# Asus Maximus V Formula Review



## sumonpathak (Sep 8, 2012)

*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/unboxing/DSCF6411.jpg​My latest toy..the Maximus V Formula!

 Now..before we dive into the product showcase and review lets have a  look into the history of ROG line of Hardware and this board in  particular Rog was established way back in 2006 with the Crosshair(yes  its an AMD board and back in the FX-64 days AMD literally thrashed  Intel until the 45nm C2D and C2Q came out),soon they launched another  Board Commando and soon other boards followed.

 Here’s a short history for the guys who are interested:


JUL 2006 – ROG brand established, 1st gaming motherboard named Crosshair launched 
DEC 2006- Launched Commando, broke CPU overclocking world record 
JUL 2007 – ROG motherboard breakthroughs – Fusion Block system and CrossLinx 
DEC 2007 – New ROG product line – gaming notebooks G1/G2 
OCT 2009 – ROG Maximus III Formula motherboard with ROG Connect allows PC tuning on a pure hardware level in real time. 
JUL 2008 – New ROG product line – Matrix graphics cards launched 
OCT 2009 – The first 3D gaming notebook in the world, ROG G53J 3D 
MAR 2010 – Rampage III Extreme motherboard attracts attention with great performance and overclockability 
JUN 2010 – The world’s fastest graphics card launches — the dual 5870 GPU ARES 
JUN 2010 – The world’s first active-noise cancelling pro gaming headset â€“ Vulcan ANC 
OCT 2011 – Launched TYTAN CG8565 desktop 
 
 In short ROG offers the best from the stable of Asus in terms of performance and they are rarely matched.

