is very similar to the one found on the Maximus VI Extreme. To be precise the DIGI+ VRM boasts an eight phase (8) power design consisting of NexFET MOSFETs, 'BlackWing' chokes and 10K-hour black metallic solid electrolytic capacitors.

​

The four DDR3 memory slots are also fed by a dedicated digital 2-phase power design and support overclocked memory frequencies up to DDR3-3300. This might sound pointless, but Haswell and Devil’s Canyon processors are insanely capable at handling high memory frequencies.

Speaking of memory settings, the EZ XMP switch - as its name suggests - allow users to easily auto-enable a memory kit’s XMP profile. The MemOk! button on the other hand initiates a memory compatibility tuning process that allows for bootup if there are memory issues preventing a system from starting. Like on other ASUS motherboards, the memory slots feature the handy Q-DIMM memory slots with retention clips on only one side, which prevent any clearance issues that can arise between conventional memory clips and the back of any nearby expansion card.

 

[AkG]

Closer look at the ASUS Maximus VII Formula (pg.2)

Closer look at the ASUS Maximus VII Formula (pg.2)

​

Much like all Republic of Gaming motherboards ASUS' engineers have paid special attention to the spacing of the three PCIe x16 slots. However, as we’ve already mentioned, since this is only an ATX form-factor motherboard installing a dual (let alone triple) slot video card into the bottom PCIe x16 slot will cause the various connectors along the bottom to become inaccessible.

Thankfully most of the truly important connectors are not located here and in all likelihood you will be only be covering the TPM header, ThunderBolt header, and the RoG Sonic Soundstage button. Meanwhile, the front panel header, KeyBot button (which allows you to activate the onboard KeyBot microprocessor for extended keyboard macro support), and even the USB 2.0 headers will not be covered by most video cards.

​

As with all ASUS Z97 motherboards released to date the new Maximus VII Formula also boasts much improved fan controller. As with the Deluxe the eight 4-pin fan headers support both PWN and DC current fan control. This allows for much broader compatibility of cooling options. Of these eight fan headers two are dedicated as CPU fan headers. The additional fan header will be of great interest to anyone running dual fan cooling solutions since they can be precisely controlled via the BIOS without the need for fan splitter cables.

​

Unlike the upgraded fan controller, the included Supreme FX 2014 onboard audio controller is very similar to that of the previous Maximus VI Formula's Supreme FX 2013. As with the 2013, this audio controller consists of a Realtek ALC1150 codec (which supports 7.1+2 audio), high quality Nichicon capacitors, complete isolation of the various audio components from the rest of the motherboard, and even an EMI shield.

Unfortunately, ASUS decided to forego removable op-amps so while they have come a long ways in this regard there is still room for improvement. On the positive side the included software has been upgraded and should provide a noticeable improvement in gaming related scenarios. More on that later

​

As this is a motherboard dedicated to PC gaming, the rather sparse rear IO panel is par for the course. By the same token while it may not be as richly appointed as say the Z97 Deluxe, but still covers all the bases quite nicely. In grand total there are two USB 2.0 ports (the top of which is used for KeyBot connectivity Guide: How to Upgrade Your Keyboard Using KeyBot), six USB 3.0 ports, six audio analog ports, an S/PDIF optical out port, a single HDMI port, one full sized DisplayPort and the dual antenna headers for the wireless 802.11AC / Bluetooth Combo III module.

Also included is a single PS-2 keyboard/mouse port as well as a switch for accessing RoG Connect and a Clear CMOS button. Rounding out the features is an ‘Clarkville’ i218V NIC which has ESD and surge protection abilities that ASUS has aptly called LANGuard.

​

At the top right most corner of the motherboard ASUS has included Reset and Power buttons, as well as a two digit Q-code LED diagnostics display. To the left of the Q-code LED is the RoG ProbeIT voltage pads for direct voltage reading via multi-meter. The memOK! button is located further back near the RAM slots and is fairly easy to reach even with the motherboard installed in a case.

​

In addition to a single 8-pin power port the ASUS Maximus VII Formula also includes a secondary 4-pin power connector. While not completely necessary, at higher overclocking levels the additional power input will help stabilize voltages and provide more than enough power to heavily over-clocked CPUs.

