Asus Maximus Formula & Maximus Extreme

Asus Maximus Extreme

Manufacturer: Asus
UK Price (as Reviewed): £187.99 (inc. VAT)
US Price (as Reviewed): $369.99 (ex. Tax)

Features

• Support for Intel LGA775 processors, including the latest 45nm with 800MHz, 1,066MHz or 1,333MHz front side bus
  
• Intel X38 Northbridge
  
• Intel ICH9R Southbridge
  
• Support for up to 8GB DDR3 1,333MHz, 1,066MHz and 1,800/1,600MHz OC memory modes
  
• Three PCI-Express x16 slots with support for ATI CrossFire technology - either dual graphics PCI-Express x16 at Gen-2.0 or three-way CrossFireX at x16, x8, x8 with the x8s at Gen-1.0
  
• Two PCI-Express x1 slots
  
• Two PCI 2.2 slots
  
• Six SATA 3Gbps ports with Intel Matrix RAID 0, 1, 0+1 and 5
  
• JMicron JMB363 chipset providing one PATA port and two eSATA 3Gbps ports
  
• Two Marvell PCI-Express x1 Gigabit Ethernet with teaming function
  
• Asus SupremeFX II Audio Card with ADI SoundMAX 1988B HD audio codec
  
• Two Firewire and 12 USB 2.0 ports
  
• Fusion Watercooling Northbridge Block
  
• Asus EPU, LCD Poster, AI Gear 3, AI Overclocking, AI Booster, OC Profile, Voltimeter LED, Asus C.P.R, Asus Q-Connector, Asus Q-Fan 2, Asus EZ Flash 2, Asus CrashFree BIOS 3 and Asus MyLogo3

Box Contents

• Fusion waterblock accessory kit
  
• LCD POST readout
  
• Optional heatpipe fan
  
• SupremeFX Audio card
  
• Q-connector kit
  
• One IDE cable
  
• One floppy cable
  
• Six SATA cables, three with 90 degree connectors and three with straight connectors
  
• One Molex to two SATA power cables
  
• PCI bracket with two USB and one 6-pin Firewire connector
  
• A backlit, metal rear I/O shield
  
• "DIY Pedestal" (nine sticky rubber feet)
  
• Three thermal sensor cables
  
• Driver CD, Manual, Quick Launch and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. PC game

The contents are virtually the same as the ones that came with the Maximus Formula, however there are a few additions to the Extreme's line-up that make it, errr... more extreme. You still get the same SATA cables, PCI bracket, external LCD display and watercooling bits but there are also thermal probes that plug into the three 2-pin connectors dotted about the motherboard, as well as little sticky rubber blocks that you stick on the back of your board.

This keeps it off the desk to either prevent scratching or shorting when you're overclocking and tweaking on desktop. A couple of little sticky pads aren't worth very much, but it's the kind of thing you don't really think to go out and buy either. Including the thermal probes means that I want more than ever to have the LCD screen showing me temperatures, even if it's just rotating what's on screen.

Obviously the board is built with enthusiasts in mind to the very core, and from the outset the whole package is made to complement it. For that we commend Asus for taking the initiative to do it, however let's not forget that as a massive company it also has access to greater resources, so it does not have to put all its eggs in one basket, like say Gigabyte does with a DQ6 or MSI does with a Diamond series board.