*Close look and feature set
**Specifications
*

CPU Support and Power PhasesCPU: Core i series second and third generations(Socket LGA 1155)
POWER DESIGN: CPU Power: 8+4 Phase
PCH Power: 1 Phase
Memory Power: 2 PhaseChipsetIntel Z77Memory4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3  2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2600(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066  MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel Memory Architecture
Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)GraphicIntegrated Graphics Processor
Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DisplayPort ports
- Supports HDMI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
- Supports DisplayPort with max. resolution 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz
Supports Intel HD Graphics, InTru 3D, Quick Sync Video, Clear Video HD Technology, InsiderMulti-GPU SupportSupports NVIDIA SLI Technology
Supports AMD 3-Way CrossFireX Technology
Supports AMD CrossFireX Technology
Supports LucidLogix Virtu MVP TechnologyExpansion Slots*Intel Z77 chipset : *
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
2 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), black
1 x eSATA 3Gb/s port(s), red
1 x mini-SATA 3Gb/s port(s) , black
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
Supports Intel Smart Response Technology, Intel Rapid Start Technology, Intel Smart Connect Technology
*ASMedia PCIe SATA controller :*
4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), redLANIntel,1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)Wireless Data NetworkWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Supports dual band frequency 2.4/5 GHzBluetoothBluetooth V4.0
Bluetooth V3.0+HSAudioSupremeFX IV built-in 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
- Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 110 dB
- Output THD+N at 1kHz: 95 dB
- TI 6120A2 high fidelity headphone amplifier
- Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
*Audio Feature :*
- SupremeFX Shielding Technology
- ELNA premium audio capacitors
- 1500 uF Audio Power Capacitor
- Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection
- DTS Ultra PC II
- DTS Connect
- Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panelUSB Ports*Intel Z77 chipset :*
4 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board)
*Intel Z77 chipset :*
8 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, black+white, 4 at mid-board)
*ASMedia USB 3.0 controller :*
2 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue)Overclocking Features*mPCIe Combo (mPCIe/mSATA combo card)*
*ROG Connect :*
- RC Diagram
- RC Remote
- RC Poster
- GPU TweakIt
*Extreme Engine Digi+ II :*
- 8 -phase CPU power design + 4 -phase iGPU power design
- 2 -phase Memory power design
*ROG Extreme OC kit :*
- Slow Mode
- LN2 Mode
- EZ Plug
*ProbeIt*
*UEFI BIOS features :*
- ROG BIOS Print
- GPU.DIMM Post
*GameFirst II*
*iROG*
*Extreme Tweaker*
*Loadline Calibration*
*USB BIOS Flashback*
*Overclocking Protection :*
- ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)Special Features*ASUS TurboV EVO :*
- CPU Level Up
*ASUS EPU :*
- EPU
*ASUS Wi-Fi GO!*
- Wi-Fi GO! Function: DLNA Media Hub, Smart Motion Control, Remote  Desktop, Remote Keyboard & Mouse, File Transfer, Capture & Send
*ASUS Exclusive Features* :
- AI Suite II
- Ai Charger+
- USB Charger+
- USB 3.0 Boost
- Disk Unlocker
*ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution* :
- ASUS Fan Xpert 2
*ASUS EZ DIY :*
- ASUS O.C. Profile
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
*ASUS Q-Design :*
- ASUS Q-Shield
- ASUS Q-Code
- ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
- ASUS Q-Slot
- ASUS Q-DIMM
- ASUS Q-ConnectorBack I/O Ports1 x DisplayPort
1 x HDMI
1 x eSATA 3Gb/s
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
4 x USB 3.0
4 x USB 2.0
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
1 x Optical S/PDIF in
5 x Audio jack(s)
1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
1 x ROG Connect On/ Off switch(es)Internal I/O Ports1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s)
2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
2 x SATA 3Gb/s connector(s)
2 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
3 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
3 x Optional Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
1 x S/PDIF out header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x System panel(s)
1 x Slow Mode switch(es)
8 x ProbeIt Measurement Points
3 x Thermal sensor connector(s)
1 x LN2 Mode header(s)
1 x EZ Plug connector(s) (4-pin Molex power connector)
1 x Power-on button(s)
1 x Reset button(s)
1 x Go Button(s)
1 x mPCIe Combo header(s)Form FactorExtended ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 10.1 inch ( 30.5 cm x 25.7 cm )Note*1: LucidLogix Virtu MVP supports Windows 7 operating systems.
*2-1: PCIe 3.0 speed is supported by Intel 3rd generation Ivy Bridge Core Processors.
*2-2: x8/x4/x4 mode is supported by Intel 3rd generation Ivy Bridge Core Processors.
*3-1: The mPCIe 2.0 x1 slot is located on mPCIe Combo expansion card.
*3-2: The mini-PCIe slot is pre-installed with an Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module.
*4: Supports on Intel Core processor family with Windows 7 operating systems.
*5: These SATA ports are for data hard drives only.
*

*
*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/M5F_8.jpg​This particular SKU comes without the ThunderFx module so everything except that is present.
 The bundle includes:



The motherboard 
User’s manual 
Accessories 
Support disc 
*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/M5F_13.jpg
Typical ROG style board with black and red layout;the thing that strikes  out most is the ceramic heatsinks on the VRM and PCH area and the Fusion Thermo heat-sinks.​*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/M5F_23.jpg
The External I/O port is packed with stuff(expected with high end board)​ Lets see what they have:​ 


[*=left]1 x DisplayPort 
[*=left]1 x HDMI 
[*=left]1 x eSATA 3Gb/s 
[*=left]1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 
[*=left]4 x USB 3.0 
[*=left]4 x USB 2.0 
[*=left]1 x Optical S/PDIF out 
[*=left]1 x Optical S/PDIF in 
[*=left]5 x Audio jack(s) 
[*=left]1 x Clear CMOS button(s) 
[*=left]1 x ROG Connect On/ Off switch(es) 
*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/M5F_17.jpg
Expansion slots are plenty for a board at this price range:



3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8 or x8/x4/x4) 
1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 
3 x PCIe 2.0 x1 
1 x mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 
*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/M5F_9.jpg​looks good from this angle...isn't it?
​
*Special Features*


*Fusion Thermo Heatsink*

 This is one of the most innovative thing I have came across in the  recent times. Basically its a Aluminum VRM Heat sink with channel for  water cooling inside;so you can use it for passive air cooling or if you  are one of those DIY water guys then you can actively water-cool it. It  is compatible with all the major DIY water cooling sets so  compatibility is not a problem,just add an extra loop and you are good  to go.
*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/M5F_20.jpg​*Extreme Engine Digi+ II*

