ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme Preview
Category : Z170
Published by Marc Büchel on 20.11.15
The Maximus VIII Extreme, is ASUS's new flagship overclocking and gaming motherboard regarding Intels latest Z170 chipset. Next to a never-ending feature list there is the new ROG design. Meanwhile we're rather curious to find out more about all the different components ASUS has put on this motherboard.
The Maximus VIII Extreme is ASUS's latest and greatest high-end overclocking motherboard based on Intel's Z170 chipset. It's also interesting to see that the vendor decided to launch an Extreme board for the mainstream platform again. With Z97 the most high-end board was the Formula and that generation featured no Extreme model. In other words it's now already quite a few years that ASUS last launched an Extreme board in the mainstream segment, which makes this board even more interesting.
| 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 Z170 |
| Memory | Dual Channel DDR4, 4 x DIMM, Max. 64 GB DDR4, 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 |
| Multi-GPU |
|
| Slots |
|
| Sound | ROG SupremeFX Impact Audio 8-Channel High
Definition Audio
|
| Storage |
Intel Z170 chipset:
|
| Network |
LAN
|
| OC Panel | EXTREME Mode for subzero OC benching
|
| Internal Connectors |
|
| External Connectors |
|
| Forfactor | Extended ATX (30.5cm x 27.2cm) |
| BIOS | Bios (128 Mb flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS) |
- User's manual
- ASUS Q-Shield
- 8 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
- 1 x M.2 Screw Package
- 1 x CPU installation tool
- 1 x Supporting DVD
- 1 x ASUS 3T3R dual band Wi-Fi moving antennas
- 1 x Fan Extension Card (3 x 4-pin fan out)
- 1 x Fan Extension card screw pack
- 1 x SLI bridge(s)
- 1 x CrossFire cable(s)
- 1 x Q-connector(s) (1 in 1)
- 3 x Thermal sensor cable pack(s)
- 1 x 12 in 1 ROG Cable Label(s)
- 1 x 5-pin to 5-pin cable
- 1 x ROG Door Hanger(s)
- 1 x OC Panel II(s)
- 1 x OC Panel II 5.25-inch bay metal case
- 1 x OC Panel II Cable(s)
- 1 x OC Panel II screw pack(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. |  |
SATA Express |
SATA Express is a port for storage devices that basically combines two SATA connectors and bundles them. Each SATA Express port has been wired using two PCI Express Gen2 lanes offering a total of 10 Gbps bandwidth. Compared to SATA-III with 6 Gbps bandwidth this is quite an improvement. |  |
M.2 / U.2 / NVMe support |
The new ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme motherboard from ASUS features an M.2 slot, which can be equipped with an NVMe adapter card as well. This motherboard can be equipped with an SSD in M.2 format and it is wired directly to the Z170 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. |  |
OC Panel |
The
OC Panel is an external device, which is perfect for overclocking and
monitoring your own system.
|
|
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |
Layout
At a first glance the ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme looks very good with its harmonic design. For the first time in quite a few years ASUS has decided to change the color scheme of their ROG series motherboards. There is a matte black PCB and the heatsinks feature a metallic, dark silver tone, which reflects colors. The layout itself is well-designed and there is plenty of space around the CPU socket to install even todays largest CPU coolers. The fact that there are angled SATA connectors allows an easy installation of oversized graphics cards.
A closer look reveals there is a total of 12 phases taking care of stable current delivery to the CPU. Eight phases supply the CPU cores and four phases are in charge of the iGPU. When it comes to identifying the VRM controller ASUS is using, we always have to guess, since the vendor is using it's own label. Nevertheless we're pretty sure ASUS is using an IR35201, which is the state-of-the-art VRM controller on any serious Z170 overclocking motherboard. Apart from that there are the dual N-Channel MOSFETS from Infineon. To be more precise ASUS is using Infineon OptiMOS BSC0812ND and they are specced for 50A. What's really nice to see at this as well is the fact that there is no phase sharing going on on this board.
In the case of the additional 1+1+2 phasses, which we've not covered so far, these are taking care of VCCSA, VCCIO and memory. The memory can rely on two phases, which is sufficient for any overclocking - no matter how extreme you want to go.
| 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 Extreme with eight angled SATA ports. All ports offer 6Gbps bandwidth and they've been natively wired to the Z170 PCH. Four SATA ports can be combined to two SATA Express connectors. ASUS also decided to equip this board with a U.2 connector, which allows you to attach an NVMe SSD with U.2 interface directly without the need for an M.2 adapter card. Right next to the SATA connectors you'll find an M.2 slot, which has been wired to the PCH using four PCI Express Gen 3 lanes offering 32Gbps of bandwidth. Having a closer look at the full-sized PCIe Gen 3 slots, the first one has been wired using 16 lanes and the second, third and fourth features eight lanes. If you want to setup an SLI/CF system the maximum you can go for is 2-way-SLI and 3-way-CrossFire. In these cases the the lane splitters will address 2-way-SLI with x8/x8 and 3-way-CF with x8/x4/x4. You'll also find practical onboard power- and reset-buttons on this board as well as a debug display. Furthermore overclockers will enjoy the voltage read-out points, retry and safe-boot button, LN2 switch, Slow Mode jumper as well as PCI Express and DRAM channel selector switch. Regarding onboard audio there is ASUS's latest SupremeFX solution implemented, which has been electrically isolated from the rest of the board and features a high-quality chain of components. In this case there are gold plated conecctors, Nichicon capacitors, an ESS ES9023P DAC, two headphone amps and a de-pop relay. 
In total, there are six fan headers on the Maximus VIII Extreme's PCB. Another three come with the fan extension card, which is included in the delivery. This is definitely enough, to provide a high-end ATX system with fresh air.
| 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 | + | - | |
| Without a doubt, the ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme is a true high-end motherboard. If you're planning on overclocking your Skylake CPU, no matter whether it's extreme overclocking or aircooled OC, this is an ideal platform. Apart from that this board is also a great choice for powerful gaming system as well as workstations, which pack a good punch. We appreciate that many different storage devices can be attached no matter if they feature an M.2, SATA, SATA Express or even U.2 connector. Apart from that there is a high-quality power design, which is more than capable of handling extreme overclocking. It's almost self-evident that this much high-end is not cheap. The ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme sells for no less than 400 Euro these days. We're pretty sure there are quite a few users might be asking why there is no PLX chip on this board in order to avoid any lanes sharing. The reason for that is pretty simple: PLX chips are insanely expensive (a PEX8747 costs approximately USD 70) and that would have pushed the cost for the entire motherboard above 500 Euro. That in the end is more than what the Rampage V Extreme costs. | -
Design |
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| Layout | + | - | |
| The ASUS Maximus VIII 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. The first PCI-Express x16 slot had to be placed very close to a heatsink, which makes removing a graphics cards a bit tougher. A closer look at the area around the CPU socket shows, there is plenty of space to install big aircoolers without running into any issues. ASUS also decided to further improve the onboard audio, by adding a dedicated DAC as well as high-quality Nichicon capacitors. | -
Angled SATA
connectors - Space around the CPU socket - Placement of PCIe slots - Number of different storage connectors - Overclocking Features |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 4 - Layout |
| Page 2 - Specs and Delivery | Page 5 - Connectors and I/O |
| Page 3 - Features | Page 6 - Conclusion |