​

The 24-pin ATX power connector is in its usual spot and directly to the left is the single USB 3.0 front header. In order to provide these additional two USB 3.0 ports ASUS has included an ASMedia ASM1042 controller chip.

​

To the left of the USB headers are the ten SATA 6Gb/s ports and the two SATA Express Ports. The second SATA Express port is of great interest as the Z97 chipset natively supports only one 10Gb/s SATA Express port. In order to offer consumers a second port ASUS has included an ASMedia ASM106SE chip so RAID won’t be possible between the two connection solutions.

The additional four SATA 6Gb/s ports are powered via an ASMedia ASM1061 (2 freestanding ports next to the SATA Express block of ports) and the ASMedia ASM106SE chip (two top ports directly next to the top SATA Express Ports). Needless to say 'owning' ASMedia certainly gives ASUS a lot more flexibility to include more features without significantly increasing MSRP.

​

As with the Deluxe, even though there are technically ten SATA 6Gb/s ports and two SATA 10Gb/s 'Express' ports, this does not mean you can attach twelve drives to the Maximus VII Formula. Rather, if you do use the bottom SATA Express port the two SATA 6Gb/s ports next to it (bottom two) will be disabled, whereas using the top SATA Express port will disable the top two SATA ports directly next to it. Of course, using the six other SATA ports are not impacted by the use of SATA Express devices.

The only issue we have with the layout of these ports is their color coding, or more precisely the lack of color coding. Unlike the Z97 Deluxe which made Intel ports red and ASMedia ports black, ASUS has used red for all the various ports. This makes it extremely easy to accidentally plug a drive into an ASM1061 port instead of a Z97 chipset-powered port. For hard drives the difference in performance will be minimal but for SSDs the Intel Z97 ports are the ones we recommend using.

 

[AkG]

BIOS Rundown

BIOS Rundown

While there are some minor points of variance between them, the Asus Maximus VII Formula's BIOS is very similar to that of ASUS' other high-end Z97 motherboards, though with the usual RoG branding. This means it ships with a BIOS which can be best described has having a split personality: one half (EZ-mode) is meant to help first time users get the most from their equipment without bogging them down in minutia they do not need. Meanwhile the other BIOS GUI (Advanced mode) is meant for helping more experienced users squeeze every drop of performance from the motherboard as possible.

​

The default GUI is the EZ-mode which is extremely easy to use and can now handle more complex tasks. In fact, it improves upon the simple to navigate, easy to implement GUI of the previous generation. Furthermore, and perhaps most impressively, this is a very smooth and responsive interface, noticeably better than anything we've experienced in the past. It's not necessarily lightning fast, since there are some deliberate/intentional transition delays when switching between the various sections, but none of the lag and stuttering that we've put up with in most other UEFI BIOS. It just feels refined.

​

As with previous generations, the Maximus VII Formula's EZ-mode makes full use of the space alloted and was designed around mouse-based navigation. It may not have all the functionality of the Advanced mode, but it is not meant to. It simply gives novice users an easy way to visualize and alter some of the most common settings.

The Q-Fan Tuning feature can be found in both BIOS modes, but fundamentally its functions are the same: it gives you full manual or preset-based control over the systems fans. The EZ Tuning Wizard is particularly interesting since it brings overclocking to an even simpler level. Basically, the wizard asks you how you generally use your system, what kind of CPU cooler you have installed, and based on your answer it comes up with an appropriate tuning level for your respective system. In practice it did exactly what it promised to do and the fact that it never actually mentions "overclocking" should help alleviate some of the fears less knowledgeable users might associate with the word.

​

The Advanced Mode GUI is meant for folks who are either more comfortable with a classical BIOS interface, or those interested in drilling down as deep as possible into all the possible features that this BIOS and motherboard have to offer.

The very first tab here is actually the My Favorites section. With just a little bit of effort and forethought this initially blank canvas is the only one users will really ever need to use. As the name suggests this page is fully customizable and allows you to quickly have all your most useful or most used settings in one place. Simply choose them from the various options and they will 'stick' to this page.