 An update to the existing DIGI + VRM’s found in the Asus  motherboards.The Digi + II engine provides more control the voltages and  allows you to do minute tweaking.A few screenshot would help you  understand what kind of adjustments you can do:

*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Digi+1.jpg



*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Digi+2.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Digi+3.jpg​*
SupremeFX IV*
An upgrade over the Supreme FX III solution..am not an audiophile per se but i can give you an idea about the features:



RedLine physical PCB separation and audio isolation (the red line you can see in the picture below) 
EMI aluminum cap and gold plated audio jacks 
large 1500uF ‘buffer’ capacitor 
high fidelity TI 6120A2 300 ohm headphone amplifier(yeah an amp in the motherboard,can you top that?) 
Extra software features like DTS Ultra PC II and DTS Connect. 
So all in all I can say a pretty good package.

*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/M5F_46.jpg​*Turbo V Evo*
Not much to say..pretty much everything you need to OC the living  daylight out of your processor. My advice: Overclock from the BIOS  itself and use this tool for small  adjustment to squeeze out the last MHz form your chip. And if you are  one of those fire and forget types just click on “Cpu level Up” and  select a frequency and let the board do the rest.


*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Turbo%20V%20Evo%201.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Turbo%20V%20Evo%202.jpg​*Overclocking and benchmark results*

Overclocking
 Overclocking on this board is easy if you know what you are  doing,there are around a few hundreds setting there and all help you in  getting a good benchmark score. As for overclocking your processor the  automatic one clock solution gave me an option of overclocking up to *4.83Ghz(46X105MHz)* But that ain’t enough for me… so i took matters into my own hand settled for *4.94Ghz(48x103Mhz)*!

*valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/2488223.png​Then took it some more to: 5Ghz(50x100MHz)[since my 2500k is limited to 50x multiplier am kinda restricted there]

*valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/2488140.png​By this time I was kinda getting high with speed so I pushed some  more for a suicide run(don’t try this at home and if you try don’t blame  me if you blow up);and settled for : *5.2Ghz(100.1*52)*! I was pleasantly surprised to see that in Z77 platform i got two extra multipliers.

*valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/2463079.png​Now the benchmarks..not much to say..let the charts do the talking


*Setup 1*



Core i5 2500K 
P8Z68 Deluxe 
GSkill 2*2GB 1600 C9 
HD 7850 
WD 320GB AAKX HDD 
AX1200W 
 *Setup 2*



Core i5 2500K 
P8Z77 V Deluxe 
GSkill 2*2GB 1600 C9 
HD 7850 
WD 320GB AAKX HDD 
AX1200W 
 *Setup 3*



Core i5 2500K 
Maximus V Formula 
GSkill 2*2GB 1600 C9 
HD 7850 
WD 320GB AAKX HDD 
AX1200W 
Every benchmark was run until the results were consistent to rule out margin of errors as much as possible.
*A few points when analyzing the graphs:*
*AIDA 64 Benchmarking suites:Higher score is better
*SuperPi and Wprime:Lower score is better
*3D Mark Vantage CPU and Cinebench and X26 Benchmark:Higher is better
So now that’s over lets see what the board gives us.
*First up the 2D benchmarks*

*Aida 64 CPU Suite*​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Queen.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Photoworxx.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/AES.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/HASH.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Zlib.jpg​The results from P8Z77 V Deluxe are a bit low when run on initial  bios but they have been fixed on the later bios updates.And Maximus V  Formula’s perfromance is consistent through out the phases.

*Aida 64 FPU suite*​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/FPU-Julia.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/FPU-Mandel.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/FPU-SINjulia.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/FpuVP8.jpg​Frankly, the formula amazed me a bit there… we see an almost 60% jump  in stock FPU scores in some benches.So i guess someone can explain what  sorcery is this.

