ASUS Maximus VIII Impact Preview
Category : Z170
Published by Marc Büchel on 16.11.15
If there is a motherboard this year, which makes each and every enthusiast, gamer or even overclocker look closer, than it's the Maximus VIII Impact from ASUS' ROG department. After having set a new trend for mini-ITX gaming with their P8Z77-I Deluxe, ASUS now brings this form factor to the next level - yet again - by releasing this feature packed and powerful mini-ITX board. Next to a powerful VRM design and an additional sound module, there are plenty of other features and obviously, we're going to show them all to you.
When ASUS released the first Impact motherboard, the company showed what's possible with a mini ITX motherboard. ASUS has been making and improving the Impact for three years now and the Maximus VIII Impact packs more features than ever on the tiny 17 x 17cm PCB.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
Specs and Delivery
| Chipset | Intel |
| Memory | Dual Channel DDR4, 2 x DIMM, Max. 32 GB DDR4, 4133 (O.C) / 4000 (O.C) / 3800 (O.C) / 3733 (O.C.) / 3600 (O.C.) / 3500 (O.C.) /3466 (O.C) / 3400 (O.C.) / 3333 (O.C.) / 3300 (O.C.) / 3200 (O.C.) / 3000 (O.C.) / 2800 (O.C.) / 2666 (O.C.) / 2400 (O.C.) / 2133 Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory |
| Slots |
|
| Sound | ROG SupremeFX Impact Audio 8-Channel High
Definition Audio
|
| Storage |
|
| Network | LAN
|
| Internal Connectors |
|
| External Connectors |
|
| Forfactor | Mini ITX Form Factor (17cm x 17cm) |
| BIOS | Bios (128 Mb flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS) |
- User's manual
- ASUS Q-Shield
- 4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
- 1 x CPU installation tool
- 1 x Supporting DVD
- 1 x ASUS 2T2R dual band Wi-Fi moving antennas (Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
- 1 x Fan Extension Card (3 x 4-pin fan out)
- 1 x Fan Extension card screw pack
- 1 x 12 in 1 ROG Cable Label(s)
- ROG Fan Label
- 1 x 5-pin to 5-pin cable
- 1 x Panel cable
- 1 x Thermistor cable(s)
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
Features
Digi+ |
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. |  |
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. |  |
U.2 / NVMe support |
The new ASUS Maximus VIII Impact motherboard from ASUS features an U.2 slot, which can be equipped with an NVMe adapter card as well. This motherboard can be equipped with an SSD in U.2 format and it is wired directly to the PCH via four PCI Express Gen 3 lanes, therefore offering x4 bandwidth. In other words up to 32 Gbps can be pushed over the bus through this slot. |  |
SupremeFX 2015 |
With SupremeFX 2015 you get ASUS ROG's interpretation of high quality onboard audio. Supporting up to eight channels, the SupremeFX 2015 solution received shielding from other onboard components. Apart from that there are high quality Nichicon capacitors offering as clear as possible audio. |  |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
Layout
As usual the Maximus VIII Impact looks very good and features a harmonic design. Once again the ROG-colors - red, black and silver/white - suite nicely and together with the matte 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 the largest CPU coolers. On a mini-ITX motherboard it is crucial that the CPU socket is in the center of the motherboard, otherwise installing big aircoolers becomes an issue. There are plenty of other mini-ITX motherboards out there, which have the CPU socket closer to the PCI-Express x16 slot. This brings the consequence, that the cooler is going to collide with the VGA. Looking for the SATA connectors shows, that ASUS placed them at the only reasonable/available position. Furthermore there are straight connectors, since there just isn't enough space for angled ones.
The ASUS Maximus VIII Impact comes with a digital 6+2+2 phase power design. The CPU gets six phases and the iGPU as well as the memory receive stable current supply from two individual phases. Furthermore ASUS equips this board with so called "MicroFine alloy chokes", which are capable of withstanding higher current than conventional solid chokes. Furthermore there are 10K Black Metallic Capacitors, which have an average life span of 10'000 hours. Each phase is also equipped with an IR3553 buck-controller, which features an integrated Schottky diode as well as a control MOSFET. The IR3553 controller offer up to 40A output power. In other words, the Impact received the same power design, which can also be found on the bigger ASUS ROG Maximus VIII motherboards. Since, this mini-ITX motherboard offers very limited space, ASUS has put the VRM on a daughter PCB, which has been soldered to the motherboard.
