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ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula Motherboard Review

Motherboards/Intel S1150 by leeghoofd @ 2013-11-04

ASUS delayed the release of the Maximus VI Formula till after Computex 2013. We got a glimpse of the board at the ASUS booth and it looked at first glance like a TUF/ROG hybrid. The ROG series are renown as high end motherboards, stunning looks and high performance; however not engineered solely for gamers, but the enthusiast and extreme overclockers get their sweets too. Usually the ROG series had 3 members: the mATX Gene, the midrange Formula and the flagship, the Extreme board. With the Z87 series, ASUS throws an entry level priced ROG in the mix with the Maximus VI Hero board and even a mITX board, the Impact. The Hero is comparable as being the vanilla board of the Republic of Gamers line up. The small mATX Gene VI gives those with small cases the option to install a top class motherboard; the Formula for those that seek a full ATX board packed with features, yet still at an affordable price level. The flagship Extreme board is the most expensive and targeted at those that want either the best of the best or the ultimate board that can push the envelope, no matter the cooling method used.

BClock and RAM Compatibility

BClocking is essential for overclocking, allowing to maximize your CPU/RAM frequency regarding the benchmark run. We tested the ASUS Maximus VI Formula versus the 3 other OC mainboards. However keep in mind this is done on air cooling and without going out of bounce on any of the voltages. The CPU was kept around stock speed by lowering the CPU multiplier. Three gear ratios were checked: 1.00x, 1.25x and 1.66x. Note these are straight boot results from the Bios, no upping or whatsoever in the Windows operating system. Bclock stability was checked via a 1024 WPrime run.

Memory Compatibility

Even though the MHz records set by single sided 4GB Hynix MFR kits might seem impressive, it's not always that this means this is the most efficient for benching or even daily usage. Haswell's IMC is far superior to what Ivy Bridge ever could deliver and we see even older kits scale well with some added voltages. Since these boards are designed for overclocking, RAM compatibility can make or break a board. We test 4 of the more popular IC brands used.

Kits we used:

G.Skill 2200C9 using BBSE ICs 2 x 2GB

G.Skill 2000C7 Flare using PSC ICs 2 x 2GB

CORSAIR 2666C10 using Samsung ICs 2 x 4GB

CORSAIR 2800C11 using Hynix CFR 2 x 4GB

Both the vintage sticks ( PSC and BBSE ) need to run SuperPI 32M at 2600MHz C8-12-8-28 1T to pass the test

The Samsung sticks need to be able to reach 2800MHz C10-12-12-24 1T

The Hynix sticks have to run with tighter timings then XMP at 2800MHz C11-13-13-31 1T

PSC at 2600C8-12-8-28 1T: OK at 1.9Vdimm

BBSE at 2600C8-12-8-28 1T: OK at 1.9Vdimm

SAMSUNG at 2800C10-12-12-24 1T: OK at 1.81Vdimm

Hynix CFR at 2800C11-13-13-31 1T: OK at 1.80 Vdimm

Some of the run tests screenshots:

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