*big boys of competitive benchmarking : SuperPi 1M and SuperPi 32M*​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/SuperPi1M.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Superpi32M.jpg​Competitive benchmarking is where the Formula Excels and we can see the formula leads the way ahead of the other two boards.

*WPrime32M and Wprime 1024M*​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Wprime%2032M.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Wprime1024M.jpg
Here also we see the Formula keeping its lead.​3DMark Vantage is both CPU and GPU dependent(more than the other  3Dmark Benchmarks),lets see how the Formula fairs in this bench.

*www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/3Dmark.jpg​Am a bit shocked at the scores when comparing with Z68.But i guess  its more due to the platform than the board. I will test out with  ivybridge when I can get my hands on a sample.

*Next up some real world workload tests:*

*Cinebench 10 and Cinebench 11.5*​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Cinebench%2010.jpg​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/Cinebench%2011.5.jpg​The formula still leading at all speeds(this is getting a bit boring now)

*X264 Benchmark*​ *www.ocfreaks.com/imgs/maximus-v-formula-z77-review/s/X264.jpg
Now that concludes the Benchmarking part. Maximus V formula leads all the way as expected.

​*Conclusion*

 When a product has the ROG logo it is expected to perform better than  the competition and the Formula has delivered! it kept its lead in all  the tests and performed well till the end..so from my side its a win.  From the features department it got something for everyone:



Onboard  switches and voltage measuring points for serious overclockers 
Excellent  Cooling options 
an over the par sound solution for the gamers 
what more  a person can need? 

*Pro’s:*



Exclusive Cooling options 
Intuitive Bios 
Excellent performance 
Good sound systems through the Supreme FX IV chip 
Good connectivity options 
The on board Msata/wifi combo is a good touch 
 *Con’s*



Price (blame the Forex rates) although i wont mind paying Rs 23000 + for this board. 
NONE 
Overall an excellent package and since there is virtually NO  competition as of now in this segment in INDIA no one can challenge its  position. Anyone getting into serious competitive benchmarking and  gaming should have it in their list.
 So from me and Team OCFreaks I give it an 5/5 rating.
 A little something from world famous overclocker Allen Golibersuch aka “Splave”


> Every generation one looks for a motherboard that is  feature rich but most importantly one that they know will take their  CPU’s and Memory to the maximum of their potential. The z77 ASUS ROG  line delivers once again and in each pricing segment with the gene,  formula, and extreme.
> ​


 *
In the end i want to thank a few people for making this review possible:*



Asus for providing the sample. 
Sanjib Ray for entrusting me with his pricey camera. 
and my Team for helping me in Everything. 
Until next time…signing out…
sumon pathak


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## pratyush997 (Sep 9, 2012)

Simply Faqin Awesome...it takes some months to save that amount for MoBo n u enjoy it free (dafaq review units)


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## sumonpathak (Sep 9, 2012)

LOL...am waiting for some comments like "simply overpriced"...abc..is better...xyz kicks ass kinda comment 
as for review units..well....u can say its my reward after toiling for 3 yrs....


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## sharang.d (Sep 9, 2012)

Overkill. Only for lN2 freaks I'd say. 
Formula and extreme are too overpowered lol


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## pratyush997 (Sep 9, 2012)

^lol yeah...but ultimate mobo....

^lol yeah...but ultimate mobo....


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## sumonpathak (Sep 9, 2012)

sharang.d said:


> Overkill. Only for lN2 freaks I'd say.
> Formula and extreme are too overpowered lol


try to get your hands on one 
this should be a must for any serious overclocker...


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## Abhishek Nama (Sep 9, 2012)

Great Review Sumon!! And definitely a great mobo


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## sumonpathak (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks


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## d6bmg (Sep 9, 2012)

Good review.
AND Yes, it IS overpriced in USA. Any idea about Indian pricing?


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## sumonpathak (Sep 9, 2012)

around 23k....AFAIK


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## lovedonator (Sep 10, 2012)

Well,it is an excellent motherboard and as far as I think it can not be called overpriced because the people who will shell out the money for this will know what they are getting in return.  I have to say the review is super awesome. Every detail covered and very well written.


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