When it comes to motherboards, especially if they are the gaming variety there are only a small number of component maker who has the pedigree to call themselves the best. Asus is one of them, ASUS Republic of Gamers today has one again flexed their muscles with the release of Maximus VIII Formula here in Malaysia. The Z170 Express chipset-based ATX gaming motherboard with exclusive CrossChill EK cooling, with Aura RGB lighting and ROG Armor, and 5-Way Optimization, Intel Gigabit Ethernet and LANGuard is here to deliver game-conquering performance.
Equipped with an LGA1151 socket and optimized for maximum performance of 6th-generation Intel Core processors and DDR4 memory, the latest motheboard is also engineered with top level SupremeFX 2015 audio technology to elevate even the smallest in-game sound details — making every battle arena sound as real as life.
The new board is also kitted out with the newest and fastest connectivity, with NVM Express (NVMe) U.2 and M.2 for up to 32Gbps transfers, USB 3.1 Type-A and reversible Type-C for the best compatibility and any-way-up convenience, and latest 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi with multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) wireless connections.
Best-in-class cooling
To create gaming cooling that’s the best in its class ROG teamed up with the cooling masters at EK Water Blocks to develop CrossChill EK — exclusive to the motherboard. This extreme-performance cooling block has a high-conductivity copper channel that’s ready for either air or liquid, and is literally the coolest choice available for custom-chilled builds, ensuring quieter, cooler gaming rigs.
CrossChill EK gets to work right away with air, requiring no specialist knowledge or equipment to reduce temperatures across the board. The exclusive block is also equipped with standard G1/4in-thread fittings, so it’s compatible with many existing liquid-cooling setups. For those that like to chill with liquid, CrossChill EK shrinks MOSFET temperatures by up to 23˚C.
Epic aesthetics and strength
Now with Aura RGB LED illumination and tough ROG Armor, the style begins with high-precision laser-engraving technology, which our engineers employ to carve beautifully intricate patterns across the ROG Armor, allowing the radiant RGB light of 28 integrated LEDs to shine through and illuminate key parts of the board — including the MOSFET heatsink cover, PCI Express area and the striking ROG logo on the PCH cover.
It also eliminates the hassle of using external RGB controllers to create striking illumination. With an integrated Aura RGB-strip header and included extension cable, it’s quick and easy to cast brilliant colors across any gaming rig or light up LAN parties. A standard 12V RGB strip simply slides onto the Maximus VIII Formula’s integrated 4-pin Aura RGB-strip header, enabling gamers to weave lighting any way they please.
To control the illumination, there is the Aura lighting-control utility. This allows users to manage the motherboard’s powerful built-in RGB LEDs or an attached RGB strip, or both — and in perfect synchronization. Aura provides rig-builders with the creative freedom to experiment with six different lighting schemes, including static, strobing and pulsating effects. The Aura utility also offers the ability to change LED colors in time with music, or have them indicate CPU temperature.
ROG Armor is a high-style thermal protection that blocks heat from graphics cards, ensuring lower system temperatures for better performance — and all with sleek looks. In addition, a steel, electro-galvanized, cold-rolled coil (SECC) backplate that strengthens Maximus VIII Formula to prevent bending, employing thermal pads to efficiently conduct heat away from crucial components.
Game-conquering performance
With the 5-Way Optimization which sorts all the complex settings for instant, highly-controllable performance boosts, gaming is made easy. This exclusive technology dynamically optimizes essential aspects of the systems based on real-time use, maximizing CPU performance and minimizing energy use. With ultra-stable digital power ASUS ROG Digi+, cool and quiet fans and even networking and audio settings that are tailored for the apps being using, 5-Way Optimization ensures that the PC is perfect for gaming, entertainment, productivity or anything else — and all with a single click.
Maximus VIII Formula is also engineered with crystal-clear gaming audio, in the shape of SupremeFX 2015. This brings together the best gaming-audio inputs and outputs, special shielded designs, and a collection of carefully selected professional-grade audio components, including an ESS ES9023P digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with Hyperstream technology, ultra-low-jitter clock, Nichicon capacitors and 2VRMS headphone amp. Sonic SenseAmp is incorporated to automatically detect and optimize any headset (32-600 ohms) for purest sound quality.
SupremeFX 2015 also features intuitive the Sonic Studio II suite for the quick application of the best audio effects for different listening scenarios, plus Perfect Voice noise-cancellation technology for team conversations with total clarity.
For faster online gaming with greater throughput and minimized lag, Maximus VIII Formula has the very latest Intel Ethernet (I219-V) Gigabit LAN. This has the serious double advantage of reducing CPU overhead and offering exceptionally high TCP and UDP throughput, so there’s more power for gaming and gameplay. The port is protected by exclusive LANGuard technology for safer, more reliable connections, employing advanced signal-coupling technology and premium surface-mounting processes both to protect Maximus VIII Formula and deliver pumped-up throughput.
Next-gen connectivity
Join the NVMe revolution and unlock the full potential of the latest solid-state drives (SSDs), with both U.2 and M.2 connectors on board for data-transfer speeds of up to 32Gbps — and all with plug-and-play ease.
With both USB 3.1 Type-A and reversible USB 3.1 Type-C built in, Maximus VIII Formula also offers the speed and convenience of both variants of the latest USB standard. ASUS-exclusive USB 3.1 Boost technology automatically accelerates USB 3.1 performance even further. For the very fastest wireless connections, integrated is the 802.11ac Wi-Fi integrated, with an external 2×2 (2 transmit, 2 receive) dual-band 2.4/5GHz antenna included.