​

Just to the right of My Favorites is the perennial favorite Extreme Tweaker section. If you plan on overclocking your system at all, this section is the one you will spend the majority of your time in. Once the manual option is selected in the Ai Overclock Tuner setting, the BIOS opens up to reveal all of the essential system clock control options: CPU multiplier with an all-core and per-core option, BLCK frequency, CPU strap, memory frequency, memory timing options, and all the voltage options. As usual, this section is highly impressive in its offerings which cover several sub-areas as well.

​

The DRAM Timing Control screen contains every memory timing imaginable and will be a dream come true for memory tweakers. There are literally pages upon pages of memory timings including primary, secondary, and third as well as skews / duty sense settings available. There is even a Memory Presets subpage which has a huge variety of memory presets available and as long as you have an idea of the chips used in your modules, these are perfect starting points for optimization.

​

The DIGI+ Power Control section has a whole slew of advanced power regulation settings for the CPU cores, CPU VTT and VCCSA (system agent/memory controller), and DRAM channels.

The Internal CPU Power Management section is where you can enable or disable all the CPU-specific features like SpeedStep and Turbo Mode, as well as setting the Turbo limits. ASUS have really bolstered this section with an overwhelming array of CPU power tuning settings.

 

[AkG]

BIOS Rundown (pg.2)

BIOS Rundown (pg.2)

​

Occupying the middle to bottom section of the Extreme Tweaker area are the prodigious voltage options. As you would expect, all the key system voltages are present and accounted for, as well as bunch of other voltage options that we have frankly never even seen before.

For some of the key voltages like the CPU Core voltage and the CPU Cache voltage, ASUS have allowed four separate entry modes. The Auto and Manual modes are self-evident, the Offset Mode allows you to specify how much higher (or lower) the voltage should be in reference to stock level, so something like +0.10V or +0.15V. The Adaptive Mode allows you to set both a base voltage and higher Turbo Mode voltage that is enabled under heavy system loads. This helps minimize the amount of voltage running through an overclocked processor when it's not under load.

Usually we would now say that we wish there were more drop-down menus in this section. You can manually type in whatever you want, but that is not particularly useful when you don't know or don’t remember what the default voltages are. Thankfully, ASUS have thought about this, and they have included real-time voltage readouts next to all the key system voltages. This is a fantastic addition and we couldn't be happier to see it here.

​

The next tab in the BIOS is called "Main", which displays the standard storage devices and some basic system information. This System Information section lists some rudimentary specification info, including the BIOS date & version, the type of processor and the amount of memory installed. You can also set the system language, and an administrator and/or individual User password.

​

In the Advanced tab there are a number of configuration sub screens for CPU, PCH, SATA, System Agent, USB, Onboard Devices, APM, and Network Stack. At the top of the page, the board lighting can be disabled if desired.

​

The Advanced Tab is also where you can enable/disable or just find all the various settings and options for all the onboard devices like the audio, LAN, USB 3.0, SATA ports, etc.

​

The Monitor section contains system temperature/power status, and adjustable fan settings. Fan speeds are customizable based on a number of parameters and there are profiles included in the BIOS. Of special note though is the 'DC Mode' option which is present due to the increased power of the built in fan controller. For fans which are only 3-pin (and thus not PWM capable) the motherboard can now more finely apply a control scheme and allow for just as customizable fan profiles as PWM capable fans.

​

The Boot tab is essentially where you set storage device priority, select the boot drive, enable/disable the full screen logo, and ton of other boot settings that can help with the installation or troubleshooting of various OS installations.

​

The Tool area gives you access to numerous built in tools that allow for everything from selecting which BIOS profile to use to flashing your BIOS.

​

As with previous ASUS motherboards, before you save your settings and exit the BIOS, there is a handy window that lists the changes you made during this session. Put simply it is a well thought out and implemented idea. The new General Help pop-up that you can find in the top-right corner is very handy for those who can't remember all the new function key tasks.

 

[AkG]

Included Software

Included Software

ROG CPU-Z

​

ROG CPU-Z is a special edition of CPU-Z especially created to match the aesthetics of ASUS Republic of Gamers motherboards. It is kept as up-to-date as the regular version, and is available at the same place: CPUID.com


MemTweakIt

MemTweakIt is a memory tweaking tool which allows for modification of just about every primary and secondary memory timing within Windows, and without having to reboot the system. It's a joy to use and a great tool for overclockers.


ROG GameFirst III

Gamefirst II is a network traffic shaping program designed to help reduce latency courtesy of cFosSpeed traffic-shaping technology. This utility provides users with a lot of control and monitoring capabilities over every application that is accessing the network. It displays CPU usage, NPU usage, ICMP and UDP average ping, and the network utilization of every system process and program.

This tool also allows you give priority to certain applications, and throttle or block others to free network resources for other applications. It is your one-stop tool for monitoring and controlling all network traffic. In testing it did help somewhat but only if your wired or wireless network is heavily loaded. Otherwise the impact is minimal.


Sonic Radar II

​

Sonic Radar II is the latest and greatestgaming-centric program from ASUS. As with the first generation version, Sonic Radar II places a small radar looking overlay in games and allows for 'seeing' where sounds in the game environment are coming from in relation to your player.

You can also choose what sounds will be visualized so everything footsteps to voices to gunshots can be highlighted with ease. This new version also boasts a newly redesigned control panel, a longer -and customizable- game list, and numerous behind the scenes tweaks which turn an interesting idea into a much more usable game 'cheating' tool.


KeyBot

​

On each Republic of Gamers model you will find a KeyBot button on the top of the board, and a KeyBot microprocessor on the rear. ASUS is dubbing KeyBot as a free, instant keyboard upgrade. Users plug in their existing keyboard to the dedicated USB port on the rear I/O shield to engage the KeyBot chip, and a user-friendly utility allows for the easy programming of macro keys, assigning of function keys, or creation of shortcuts for everything from launching any of any application with a single press to multimedia playback control.

Users will also be able to create and share their KeyBot profiles with friends, which should be great for games with complex macros. KeyBot also functions with the S5 sleep mode, so users can wake their PC and boot directly into the UEFI BIOS or enable/disable CPU Level Up with just one tap.


RAMDisk

​

The RAMDisk utility allows for creating fairly powerful RAM Disks and includes some very advanced features not usually seen in the free versions like automatic backup, restore and update functions.


Boot Setting

ASUS Boot Setting utility gives you the ability to boot directly into the BIOS without having to mash delete on the POST screen. It also includes an advanced section allowing you to customize fastboot settings including what happens after a power outage.

 

[AkG]

Included Software (AI Suite 3)

Included Software (AI Suite 3)

​

Regardless of your intended use for this high end motherboard the most utilized program will likely be ASUS' AI Suite III. This is a full system management utility and is the hub from which you can monitor system clock speeds, voltages, temperatures, fan rotation, and, most importantly of all, allows users to do both automatic and manual overclocking from within Windows.

This utility's third iteration was launched along with the Z97 motherboards but just like the BIOS, this Suite features a refreshed design and feature set that has been even more refined over previous AI Suite 3 iterations.

​

The largest difference between AI Suite 3 for Z87 motherboards and the new application for Z97 systems is the Optimization tab. The previous generation had 4-Way Optimization features (TPU, EP, Fan Xpert 2, and Digi+ Power) whereas the Z97 has the 5-Way Optimization automatic overclocking feature.

You will also see very simplified information relating to the other five tabs such as the Energy Processing Unit (EPU) power saving for performance profiles, Fan Xpert 3 fan speed optimization status, DIGI+ VRM optimization, the extremely impressive new Turbo App functionality, and some display-only information regarding TurboV Processing Unit (TPU).

At the bottom is a static strip that displays information about CPU and DRAM frequency, real-time voltage and temperature measurements, as well as CPU and case fans speeds. You can also set safe thresholds for voltages, temperatures and fan speeds as well as setting alerts to warn you of any serious fluctuations. It is essentially a replacement for the Probe II utility.

​

In the top-right corner of the Ai Suite utility is a downwards arrow that activates a dropdown screen when clicked. Here you will be features like Ai Charger+ and USB 3.0 Boost. When enabled, Ai Charger+ allows up to three times faster charging of devices connected to USB ports, while enabling USB 3.0 implements the UAS Protocol (UASP) USB protocol that greatly enhances speeds while also lowering CPU utilization.