In total there are two DIMM-slots on the Maximus VIII Impact. Officially supported are DDR4 4133 (O.C) / 4000 (O.C) / 3800 (O.C) / 3733 (O.C.) / 3600 (O.C.) / 3500 (O.C.) /3466 (O.C) / 3400 (O.C.) / 3333 (O.C.) / 3300 (O.C.) / 3200 (O.C.) / 3000 (O.C.) / 2800 (O.C.) / 2666 (O.C.) / 2400 (O.C.) / 2133. 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 2.0.
On the Maximus VIII Impact the PCH is being cooled by a passive cooling block. A closer look at the area where the VRM is, shows that there is another single heatsink - one is on the front-side and the other is located on the back-side. The design as well as the build quality is on an excellent level, which is typical for ASUS' Maximus VIII series motherboards.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
Connectors and I/O
ASUS equipped the Maximus VIII Impact with four straight SATA ports. All ports offer 6Gbps bandwidth and they are natively wired to the Z170 PCH. If you're looking for an M.2 slot, there is none, but instead ASUS equipped this board with a U.2 connector which allows you to attach NVMe SSDs. You'll also find practical onboard power- and reset-buttons on this motherbboard as well as a a debug display, which has been moved to the I/O panel, since there is simply not enough space on the actual motherboard. ASUS also equipped this board with their SupremeFX Impact III audio solution. In this case the manufacturer put all the sound related components on yet another daughter board, which is electrically isolated from the rest of the board. There are high-quality components used for the audio implementation such as ELNA capacitors, an ESS9023P DAC, Nichicon gold caps, two headphone amps and a De-Pop relay.
In total, there are two fan headers on the Maximus VIII Impact's PCB. Another four come with the fan extension card, which is included in the delivery. This is definitely enough, to provide a well equipped mini-ITX system with fresh air.
Looking at the external connectors directly at the back-panel ASUS equipped the Maximus VIII Impact with four USB 3.0/2.0 ports, two USB 3.1 ports (1 x Type-A and 1 x Type-C), one gigabit ethernet port, an HDMI connector as well as an optical out and an analogue audio panel. Furtheremore you'll find also a clear CMOS button, a debug LED and a power and a reset button. Furthermore there is a WiFi 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.0 module present, where external antennas can be connected.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
Conclusion
| Overall | + | - | |
| Already at first glance the Maximus VIII Impact leaves an excellent impression. The mix of overclocking features and a high quality audio hardware makes this a state-of-the-art motherboard for mini-ITX-gaming. And next to a very nice looking design you find useful features like for example GameFirst III. This software allows you to configure your network device the way gaming traffic gets prioritized (keyword traffic shaping). Furthremore you get ASUS' RAM Disk Software and lots of other goodies, which make this board even more appealing. Absolutely remarkable, that's what the ten phase power design is. ASUS again succeed in bringing even extreme overclocking to the mini-ITX form factor. | -
Design |
||
| Layout | + | - | |
| Basically, the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact's layout has been very well thought. In order to make more space on the tiny PCB ASUS decided to used two daughter PCBs, one for the power design and one for the audio solution. Furthermore, the straight SATA 6Gbps ports have been placed at the only location where it makes sense to have them, when you look at this from an accessibility point of view. Also due to space contraints ASUS has put the debug LED as well as power and reset button on the I/O panel. Since the CPU socket is in the center of the PCB it is possible to install even the largest CPU coolers. Another great addition is the U.2 solit, which allows attaching NVMe SSDs. Also on this board is a WiFi 802.11ac / Bluetooth 4.0 module. | - Space around the CPU
socket
- Audio Solution
- Power/Reset-Button - Debug LED - Power Design |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |