The Maximus VI Extreme, is ASUS' new flagship overclocking and gaming model regarding Intels latest Z87 chipset. In this preview we're going to show you how many and which new features ASUS has put into this product. What we can reveal by now: there is really a lot of new stuff.
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The Maximus VI Extreme is ASUS' High-End overclocking motherboard regarding Intels latest Z87 chipset. Therefore we're really curious what they've come up with from the layout and design as well as feature perspective.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
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Specs and Delivery
| Chipset | Intel Z87 |
| Memory | Dual Channel DDR3, 4 x DIMM, Max. 32 GB DDR3, 3000(O.C.) / 2933(O.C.) / 2800(O.C.) / 2666(O.C.) / 2600(O.C.) / 2500(O.C.) / 2400(O.C.) / 2200(O.C.) / 2133(O.C.) / 2000(O.C.) / 1866(O.C.) / 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory |
| Multi-GPU |
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| Slots |
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| Sound | Realtek ALC1150 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
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| Storage | Intel Z87 chipset
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| Network |
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| OC Panel |
|
| Internal Connectors |
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| Extrenal Connectors |
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| Forfactor | ATX (30.5cm x 24.4cm) |
| BIOS | Bios (64 Mb flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS) |
- User's manual
- I/O Shield
- 10 x SATA 6Gb/s cables
- 1 x ASUS 2T2R dual band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
- 1 x 3-Way SLI bridge
- 1 x 4-Way SLI bridge
- 1 x SLI bridge
- 1 x CrossFire cable
- 1 x Q-connector (2 in 1)
- 1 x ROG Connect cable
- 1 x 12 in 1 ROG Cable Label
- 1 x mPCIe Combo II card with dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth v4.0/3.0+HS module
- 1 x ROG Magnet
- 1 x OC Panel
- 1 x OC Panel 5.25-inch bay metal case
- 1 x OC Panel Cable
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
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Features
Extreme Engine Digi+ III |
Since quite some time ASUS has been equipping its boards with digital power designs. Using the right software it is not only possible to adjust voltages while being in Windows on can now also control impedances. Furthermore this board features high quality 10K black metallic capacitor which guarantee a long lifespan. |
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OC Panel |
The
OC Panel is an external device, which is perfect for overclocking and
monitoring your own system.
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ASUS Fan Xpert 2 |
ASUS Fan Xpert 2 provides customizable settings for fans that have been attached directly to the onboard fan headers. With the Fan Auto Tuning feature, ASUS Fan Xpert 2 automatically detects and tweaks all fan speeds and in the end reduces unwanted noise. |
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EPU |
EPU automatically detects the current system load and moderates power usage. It offers a system-wide energy optimization and is able to reduce fan noise. |
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mPCIE Combo II |
The mPCIe Combo II Slot can be equipped with several different expansion cards. In this case it doens't matter if you use a WiFi/Bluetooth module or even a new M.2(NGFF) SSD. |
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ROG RAM Disk |
RAMDisk reserves part of system memory and turns it into actual storage space, so you can place favorite app and game cache files in it to enjoy high-speed RAM performance while accessing them. | |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums
[pagebreak]
Layout
At a first glance the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme looks very good with its harmonic design. Once again the ROG-colors - red, black and white - suite nicely and together with the black PCB it becomes a beautiful product. The layout itself is well thought and there is for example plenty of space around the CPU socket to install even todays largest CPU coolers. The fact that there are SATA connectors which have been angled by 90 degrees allows an easy installation of oversized graphics cards.
The ASUS Maximus VI Extreme comes with a digital 8+2 phase power design. The CPU gets eight phases and the memory gets a stable current supply from two individual phases. Furthermore ASUS equips this board with their so called "BlackWing Chokes". Furthermore those chokes can cope with up to 60A per phase. Furthermore there are 10K Black Metallic Capacitors, which have an average life expectancy of 10'000 hours.
Totally you'll find four DIMM-slots on the Maximus VI Extreme. Officially supported are DDR3 3000 / 2933 / 2800 / 2666 / 2600 / 2500 / 2400 / 2200 / 2133 / 2000 / 1866 / 1800 / 1600 / 1333 MHz. There is engough space between the DIMM-slots and the CPU socket which means that you wont encounter compatibility problems with big coolers even when you choose to install RAM with big heatspreaders. Also supported are Xtreme Memory Profiles (XMP) in version 1.3.
On the Maximus VI Extreme the southbridge is being cooled by a passiv cooling block. A closer look at the area where the VRM is, shows that there are two additional heatsinks, which have been connected with a heatpipe. In case of this board you find a PLX bridge chip, which also received an additonal heatsink to keep temperatures low. ASUS equipped this board with a PEX8747 chip. This particular model offers 48 additional lanes which means that a x8/x16/x8/x8-configuration is possible.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums
[pagebreak]
Connectors and I/O
Totally ASUS equipped the Maximus VI Extreme with ten angled SATA ports. All ports offer 6Gbps bandwidth and six out of ten SATA III ports are natively wired to the Z87 PCH. The four additional SATA 6Gbps ports are wired to an ASMedia ASM1061 chip. You'll also find practical onboard power- and reset-buttons in the top right corner of the board. There is also a debug display. You will also find voltage read-out points on this board. Furthermore ASUS has put quite a few additional features into the OC Panel, which we outlined on page 3. What you can find in this area of the board too is a DIP switch to activate/deactivate the different PCI Express x16 slots.
Totally you'll find nine fan header on the Maximus VI Extreme which is more than enough, to provide a well equipped high-end or overclocking-system with fresh air. The fan headers are located around the CPU socket as spread over the motherboard. ASUS decided to use 4-pin PWM headers in all nine cases. Therefore it is possible to adjust rotation speed in the BIOS or in Windows.
Looking at the external connectors directly at the back-panel ASUS equipped the Maximus VI Extreme with one PS2 mouse/keyboard connector, six USB 3.0/2.0 ports, two USB 2.0/1.1 ports, one gigabit ethernet port, an HDMI connector, a DisplayPort out as well as an optical out and an analogue audio panel. Furtheremore you'll also a clear CMOS button and a ROG Connect switch.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
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Conclusion
| Allgemein | + | - | |
| The first impression the Maximus VI Extreme from ASUS leaves makes us want more. Once again we like the ROG design, which meanwhile belongs to the evergreens in the industry. Overall this board is just massive. There are so many features that it's almost unbelievable. For example: this is the first board where we see a total of nine fan headers. Furthermore there is the OC Panel, which offers lot of features for overclocking and extreme overclocking. Overall the OC Panel was a smart move, since ASUS is able to move quite a few features from the board into an external device. If all those features were onboard the would have had to go for a larger PCB. In this case the space offered by a standard ATX board is enough. | -
Design - Layout - Standard ATX |
- Price | |
| Layout | + | - | |
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Basically the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme's Layout has been very well thought. Once more practical are the angled SATA connectors as well as the power- and reset-buttons. There is also a debug display which is very useful in case you should have issues with a component in your system or the board itself. Even the placement of the PCI-Express x16 is very well chosen. There is a total of five full sized PCI Express slots and four of these slots have been wired to a PEX8747 bridge chip. Between these four slots there is one other slots or free space. In this case it is possible to build a Quad SLI setup without running into issues. Apart from that there is generally a lot of space on this board since, it hasn't been squeezed to the rim with features. Should you use this board for extreme overclocking, then you'll find it easy to isolate. Are you a gamer and you want to install a big CPU cooler, then there is plenty of space to even install todays biggers air coolers. |
- Angled SATA connectors
- 5 x Full-Size PCI Express x16 - Power/Reset-Button onboard - Debug display - Space around the CPU socket |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums
Author: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch Luca Rocchi l.rocchi@ocaholic.ch