The EZ Update tool allows users to update their motherboard's BIOS either directly from the internet or from a downloaded file. Ai Charger+ allows users to supercharge their USB ports, and enable up to 3 times faster charging of mobile devices.

System Information just contains a bunch of basic system information regarding your CPU, motherboard or RAM. You can also find you can find your serial number, BIOS version, etc. BIOS Flashback allows you to copy the content of BIOS1 to BIOS2, as well as force the use of BIOS1 or BIOS2.

​

The TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) tab is for folks who have a basic knowledge of overclocking but don’t want to enter the BIOS. Here you will find the requirements for overclocking and tweaking. This includes adjustable settings for BCLK, CPU ratio, CPU cache ratio, as well as modifiable voltages for CPU core and CPU cache. There is also an impressive eight adjustable system voltages. You can adjust all these settings on-the-fly without having to reboot the system, except for the CPU strap since it tends to cause a dramatic increase in all system frequencies.

​

The EPU (Energy Processing Unit) tab contains the board’s power saving options and is where you will be able to fine-tune the various power saving or performance profiles. This is a versatile feature for those who truly care about maximizing energy savings.

​

The DIGI+ Power Control tab contains power options for the CPU, System Agent/Memory Controller, and RAM. There are adjustable settings for load-line calibration, current capability, voltage frequency, and phase control. There are different power controls for each memory channel since they are independently powered.

​

Also included in the new AI Suite III is ASUS's Fan Xpert 3. As you might expect, this is the successor to the wildly popular Fan Xpert 2 application which allows you to fully manage and optimize your CPU and system fans. While there are now a series of four fan presets (Silent/Standard/Turbo/Full Speed), you can also manually adjust the full fan speed curve to your preferences, or simply use the fully automated Fan Tuning feature.

 

[AkG]

Hardware Installation

Hardware Installation

In order to test how different hardware combinations will fit onto the ASUS Maximus VII Formula, we installed a Noctua NH-U12S, a 16GB dual channel kit of G.Skill Trident X memory, and an ASUS GTX 580 video card.

​

The GTX 580 is a long length, dual slot GPU and the NH-U12 is a moderately-sized aftermarket CPU cooler so they should provide a good reference for clearance issues around the CPU socket and memory slots. We installed the memory in the sockets closest to the CPU to ensure clearance with 4 DIMMs.

​

As expected from ASUS' high end, premium motherboard line there is a decent amount of room between the memory slots and CPU socket. The amount of clearance certainly is not as great as some ATX motherboards we have looked at but there should be no issues even with all memory slots populated with standard height RAM. Of course, very deep CPU cooling solutions will overhang the first and possibly second slots, so proper heatsink selection is still going to be a major consideration.

​

Users will likely run into clearance issues with any air based CPU cooling solution - even thin profile ones- if they also opt for a memory cooler. This is par for the course for any 1150 system, and if your RAM truly needs active cooling we recommend taking the plunge into water cooling to reduce compatibility problems.

​

On the positive side, our Noctua NH-U12S had no issues physically clearing the MOSFET heatsinks, and we don't foresee any obstacles with even the largest of coolers. However, since these heatsinks wrap around three sides of the CPU socket, the amount of room in two of the corners is rather limited. By the same token, thanks to the heatsinks’ lower profile it will not take a take a contortionist to install all four mounting bolts, it will simply take time and patience.

​

Switching from air to water cooling proved even more uneventful as there is more than enough room between the waterblock and its adjacent components. Once again the gap is rather small and larger water blocks could be a tricky proposition, but installing a typically designed block should prove to be a much easier proposition than installing the average air based CPU cooling solution.

​

If anything video card installation is even simpler and free of potential issues than water cooling the CPU. This is all thanks to the PCI-E slot layout. By moving the first 16x slot down one space, ASUS has neatly sidestepped any potential problems between both video card installation and RAM installation, as well as video card installation and CPU cooler installation.

​

The only possible minor misstep is the RoG Armor does make flipping the retention leaver down to remove a video card a touch difficult. This is one area we wish the cut-out in the plastic armor was actually larger. By the same token it is not overly difficult as the leaver is large and fairly easy to manipulate.